You aren’t the only one watching Christmas movies on the couch this week. Yahoo asked Kate Hudson, Kevin Hart, Hugh Jackman, Amanda Seyfried and other stars to name the holiday movies they’re watching on repeat. (Photo illustration: Victoria Ellis/Yahoo News; photos: Bryan Derballa/Getty Images (3), Gilbert Flores/Penske Media via Getty Images, 20th Century Fox Film Corp./Courtesy Everett Collection, New Line/Courtesy Everett Collection, Universal Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection)
There are a lot of opinions around the holidays — when to decorate, whether eggnog is good (it’s not) and what actually counts as a Christmas movie. But if there’s one tradition that still feels sacred, it’s settling in, pressing Play and letting a familiar favorite run — again. And again. And again.
For some, like Ali Larter or Benedict Cumberbatch, it’s cozy classics and snowy nostalgia. For others, it’s chaos, quotable one-liners and a long-running debate about whether explosions can be festive. Celebrities, it turns out, are no different — even if their holiday viewing habits come with strong opinions.
Kevin Hart, for one, has thoughts about Home Alone. Watching it now as a parent, he can’t get past young Kevin McCallister’s audacity — the backtalk, the freedom, the unchecked behavior. The energy? Elite. The parenting? A cautionary tale.
Kate Hudson, meanwhile, is loyal to family tradition in the most literal sense: When your parents are Santa and Mrs. Claus onscreen, there is really only one movie she watches with her 7-year-old daughter this time of year. Amanda Seyfried admits she’s essentially forcing her kids to watch The Grinch on loop, while Hugh Jackman traces one of his holiday favorites back to a VHS gift that stuck — proof that sometimes the movie you love most isn’t the most festive; it’s just the one tied to your memories.
From movies passed down through generations to favorites watched purely out of habit (or obligation), these stars reveal the holiday films they can’t quit.
Kevin Hart loves Home Alone, but not Kevin McCallister’s sass. (Photo illustration: Victoria Ellis/Yahoo News; photos: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images, 20th Century Fox Film Corp./Courtesy of Everett Collection)
Kevin Hart, comedian, Kevin Hart: Acting My Age
“You know what? I’m gonna say it. Home Alone. I’m gonna do it. Home Alone is one of the best Christmas movies, simply because of the energy — the fun. And when you watch it today, you find yourself saying, ‘There’s no way I would let my child talk to me like that.’ There’s absolutely no way. You get so frustrated at the freedom this little boy had.”
Kate Hudson, actress, Song Sung Blue
“Well, my dad and mom [Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn] play Mr. and Mrs. Claus [in Netflix’s The Christmas Chronicles films]. So my kids all watch that. I mean, it’s on all the time. My daughter is just watching it over and over.”
Chase Infiniti, actress, One Battle After Another
“How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The Jim Carrey one, of course.”
Idris Elba, actor, Hijack
“Home Alone is a good one. And this is weird to say, but This Christmas — the movie I was in — is oftentimes a good one too.”
Erika Jayne, reality star, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
“A Christmas Story. ‘You’ll shoot your eye out.’ Are you kidding me?”
Amanda Seyfried, actress, The Testament of Ann Lee
“The Grinch — the animated Grinch that came out in 2018. I really can’t stop making my kids watch it.”
The animated version of The Grinch, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, is Amanda Seyfried’s fave. (Photo illustration: Victoria Ellis/Yahoo News; photos: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images, Universal Pictures/Courtesy of Everett Collection)
Cary Elwes, actor, Dead Man’s Wire
“I have two Christmas films that I have to watch. One is It’s a Wonderful Life. It’s just the perfect Christmas movie. And Jimmy Stewart is so wonderful in it. Frank Capra did an insanely brilliant job. I fell in love with Donna Reed when I was a kid watching. I think I was 12 when I saw it and thought, I’m marrying that woman.
The other is a very obscure one: A Christmas Carol. It’s a British version [with Alastair Sim] from the 1950s, and it’s fabulous.”
Jalen Thomas Brooks, actor, The Pitt
“Unaccompanied Minors. I watch it like five times this time of year. It’s my go-to. Nobody knows that movie, and it’s the best.”
Minka Kelly, actress, Champagne Problems
“The Holiday is on repeat for me every year — and Notting Hill, though I don’t think that counts as a Christmas movie. I also love Love Actually. I love all the rom-coms, and they all find their way into the rotation during the holidays because they just make you feel good. It’s such a happy, cozy feeling.”
