99 Fun Facts About Christmas Movies

In Home Alone, what city do the McCallisters fly to for Christmas, leaving Kevin behind?

The McCallister family flies to Paris for Christmas, accidentally leaving 8-year-old Kevin behind in their suburban Chicago home.

What is the name of Buddy's biological father in the movie Elf?

Walter Hobbs, played by James Caan, is Buddy's biological father who works as a children's book publisher in New York City.

Which actor plays the Grinch in the 2000 live-action film How the Grinch Stole Christmas?

Jim Carrey starred as the Grinch, spending up to 8 hours daily in prosthetic makeup for the role directed by Ron Howard.

What does Ralphie desperately want for Christmas in A Christmas Story?

Ralphie Parker wants a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle, despite everyone warning him he'll shoot his eye out.

In Die Hard, what is the name of the building where the hostage situation takes place?

The action takes place at Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles during the company's Christmas Eve party. The real building is Fox Plaza in Century City.

What profession does George Bailey have in It's a Wonderful Life?

George Bailey runs the Bailey Brothers Building and Loan, which builds Bailey Park so working families can escape the town's slums.

In National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, what does Clark Griswold hope to use his Christmas bonus for?

Clark's bonus turns out to be a one-year membership to the Jelly of the Month Club, after he has already put a deposit on a swimming pool.

What is the name of the angel who helps George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life?

Clarence Odbody, Angel Second Class, shows George what life would be like if he had never been born, and earns his wings in the process.

Which character in Love Actually holds up cue cards at Keira Knightley's door to confess his love?

Mark, played by Andrew Lincoln, silently holds up handwritten cue cards declaring his feelings for Juliet, his best friend's wife.

In The Polar Express, what does the boy choose as the first gift of Christmas?

The boy asks for a silver bell from Santa's sleigh as the first gift of Christmas. He loses it through a hole in his robe pocket, but it turns up under the tree with a note from Santa.

Which New York department store does Buddy the Elf mistake for a place where elves make toys?

Buddy wanders into Gimbels, whose toy floor is dressed as Santaland, and redecorates the whole store overnight after the manager announces Santa will visit the next morning.

In Miracle on 34th Street (1947), which real department store does Kris Kringle work at as Santa?

Kris Kringle works as the Macy's department store Santa. The film was notable for using the real Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade footage.

What is the name of the villain played by Alan Rickman in Die Hard?

Hans Gruber, played by Alan Rickman in his first feature film, is the sophisticated German criminal who seizes a Los Angeles skyscraper on Christmas Eve.

In A Christmas Story, what shape is the major award lamp that Ralphie's father wins?

The Old Man wins a fishnet-stocking-clad leg lamp as a major award, which he proudly displays in the front window to his wife's dismay.

Who sang 'You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch' in the 1966 TV special, going uncredited on screen?

Ravenscroft, also the voice of Tony the Tiger, was left out of the credits, so Dr. Seuss wrote to columnists nationwide to set the record straight.

Who plays Santa Claus in the 2003 film Elf?

Ed Asner plays Santa Claus in Elf; his sleigh crashes in Central Park when Christmas spirit runs low. Bob Newhart plays Buddy's adoptive Papa Elf.

In Home Alone, what nickname do the two burglars go by?

Harry and Marv call themselves the Wet Bandits because Marv leaves the water running in every house they rob as their calling card.

Which actor plays six roles in The Polar Express, including the boy and the conductor?

Tom Hanks performed motion capture for six characters in The Polar Express, including Hero Boy, his father, the conductor, the hobo, Santa Claus, and the narrator.

In the movie Elf, what does Buddy say are the main food groups elves stick to?

Buddy rattles off the elf diet while dousing spaghetti in maple syrup; Will Ferrell said he suffered ill effects from actually eating the sugary foods on set.

Which Rankin/Bass stop-motion Christmas special features a prospector named Yukon Cornelius?

Yukon Cornelius is the adventurous prospector who befriends Rudolph and Hermey the elf on the Island of Misfit Toys in the 1964 special.

In the 1994 movie The Santa Clause, how does Scott Calvin end up becoming Santa?

Scott Calvin, played by Tim Allen, startles Santa on his roof on Christmas Eve, causing him to fall. Scott puts on the suit and is bound by the Santa Clause to take over the role.

Which British actor plays the Prime Minister in Love Actually?

Hugh Grant plays the newly elected Prime Minister David who falls for a junior member of his household staff named Natalie.

