Top 25 Christmas Characters
There are so many characters & figures synonymous with the Christmas season, especially in the movie space. So many of the characters have elevated the movie space becoming icons of the whole holiday season. In this list we’ll countdown The 25 Most Iconic Christmas Movie Characters. I’m going to only include characters that have appeared in film, but the characters didn’t have to originate in film. Also, for the sake of diversity I’m only going to include 1 version of each character (e.g. one Santa, one Scrooge, etc.) & one character from a film so some iconic characters like Cousin Eddie, The Wet Bandits, Cindy Lou Who, and others will be excluded because there is a more iconic character from their film. Also you may notice the notable exclusion of Mrs. Claus, because while she is an iconic character, in my opinion there’s not really a film portrayal of the character that stands out. Now onto the list!
Santa Claus (various) - Well duh. Aside from my good friend Jesus, Santa is the one most synonymous with the Christmas season (and in all honesty, he may be more synonymous, but that’s a problem and discussion for a different article). Santa has been portrayed countless times (like genuinely so many times). While I personally like Edmund Gwenn’s performance of Santa from ‘Miracle on 34th Street,’ the Santa performance that is the most popular and iconic has got to be Tim Allen’s in ‘The Santa Clause’ and its sequels. It has some good solid Santa lore and Allen has the right look and attitude needed for Old St. Nick.
The Grinch (How the Grinch Stole Christmas) - According to my 2025 Christmas Movie Survey, the non-Santa character that people associate the most with Christmas is Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch. And also according to that survey, people’s preferred Grinch is Jim Carrey’s from the live action adaptation. I do think this character grows more in popularity every year as people continue to quote his iconic lines. The versions from the original TV special and more recent animated film are also iconic, but not to the level of Carrey’s.
Buddy the Elf (Elf) - Buddy the Elf, what’s your favorite color? I actually feel like ‘Elf’ is maybe waning slightly in popularity, but it is still among the upper echelon of Christmas films. Buddy is extremely quotable, his outfit is iconic, and people of all age crack up as he wrestles a store Santa, sings carols, and dances in the mailroom.
Clark Griswold (National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation) - Buddy the Elf for the OGs. People either love or hate Christmas Vacation, because it’s really silly and stupid humor. If you’re a simpleton like me, you find it utterly hilarious. If you have a double digit number of brain cells, you probably think it’s dumb (shoutout my wife). But Clark is iconic. I am confident in saying that this is the role most synonymous with Chevy Chase and every part of him is iconic, from his inappropriate flirting to his Chicago Blackhawks jersey (which you’re likely to see at any well populated Christmas party).
Kevin McCallister (Home Alone) - Name a child actor more famous than Macaulay Culkin. You can’t. Because one doesn’t exist. And what would 99% of people associate him with? The classic hands to the face screaming of Home Alone. (The other 1% probably thinks of his bee stung corpse from ‘My Girl.’ The 1% is demented in the head) I don’t think there’s a better modern slapstick comedy than ‘Home Alone,’ aside from maybe ‘Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.’ And while most of the slapsticking comes from Joe Pesci & Daniel Stern, Culkin’s Kevin is at the root of it all. And side note, Peter McCallister is one of the worst dads in movie history. The true villain of the story.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - The titular character from Rankin & Bass’ most beloved stop motion special, this guy has it all. The song! The special! The movie! The notoriety! He has appeared in several sequel specials, but the first will always be the favorite. Billie Mae Richards voices in the character, and while the special features other iconic characters like Yukon Cornelius (I originally typed Yosemite Sam but knew that wasn’t right), Hermey the Elf, the Abominable Snowman, and the Island of Misfit Toys, but none will ever surpass that ruby-nostriled ungulate (you like those synonyms don’t you?).
Frosty the Snowman - Another of R&B’s (is that what R&B stands for?) top level characters, Frosty also has the song and specials. While he maybe doesn’t reach the same level as Rudolph, he’s pretty darn close and somehow made the line ‘Happy Birthday!’ synonymous with Christmas. He was voiced by Jackie Vernon, who apparently had like five secret families. Not really relevant to anything, just worth mentioning.
Ebenezer Scrooge (A Christmas Carol) - Again, according to my Christmas Movie Survey, the most popular version of this character is Jim Carrey’s from the 2009 animated Disney adaptation of Dickens’ novella. If you’d like you can read the article I wrote earlier this month on the best adaptation of Scrooge, which can be found HERE. My favorite version of the character is Alastair Sim’s 1951 outing, but I think the best person to bear this title has got to be Michael Caine from ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol.’ Scrooge has been adapted relentlessly, and also has a huge handful of characters based on him, even if they don’t bear his odd name.
Frank Cross (Scrooged) - One of the characters who found their root in old Ebenezer, Bill Murray plays this lead role in 1988’s ‘Scrooged.’ Cross is a ruthless television exec who experiences a journey similar to Scrooge’s in ‘A Christmas Carol’ and since he is a different character, I’m letting him slide onto the list.
George Bailey (It’s a Wonderful Life) - Another story that has its foundation built on the house Charles Dickens built, this one is pretty distinctly different because there’s a single angel instead of multiple ghosts. But this performance is the most well known of one of Old Hollywood’s biggest stars, Jimmy Stewart. Stewart’s iconic voice and demeanor builds George Bailey as a lovable everyman who goes through a dramatic arc. Personally, I don’t love this movie, but it is one I really need to revisit.
