Top 6 Christmas Movies From The 70s

1970s, Movies, Top Picks

25 May 2024

3 minutes

During the festive period, it’s always a good idea to sit back, relax and watch your favourite Christmas movie with your family, friends or both. With so many different movies and TV shows from animated shows to TV specials, to Christmas specials to choose from, it’s time to look at the top Christmas movies from the 70s.

6. Scrooge

There is no way that this list would be complete without including Scrooge, a pinnacle of 1970s Christmas movies with so many later copies and remakes of this movie it’s hard to keep up.

So how does the story of this Christmas movie from the 1970s go Ebenezer Scrooge (Albert Finney) is a wealthy miser who exploits his employee, Bob Cratchit (David Collings).

On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley (Alec Guinness), who warns him that three ghosts will visit him: the Ghosts of Christmas Past (Edith Evans) and Present (Kenneth More).

5. The House Without a Christmas Tree

Another movie from the 1970s about Christmas is The House Without a Christmas Tree from 1972. The plot of this movie seems quite obvious so what is it about?

In 1946 Nebraska, a young girl named Addie longs for a Christmas tree, but her father, a grieving widower, refuses due to painful memories from their past.

4. Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town

Now moving into a different method of making movies and that’s stop motion. We’ve had many successful and brilliant movies and TV shows that have used this mode of production to make their work even more impressive.

We’ve also had Christmas-themed TV shows like Santa Inc. which have been terrible. Thankfully Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town is a great stop-motion flick which goes as follows.

From Rankin/Bass Productions, the narration tells the origin story of Santa Claus, voiced by Mickey Rooney. It’s cherished as a holiday classic, celebrated for its catchy songs and delightful animation.

3. The Year Without a Santa Claus

From 1974 to this time, our next Christmas movie from the 1970s is The Year Without a Santa Claus.

Feeling neglected by the children of the world, old St. Nick chooses to forgo his usual gift-giving trip and take a holiday. Mrs. Claus, along with two lively elves, Jingle and Jangle, embark on a quest to find out where the holiday cheer has gone.

With the help of a magical snowfall, they rekindle the Christmas spirit in children’s hearts and get Santa back on track.

2. Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas

This might be a bit more of a kid’s show but this Christmas movie from the 1970s is still a great flick to watch for your time spent with the family.

Emmet and Ma Otter may be poor, but they are joyful and gifted singers. With Christmas approaching, they each want to give the other a special gift.

The prize for the local talent show is $50. To compete, Emmet forms a jug band, while Ma practices solo, both aiming to outshine the Riverbottom Gang. Watch here: Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas.

1. The Stingiest Man in Town

This animated adaptation of A Christmas Carol comes from Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass, the creators of many classic Christmas specials like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

This 49-minute musical ghost story, titled “Stingiest,” features Walter Matthau as the tormented Scrooge and Tom Bosley as the narrator, B. Humbug, Esq., reminiscent of Jiminy Cricket. Watch here: The Stingiest Man in Town.