Benedict Cumberbatch, actor, The Thing With Feathers
“I went to see It’s a Wonderful Life on the big screen a few years ago, and, oh my goodness, to see Jimmy Stewart up close, at the right kind of ratio and magnification, was just mind-blowing. It is an astonishing performance of naturalistic brilliance, despite its rich themes and its uplifting ending. It’s a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful piece of work. Just as an actor, to marvel in his brilliance was exceptional.
I freaking love Elf. I can’t get enough of Elf. That always does it for me.”
Danica McKellar, actress, Have We Met This Christmas?
“Around the holidays, I usually have Great American Family Channel playing, but then I’ll sit down with my son and watch Elf at least once during the season and A Christmas Story as well.”
Hugh Jackman, actor, Song Sung Blue
“The Christmas movie for me is Elf. Elf is a good one. Home Alone. And this is random, but I was first given the movie Singin’ in the Rain on Christmas Day, so that’s one for me. I was given the VHS as a Christmas present.”
Hugh Jackman will never forget getting a VHS copy of Singin’ in the Rain for Christmas. (Photo illustration: Victoria Ellis/Yahoo News; photos: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images, Everett Collection)
Mason Thames, actor, Black Phone 2
“The Nightmare Before Christmas. It has to be that movie, on repeat.”
Mischa Barton, actress, Murder at the Embassy
“Christmas Vacation — all the Chevy Chase ones. I like The Grinch. Honestly, I’ll put on any of the good classics. I tend to lean toward the more nostalgic ones. My sister always wants to watch Bad Santa and things like that, but that’s less my vibe. I’m kind of a classics girl. I stick to the classics.”
Kathy Hilton, reality star, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
“I like Home Alone, and I used to always watch Miracle on 34th Street — I love that one. But honestly, I’ve never seen a lot of the big classics.”
Olivia Holt, actress, Jingle Bell Heist
“It’s a Wonderful Life — it’s a big fave. Elf. How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Jim Carrey one. I think his performance in that is amazing.”
Rachael Ray, celebrity chef, Rachael Ray’s Meals in Minutes
“Die Hard. I consider that a holiday movie. I’ve already watched it five times. I also love Elf — I’ve watched it several times already. My husband is not a fan of Love Actually, but I am. I’ve watched that several times too. I have a lot of holiday movies on repeat.”
Ali Larter, actress, Landman
“White Christmas. My daughter and I watch it together — we love the dancing and that black-and-white look. That’s our go-to every year.”
Ali Larter and her daughter have a tradition of watching White Christmas together. (Photo illustration: Victoria Ellis/Yahoo News; photos: TheStewartofNY/GC Images, Everett Collection
Britt Lower, actress, Severance
“Scrooge, the musical with Albert Finney. It’s so good. It’s like the ’70s-does-Victorian-era, and it’s just wonderful. He’s so amazing in it.”
Beverly D’Angelo, actress, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
“It’s not Christmas Vacation. I don’t do a lot of watching of my films. … It’s A Christmas Story. Because I was raised in the Midwest, and it’s just … that was my childhood. The snow, the houses, the way the parents were, the humor — all of it. I watch that one every year. It just feels like home to me. [I also love] The Wizard of Oz, even though it’s not a Christmas movie.”
Sarah Shahi, actress, Paradise
“Do I have to just give you one? Serendipity, Elf, While You Were Sleeping, 8-Bit Christmas, A Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation, Die Hard, Fred Claus, Four Christmases — I could keep going on and on and on.”
Kelsey Grammer, actor, Turbulence
“My favorite Christmas movie is It’s a Wonderful Life, but because it’s black and white, there’s some controversy in the home. The boys kind of like the sillier movies. [Grammer has three young sons with his fourth wife, Kayte Walsh.]
I still love White Christmas. There’s not a lot of room for Bing Crosby in the house these days, but for me, it’s set in stone — I have to watch it every year. I love Christmas. I love the original Scrooge with Alastair Sim. I think that’s a terrific performance. I did the musical Scrooge on film, and that’s one of my favorites. I get calls from people all the time that say, “We sit down every year and watch it,” but most of them are English people.”
Still need more holiday movie inspiration? Start here: the best movies to watch this holiday season.