In Home Alone, what does Kevin's neighbor Old Man Marley use to knock out the two burglars at the end?

Old Man Marley clobbers Harry and Marv with his snow shovel as they corner Kevin. Director Chris Columbus added Marley to John Hughes's script to give the story a warmer ending.

In A Charlie Brown Christmas, what does Charlie Brown buy instead of a flashy aluminum tree?

Charlie Brown buys a small, scraggly natural tree that everyone initially mocks, but it becomes beautiful once the gang decorates it with Snoopy's doghouse lights.

Which actor voiced the Grinch in the original 1966 animated special?

Boris Karloff both narrated and voiced the Grinch in the 1966 TV special directed by Chuck Jones, based on Dr. Seuss's 1957 book.

In Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, where does Kevin check in using his father's credit card?

Kevin checks into The Plaza Hotel, where Donald Trump makes a brief cameo giving him directions to the lobby.

What is the fictional town called in It's a Wonderful Life?

Bedford Falls is the small town where George Bailey lives; Seneca Falls, New York, claims to be its inspiration and opened an It's a Wonderful Life museum in 2010, though Capra's archivist says there is no evidence for the claim.

In National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, what animal causes chaos after hiding in the Christmas tree?

A squirrel had been hiding in the Griswold family's Christmas tree and wreaks havoc when it leaps out, terrorizing the family and their guests.

Which Tim Burton film features a character who discovers Christmas Town?

In The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Jack Skellington from Halloween Town discovers Christmas Town and becomes obsessed with taking over the holiday.

What year was the original It's a Wonderful Life released?

It's a Wonderful Life was released in 1946, directed by Frank Capra. It was initially a box office disappointment but became a beloved classic through TV broadcasts.

What is John McClane's wife's name in Die Hard?

Holly Gennero McClane, played by Bonnie Bedelia, works under her maiden name at the Nakatomi Corporation, whose Christmas party John crashes.

In Scrooged (1988), which actor plays the modern-day version of Ebenezer Scrooge?

Bill Murray plays Frank Cross, a cynical TV executive who is a modern-day Scrooge, in this comedic retelling of A Christmas Carol.

In A Christmas Story, what does Flick get stuck to a frozen flagpole after a 'triple dog dare'?

Flick takes the dare and freezes to the pole, and the fire department has to come and free him. Hammond, Indiana, later put up a statue recreating the moment.

Who directed the 2004 motion-capture film The Polar Express?

Zemeckis adapted Chris Van Allsburg's 1985 picture book; the author had refused to sell the film rights until he learned who would star.

In Love Actually, what country does Colin travel to, believing women there will find him irresistible?

Colin Frissell travels to the United States (specifically Milwaukee) and indeed finds that American women are charmed by his British accent.

What is the name of the miserly banker and antagonist in It's a Wonderful Life?

Henry F. Potter, played by Lionel Barrymore, owns most of the town's businesses; Barrymore was a famous radio Scrooge at the time, which made him a natural choice.

Which actress plays Jovie, the love interest, in Elf?

Zooey Deschanel plays Jovie, a department store elf who becomes Buddy's love interest and eventually helps spread Christmas cheer by singing in Central Park.

In the 2018 animated film The Grinch, which actor voices the title character?

Benedict Cumberbatch voiced the Grinch in Illumination's 2018 film, which earned over $500 million worldwide and passed Home Alone as the highest-grossing Christmas film on its release.

What classic black-and-white movie does Kevin McCallister watch and quote in Home Alone?

Angels with Filthy Souls is actually a fictional movie-within-a-movie created specifically for Home Alone. Kevin uses its dialogue ('Keep the change, ya filthy animal') to fool the pizza delivery man.

In It's a Wonderful Life, how much money does Uncle Billy misplace on Christmas Eve?

Uncle Billy absent-mindedly hands the cash to the town's rival banker wrapped in a newspaper, and it is never returned. The sum would be around $140,000 today.

In Elf, in which New York landmark does Buddy find his father Walter's office?

Walter's publishing office is in the Empire State Building; he mistakes Buddy for a Christmas-gram messenger and has security throw him out. Director Jon Favreau cameos as the doctor whose DNA test proves they are related.

In the 1984 film Gremlins, what three rules must be followed when caring for a Mogwai?

The three rules for caring for Gizmo the Mogwai are: keep it away from bright light, don't get it wet, and never feed it after midnight.

What is the name of the Grinch's loyal dog?

