(Credit: René Ramos; Columbia Pictures; Warner Brothers; Twentieth Century Fox; Paramount Pictures; Walt Disney Pictures/Jim Henson Productions; Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez Productions; Seacia Pavao/Focus Features)
The holidays are here and there are times when you just want to take a break from all that comes with them—the shopping, the gift wrapping, the expectations, and even sometimes the family—but you still want to be festive. That's where Christmas movies and shows shine.
You can either watch them during your own downtime, put them on in the background to add to the cheer, or use them as a way to spend time with family without conversation. We've rounded up our favorites so you can find them easily without having to open and close every streaming service you subscribe to.
New
Streaming services have gifted us with a bunch of new Christmas films this year, and while most follow the standard narrative arcs that you'd expect from holiday movies, there are a few that put a fresh spin on the formula. These are our favorites:
Dear Santa (Paramount+)
Bad as Billy Bob Thornton’s bad Santa was, he has nothing on Jack Black’s Santa, who just so happens to be Satan. He’s summoned during the holiday season when a boy who cannot spell mistakenly addresses his wishlist to him.
Hot Frosty (Netflix)
Lacey Chabert took a break from starring in nearly every single one of the Hallmark Channel’s Christmas movies to make this Netflix one where she falls in love with an anthropomorphic snowman with a six-pack. If you find this baffling, as one character explains it, “It’s Christmas.”
Nutcrackers (Hulu)
Ben Stiller plays a Chicago real estate developer who is charged with finding his five nephews a foster home when their parents die. Despite the bleak plot, the movie is a comedy, with Stiller struggling to adapt to the rural environment and the boys who’ve been raised without rules.
Our Little Secret (Netflix)
This holiday romcom features Lindsay Lohan trying to impress her boyfriend’s mom (Kristen Chenoweth) who finds herself with an additional challenge: her boyfriend’s sister’s boyfriend (stay with me) is her ex. The two keep their past relationship under wraps until, of course, they can’t.
That Christmas (Netflix)
Richard Curtis loves Christmas, as we know from him giving us Love Actually. He also expressed his feelings for the holiday by writing a trio of children’s books that have been adapted into an animated feature. The movie takes place in a small seaside town during a snowstorm that has wrecked more than a few festive plans.
Classics
These are the films we watch year after year, though it seems like they’re on a different streaming service each time. Here’s where you can find your favorites this season.
A Charlie Brown Christmas (Apple TV+, Fubo)
Do you hear that Vince Guaraldi score in your head from just reading the words A Charlie Brown Christmas? I do. Charlie Brown is his usually depressed self, though more so since his sadness is set against holiday cheer. So he does what so many other emotionally burdened creatives have done before him: directs a play. (One thing to be cheerful about is that even if you don’t subscribe to Apple TV+, you can watch this for free on December 14 and 15.)
A Christmas Story (Max)
The story of Ralphie and his wish for a Red Ryder air rifle is second only to that of Santa. If you don’t have Max, you can also watch A Christmas Story during the traditional 24-hour airing of it that starts on Christmas Eve at 8 pm ET on TBS and 9 pm ET on TNT.
Die Hard (Prime Video, Hulu, Fubo)
The debate over whether or not this is a Christmas movie exists and persists year after year, which makes it a holiday tradition whether you like it or not. Case closed.
Elf (Hulu, Max)
Will Ferrell is everyone’s favorite man-elf (well, except for his biological father’s) in this delightfully weird story of family and Christmas spirit.
The Holiday (Prime Video, Fubo)
Before there was Airbnb, there were house swap sites like the one that is the reason for the seasonal love stories in The Holiday. One harried woman from Hollywood and one lovelorn one from Surrey run away from their problems and find love (and new real estate dreams because this is a Nancy Meyers film).
Home Alone (Disney+)
Somewhere, Kevin McCallister is in a therapist’s office talking about how this time of year brings up his trauma. But for us, we’re enjoying his all-out assault on the Wet Bandits while we are once again judging his parents.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Peacock)
This is the original cartoon retelling of the Dr. Seuss classic, not the terrifying live-action version with Jim Carey.
It’s a Wonderful Life (Prime Video, Roku, Hoopla, Plex, Freevee)
In this inverse of A Christmas Carol, an angel shows self-sacrificing George Bailey what life would be like if he never existed.
Last Holiday (Prime Video, Paramount+)
Queen Latifah plays a department store employee who is mistakenly told that she has a terminal illness. Realizing she never really lived, she takes out her life savings and flies to spend her last days at a luxury hotel in Europe.
Love Actually (Prime Video)
There is a lot of questionable behavior in many of the intersecting plots of Love Actually, but arguing about them is a seasonal endeavor of its own.
Miracle on 34th Street (Disney+, Hulu, Fubo, Peacock, Roku)
There’s no question that Miracle on 34th Street is one of the best Christmas films ever made, but if you’re wondering about whether you should go with the 1947 original or the 1994 remake, it’s the former every time.
The Muppet Christmas Carol (Disney+)
Even in his dreams, Charles Dickens could not have imagined that his classic Christmas tale would best be told by Muppets, but so it is. (Spoiler alert: Tiny Tim does NOT die.)