Jack Skellington (The Nightmare Before Christmas) - The Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, the tall lanky skeletal Jack is voiced by two actors, with Chris Sarandon providing his speaking voice and Danny Elfman providing his singing voice. This film toes the line of being a Christmas and Halloween movie, but for folks that are offbeat with their Christmas movie taste, Jack is synonymous with Christmas. So here he is!
Ralphie Parker (A Christmas Story) - I mean there is a reason this movie plays for 24 straight hours on TV every year. Ralphie is a 9-year-old boy who wants a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas and has to deal with every adult in his life telling him he’s going to ‘shoot his eye out.’ There are many pieces of icon from this film, the pink rabbit costume, the leg lamp, but none of it would exist without Ralphie! He’s played by Peter Billingsley in the original film and it’s 2022 legacy sequel, ‘A Christmas Story Christmas.’ In the first sequel, ‘My Summer Story,’ the character is played by Kieran Culkin and in the second sequel, ‘A Christmas Story 2,’ the character is played by Braeden Lemasters.
John McClane (Die Hard) - YIPPIE-KI-YAY! DIE HARD IS A CHRISTMAS MOVIE! JOHN MCCLANE IS A CHRISTMAS ICON! AND ONE OF THE BEST ACTION STARS OF ALL-TIME!
Charlie Brown (A Charlie Brown Christmas) - Charlie Brown is not an exclusively Christmas character. But he runs the animated special scene from Halloween thru Christmas. The 1965 special features Peter Robbins as the titular bald boy and, like many films mentioned here, many of the aspects have become huge parts of the Christmas season. The sad little tree, the lines, the character designs, and especially Vince Guaraldi’s jazz score. And they all revolve around Mr. Brown.
Mickey Mouse - Another character that is not exclusive to Christmas, I’m throwing Mickey on here anyways. One of the most iconic fictional characters ever, regardless of season, Mickey has appeared in several Christmas shorts, films, and specials. Maybe it’s the fact I grew up with most of these. Or maybe it’s the fact my son loves Mickey. But his being here just makes sense to me.
The Conductor (The Polar Express) - Whether you love it, hate it, or it gives you the absolute heebiejeebies, you know the Polar Express. The train itself is likely the lead in iconicity, but when it comes to characters I think Tom Hanks’ conductor definitely takes the cake. Or should I say the hot chocolate?
Arthur Claus (Arthur Christmas) - Maybe I’m blinded by my own favoritism. This is afterall, my favorite Christmas and favorite animated film. James McAvoy’s voice lends itself well to the character and I think it reaches levels of emotion that are much needed in a Christmas movie. Love this one man.
Willie T. Soke (Bad Santa) - An R-rated take on Christmas, Willie dresses up like a mall santa to perform an annual robbery on his selected mall over Christmas. The film is quite the rollercoaster, mostly due to Willie’s unpredictability. Billy Bob Thornton slides right into the character and portrayed him again 13 years later in the film’s sequel.
The Miser Brothers (The Year Without a Santa Claus) - A two for! He’s Mr. Heat Miser. And he’s Mr. Snow Miser. And they are the Misers. The design of these characters truly is some of the best to come from Rankin & Bass. The first special came in 1974, and there is also a 2008 sequel, ‘A Miser Brothers’ Christmas.’
The Snowman - This may not be a special we watch in the US, but it’s an annual replay in the UK & Ireland, similar to the TV specials we watch here. This 26 minute special has no dialogue, just music and vibes. The titular character comes from the 1978 book the special is based on and is the second most iconic snowman character on this list. Good for him.
Jack Frost - I wasn’t sure which version of the character to go with. The animated version of the character voiced by Robert Morse for the 1979 Rankin & Bass special? The horror version of the character played by Scott MacDonald from the 1997 film, ‘Jack Frost’? The version from ‘The Santa Clause 3’ played by Martin Short? The other animated version from ‘Rise of the Guardians’ played by Chris Pine? Oh I like that one! But I’d have to go with Michael Keaton’s take on the character from the 1998 film, ‘Jack Frost.’
The Kranks (Christmas with the Kranks) - Though it’s not in the top tier of Christmas films, it’s probably in that second tier. Tim Allen & Jamie Lee Curtis play Luther & Nora Krank, a couple who decide not to celebrate Christmas since their grown daughter is out of the house, instead deciding to go on a cruise. Blah blah blah. Hilarity ensues.
Jesper Johanssen (Klaus) - I couldn’t put Klaus himself on this list, because that would pretty much just be putting Santa again. So to still get some representation for the great film, I decided to go with Jesper. Jason Schwartzman voices the young, spoiled postman who goes through a pretty dramatic character arc and I do think that as time passes this film will continue to grow in popularity.
Susan Walker (Miracle on 34th Street) - Again, I couldn’t put Santa. So I’m going to go with the young girl to whom he must prove his legitimacy to. Natalie Wood plays Susan in the 1947 film and she really is the heart of this film, letting us all experience Christmas through the skeptical child’s eyes.
David, the Prime Minister (Love Actually) - I had to fit in some representation from this rom com with a legendary ensemble. I could’ve gone with Bill Nighy’s washed rock star, Billy Mack. I could’ve gone with Mark, whose cue card confession is one of the most iconic parts of the film. But for me, when I think ‘Love Actually’ I think of Hugh Grant dancing around 10 Downing Street, so David earns the final spot on this list. Plus, he is the narrator of the film.
