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There are so many enjoyable Christmas pastimes to partake in, from trimming the tree and finding the best presents to visiting friends and family. People also spend lots of time watching their favorite Christmas movies. We love watching beloved actors and actresses performing as the Grinch, Scrooge, and more, but have you noticed the cameos along the way? Allow us to share the best Christmas movie cameos with you! How many of these iconic Christmas movie scenes do you remember?
1. John Candy - Home Alone (1990)
[Source: 20th century Fox/Hughes Entertainment/IMDb]
On her desperate journey to get home to her son, Kate joins a bus of traveling polka players on their ride home after she fails to find a flight. The group leader is Gus Polinski, played by comedian John Candy. He's best known for his roles in movies like Stripes, Spaceballs, and Cool Runnings. His stint as a clarinet-playing polka band leader is brief but memorable, as he awkwardly tries to make conversation with Kate.
2. Peter Billingsley - Elf (2003)
[Source: New Line Cinema/Guy Walks Into a Bar/IMDb]
The Christmas movie lore deepens! Peter Billingsley was famous for his role as Ralphie Parker in A Christmas Story in 1983. Movie-goers were delighted to see that he had a cameo in Elf as one of Santa's helper elves. Peter appears in a red elf costume with small glasses, and he tells Buddy the Elf that he's behind on production according to the schedule. It's a brief scene, but we hear Will Ferrell say that he's a cotton-headed ninny muggins in response.
3. Jon Favreau - Elf (2003)
[Source: New Line Cinema/Guy Walks Into a Bar/IMDb]
We know that we double-dipped on Elf, but this is another excellent cameo scene! Many directors are famous for appearing as cameos in their own movies. There's Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, and Quentin Tarantino, to name a few. As the director of Elf, Jon Favreau also gave himself a cameo as the doctor who pricks Buddy's finger for a paternity test. Will Ferrell's antics in the waiting room were so goofy that James Caan couldn't face the camera due to breaking character.
4. Miles Davis - Scrooged (1988)
[Source: Mirage Productions/YouTube]
The movie Scrooged was packed with cameos, but one of our favorites was Miles Davis posing as a street performer. Watching Bill Murray criticize one of history's most influential jazz performers and composers makes his character even more of a humbug. Miles was an instrumental figure in cool jazz, hard bop, and jazz fusion styles and experimented with many others. He won eight Grammy Awards and had many other awards and nominations to his name!
5. Cloris Leachman - Bad Santa (2003)
[Source: Columbia Pictures/Dimension Films/Triptych Pictures/IMDb]
"Let me fix you some sandwiches." Cloris Leachman's acting career spanned nearly eight decades, with roles in television productions and movies from The Mary Tyler Moore Show to The Last Picture Show and Young Frankenstein. The decorated actress made a few appearances as the grandmother in Bad Santa, who slept like the dead and offered people sandwiches. Her scenes may have been brief, but her comedic timing was as good as ever!
6. Steven Tyler - The Polar Express (2004)
Having an animated Christmas movie cameo may seem unusual, but Steven Tyler did just that in The Polar Express. An elf-ified version of the Aerosmith singer sings "Rockin' on Top of the World" at an elf Christmas party. While the animated version isn't a complete likeness, the character has some similarities to Steven Tyler. He also provided the voice of an unnamed Elf Lieutenant in another brief movie cameo.
7. Jack Albertson - Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
[Source: 20th Century Fox/IMDb]
Cameos in Christmas movies are nothing new! Modern audiences may not realize it, but Jack Albertson had a cameo as a postal worker in Miracle on 24th Street. (Just to be clear, he's the first sorter on the line, as seen here, who has the brilliant idea to send all their dead letter Santa mail to the courthouse!) This is actually an early film role for Jack Albertson, as his most iconic role is Grandpa Joe in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Much of his early career was on the stage, but he had over 30 film appearances.