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (Hulu, Max)
Clark Griswold is trying to maintain his sanity during the holidays by keeping his distance from visiting family by focusing on hanging Christmas lights but he finds there’s no way to escape the stress of the season.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (Disney+)
Even if you just watched The Nightmare Before Christmas for Halloween, this film does double duty. If you’ve never seen it, then you’re in for a treat as the Pumpkin King of Halloweentown discovers Christmastown.
White Christmas (Prime Video)
Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen sing and dance their way through this post-World War II story that takes place in a very snowy inn in Vermont.
Recent Faves
We can’t classify these as classics yet, but we’re definitely revisiting these hits from the past few years.
Happiest Season (Hulu)
Kristen Stewart plays a woman who is eager to meet her partner’s family at Christmas, only to discover that she’s expected to play the part of a friend instead. Clea DuVall, who also wrote and directed the movie, plays her other half, who has yet to come out to her conservative family.
The Holdovers (Prime Video)
It’s a quiet Christmas break at a New England prep school but there are a few people left behind. An instructor (Paul Giamatti), a troubled student (Dominic Sessa), and the head cook (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) form an unlikely bond in this award-winning film.
Jingle Jangle (Netflix)
In this musical, a toymaker has closed himself off for years following a betrayal by his apprentice but his outlook changes when his sunny granddaughter arrives.
Let It Snow (Netflix)
This one puts a fresh spin on the classic "snowed-in" formula. When a snowstorm hits a town, the way it slows down life has a profound effect on its protagonists, who, in this case, are a group of high school seniors contemplating love and their lives ahead.
Recommended by Our Editors
Love Hard (Netflix)
Nina Dobrev plays a woman who prepares to spend the holidays with a new love interest that she expects to be the perfect man—only they’ve just chatted on a dating app. She soon finds out that she’s been catfished, but she might still find love. (The catfisher is played by Jimmy Yang, who you should also watch in the excellent, recently released series Interior Chinatown on Hulu).
Noelle (Disney+, Fubo)
The North Pole is a family business, and in Noelle, Kris Kringle’s daughter resents that her brother Nick is so disinterested in taking it over when it’s all she wants.
Variety Specials
What’s Christmas without carols and some reindeer or non-reindeer games? These specials serve up songs and skits.
A Nonsense Christmas (Netflix)
Sabrina Carpenter has had an incredible year and she wraps it up with this special where she gets visited by the ghost of holiday present aka Quinta Brunson; sings with Chappell Roan, Tyla, Shania Twain, and Kali Uchis; and visits with Nico Hiraga, Cara Delevingne, Kyle Mooney, Megan Stalter, Sean Astin, Owen Thiele, and Jillian Bell.
Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special (Apple TV+)
In 2020, we really needed a little Christmas, and the queen of it delivered with this special where she’s joined by Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson.
A Very Murray Christmas (Netflix)
Sofia Coppola directed this special where Bill Murray schmoozes and sings around the Carlyle Hotel while he’s snowed in with George Clooney, Paul Shaffer, Amy Poehler, Julie White, Dimitri Dimitrov, Michael Cera, Chris Rock, David Johansen, Maya Rudolph, Jason Schwartzman, Jenny Lewis, Rashida Jones, and Miley Cyrus .
Series
If you're looking for some small binges over the holidays, these series are only a few episodes each.
Black Doves (Netflix)
Black Doves is not explicitly Christmas-themed but it does take place during Christmas, which makes it a Christmas series following the Die Hard rule. It stars Keira Knightley as a spy/politician’s wife who has to enlist the help of her assassin friend, played by Ben Whishaw, after her lover is killed.
Christmas Flow (Netflix)
A rapper and a journalist meet when they each pick up a Christmas package meant for the other. They slowly fall in love, though neither will admit it. This charming series spans three episodes and is in French.
Dash & Lily (Netflix)
This sweet and short series takes place in New York over Christmas and has the Dash and Lily of the title exchange messages and dares via a red notebook that they stash at The Strand bookstore.
The Great British Baking Show: Holidays (Netflix)
Contestants of bake-offs past and the occasional celebrity attempt holiday desserts in the famous tents. There are seven seasons of it to watch and each has two episodes: one for Christmas and one for New Year’s.
Home For Christmas (Netflix)
In this Norwegian series that has two seasons, a woman is determined to finally bring home a significant other for the holidays, only she hasn’t met him yet and she has just 24 hours.
I Hate Christmas (Netflix)
Did you love Home for Christmas but wanted fewer reindeer and more gondolas? Then there’s I Hate Christmas, an Italian remake, which is beat for beat the same in the first season, but then follows its heart to an entirely different place in the second season.
Selena + Chef Home for the Holidays (Max)
Selena + Chef was born of lockdown times when Selena Gomez would learn to cook in her own kitchen via video calls with famous chefs. For this holiday edition, the chefs join her in her kitchen and teach her how to make festive meals.
Get Our Best Stories!
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
Thanks for signing up!
Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!
Sign up for other newsletters
