Home / December

A little reason to celebrate

National Christmas Movie Marathon Day

Fun · Seasonal · December 23

A day for watching Christmas movies back to back, from old classics to new favorites, with snacks, blankets and a well-planned queue.

National Christmas Movie Marathon Day falls on Wednesday, December 23, 2026. That is 57 days away.

A Christmas movie marathon is exactly what it sounds like: one holiday film after another, usually from the same spot on the couch, until the light outside changes and nobody quite noticed.

The genre is wide. There are black-and-white classics, stop-motion specials made for television, animated features, big family comedies and the gentle romances where someone returns to a snowy hometown and rethinks a career. Many people have a short list they watch every year, and the marathon is a chance to get through all of it in one sitting.

Planning is part of it. Some viewers go in release order, oldest first. Others mix tones so a weepy one is followed by something with a slapstick fall into a pile of snow. Households often split into camps over which titles count as Christmas movies at all, and the argument is usually settled by whoever holds the remote.

Snacks tend to follow the season: popcorn, cocoa, cookies, maybe a tin of something salty from a relative. Blankets are standard. Intermissions are useful too, for refilling mugs and stretching legs before the next opening credits.

A marathon also works well with company. Friends can each pick one film and introduce it, explaining why it matters to them. That way the lineup includes at least one movie someone in the room has never seen, which is often the one people remember.

Ways to celebrate

• Pick a lineup of three to five holiday films and set a watching order.
• Invite friends to each bring one favorite Christmas movie to share.
• Make a pot of cocoa and a big bowl of popcorn.
• Watch one older classic you have never seen before.
• Build a blanket fort or cozy nest before the first film starts.

Dates

All national days on December 23

Also on December 23

• Festivus
• National Pfeffernüsse Day
• National Roots Day

Categories: Fun daysSeasonal days