8. Patti LuPone - Last Christmas (2019)
[Source: Feigco Entertainment/Perfect World Pictures/Calamity Films/YouTube]
Scenes don't have to be long to be memorable! Patti LuPone had a cameo scene as a Christmas shopper torn between two Jesus statues for her nativity. The actress is best known for her work in musical theater. She starred in several Broadway and West End shows, including Les Misérables, Evita, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and Sunset Boulevard. While she didn't do any singing in this scene, she still captured our attention and made us laugh!
9. Josh Ryan Evans - How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
[Source: Imagine Entertainment/IMDb]
Budding actor Josh Ryan Evans may have had a career that ended too soon, but he played a part in a beloved Christmas movie. The actor was born with achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism. He is most remembered for his role as Timmy Lenox in Passions. However, he also plays an integral part as the young Grinch in How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The Grinch's makeup was famously uncomfortable, and it took a long time to put on Jim Carrey. We can only imagine that having an adult actor as the young Grinch made it easier for the makeup artists to work with!
10. Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer - It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
[Source: Liberty Films/countryliving.com]
It's a Wonderful Life is another classic Christmas movie that is frequently watched during the holiday season. Without his iconic hair, you might not realize the famous Alfalfa actor Carl Switzer had a cameo in the movie. He struggled to find work after being typecast from his childhood acting days, but he had an uncredited role as Mary Hatch's date, the prankster who opened the pool floor during the famous dance scene. (What a little rascal!) A photo of the actor was also used for "Freckle-Faced Haynes, the Dog-Faced Boy" in the movie White Christmas.
11. John Pasquin - The Santa Claus (1994)
[Source: Walt Disney Pictures/Hollywood Pictures/Outlaw Productions/IMDb]
Director cameos can be a lot of fun, as seen in The Santa Claus. Director John Pasquin went incognito as Santa Claus #6 in the famous Santa Claus lineup scene. We can only wonder who else might be hiding here in plain sight! The movie starred Tim Allen as a man who accidentally caused Santa to fall from his roof (potentially to his death) and must now replace Santa Claus. Interestingly, John Pasquin's producing debut was also with actor Tim Allen for the sitcom Home Improvement.
12. Bob Clark - A Christmas Story (1983)
[Source: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/IMDb]
You may not realize it, but A Christmas Story had a few cameos that highlighted the director and screenplay writers. Jean Shepherd, Bob Clark, and Leigh Brown all appeared as background characters. However, director Bob Clark had our favorite cameo, where he admires the new leg lamp along with Ralphie's dad. It's a major award!
13. Sprocket - The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
[Source: Walt Disney Pictures/Jim Henson Productions/Fandom.com]
Can non-human characters have movie cameos? We'd like to think so! Sprocket is a pet sheepdog in Fraggle Rock, but we see him appear again in The Muppet Christmas Carol. You can spot Sprocket in crowd scenes at the movie's beginning and end, and he also throws a snowball from a window. Unlike many other muppet characters, Sprocket cannot perform human speech. Instead, he communicates through barks and facial expressions, along with pantomime.
14. Jackie Burroughs - Deck the Halls (2006)
[Source: Regency Enterprises/IMDb]
Jackie Burroughs had an impressive resume as an actress, with over 100 movie and TV appearances from 1966-2010. She was already a well-established actress when she had her cameo in Deck the Halls. She played Mrs.Ryor, an older woman with a poodle who denies needing stronger glasses. (According to her optometrist, she could use binoculars!)
15. Patrick Macnee - Scrooge (1951)
[Source: Geroge Minter Productions/IMDb]
Scrooge was a British production, and it was released as A Christmas Carol in the United States. Before Patrick Macnee landed his break-out role as John Steed in The Avengers, he appeared in Scrooge as young Jacob Marley. (Patrick's Avengers TV series is not to be confused with Marvel's Avengers!) Other notable roles by Patrick Macnee include characters in This is Spinal Tap, A View to A Kill, The Twilight Zone, and Columbo.
We hope you had fun learning some Christmas movie trivia. Do you feel the sudden urge to watch a few Christmas movies? How many of these holiday movies are part of your regular rotation? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Also, don't forget to pick up all of your Christmas gifts before it's too late!