Max is the Grinch's long-suffering but loyal dog who is forced to pull the overloaded sleigh down Mount Crumpit to steal Christmas from Whoville.

Which actor plays Clark Griswold in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation?

Chevy Chase plays the well-meaning but bumbling Clark Griswold, reprising his role from the original Vacation and European Vacation films.

In the Muppet Christmas Carol, which Muppet character plays Bob Cratchit?

Kermit the Frog plays Bob Cratchit, with Robin the Frog as Tiny Tim. Michael Caine stars as Ebenezer Scrooge alongside the Muppet cast.

What 1954 musical film stars Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye as performers who help save a Vermont inn?

White Christmas was the first film shot in VistaVision widescreen; its title song, first heard in Holiday Inn (1942), became the best-selling single of all time.

In the movie Jingle All the Way, what toy are the main characters desperately trying to buy?

Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a father scrambling on Christmas Eve to find a Turbo-Man action figure, the season's must-have toy.

In which Michigan city does the boy board the train on Christmas Eve in The Polar Express (2004)?

The story opens in Grand Rapids, the hometown of author Chris Van Allsburg, whose 1985 picture book the film adapts.

In Love Actually, what does Jamie (Colin Firth) travel to do at the end of the film?

Jamie flies back to Marseille and proposes in halting Portuguese; Aurélia answers in broken English, having secretly been learning his language 'just in cases'.

Counting Jacob Marley, how many ghosts visit Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol?

Marley's chained ghost comes first, followed by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. Dickens split the story into five 'staves' rather than chapters.

What weather event grounds Brad and Kate's Fiji flight in Four Christmases (2008)?

A TV news crew then interviews the stranded couple live, blowing their cover story to all four sets of parents at once.

Who plays Brad, dragged to four family Christmases in one day, in Four Christmases?

Vince Vaughn's Brad and Reese Witherspoon's Kate are a happily unmarried couple who usually dodge both families by flying abroad while claiming to be doing charity work.

What is the hobby of Brad's brothers Denver and Dallas in Four Christmases?

Robert Duvall plays their father Howard; a later attempt to install a satellite dish ends with Brad falling off the roof.

Which pair of Oscar winners play Brad's divorced parents, Howard and Paula, in Four Christmases?

Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek play Brad's parents, while Jon Voight and Mary Steenburgen play Kate's, so all four parents are Academy Award winners.

In Four Christmases, Brad and Kate are pushed into which roles in the Christmas pageant?

Brad and Kate are roped into playing Mary and Joseph in the nativity pageant at Kate's mother's church, where Brad hams up Joseph; country singer Dwight Yoakam plays the pastor.

What is revealed to be Brad's real first name in Four Christmases?

Brad's real name is Orlando; his brothers are Denver and Dallas, so being called after a city runs in the family.

Which party game further strains Brad and Kate's relationship in Four Christmases?

A heated round of the party game Taboo exposes how little Brad and Kate know of each other's hopes, and the fight that follows splits them up for the night; Seth Gordon directed.

Four Christmases opened at No. 1 over which US holiday weekend in 2008?

Four Christmases opened at No. 1 over the 2008 Thanksgiving weekend, taking about $46 million across the five-day holiday, and went on to gross more than $160 million worldwide on an $80 million budget.

How does Four Christmases end for Brad and Kate, one year on from the fog-bound Christmas?

The arrival comes on New Year's Day, after Kate has spent the film realising she wants a family after all.

Who wrote and directed the 2006 romantic comedy The Holiday?

Nancy Meyers wrote, directed and produced The Holiday (2006), following her What Women Want (2000) and Something's Gotta Give (2003).

In The Holiday, Amanda and Iris escape their heartbreak by doing what?

Amanda finds Iris's Surrey cottage on a home-swap website and they agree to switch for two weeks starting the very next day.

Which actor plays Iris's brother Graham in The Holiday?

Jude Law got the part after Robert Downey Jr. auditioned; director Nancy Meyers sent Law a collection of Clark Gable films to shape the performance she wanted.

What is Amanda Woods's job in The Holiday?

That is why the film keeps cutting to mock movie trailers narrating Amanda's love life, voiced by real trailer narrator Hal Douglas.

For which London newspaper does Iris Simpkins write in The Holiday?

Iris writes a weddings column for The Daily Telegraph, and the paper's office Christmas party is where her ex's engagement to another colleague is announced in front of her.

How old was Eli Wallach when he filmed his role as retired screenwriter Arthur Abbott in The Holiday?

