Christmas movie kids: Then and now

‘Tis the season to dig out those Chrissie classics. But first, what happened to the child stars of holiday movies who had us glued to our TV screens all those years?

Well, for the most part they’re unrecognisable.

Take that adorable little girl from The Grinch for example…

Taylor Momsen - How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Taylor Momsen played the adorable Cindy Lou in How The Grinch Stole Christmas.

But while she went on to maintain her cute persona in Spy Kids 2 and Hansel & Gretel, things took a turn for the rebellious after she played Jenny Humphrey in Gossip Girl.

These days, Taylor, now 23, spends her time fronting a rock band called Pretty Reckless.

Daniel Tay – Elf (2003)

Remember the kid from Elf? Well, he doesn't look like this anymore. And it would be weird if he did.

Michael, real name Daniel Tay, played Buddy's brother in the flick, with Will Ferrell as Elf.

Daniel, now 24, stepped out of the limelight a few years back. He had a few roles after Elf but nothing that catapulted him to A-list status.

Instead, he voiced a few video games, including Grand Theft Auto IV.

Peter Billingsley – A Christmas Story (1983)

Peter played Ralphie Parker in 1983's A Christmas Story.

The blue-eyed charmer grew up to be a film producer on Iron Man in 2008 and The Break Up in 2006.

Johnny Galecki – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

Johnny played Rusty Griswold in 1989's National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

The actor, now 41, went on to star in the TV series Roseanne, but scored big time with his lead role as Leonard in The Big Bang Theory. He rakes in over a million bucks per episode.

Nicholas Hoult – About a Boy (2002)

Nicholas played the adorable Marcus Brewer in 2002's About a Boy alongside Hugh Grant.

The actor, now 27, not only grew into a mega hottie but also dated Jennifer Lawrence and reignited his star value with X-Men: First Class in 2011.

He also starred in 2013's Warm Bodies and reprised his role as Beast in more X-Men flicks.

Olivia Olsen – Love Actually (2003)

Olivia belted out her own rendition of 'All I Want for Christmas' in Love Actually 12 years ago.

Olivia, 24, pursued a career in music. The singer released an album in 2013 and also voices Marceline the Vampire Queen in the TV series Adventure Time.

Thomas Sangster – Love Actually (2003)

Thomas played the love-struck Sam in 2003's Love Actually.

The actor, now 26, plays Jojen Reed in Game of Thrones.

He also scored roles in blockbuster flicks Nanny McPhee in 2005, The Maze Runner in 2014 and The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials in 2015. He stars next in Maze Runner: The Death Cure in 2017.

Mara Wilson – Miracle on 34th Street (1994)

Mara played Susan Walker in 1994's Miracle on 34th Street.

Mara, now 29, retired from acting in 2000 because she "didn't find it fun anymore". She now runs a blog called 'Mara Writes Stuff'.

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