Some family traditions include cutting down and decorating a Christmas tree or going to Christmas Eve church services as part of their holiday celebration. But many families gather to watch classic Christmas movies in their homes.
Holiday movies are big business, too, with studios raking in hundreds of millions in box office receipts on the most successful Christmas flicks alone. Click through to see the 15 highest-grossing Christmas films of all time.
15. 'A Christmas Story': $20.6 Million
This Christmas classic, believed to have been produced on a budget of $4.4 million, pulled in a respectable $20.6 million when it was released in 1983. Its impact, however, is priceless.
"A Christmas Story" follows 9-year-old Ralphie Parker's quest for an impossible Christmas gift — an official Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-Shot Range Model BB gun. According to Vanity Fair, the movie, which is now a holiday mainstay, "forever changed the cozy, sentimental holiday-movie genre." It made previous generations of holiday classics look archaic and campy.
14. 'Scrooged': $60.3 Million
"Scrooged," the 1988 film, puts a modern twist on the timeless Charles Dickens classic, "A Christmas Carol." Bill Murray takes on the role of a heartless and cynical television executive who follows three ghosts through a journey of personal redemption.
"Scrooged" earned roughly $60.3 million at the domestic box office, and $13 million of that haul came on opening weekend alone. It was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Makeup and won a BMI Film and TV Award.
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13. 'Jingle All the Way': $60.5 Million
Comedians Phil Hartman and Sinbad joined Hollywood action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1996's "Jingle All the Way." The movie pits Schwarzenegger against a mob of shoppers as he scrambles to get his son the year's hot Christmas toy.
"Jingle All the Way" barely earned back its $60 million production budget with a $60.5 million haul at domestic theaters. Its gross in foreign theaters, however, more than doubled its returns.
The movie earned $69.2 million internationally for a worldwide total of nearly $130 million. It took in $12.1 million on opening weekend.
12. 'Christmas Vacation': $71.3 Million
Chevy Chase returned to the "National Lampoon" franchise as Clark Griswold in 1989's "Christmas Vacation." What should be a pleasant Christmas celebration turns into a catastrophe on every level.
The John Hughes film earned nearly $71.3 million at the domestic box office. It ranked No. 2 on opening weekend when it earned $11.7 million.
It is the second highest-grossing movie in the "National Lampoon" franchise. Only "Animal House" earned more at the box office.
11. 'Fred Claus': $72 Million
Vince Vaughn plays Fred Claus in the namesake movie, which tells the story of Santa's bitter older brother who is forced to move to the North Pole. The powerhouse cast also includes Kathy Bates and Paul Giamatti.
The movie earned more than $72 million at the domestic box office when it was released in 2007. It took in another $25.8 million at foreign theaters for a worldwide haul of nearly $98 million.
Coming in at No. 998, it just makes the list of the top 1,000 highest domestic grossing movies of all time. It earned $18.5 million on opening weekend.
10. 'Christmas With the Kranks': $73.7 Million
Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis and Dan Aykroyd starred in 2004's "Christmas With the Kranks." The movie earned nearly $74 million on a production budget of $60 million.
Written by Chris Columbus and based on a novel by John Grisham, the film portrays a raucous, last-minute Christmas celebration. At No. 970, it also just barely makes the list of the top 1,000 highest-grossing movies of all time.
It peaked at No. 3 on opening weekend when it earned $21.5 million in theaters. In all, "Christmas With the Kranks" grossed more than $96.5 million worldwide.
9. 'The Nightmare Before Christmas': $75 Million
Tim Burton's "The Nightmare before Christmas" earned just over $50 million when it was first released in 1993, but five subsequent releases in the 2000s pushed the movie's total earnings beyond $75 million.
The movie is animated in the creepy claymation that’s unique to Burton's original style. It follows the culture clash that ensues when the King of Halloween Town discovers Christmas Town.
The movie features Catherine O'Hara and Chris Sarandon. It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Effects.
8. 'Die Hard': $83 Million
Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman put a new spin on Christmas films with "Die Hard" in 1988. The movie earned $83 million dollars at the domestic box office and nearly $140 million worldwide.
One of the most celebrated action movies of all time, "Die Hard" was nominated for four Oscars. With the Christmas season as the movie's backdrop, the film follows the exploits of NYPD Officer John McClane, a reluctant hero trapped in a Los Angeles skyscraper under siege by diabolical terrorists.
After killing a terrorist and upgrading his weaponry, McClane delivers the bad guy's body — complete with a Santa hat — to the surviving terrorists with the written message, "Now I have a machine gun: Ho, Ho, Ho." It has become an ironic Christmas classic since.
