All the Best Dance Scenes from Your Favorite Christmas Movies

December 18, 2017

Watching Christmas movies is one of our favorite holiday festivities, and when there’s dance involved it’s even better. Whether you’re wrapping up Nutcracker runs, feverishly finishing your shopping or hopping from party to party, these flicks provide a lighthearted escape from the holiday bustle. Grab a fleece blanket and a mug of hot cocoa, but be prepared to dance along when these classic scenes come on.

“Jump for My Love” from Love Actually (2003)

Who doesn’t love a dancing prime minister in the form of Hugh Grant? This scene is basically us whenever our favorite song comes on at home, in the car, at the studio—just about anywhere.

“Linus and Lucy” from A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

They may only be cartoons, but that doesn’t stop the beloved Peanuts gang from letting loose. It’s just basic repetition but they all get a 10/10 for energy, confidence and execution.

“Mandy” from White Christmas (1954)

White Christmas
is filled with spectacular song-and-dance scenes, ranging from the romantic “The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing” to the hilarious “Sisters” reprise, with Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby playing two flirtatious ladies. But when it comes to holiday glitz, the red-and-green themed “Mandy” takes the cake. Don’t miss the number’s over-the-top finale, where Vera-Ellen floats through the air in a cascading series of dives, lifts and flips.

“Hot Chocolate” from The Polar Express (2004)

A bevy of waiters tap dance through a train car as they serve hot chocolate. This may or may not be a description of our wildest dream. They’re surprisingly crisp tappers and quite the acrobatic bunch.

“Whoomp There It Is,” or the Mail-Room Dance, from Elf (2003)

Looking for a new cardio workout? Try Will Ferrell’s spirited mail-room jig as Buddy the Elf. If you ask us, it looks like the choreography may have been inspired by the Nutcracker‘s Russian divertissement.

“Jingle Bell Rock” from Mean Girls (2004)

Okay, so Mean Girls isn’t technically a Christmas movie, but how could we leave out this rockin’ scene, especially since Mean Girls is Broadway bound this March? (May we also suggest Larsen Thompson’s recent parody of the dance.) In the words of Gretchen Wieners, we hope you have a “fetch” holiday season.