13 Awesome Films You Forgot Were Christmas Movies

1. Citizen Kane

Orson Welles' 1941 classic isn't just regarded as one of the greatest movies ever made, it's also one of the finest, most understated Christmas films out there. Revolving around a desperate scramble to find out the meaning of the final word, "Rosebud", spoken by deceased media magnate Charles Foster Kane (Welles), Citizen Kane is a deeply poignant hymn to childhood and everything that can get lost in the shuffle.

From the opening visual of Kane's snow-globe smashing as he dies to the memorable scene in which a young Charles is sledding in the snow, moments before being shipped away from his parents, this is a tragic Christmas film, albeit one that tries to cling to the innocence of childhood no better visible than at this time of the year.

This is entirely compounded by the ending, of course, where it's revealed that Rosebud referred to the name of Kane's sled as a young boy, something that evidently meant more to him than his entire media empire or his opulent palace, Xanadu. Nevertheless, the film ends in gut-wrenching fashion with one of Xanadu's staff assuming the sled to be garbage and throwing it in a fire.

As well as a fascinating character study, Citizen Kane has a fine message for the holidays: it's not about how much stuff you have, but who gave it to you and what it means.

What are your favourite unconventional Christmas movies? Shout it out in the comments below, and of course, have an awesome Christmas!