Pick Your Favorite Christmas Movie and We’ll Choose Your Next Holiday Read

‘Elf’ and ‘Just Like Magic’ by Sarah Hogle

Elf is a special movie. Will Ferrell fully commits to the chaotic energy of someone who lives and breathes Christmas, while also having to interact with some not-so-jolly people on his quest to find his biological father.

And in Sarah Hogle’s delightful Just Like Magic, Buddy the Elf’s love of all things festive is matched (and maybe even surpassed?) by Hall, the sexy embodiment of the Holiday Spirit who is summoned by playing a vinyl record of Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” backwards.

When Hall finds himself tasked with making failing influencer Bettie Hughes’ spirits bright, he ends up bringing Christmas cheer to a family that’s more accustomed to splashing out on expensive gifts and flaunting their status than drinking cocoa by the fire. Hilarity ensues.

‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’ and ‘Mr. Dickens and His Carol’ by Samantha Silva

Truthfully, Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva is the perfect read for anyone who loves any of the many A Christmas Carol adaptations out there, but it pairs especially well with The Muppet Christmas Carol thanks to its unique plot.

In the book, Charles Dickens isn’t feeling particularly festive as relatives constantly seek him out to ask for money and his publisher demands a Christmas story. A long walk through London — where he meets a woman named Eleanor Lovejoy — proves to be the inspiration the author needs to pen his most beloved story.

‘A Christmas Story’ and ‘Holidays on Ice’ by David Sedaris

A Christmas Story and its tale of poor little Ralphie’s quest to convince his parents that he needs a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas captures all of the holiday season’s most exhausting and disappointing moments, including traumatic visits to see Santa and disastrous holiday meals.

That’s exactly why the 1983 film pairs perfectly with David Sedaris’ collection of hilarious essays Holidays on Ice. While Sedaris includes odes to Halloween and Easter too, it’s his Christmas-themed tales of working as an elf at Macy’s and comparing Christmas traditions with people from all around the world that will leave you laughing until you cry this season.

‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and ‘One Christmas Morning’ by Rachel Greenlaw

Capturing the magic of It’s a Wonderful Life is no easy task. The film spans several decades of George Bailey’s (Jimmy Stewart) life leading up to the heartbreaking moment when he hits rock bottom on Christmas Eve and requires a bit of angelic intervention to remind him just how much his life matters.

By comparison, One Christmas Morning by Rachel Greenlaw reminds readers not to lose sight of the plights of those around them during the holiday season. The book follows Eva, a woman who has been pushing people away ever since she experienced a loss three Christmases ago. However, a visit from her late grandmother sets her on a new path as she relives Christmas day over and over again from the perspectives of the people she’s been trying to keep at arm’s length.

‘Home Alone’ and ‘One Big Happy Family’ by Susan Mallery

In Home Alone, it’s only through spending Christmas without his family that Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) learns to appreciate his loved ones. However, in One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery, all mom Julie Parker wants is a holiday season without her adult children around. What she gets instead is a house overflowing with family and Christmas chaos that might just teach her what Kevin had to learn the hard way — the more the merrier always rings true during the most wonderful time of the year.

‘A Nightmare Before Christmas’ and ‘The Kingdom of Sweets’ by Erika Johansen

A Nightmare Before Christmas straddles the line between Halloween horror and Christmas fun like no other. If you’re looking for similar vibes in a book, then The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen is the holiday read for you.

This dark fantasy take on The Nutcracker focuses on sisters Clara and Natasha as they embark on a journey into a world full of magic, snow and plenty of danger.

‘Love Actually’ and ‘The Merry Matchmaker’ by Sheila Roberts

While not all of Love Actually’s storylines have aged well, the Richard Curtis film remains a holiday favorite thanks to its interconnected tales of love — and let’s be real, Liam Neeson‘s hot sad dad character.

The Merry Matchmaker by Sheila Roberts, which is inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma, has a similar vibe as main character Frankie Lane tries her best to set her friends and family on the course of true happiness even as she ignores her own advice in the face of a charming handyman.

‘Die Hard’ and ‘The Christmas Jigsaw Murders’ by Alexandra Benedict

Some Christmas movies are about taking down bad guys and solving mysteries in a race against time. And by some movies, we mean Die Hard. Thankfully, Alexandra Benedict agrees that holiday books can be action-packed, too.

Enter The Christmas Jigsaw Murders, the story of certified Scrooge and puzzle setter Edie O’Sullivan who has until Christmas Eve to solve a jigsaw-based mystery in order to prevent at least four deaths.

‘Scrooged’ and ‘In a Holidaze’ by Christina Lauren

Okay, technically, In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren borrows the plot of Bill Murray classic Groundhog Day, but it’s also a terrific read for Scrooged fans.

Maelyn Jones is having a no good, very bad year when her parents tell her they’re selling the cabin where they’ve spent nearly every Christmas together. As a last-ditch effort to save the holiday season, she sends out a plea for the universe to show her what will make her happy. What she gets instead is reliving the same holiday over and over again as she meets with one disaster after another in her quest to break the time loop.

‘The Holiday’ and ‘The Holiday Swap’ by Maggie Knox

The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox is part The Holiday and part The Parent Trap with plenty of swoon-worthy romantic moments thrown in for good measure. Twins Charlie and Cass switch places after TV show chef Charlie bumps her head and loses her ability to taste and smell. However, their scheme gets complicated when both women find love while posing as each other during the holidays.

‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’ and ‘Jingled and Jangled’ by Tiffany Ryan

Clark Griswold’s quest to have the perfect family Christmas in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation leads to all manner of disasters, including a squirrel destroying the tree and uninvited guests crashing the festivities. It’s all a bit much for Clark, and the same can be said for Olivia Jenkins in Jingled and Jangled by Tiffany Ryan.

Poor Olivia is just trying to survive the holidays while dealing with drunken Santas, her mother’s sudden charitable inclinations and baking disasters that even Clark couldn’t put a positive spin on.

‘The Santa Clause’ and ‘Hogfather’ by Terry Pratchett

There’s no doubt that Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather is a quirkier tale than The Santa Clause, but they both feature unlikely people stepping into the role of “Santa” just in time to save the holiday season while also bonding with a younger member of their family. It’s just that in Hogfather, the man in question is Death, not Tim Allen, and he has to enlist the help of his granddaughter to ensure Hogswatch goes off without a hitch for all the residents of Discworld.