The First Christmas Movie Ever Made Is 126 Years Old

The Christmas movie tradition dates back as far as the Victorian era, with the oldest of this enormous collection of Christmas movies being 126 years old. Santa Claus was created in 1898 by filmmaker George Albert Smith, whose clip is arguably the oldest production of this kind, coming ten decades after the first moving footage was recorded.

Although Santa Claus may be underwhelming for this generation as high-tech movies lasting hours are the order of the day, it took a lot of work to create at the time. It was also the first time in cinema that a parallel shot was used.

What is this oldest of Christmas movies about?

Santa Claus was a brief story about Father Christmas’ visit to two siblings, who got put to bed by their nanny before his arrival. He goes down the chimney and places gifts in their stockings which they love upon seeing them at daybreak.

The skit-length film is proof that the feeling of Christmas being incomplete without a movie to watch is nothing new, as even those from centuries ago relished the entertainment. Smith made more productions after Santa Claus and they include The Kiss In The Tunnel and Grandma’s Reading Glass, which show more innovation from the last.

Where to watch the oldest Christmas movie

Santa Claus is available on YouTube, and although it is a silent clip in black-and-white, it is an enjoyable show of how far movie-making has come. Michael Brooke on the British Film Institute regards it as one of the most visually and conceptually sophisticated British films made up to then.

Hundreds of thousands of YouTube users have viewed the film and shared their thoughts in the comments section. “It is so crazy to think that those people were living over a century ago, and they’ll always be kept alive through this film,” someone said, while another was amazed that Queen Victoria was still alive at the time.