Eli Wallach, born in December 1915, was 90 when The Holiday shot in early 2006; his Arthur Abbott is a Golden Age screenwriter honoured at a tribute evening in the film's climax.

Which star wandered into The Holiday's video-store scene by accident and got an unscripted cameo?

Dustin Hoffman happened to be near the Blockbuster location, saw the lights, and Meyers gave him an unscripted cameo: he appears in the background as Miles enthuses about The Graduate.

Iris's cottage in The Holiday looks like ancient Surrey, but the exterior was actually what?

The producers found a real cottage but it was too far from London, so they built one next to St James's Church in the village of Shere.

Roughly how much did The Holiday gross worldwide, against a production budget of $85M?

The Holiday grossed about $206 million worldwide on its $85 million budget; only $63 million came from North America, with international audiences supplying the bulk.

Which composer scored The Holiday, and gets name-checked when Miles hums the Driving Miss Daisy theme?

Hans Zimmer scored The Holiday; the in-joke lands when Miles hums the Driving Miss Daisy theme and credits it to Zimmer, who really did write it. Imogen Heap contributed additional music.

Which band's song does Amanda drunkenly sing along to at the English cottage in The Holiday?

Amanda, tipsy on wine alone at the cottage, sings along to The Killers' Mr. Brightside, the band's biggest hit; the scene became one of the film's most quoted moments.

Who plays Jasper, the ex who keeps stringing Iris along in The Holiday?

Rufus Sewell plays Jasper Bloom, Iris's colleague and ex who gets engaged to someone else yet flies to Los Angeles to win her back; she finally throws him out of Amanda's house.

Who plays the boozy, safe-cracking mall Santa in the 2003 black comedy Bad Santa?

Billy Bob Thornton took the title role; Terry Zwigoff directed, the Coen brothers executive-produced, and it was John Ritter's last live-action screen appearance.

Which studio released Bad Santa in North America on November 26, 2003?

Miramax, through its Dimension Films label, released Bad Santa on November 26, 2003; the film was dedicated to John Ritter, who had died that September, and a sequel followed in 2016.

Which director made his feature debut with the Netflix animated Christmas film Klaus (2019)?

Sergio Pablos, who originated the Despicable Me concept, made his directing debut with Klaus, a hand-drawn Santa origin story that won seven Annie Awards and the BAFTA for Best Animated Film.

In Klaus, what job takes lazy Jesper Johansen to a remote island town in the Far North?

Jesper is posted to Smeerensburg as its postman by his father, the Postmaster General, after deliberately coasting through the Royal Postal Academy; he must post 6,000 letters in a year or be cut off.

Arthur Christmas (2011) was the second computer-animated feature from which British studio?

Aardman, the Bristol studio behind Wallace & Gromit, followed Flushed Away (2006) with Arthur Christmas, casting James McAvoy as Santa's son Arthur alongside Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy and Jim Broadbent.

Which actress co-wrote Last Christmas (2019) with Bryony Kimmings and also appears in it?

Emma Thompson co-wrote Last Christmas with Bryony Kimmings from a story she developed with her husband Greg Wise, and plays Kate's mother Petra; Paul Feig directed the film built around the Wham! song.

The 2015 comedy horror film Krampus draws on a monster from which folklore tradition?

Krampus is the horned companion of St Nicholas in Austro-Bavarian Alpine folklore who punishes naughty children; Michael Dougherty's film has Adam Scott and Toni Collette's bickering family summon him.

In the 1998 film Jack Frost, Michael Keaton's dead musician father returns to life as what?

Jack Frost returns as a living snowman a year after his death when his son Charlie plays the magic harmonica he left behind; Kelly Preston plays the widow Gabby and Troy Miller directed.

Which Irving Berlin song from Holiday Inn (1942) later titled a 1948 Fred Astaire film?

Easter Parade, which Berlin had written in 1933, was one of twelve holiday songs he supplied for Holiday Inn and became the title of the 1948 Fred Astaire-Judy Garland musical; a hotel chain later borrowed the film's name.

Who plays the bishop in The Bishop's Wife after Cary Grant insisted on the angel role?

Niven had first been cast as the angel and Dana Andrews as the bishop; the 1996 remake The Preacher's Wife paired Denzel Washington with Whitney Houston.

Who plays columnist Elizabeth Lane, faking a farm life, in Christmas in Connecticut?

