Christmas Movies for ESL Students by Level (Free Worksheets)

The last weeks before the winter break are hard to plan. Students are tired, half the class is already thinking about the holidays, and a normal grammar lesson feels wrong. A Christmas movie solves that, as long as students do something with it: a scene to retell, a listing to write, a story to rewrite.

Here are the three best Christmas movies for ESL students, one for each level, with an activity for each and six more films sorted by level. Every activity has a page in the free worksheet pack, and nothing needs film stills or clips cut in advance.

The activities at a glance

#	Activity	Level	Skill
1	Watch any Christmas film	A2-C1	Listening
2	Home Alone: put the story in order	A2-B1	Retelling
3	The Holiday: swap your home	B1-B2	Writing
4	A Christmas Carol: a modern Scrooge	B2-C1	Speaking
5	Christmas movie quiz	A2-C1	Reading

Free · printable PDFChristmas Movie WorksheetsThe printables for all five activities below, numbered like this post: a viewing worksheet for any film, a worksheet each for Home Alone, The Holiday and A Christmas Carol, and a Christmas movie quiz. Answers and model sentences are on the last page.5 activities7 pagesA2 to C1A4 and LetterDownload the free PDFUS Letter: PDF

How to use a Christmas movie in a 60-minute class

A full film takes two hours and leaves no time for English. Use one scene of 10 to 15 minutes in class, or ask students to watch the film at home and bring the worksheet.

Before you watch (5 minutes). Students read a one-line description of the film and predict the main character, the problem and the ending.
While you watch (15 minutes). English subtitles on. Students write down phrases they hear twice, who says them and what they mean.
After you watch (20 minutes). Students retell the story in five sentences, rate the film and recommend it to a classmate.
Then the film's own activity (20 minutes). Activities 2 to 4 below give each film its own task.

1of 5A2-C140 minListeningFree printable · page 2

Watch any Christmas film

How it works

Before the scene, students fill in part A: the film, the main character, the problem and their guess about the ending.
While they watch, they catch five phrases in a table: the phrase, who says it and what it means.
After the scene, they retell it with five sentence starters, rate it and tell a partner about it in one minute without notes.

ExampleStarterAt the start, ...StarterThe best part is when ...StarterIn the end, ...

Why it works

The same page works with every film in this post and with any film your students choose, so it doubles as homework for the break. The one-minute retell at the end shows you who really followed the story.

Free printable · page 2A viewing worksheet for before, during and after any film or scene.Download the free PDFUS Letter: PDF

The top 3 Christmas movies for ESL students

One film for each level: a comedy everyone knows for A2-B1, a romantic comedy with everyday adult conversation for B1-B2, and a classic story with rich language for B2-C1.

1. Home Alone (1990)

A2-B1PG103 minDisney+ in most countries

Kevin, who is eight, is left behind when his family flies to Paris for Christmas, and he defends the house against two burglars. The story is simple and visual, the dialogue is short, and most students already know it, so lower levels can follow it without subtitles in their own language.

2of 5A2-B125 minRetellingFree printable · page 3

Home Alone: put the story in order

How it works

Students read nine scenes from the film, written in simple present tense, and number them in story order. Scene 1 is done for them.
They check on the answer page, then tell the story to a partner in one minute without looking. The partner ticks every sequence word they hear: first, then, after that, finally.
To finish, students write what Kevin says when his mother walks in on Christmas morning, and what she says back.

ExampleSceneKevin wakes up in an empty house and thinks his wish came true.

Why it works

Ordering the scenes makes students read every sentence carefully, and the retell turns that reading into speaking. Sequence words are what A2 students need most when they tell any story.

Free printable · page 3Nine scene cards to number, a sequence word check and a short dialogue to write.Download the free PDFUS Letter: PDF

If your A2-B1 students would rather talk about their own favorite films than one film, the Movies lesson gets them describing films and TV shows they love.

2. The Holiday (2006)

B1-B2PG-13136 minStreaming varies by country

Two women who are unhappy in love swap homes for Christmas: Iris leaves her cottage in an English village, and Amanda leaves her house in Los Angeles. Written and directed by Nancy Meyers, with Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black. It has British and American English side by side, and lots of adult small talk.

3of 5B1-B235 minWritingFree printable · page 4

The Holiday: swap your home

How it works

Students read two invented home-swap listings, an English cottage and a house in Los Angeles, and answer five questions by circling A or B.
They write their own listing in 60 to 80 words: a headline, the three best things about their home, one honest problem and one house rule.
Pairs swap listings and write three polite questions about each other's home, then answer them.

ExampleDirectIs there a car?SofterI was wondering if there's a car I could use.

Why it works

Describing your own home is real, personal language, and the honest problem is where the best English happens. The polite questions at the end prepare the softer language that this film is full of.

