Christmasis a time for carols, chestnuts by the fire, and copious amounts ofholiday-themed movies. Many of these movies (and some TV shows) have become part of the greater “Christmas canon,” with viewers incorporating them into their yearly festivities. As a result, Christmas has become connected to several heartwarming and merry characters—as well as some truly bizarre ones.
Santa, elves, and even Frosty all make sense as symbols of the season. They’re cheerful, magical, and above all, nice. However, the characters on this list either invert the holiday spirit or seemingly have nothing to do with it, leaving viewers to wonder how they ever became so connected to it.
10The Grinch
How The Grinch Stole Christmas
There arenumerous versions of the Grinch, but each of them follows a similar story: the Grinch is a humanoid creature who lives on Mount Crumpit where he tries to avoid the Whos and their Christmas festivities. However, one year, enough is enough, and he goes down to try and ruin Christmas by stealing their presents. Fortunately, the Grinch ultimately has a change of heart, gives back the presents, and becomes a symbol of the holidays.
He’s a Mean One
An iconic Christmas character, the Grinch is nevertheless a strange choice, as he’s usually smelly, foul-mannered, and above all, mean. Sure, at the end of some versions of the story, he has a complete turnaround and learns to love the holiday. However, in just as many other versions, such asthe movie starring Jim Carrey, he’s seemingly retained many of his nastier habits. In fact, his last line of that movie, while obviously a joke, involves him offering one of the Who’s a piece of roast beef only to tell him “Too late! That’ll be mine.”
We’re not saying a character who goes from naughty to nice can’t symbolize the holiday. Far from it. We’re simply arguing that, in many versions of the story, that isn’t what the Grinch actually does.
Krampusbegins with a young boy named Max who loves Christmas. However, when his cousins arrive for the holiday and mock him for still believing in Santa, he angrily tears up his letter to Santa and declares that he hates his family. Soon after, a blizzard hits, and the malevolent Krampus appears along with other sinister creatures. As these creatures attack and kidnap his family members, Max’s grandma Omi explains that they’re being punished for losing their Christmas spirit.
A Twisted Version
The idea of an anti-Santa or rival to Santa is already a little complicated. In many modern versions of the story, Santa gives gifts to nice children and coal to naughty ones, which means he’s already “punishing” kids who don’t behave, so why is a more adversarial version needed? At the same time, Krampus is based ona real series of European legendsthat date back to the 17th century, so it’s accurate to say he’s been associated with Christmas long before TV shows and movies even came into being.
Still, the movie version presents a far more violent version of Krampus, and while the folklore version mostly targets children who misbehave, the movie one attacks any and everyone who has lost their Christmas spirit. So, it’s not that we’re confused about why Krampus is connected with the holiday, but we are curious why this version of Krampus has evolved to essentially replace the other. Plus, there are plenty of other anti-Santa folklore characters andBad Santasthat are equally if not more sinister, yet for some reason, Krampus is the one who continues toappear again and again in media.
8Jack Skellington
The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Nightmare Before Christmastells the story of Jack Skellington, the king of Halloween. After journeying through a magical door and learning about Christmas, Jack decides to take over the holiday, kidnapping Santa in the process. However, he quickly realizes he might be in over his head, and after trying to deliver the presents and being shot down from the sky, he returns home in time to rescue Santa from the terrifying bogeyman Oogie Boogie.
The Pumpkin King
Jack is certainly a spooky choice to represent the season, as is the movie itself. In fact, there’san ongoing debateabout whetherThe Nightmare Before Christmasis actually a Halloween movie or a Christmas one. Regardless, it’s important to note that, at the end of the movie, Jack’s love of Halloween returns, essentially replacing his interest in Christmas. He even outright says in the song “Poor Jack” that he’s come to accept himself as the Pumpkin King and will use this experience to help him plan the next Halloween.
In many ways, Jack’s excitement about Christmas was the equivalent of a human midlife (or middeath) crisis, one which he’s now recovered from. Thus, even if the film can be considered more Christmasy than Halloween, the character of Jack, specifically, ends the movie as more of a Halloween character than a Christmas one.
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7Kevin McCallister
Home Alone
Starring Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister,Home Aloneis consideredone of the best Christmas movies of all time. It begins when a young Kevin accidentally, and fittingly, is left home alone over Christmas while his family travels to Paris. At first, Kevin is thrilled to find his family has disappeared, as he’d previously gotten upset with them and wished they were gone. However, when a group of thieves called the Wet Bandits target his home, he has to fend them off with traps and slowly begins to realize he misses his family.
The Naughty List
It’s good that Kevin grew to appreciate his family, and that’s certainly in the holiday spirit. It’s also fair that he fought off the robbers, but the methods he used are certainly questionable. In fact, it’s very likely thatmany of his traps would have killed them. Additionally, it’s hard to find much merry or nice about Kevin, and similar to the Grinch, he ends the movie still acting pretty dastardly. Those behaviors only continue infuture installments of the franchise, leaving us to wonder why Kevin is associated with all things merry and bright as opposed tosomething much darker.
6Elf on the Shelf
When nine-year-old Taylor begins to lose his belief in Santa, Scout Elf Chippey is sent to bring him Christmas magic. However, when Taylor touches Chippey and causes the Elf to lose his magic, Chippey begins to doubt that he can ever make Taylor believe again.