Barbara Stanwyck plays Elizabeth Lane, a magazine food writer who cannot cook; S. Z. Sakall plays Felix, the restaurateur friend secretly supplying her recipes, and Dennis Morgan the war-hero sailor she must host.

Who plays the miser in Scrooge (1951), released in the US as A Christmas Carol?

Alastair Sim plays Ebenezer Scrooge in Brian Desmond Hurst's 1951 film; largely ignored on release, it built a cult following on television and is widely rated among the most faithful screen versions of Dickens.

In the 1951 film Scrooge, which avaricious mentor, a character invented for the film, introduces young Ebenezer to Jacob Marley?

Mr. Jorkin, played by Jack Warner, lures young Scrooge away from the benevolent Mr. Fezziwig; when he is caught embezzling, the pair buy control of the firm.

Who got a Golden Globe nod as tightly wound girlfriend Meredith in The Family Stone?

Parker took the part during the final season of Sex and the City to break away from Carrie Bradshaw; the film grossed $92.9 million worldwide.

In Violent Night (2022), Santa reveals his ancient past as a Viking warrior named what?

Santa reveals he was once Nicomund the Red, a Viking warrior who fought with a war hammer called Skullcrusher, long before he took up the sleigh; the Connecticut mansion siege was actually shot in Winnipeg.

Who plays a hammer-swinging Santa fighting mercenaries in Violent Night (2022)?

David Harbour plays a jaded Santa who takes on John Leguizamo's mercenaries in Violent Night; it premiered at New York Comic Con in October 2022 and earned about $76 million worldwide.

Which Dame cameos as herself in the 2022 musical Spirited?

Judi Dench cameos as herself in Spirited, the Apple TV+ musical whose twist is that the Ghost of Christmas Present was once Ebenezer Scrooge; Benj Pasek and Justin Paul wrote the songs.

Who plays Santa Claus in The Christmas Chronicles (2018)?

Kurt Russell plays a brawny Santa in The Christmas Chronicles and sings lead on the jailhouse cover of Elvis's Santa Claus Is Back in Town, backed by Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul.

What is Santa's older brother's job in Chicago before he heads north in Fred Claus?

Kevin Spacey plays efficiency expert Clyde Northcutt, who puts the North Pole on a three-strike assessment; the $100 million film lost money.

In Satoshi Kon's Tokyo Godfathers, three homeless people find what on Christmas Eve?

Gin, Hana and Miyuki find an abandoned newborn in the rubbish on Christmas Eve and set out to find her mother; Kon took the premise from John Ford's 1948 western 3 Godfathers, and Hana names the baby Kiyoko.

Rare Exports (2010), where Santa is a horned beast dug from a fell, is from which country?

The ending has the locals train 198 captured elves as mall Santas for export; it grew out of two viral shorts by director Jalmari Helander.

Who plays Patch, the elf whose automated toys backfire, in Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)?

Dudley Moore plays Patch, the elf whose mass-produced toys fall apart and who is exploited by John Lithgow's toy tycoon; Superman producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind made it, and it flopped before becoming a British cult favourite.

Who directed Happiest Season (2020), the first major-studio lesbian Christmas rom-com?

DuVall drew on her own family; TriStar sold the Kristen Stewart film to Hulu during the pandemic, where it set the service's opening-weekend record.

Which Billy Wilder film, built around an office Christmas party, won Best Picture of 1960?

The Apartment won Best Picture for 1960: Jack Lemmon's clerk lends his flat to philandering bosses and falls for Shirley MacLaine's elevator operator; the 1968 Broadway musical Promises, Promises was adapted from it.

The bickering shop clerks in The Shop Around the Corner (1940) work in which city?

Matuschek and Company is a leather-goods shop in Budapest, taken from Miklos Laszlo's Hungarian play Parfumerie; the story was remade as In the Good Old Summertime and later as You've Got Mail.

In Meet Me in St. Louis, what does Tootie destroy after Esther's Christmas Eve song?

After Esther sings Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Tootie runs outside and smashes the family's snowmen rather than leave them behind in the move to New York; the outburst makes their father cancel the move.

In Trading Places (1983), the Duke brothers settle their life-swapping wager for how much?

Winthorpe and Valentine later make the same one-dollar bet on ruining the Dukes, which they pull off in frozen concentrated orange juice futures.

In Batman Returns (1992), the Red Triangle Gang drags Max Shreck to a hideout where?

The Penguin's plot unfolds around Gotham's Christmas-tree lighting, where he and Catwoman kidnap the Ice Princess to frame Batman.