First-ever Christmas movie is 126 years old and free to watch on YouTube
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Christmas movies have become a staple of the festive season alongside decorating trees, singing carols and gift giving – but prepare to be surprised just how far back this particular tradition goes. We’d excuse you for assuming that the earliest films set in or around December 25 cropped up in the 1940s or 50s with the likes of the still-popular Meet Me in St Louis, It’s A Wonderful Life and White Christmas.
![[Margaret O'Brien as Tootie is embraced by Judy Garland as big sister Esther outside in the snow in Meet Me In St. Louis]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/GettyImages-1262766719.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
These are often considered the golden oldies when slotted in among more recent popular Christmas film fare such as Home Alone, The Grinch and various versions of A Christmas Carol (obviously the Muppets’ one from 1992 is the best). Perhaps you’d then assume they were first made in the late 1920s, when sound was being phased in and Hollywood was starting to hit its true heights as a movie-making titan.
![[Santa Claus (1898) - G.A. Smith | BFI National Archive]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233749715-16ba-e1734628789989.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=600)
But the first acknowledged Christmas film goes back years – decades – prior, in fact 126 years to be precise. Yes, the first movie centred around the season was made all the way back in 1898 and focused on a magical visit from Father Christmas – and it’s nothing to do with Hollywood.
![[Santa Claus (1898) - G.A. Smith | BFI National Archive]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233749716-f6cc-e1734628838753.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=600)
It was made by former magic lanternist and hypnotist George Albert Smith in the UK, while he was corresponding with the French pioneer Georges Méliès (known for 1902’s astonishing A Trip to the Moon, among other films). Despite being a British film though, it went with the Americanised, popular version of St Nick’s name in the title Santa Claus.