Belief Over Behavior
Similar toKrampus, it’s strange that the main point of Chippey is to get Taylor to believe in Santa as opposed to encouraging him to be nice. Plus, Chippey understandably asks why he can’t fly around the room to show that Christmas magic is real, only to be told that this wouldn’t berealbelief. On that note, the greater logic surrounding the elves is kind of strange.
For instance, if they’re touched, they lose their magic and can’t fly back, which means a naughty child might touch the elf to prevent him from being an informant. Elves also only stay with the children a few days before Christmas, so what about the rest of the year? And shouldn’t they be helping Santa make toys during this time?
On this list, perhaps Elf on the Shelf is the biggest symbol of howChristmas traditions grow and change, but that doesn’t make the Elf a good (or especially logical) symbol of the season.
5Snoopy and the Peanuts Gang
A Charlie Brown Christmas
The Peanuts gang are putting on a play, and Charlie Brown is chosen to direct. As one of his duties, he needs to find a Christmas tree, but the one he picks is small and sickly. At first, the other characters are annoyed at him and mock him for his choice, but in the end, they come together to decorate the tree and wish Charlie Brown a Merry Christmas.
A Mismatched Message
Unlike some of the other characters on this list, there’s nothing wrong with Snoopy and his pals symbolizing the holiday, but it is a little random. Most people will bring up this movie asone of their favorite Christmas classics, and the merchandise for it is everywhere. However, in many ways, this Christmas episode went against the spirit of the show, which was often determined to deprive Charlie Brown of a win.
It’s also important to mention that a big part of the movie involved Charlie Brown being upset about the materialism behind Christmas, and now, presents featuring him and his friends are frequently bought and sold. Essentially, we’re not sure why this series left more of a Christmas mark on viewers than other Christmas specials, and we also question how Charlie Brown would feel about becoming part of the commercialism he so despised.
4Mr. Hankey
South Park
South Parkis an adult cartoon about four boys in Colorado. It’s not unusual for the boys to go on strange adventures or meet bizarre characters,especially during Christmas. One of these characters, Mr. Hankey, left a notable mark on both the boys and audiences when Kyle met and befriended him. However, over time, the talking piece of poop would unfortunately reveal himself to be a piece of… even bigger poop.
A Canceled Christmas Character
Admittedly, there’s something very sweet about Kyle and Mr. Hankey’s meeting, as the character made Kyle, one of the only Jews in town, feel accepted and loved during the holiday. If we based Mr. Hankey’s connection to Christmas on just this first episode, we might be willing to look past the fact that he is literally fecal matter.
However, the episode “The Problem with a Poo” showed a darker and nuttier side to Mr. Hankey when he began taking Ambien and posting extremely problematic tweets. At this point, the once-beloved Christmas icon was canceled by the town, showing that even the characters no longer thought he should represent the holiday.
3John McClane
Die Hardstars Bruce Willis as John McClane, a detective who wants nothing more than to reconcile with his wife, Holly, during Christmas Eve. However, he’s quickly thrown into a hostage situation by the terrorist Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman). Fortunately, McClane manages to outsmart and outmaneuver Gruber, and after the man falls to his death, McClane rides off with his wife to safety.
Heroic but Not in the Holiday Spirit
Die Hardis many people’s favoritenon-Christmas Christmas movie, but that doesn’t make John McClane a good symbol of the season. He’s violent, cocky, and in later movies, revealed to be a borderline alcoholic. Sure, he saves the day, but that’s not the same as being nice, merry, or jolly. In short, like many other characters on this list, McClane’s film is fun to watch over the holiday, but it’s a strange choice for him to symbolize it.
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Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeerisa beloved holiday classicthat follows the character of Rudolph as he’s ostracized by the other reindeer for his glowing nose. Dejected, he meets a misfit elf named Hermey and a prospector named Yukon Cornelius. After journeying to the Island of Misfit Toys, the trio learn that several reindeer have been taken captive by the Abominable Snow Monster. In the end, they save the captives, and everyone apologizes to Rudolph for mistreating him, while Santa asks Rudolph to lead his sleigh through the upcoming snowstorm.
A Confusing Lesson
Reindeer as a whole make sense as Christmas characters, since they help pull Santa’s sleigh and deliver holiday magic. However, Rudolph is a special case in that his entire story is about being bullied and not fitting in. Once he proves his usefulness, he’s embraced by the other characters—but this doesn’t really seem in the holiday spirit. If anything, the others are pretty naughty for how they treat him, and an apology only after he’s proven his worth is almost worse than none at all.
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1Chewbacca
The Star Wars Holiday Special
The infamousStar Wars Holiday Specialtakes place betweenA New HopeandThe Empire Strikes Back,and it follows Han Solo and Chewbacca as they set off to celebrate Life Day on the Wookiee planet, Kashyyyk. Along the way, they must escape Galactic Empire agents while Chewbacca’s family prepares for festivities at home. After tricking and fending off several stormtroopers, the duo arrive safely to Kashyyyk, where they participate in holiday traditions alongside other characters from the original movie.
Enduring Memes, but Not Much Sense
At this point, Chewbacca’s connection to Christmas is basically an ongoing joke. While Life Day is essentially the Wookiee equivalent of Christmas, it’s ultimately a different holiday. Plus, as previously said, the movie bombed, so it’s not like this connection is meant to celebrate its success. And yet, Chewbacca has been memed and used in Christmas merchandise to the point that he’s basically a Christmas ambassador. Then again, the movie as a whole doesn’t make much sense, so it’s only fair that Chewbacca representing Christmas doesn’t make much sense, either.
