The Best Christmas Movies to Stream

Be warned, this Christmas movie streaming list might be a little controversial.  There is no National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation even though I watch it every year (compromise, amiright?). There is no A Christmas Story…because I can’t stand it.  And there are few classics because sometimes newer is better.

The holidays bring up all sorts of emotions.  Sometimes what you need is something nostalgic or light-hearted or the catalyst for a good cry.  Whatever your Christmas mood is, there is a movie for you. 

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Related: Best Advent Calendars for Adults

Comedies

5. Four Christmases | Amazon Prime Video

Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn play a couple making the rounds visiting their divorced families for Christmas.  Made of an all-star cast, ‘Four Christmases’ reminds us that there is a lot of fun in dysfunctional (sorry, couldn’t help it).

4. Scrooged | Amazon Prime Video

Bill Murray does a dark comedy like none other.  ‘Scrooged’ is an 80’s take on Charles Dicken’s classic ‘A Christmas Carol’, and Bill Murray plays a cold-hearted Scrooge perfectly.  Bah-Humbug indeed.

3. How The Grinch Stole Christmas

Like ‘A Christmas Carol’ there are many iterations of ‘The Grinch’, but the 2000 version of ‘How The Grinch Stole Christmas’ with Jim Carrey is the best.  It’s the story we all know and love, The Grinch hates Christmas, yada yada, he realizes the true meaning of Christmas.  The witty banter between him and his dog Rex is v funny.  And I can’t get over how Cindy Lou Who is Jenny Humphrey (mind blown).

2. Home Alone | Disney+

John Huges and John Williams come together when little Kevin McAllister gets lost in the holiday shuffle and gets left…’Home Alone’.  While some might love it for the physical comedy when he’s protecting his home, it’s a lighthearted reminder to not take family for granted.  The music is iconic.  

1. Elf | STARZ

Buddy the Elf grew up in the North Pole doing all Elf things, only to find out he was adopted and is really human.  Shocking!  I cannot imagine a better ‘Elf ‘than Will Farrel, the childlike wonder of a full-grown manchild…classic!

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Rom-Coms

5. The Family Man | Amazon Prime Video

‘The Family Man’ is kind of a spin on “It’s a Wonderful Life’.  Jack is a money-focused businessman, played by Nic Cage, who gets a glimpse into how life could have been if he made other decisions.  And the guardian angel is played by a young Don Cheadle, so good.

4. While You Were Sleeping | Disney+

Sandra Bullock is a CTA toll booth collector, Lucy, who saves the man of her dreams from an oncoming train.  She gets mistaken for his finance while dream man is in a coma Lucy grows close to his family. She grows especially close to his brother played by Bill Pullman and…I think you see where it’s going.  There’s nothing surprising here, it’s just a feel-good movie with a solid ’90’s cast.

3. The Holiday | Amazon Prime Video

‘The Holiday’ is really 2 rom-com’s in one.  When you’ve got Cameron Diaz’s character swapping homes with Kate Winslet’s character can you really expect anything else?  With Jack Black and Jude Law supporting, it’s a winner.

2. The Family Stone

Star-studded, ‘The Family Stone’ is all about multi-layered family dynamics.  Parents and children, siblings, new romance, old relationships, the list goes on.  While portions of the film lean rom-com, be warned it includes drama and maybe even some tears.  

1. Love Actually | Amazon Prime Video

Perfect British flick!  ‘Love Actually’ is nine stories interwoven together around Christmas and they’ve all centered around…Love, actually.

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Festive

5. Mickey’s Christmas Carol | Disney+

All the classic Disney characters come together in ‘Mickey’s Christmas Carol’.  Of course, Mickey is Bob Cratchit and who other than Scrooge McDuck could play Ebenezer Scrooge?  At a quick 26 minutes, it’s perfect when you need a quick hit of holiday spirit.

4. Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas | Amazon Prime Video

‘Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas’ is a deep cut, IYKYK.  Created in the ’70s, these puppets created by Jim Henson tell a story of risk, sacrifice, and family.  All wrapped up in some catchy tunes.

3. The Nightmare Before Christmas | Disney+

Tim Burton and Danny Elfman are an incredible team and this stop-motion film and the soundtrack are everything!  Is ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ is a Christmas or a Halloween movie? I argue that it’s both! Also on the Best Halloween Movie list, The Nightmare Before Chrismas can easily be watched from October to December.  When ‘Jack the Pumpkin King’ finds out there is more to the world than spookiness, chaos ensues.

2. The Muppet Christmas Carol | Disney+

The second Jim Henson production on the Christmas list, Kermit plays Bob Cratchit and the incomparable Michael Caine is a believable Ebenezer Scrooge in ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’.  What separates this version from others is Gonzo the Great and Rizzo the Rat narrating, they have chemistry!

1. It’s A Wonderful Life | Amazon Prime Video

Some might think ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ is a little dark for Christmas, but Christmas isn’t all snowflakes and sugar plum fairies.  When George Bailey, played by James Stewart, makes some major business mistakes, he dramatically thinks life would be better if he didn’t exist.  He soon finds out what life would really be like if he didn’t exist.  A true classic, this film won the 1947 Academy Award.  

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Contemporary (2020/2021)

2. Love Hard | Netflix

I tend to shy away from most cheesy holiday movies and while Love Hard does deter on the verge, it manages to stay sweet without being saccharine and relatively realistic. Is it predictable? Yes. But still entertaining. Nina Dobrev plays Natalie, who flies across the country for Christmas only to discover she’s been catfished. Guess what happens from there. Bonus is that Heather McMahan plays Natalie’s best friend, love her!

1. Happiest Season | Hulu

I like my holiday movies with a little snark, just like they are in real life. For many of us, holidays aren’t just rainbows and sunshine and unicorns, it’s a lot of family and family is complicated. Imagine what happens when Mackenzie Davis brings her girlfriend Kristin Stewart home for Christmas, only she hasn’t come out of the closet. There is a great ensemble cast with Alison Brie, Victor Garber, Aubrey Plaza, Dan Levy…the list goes on and on.

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Looking for some non-seasonal things to stream?

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Looking for more to binge? Check out:

• Best Netflix Originals Comedy Series
• Binge-Worthy Netflix Originals Drama Series
• Best Netflix Originals Movies