Top 10 Movie Santas

To start the festivities, we have Ol’ Saint Nick in a suit, trying and failing to blend into real life! In “Ernest Saves Christmas”, Douglas Seale plays the gift giver as he passes on the baton. About to enter into retirement, Seale is trying to track down his replacement - but is finding it a little bit more difficult than expected! Cue the movie’s title character, and a series of hilarious efforts to assist Santa, and save the day!

This Santa receives a little less screen time than our first, but he shines when we do see him! Jeff Gillen plays a pretend Father Christmas in this film, working at a local department store over the holiday season. Hour after hour, day after day he meets all manner of excitable children with high expectations... But the high-tech BB gun that Ralphie wants, Santa simply can’t condone! He warns ‘you’ll shoot your eye out’, before an ironic, exasperated boot to the face!

As the spirit of Christmas is threatened by a quest for commercial gain, there’s only one man who can stop it! There’s only one man who can make magic triumph over money! David Huddleston’s Santa is an especially traditional representation, as is this entire movie a traditional look at Christmas in general! Big red coat, big bushy beard, kind caring eyes, we all know the drill! Huddleston has the kids convinced, and the adults aching to be young again - just for a day!

Though Buddy the eponymous Elf is the undeniable main event in this movie, Ed Asner’s Santa is an awesome supporting role! Struggling to continue his job within a world that no longer believes in him, this Santa is a little more stressed than some! But good will win out, and Asner’s enthusiasm for gift giving never lessens! His sleigh might be a little more temperamental than we’re used to, but Mr. Claus is as magical as ever!

With an oxymoronic title to get us all interested, Billy Bob Thornton blasts tradition out of the water with his portrayal of “Bad Santa”! We know the stereotypes and we love them. He knows the stereotypes, and he hates them! Posing as a department store Santa in order to gain access to and steal from the shops, Thornton is also an alcoholic and a nymphomaniac! He’s more into sexual greetings than seasonal ones, but he’s become a holiday hero regardless! Sometimes, it’s good to be on the naughty list!

An all-out alternative Santa now, as December 25th is merged with October 31st and all manner of magic breaks out! Chris Sarandon’s Jack plays his part very well, but Ed Ivory outshines Skellington only slightly as the real deal! Tim Burton’s ‘Sandy Claws’ is a typically atypical imagining of the man, as he’s put in a spot of seasonal bother when he falls into the hands of Oogie Boogie! With the help of Halloween Town, here’s hoping that Christmas isn’t cancelled!

Considering he’s possibly the kindest man in the entire world, it’s a curious fact that there isn’t too much traditional thought given to Santa as a family man... In “Arthur Christmas”, the Claus clan is investigated a little more in depth - thus this movie’s title character! But even Arthur cannot steal the limelight from his father, as Jim Broadbent proves an especially loveable version of the legend! He may be forgetful, but we’re not about to forget him!

It seems a tale as old as Christmastime, but Rudolph the red-nosed might’ve been just an average reindeer without his magical master! Voiced by Stan Francis, this Santa is as jolly as they come! The animated made-for-TV movie is a goldmine in terms of the good guy - Mickey Rooney’s voice in “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” particularly comes to mind - but Francis’ Saint Nick is especially notable! He sees the good in Rudolph when others can’t, and reminds us all that good will reigns supreme on Santa’s day!

If you’re the kinda guy that wants to believe but just can’t, then you’re not likely to like it when a fat guy disrupts your Christmas Eve by claiming to be Santa before falling off your roof! That’s exactly what happens to Tim Allen’s Scott Calvin, but what happens next is sure to straighten out his cynicism! Allen accidentally becomes the big guy, and in doing so signs himself up for quite the contract! Forgetting to read the small print has never been this fun!

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- Tom Hanks
“The Polar Express” (2004)
- Alec Baldwin
“Rise of the Guardians” (2012)
- Leslie Nielsen
“All I Want for Christmas” (1991)
- Dan Aykroyd
“Trading Places” (1983)
- Paul Giamatti
“Fred Claus” (2007)

A classic Christmas story, “Miracle on 34th Street” has given us two great Santas! Richard Attenborough’s 1994 portrayal might not have won first place today, but Edmund Gwenn’s original has ho ho ho-ed his way to victory! Employed at Macy’s to meet, greet and give gifts to the children of New York City, Kris Kringle makes the sensational claim that he isn’t just pretending to be Santa, he actually is Santa! The non-believers brand him crazy, but we just think he’s class! A one of a kind winter’s hero!

Do you agree with our list? Which movie Santa did we skip? For more festive top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.