7. 'Four Christmases': $120.1 Million
"Four Christmases," starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, was released in 2008. It follows a couple as they make separate visits to all their divorced parents on Christmas.
The movie took in more than $120 million at the U.S. box office. When factoring in worldwide ticket sales, it earned more than $163.7 million.
Witherspoon was nominated for a Kids' Choice Award for the film. The movie won a BMI Film & TV Award.
6. 'A Christmas Carol' (2009): $137.8 million
Filmmakers released their own versions of the Charles Dickens classic "A Christmas Carol" in 1938 and 1951, but it wasn't until 2009 that the tale struck box office gold. The animated version starring Jim Carrey earned almost $138 million at the domestic box office that year and more than $325 million worldwide.
"A Christmas Carol" earned more than $30 million on opening weekend alone. The movie, a classic tale of self-redemption, debuted at No. 1 in 3,683 theaters.
Those numbers might sound phenomenal — until you realize that the movie cost $200 million to produce. It stands out as being one of the 10 biggest holiday films of all time, and also one of the biggest price-to-earnings flops.
5. 'The Santa Clause': $144.8 Million
In 1994, Tim Allen and Judge Reinhold teamed up in a story about a man who has to take on the role of Santa Claus after accidentally killing the real St. Nick. It would go on to become the sixth highest-grossing Christmas movie of all time.
"The Santa Clause" earned $144.8 million domestically and combined for nearly $190 million worldwide. The movie cost just $22 million to make.
It did better than any other PG-rated movie that year, and was the fourth highest grossing movie of the year behind "Forrest Gump," "The Lion King" and "True Lies." It earned $19.3 million just on opening weekend.
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4. 'Elf': $173.3 Million
In 2003, Will Ferrell portrayed a human-sized elf whose penchant for inadvertent mayhem resulted in his exile from the North Pole to find his long-lost and grumpy father, played by James Caan. The movie earned $173.3 million at the domestic box office and another $47 million in foreign theaters for a worldwide total of $220.4 million.
It was the seventh highest-grossing movie of 2003 and that year's No. 1 PG movie. It earned $31.11 million on opening weekend alone.
It is "Certified Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 85 percent. One reviewer called it "a spirited, good-natured family comedy ..."
3. 'The Polar Express': $183.3 Million
"The Polar Express" grossed $162.7 million when it was first released in 2004, but it pulled in another $20 million-plus after eight re-releases. It earned another $124.1 million in foreign theaters for a worldwide total of $307.5 million.
Tom Hanks performed voice work for six characters in this animated Warner Brothers holiday film that follows a young boy on a fantastic adventure to the North Pole. It was the highest-grossing G-rated movie of 2004.
The movie was nominated for three Oscars: Sound, Sound Editing and Best Original Song.
2. 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas': $260 Million
Director Ron Howard's interpretation of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" took in more than $260 million in 2000 — $345.1 million worldwide. Jim Carrey assumed the role of the Grinch, a conniving anti-Christmas menace bent on ruining the holiday for the Whos in Dr. Seuss' Whoville.
The movie earned nearly double its production budget of $123 million, and earned more than any other Dr. Seuss movie in history. It won an Oscar for Best Makeup and was nominated for two others. It ranks No. 89 on the list of the highest-grossing movies at the domestic box office.
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1. 'Home Alone': $285.7 Million
"Home Alone" is the biggest Christmas movie of all time. It grossed $285.7 million at the domestic box office and nearly $476.7 million worldwide.
Adjusted for inflation, the movie earned nearly $583.2 million in the U.S., earning the holiday classic the No. 40 spot on the list of history's most successful movies. It was the highest-grossing movie of 1990, beating out "Ghost," "Pretty Woman" and "Dances With Wolves" — all on a production budget of $18 million.
The movie, which launched the career of child star Macaulay Culkin, follows the exploits of young Kevin McCallister who learns to be careful what he wishes for when his family unwittingly leaves him behind when they embark on a family Christmas trip to Paris. Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern play a duo of hapless burglars that terrorize Kevin, who then returns the favor with a series of elaborate and effective boobie traps.
Net worth figures are indicative of assets versus liabilities. All net worth figures are according to CelebrityNetWorth.com unless otherwise noted. Box office earnings are domestic totals according to BoxOfficeMojo.com unless otherwise noted. Some classics like "Miracle on 34th Street," "It's a Wonderful Life" and "White Christmas" were omitted because box office information from that era is scarce and unreliable. The list also omits movie sequels.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Highest-Grossing Christmas Movies of All Time