Free printable · page 4Two home-swap listings with questions, space for your own listing and three polite questions.Download the free PDFUS Letter: PDF

Lessons for the next class

Speak Like The Holiday uses a scene from the film to show how the characters soften their questions and opinions, the same skill as the questions on page 4. Are Romcoms Dead? is a B1-B2 discussion of modern romantic comedies and their clichés.

Speak Like The HolidayB1B2ProSee the Pro lesson →Are Romcoms Dead?B1B2ProSee the Pro lesson →

3. A Christmas Carol (1843, many film versions)

B2-C1Book is public domainMuppet version: about 85 min, Disney+

Charles Dickens's story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a mean old businessman who meets three spirits on Christmas Eve. Any version works. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), with Michael Caine as Scrooge, keeps a lot of Dickens's own language and is light enough for the last week of term. Because the book is out of copyright, students can read the original lines on the page.

4of 5B2-C140 minSpeakingFree printable · page 5

A Christmas Carol: a modern Scrooge

How it works

Students read three short lines from the book and match six of Dickens's words, like grasping, covetous and humbug, to their meanings.
Pairs move the story to 2026: who their Scrooge is, what each of the three ghosts shows, and what changes on Christmas morning.
Each pair pitches its version to the class in two minutes, as if the class were a film studio. The class votes for the film it would make.

ExamplePitchIt's set in a delivery company in Madrid. Our Scrooge is a manager who ...

Why it works

Advanced students get real nineteenth-century English in small pieces, then use it to build something of their own. Pitching is persuasive speaking with a clear structure, and the vote makes everyone listen.

Free printable · page 5Three lines from Dickens, a word match, a planner for a modern version and pitch language.Download the free PDFUS Letter: PDF

Lessons for the next class

Christmas Movies is a B2-C1 lesson on why holiday films are so popular, with a reading and a debate. A Christmas Carol has been filmed many times, which makes Reboots & Remakes (B1-B2) the natural follow-up: why does Hollywood keep telling the same stories?

Christmas MoviesB2C1ProSee the Pro lesson →Reboots & RemakesB1B2ProSee the Pro lesson →

6 more Christmas movies for ESL students, by level

Activity 1 works with every film on this list. Streaming libraries differ by country, so check where each film is available for your students before you plan the class.

Film	Level	Why it works
Klaus 2019 · 97 min · PG	A2-B1	A Netflix original, so it is on Netflix wherever Netflix is available. An animated story about a lazy postman, with clear dialogue.
The Grinch 2018 · 86 min · PG	A2-B1	Short, animated and funny, with simple lines and a narrator who explains the story.
Elf 2003 · 97 min · PG	B1	A man raised by elves takes everything literally in New York. Great for idioms and misunderstandings.
Last Christmas 2019 · 102 min · PG-13	B1-B2	Set in London, co-written by Emma Thompson. Everyday British English at work and with family.
Love Actually 2003 · 135 min · R in the US, 15 in the UK	B2	Many short stories, so you can choose one. Check each scene first: some have nudity and strong language.
It's a Wonderful Life 1946 · 130 min · PG	B2-C1	A black-and-white classic. Fast 1940s dialogue is a real listening challenge for advanced students.

For the last class before the break

The last class before the holidays needs something light that still uses English. The quiz below covers all nine films in this post plus one more, so it also works as a review.

5of 5A2-C120 minReadingFree printable · page 6

Christmas movie quiz

How it works

Students read ten film plots told in plain, very literal English and write the film from the box. They work alone, then compare with a partner.
They check on the answer page.
Then each student writes a literal plot of a film they love, any film, and reads it to a partner, who guesses the film.

ExamplePlotA rich, mean old man meets three ghosts in one night.FilmA Christmas Carol

Why it works

Literal plot summaries are funny, and writing one is harder than it looks: students have to describe a whole film in one clear sentence. It works even with students who don't celebrate Christmas.

Free printable · page 6Ten literal plots with a box of film titles, and space to write your own.Download the free PDFUS Letter: PDF

For conversation questions about films and songs instead, set 5 of our 30 Christmas conversation questions for adults is about exactly that.

Before you press play

Check your license. Showing a full film to a class can need a screening license, depending on your country and your school. Short scenes, or films watched at home, avoid the question.
Use English subtitles. Students hear and see the words at the same time. Subtitles in their own language turn the film into reading practice in their own language.
Think about who celebrates. Not every adult student celebrates Christmas. A Christmas Carol and the quiz are about stories, not beliefs, and Activity 1 works with any film.

Lessons to use with Christmas movies

Level	Lesson	What students do
A2-B1	Movies	Talk about their favorite films and TV shows
B1-B2	Speak Like The Holiday	Soften questions and opinions with a scene from the film
B1-B2	Are Romcoms Dead?	Discuss modern romantic comedies and their clichés
B1-B2	Reboots & Remakes	Talk about sequels, nostalgia and remakes
B2-C1	Christmas Movies	Read why holiday films are so popular and debate them