Adapting bestsellers into moviesis becoming more and more common, and if you’ve got a favorite film, there’s a good chance it started out on book pages before it ever hit the big screen. Christmas classics are no exception, with several holiday hits watched every Christmas season starting out as books.
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They might not always have the same title, or even the same exact plot, but festive favorites from The Grinch’s moral shift to Ralphie Parker’s most memorable Christmas season were first captured in the written word long before they became the beloved Christmas films they are today.
‘The Polar Express’ (1985) by Chris Van Allsburg
‘The Polar Express’ (2004)
The Polar Expresscame out in 2004 and starredTom Hanksin several notable roles as a little boy is taken on an eye-opening train ride to the North Pole to rekindle his belief in Santa Claus. But long before these characters were animated and put to music, they starred in a 1980s children’s book.
Written and illustrated byChris Van Allsburg,The Polar Expresshit bookshelves in 1985 and was inspired by the author’s own memories of Christmases at local department stores. The film adaption stuck heavily to the book’s story, even ending with Hanks speaking the very same line the book ends with.
‘A Timeless Christmas’ (2018) by Alexis Stanton
‘A Timeless Christmas’ (2020)
A Timeless Christmasstarredsoap opera-turned-romcom actorRyan PaeveyandErin Cahillin aHallmark ChannelChristmas romance about a man from 1903 who winds up time-traveling over a century into the future and learns his notable life has turned into a holiday reenactment run by the cousin of his old fiancée. While the film debuted on Hallmark in 2020, it was first published as a novel in 2018.
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The book of the same name was written byAlexis Stantonand tells a similar story of a man from the early 1900s and a woman from the 21st century, who unexpectedly meet and find love as they figure out how to get him back to his own century.
‘The Greatest Gift’ (1943) by Philip Van Doren Stern
‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ (1946)
The black-and-white Christmastime classicIt’s A Wonderful Lifepremiered in 1946 and starredJames Stewartas Geroge Bailey, a man who learns the true meaning of his life after a guardian angel shows him what the world would be like without him. But long before it was a Christmas must-watch, it was a must-read byPhilip Van Doren Stern.
Originally titledThe Greatest Gift,this short story is said to have been loosely based onA Christmas CarolbyCharles Dickens, and follows a man named George who contemplates his life just before a mysterious man grants his wish, making it so George was never born and no one in town knows who he is.
‘Little Women’ (1868) by Louisa May Alcott
‘Little Women’ (2019)
Little Womenhas seen plenty of film adaptions over the years, from 1949’s black-and-white take on the story to 2019’s remake led by a superstar cast, and they all follow Jo March as she grows up with her sisters during the Civil War, longing to be a writer. And while it may not specifically be about Christmas, both the films and the classic novel they’re based on include the holiday season.
Each adaption ofLouisa May Alcott’s book twists the tale a little differently, but the original 1868 work begins at Christmastime with the line, “Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents” sad by leading lady Jo.
‘Olive, The Other Reindeer’ (1997) by Vivial Walsh & J. Otto Seibold
‘Olive, The Other Reindeer’ (1999)
Millennials may remember that long afterRudolph the Red-Nosed ReindeercameOlive, The Other Reindeer, an animated children’s film all about a dog named Olive who mishears Santa when he says the phrase, “All of the other reindeer” as “Olive, the other reindeer” and becomes convinced she must help guide Santa’s sleigh.
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This heartwarming 1999 film started out as a 1997 children’s book byVivian WalshandJ. Otto Seiboldand follows the same plot as the film, while Walsh’s illustrations from the book came to life in the movie and were recreated to a T.
‘Christmas Joy’ (2016) by Nancy Naigle
‘Christmas Joy’ (2018)
In 2018,Danielle PanabakerandMatt Longstarred in the Hallmark Channel Countdown to Christmas romcomChristmas Joy. When Panabaker’s Joy returns home for Christmas, she’s enlisted by her injured aunt to take over all the festivities her aunt would normally do and winds up running into her old hometown love along the way.
Before Panabaker and Long put faces to the starring characters Joy and Ben, they were left up to the imagination in the 2016 USA Today bestseller of the same name byNancy Naigle,who had three other novels later turned into Hallmark Christmas films.
‘How The Grinch Stole Christmas!’ (1957) by Dr. Seuss
‘How The Grinch Stole Christmas!’ (1966)
The green and grumpy Grinch has become a beloved Christmastime icon that his not-so-merry mindset, and for some, it all started withHow The Grinch Stole Christmas!, a 1966 animated special-turned-2000 classic starringJim Carrey.But long before his days on the big screen, The Grinch got his start in the 1957 rhyming children’s book byDr. Seuss.
Much like many other books by Dr. Seuss,How The Grinch Stole Christmas!transcends generations and has become a holiday must-read, featuring the written words of the rhyme said by narratorBoris Karloffin the film.
‘In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash’ (1966) by Jean Shepherd
‘A Christmas Story’ (1983)
A Christmas Storyhas been a Christmas Eve tradition for years with its 24-hour runs onTNTandTBSand follows Ralphie during a memorable Christmas full of growing up in the 1940s, fighting off bullies, and convincing everyone that he deserves to get a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas.
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This classic film originally started out as the semi-autobiographical bookIn God We Trust: All Others Pay CashbyJean Shepherd, who alsolent his voice as the narrator ofA Christmas Story. While the book doesn’t fully center around Christmastime, it does feature several familiar excerpts from the movie.
‘Skipping Christmas’ (2001) by John Grisham
‘Christmas With The Kranks’ (2004)
When it comes to Christmas comedies,Christmas with the Kranksis one to remember. With its superstar cast and hilarious plot, the movie follows a middle-aged couple with plans of ditching Christmas for a Caribbean cruise until they’re put to work, needing to decorate their home and host a party by the time their daughter unexpectedly arrives home for the holidays.
Before it was a 2004 movie, it was a 2001 bestseller byJohn Grishamsimply titledSkipping Christmas. Its story was considered mundane and lacking magic until itsJamie Lee CurtisandTim Allen-led film adaption caused its resurgence.
‘A Christmas Carol’ (1843) by Charles Dickens
‘A Christmas Carol’ Movies
A Christmas Carolhas to be one of the most adapted stories in the world of Christmas movies. Whether it’sDisney’sA Christmas Carol,Scrooged,Spirited, orA Muppet Christmas Carol, they all share the same story of the mean, old Scrooge-inspired character being visited by ghosts who show him notable Christmases of his past, present and future.
It all started with the novella by Charles Dickens, which the bankrupted author self-published in 1843. Arguably the most popular work by Dickens, the book was published on June 25, 2025 and was sold out by Christmas Eve of that year, relaunching the author’s career.
