The Silent Christmas Films

Christmas movies generate interest every year with people watching old favorites and new productions. Whether it’s White Christmas or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, we all have our favorites. The earliest Christmas movies were silent films. Today, I’m sharing some of those with you along with the links to watch them on YouTube. They are all very short and quite entertaining. Some I remember seeing before and some I didn’t. Enjoy!

Movie Scene, Wikimedia Commons

Santa Claus (1898)

This movie is only 1 minute and 16 second long. It is a silent film and shows the two little girls being put to bed after they hang their stockings. The lights go out and Santa is on the roof and comes down the chimney. He puts something in each stocking before disappearing. Many people were left wondering what happened to him over his abrupt departure. You can see it here.

Picture by Fedojoda, Wikimedia Commons

Le Rêve de Noël (The Christmas Dream) (1900) 

This silent French film is only 4 minutes long and depicts the Christmas story in a dream. There is dancing and snow and there are people attending a church service. I had to laugh in the dancing scene when one of the actors loses his shoe and the way that shoe is gotten off the stage. It’s worth spending four minutes to watch this production. They put a lot of work into the story. You can watch it here.

Film by Edison Studios, Wikimedia Commons

A Christmas Carol (1908)

There are some differences in this early silent film about Dicken’s classic story written in 1843. It starts with Scrooge being detested as he walks to his counting house and then strikes a beggar who asks for money. In this version, Scrooge’s nephew is newly married and his bride comes to Scrooge’s place of business with Tiny Tim. Scrooge orders them from the office but they plead for a Christmas holiday. After Scrooge is visited by the spirits and changes, he puts on a dinner for all at his home on Christmas Day. The film is only 14 minutes long if you want to watch here.

A Christmas Carol (1910) 

The 1910 version of A Christmas Carol is very similar to the 1908 version. Once again, we see the familiar story with Scrooge being a curmudgeon and the spirits visiting him. In this film, Marc McDermott plays Scrooge. The film lasts for 13 minutes and can be seen here.

Movie Poster, Wikimedia Commons

A Trap for Santa (1909)

This story is about the Rogers children who set a trap to catch Santa. Their father has left them because of his problems. The children set a tub in front of the window and attach lines to their feet so they will know when Santa comes inside. Their mother gets up in the night and is shocked to see her husband stumbling on the trap as he comes through the window. The film is 16 minutes long and is another silent film with a heartwarming ending. You can watch it here. 

Have you ever seen any of these short, silent films? These were made when movies were very new, yet there is entertainment value there. I hope you get the chance to watch them. Have a blessed Christmas and a wonderful holiday season.

Nancy J Farrier is an award-winning, best-selling author who lives in Southern Arizona in the Sonoran Desert. She loves the Southwest with its interesting historical past. When Nancy isn’t writing, she loves to read, do needlecraft, play with her cats and dog, and spend time with her family. You can read more about Nancy and her books on her website: nancyjfarrier.com.