Ranker FilmList RulesVote up your favorite Xmas films that were released in the 1970s
The best 1970s Christmas movies are an interesting mix of lighthearted family films, zany comedies, and even a little holiday horror. On this list, you will find all of the Christmas characters you’ve come to expect from a December movie release: Santa Claus, Rudolph, Jack Frost, and many more!
What are the greatest ‘70s Christmas movies? Let’s start with A Christmas Carol, the 1971 animated adaptation of Charles Dickens’s famous tale. The film starred Alastair Sim as the voice of Scrooge, reprising his role from the live-action adaptation twenty years prior. Produced by animation titan Chuck Jones, A Christmas Carol earned an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Other notable films on this list include Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, A Flintstone Christmas, and the Star Wars Holiday Special. One of the top ‘70s Christmas movies has a much darker tone. Black Christmas, the story of a series of grizzly murders in a sorority house around Christmas time, was a low-budget Canadian horror movie that is credited with being one of the first slasher films ever made. If dark flicks are your thing around the holiday season, definitely check it out.
Vote up the best Christmas movies from the 1970's and add any great 70s Christmas movies we may have forgotten.
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20118Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
Mickey Rooney, Fred AstaireReleased: 1970
Directed by: Arthur Rankin, Jr., Jules Bass
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town is a 1970 stop motion television special, made by Rankin-Bass.... more on Wikipedia
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18518The Year Without a Santa Claus
Mickey Rooney, Shirley BoothReleased: 1974
Directed by: Arthur Rankin, Jr., Jules Bass
The Year Without a Santa Claus is a 1974 Christmas stop motion animated television special... more on Wikipedia3
14324'Twas the Night Before Christmas
Paul Lynde, Anne MearaReleased: 1977
Directed by: Tim Kiley
'Twas the Night Before Christmas is a 1977 made-for-television special loosely inspired by the... more on Wikipedia4
14630Jack Frost
Buddy Hackett, Don MessickReleased: 1979
Directed by: Arthur Rankin, Jr., Jules Bass
Jack Frost is a 1979 animation family fantasy musical film written by Romeo Muller and... more on Wikipedia5
11525A Flintstone Christmas
Mel Blanc, Henry CordenReleased: 1977
Directed by: Charles August Nichols
A Flintstone Christmas is a 60-minute animated Christmas television special featuring The... more on Wikipedia6
12432Scrooge
Alec Guinness, Albert FinneyReleased: 1970
Directed by: Ronald Neame
Scrooge is a 1970 musical film adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic 1843 story, A Christmas... more on Wikipedia7
11027Rudolph's Shiny New Year
Red SkeltonReleased: 1976
In this television special, Rudolph has just come back from delivering Christmas presents with... more on Wikipedia8
11131Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas
Jim Henson, Frank OzReleased: 1977
Directed by: Jim Henson
Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas is a 1977 TV special that is based on the children's story of... more on Wikipedia9
9829Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July
Mickey Rooney, Shelley WintersReleased: 1979
Directed by: Arthur Rankin, Jr., Jules Bass
Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July is a 90-minute crossover television film by Rankin Bass... more on Wikipedia10
The special picks up where The Little Drummer Boy left off-- at the little stable in...10938The Little Drummer Boy Book II
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6627A Christmas Carol
Michael Redgrave, Joan SimsReleased: 1971
Directed by: Richard Williams
A Christmas Carol is an Academy Award-winning animated adaptation of Charles Dickens's... more on Wikipedia12
3624The Gathering
Ed Asner, Stephanie ZimbalistReleased: 1977
Directed by: Randal Kleiser
The Gathering is a 1977 ABC made for television drama film. A rare live-action drama film from... more on Wikipedia13
3827The House Without a Christmas Tree
Mildred NatwickReleased: 1972
Directed by: Paul Bogart
The House Without a Christmas Tree is a 1972 television movie, novelized into a children's... more on Wikipedia14
3424An American Christmas Carol
Henry Winkler, Dorian HarewoodReleased: 1979
Directed by: Eric Till
A U.S. made-for-TV movie based upon Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol set in Concord, New... more on Wikipedia15
3331Black Christmas
Margot Kidder, Andrea MartinReleased: 1974
Directed by: Bob Clark
Black Christmas is a 1974 Canadian independent horror film directed by Bob Clark and written... more on Wikipedia16
118The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow
Angela LansburyReleased: 1975
Directed by: Arthur Rankin, Jr., Jules Bass
The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow is a Christmas television special... more on Wikipedia17
5574Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey
Roger Miller, Brenda VaccaroReleased: 1977
Directed by: Arthur Rankin, Jules Bass
Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey is a Christmas television special produced in stop... more on Wikipedia18
22Frosty's Winter Wonderland
Shelley Winters, Paul FreesReleased: 1976
Directed by: Arthur Rankin, Jr., Jules Bass
Frosty's Winter Wonderland is an animated Christmas television special produced in 1976 by... more on Wikipedia19
25The Small One
Gordon Jump, Olan SouleReleased: 1978
Directed by: Don Bluth
The Small One is a 1978 animated Christmas short film created by Walt Disney Productions and... more on Wikipedia20
25The Nativity
Madeleine Stowe, Jane WyattReleased: 1978
Directed by: Bernard L. Kowalski
The Nativity is a 1978 television film starring Madeleine Stowe as Mary, set around the... more on Wikipedia21
25Silent Night, Bloody Night
John Carradine, Patrick O'NealReleased: 1972
Directed by: Theodore Gershuny
Silent Night, Bloody Night is a 1972 American horror film directed by Theodore Gershuny and... more on Wikipedia22
22Christmas Lilies of the Field
Billy Dee Williams, Maria SchellReleased: 1979
Directed by: Ralph Nelson
Christmas Lilies of the Field is a 1979 made-for-TV sequel to the classic film Lilies of the... more on Wikipedia23
48It Happened One Christmas
Orson Welles, Cloris LeachmanReleased: 1977
Directed by: Donald Wrye
It Happened One Christmas is a 1977 made-for-television film starring Marlo Thomas and Wayne... more on Wikipedia24
22Miracle on 34th Street
Roddy McDowall, Jane AlexanderReleased: 1973
Directed by: Fielder Cook
Miracle on 34th Street is a 1973 drama film directed by Fielder Cook. It is the third remake... more on Wikipedia25
11The Tale of Karl-Bertil Jonsson's Christmas Eve
Bernard Cribbins, Toivo PawloReleased: 1975
Directed by: Per Åhlin
The Tale of Karl-Bertil Jonsson's Christmas Eve (aka Sagan om Karl-Bertil Jonssons julafton)... more on Wikipedia
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