Best Christmas Movies | Where to Watch Them on Streaming Services

Updated on

Samuel J Harries

Samuel J Harries

JustWatch Editor

If you're looking for the best Christmas movies to watch throughout the holiday season, JustWatch's streaming guide is here to help. In this guide, you'll find a list of the best Christmas movies and where you can watch them all on streaming services in the United States. This includes all the latest offers from services such as Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+ and more.

What are the best Christmas movies?

The Christmas movie genre offers a huge variety of films to enjoy, embracing the holiday season with everything from heartwarming family movies to terrifying horror flicks. The 'best' Christmas movie is going to depend on whether you want a heartwarming classic that displays the traditional values of Christmas (Die Hard.

If you're specifically looking for animated Christmas movies, some of the best of all time include Klaus, The Grinch, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and The Nightmare Before Christmas. You can also watch movies such as Frozen, which isn't technically a Christmas movie but can contribute a beloved sing-along in the snow to your festivities.

If you found this guide useful, you may also be interested in JustWatch's streaming guides for iconic Christmas franchises such as Home Alone movies in order. These will show you which services you need to watch the entire film series, in case you and your family are looking for a movie marathon while enjoying post-Christmas leftovers.

Where can I watch the best Christmas movies online?

Browse through the list of Christmas movies below and see every way you can watch them online today. You can also apply filters to only see the Christmas movies that suit your preferences. This includes filters for genre, age rating, IMDb rating, Rotten Tomatoes' score, and by streaming service.

  1. The Muppet Christmas Carol

    # 1

    A retelling of the classic Dickens tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, miser extraordinaire. He is held able for his dastardly ways during night-time visitations by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future.

  2. Miracle on 34th Street

    # 2

    Six-year-old Susan Walker has doubts about childhood's most enduring miracle—Santa Claus. Her mother told her the secret about Santa a long time ago, but, after meeting a special department store Santa who's convinced he's the real thing, Susan is given the most precious gift of all—something to believe in.

  3. Home Alone

    Home Alone

    1990

    # 3

    Eight-year-old Kevin McCallister makes the most of the situation after his family unwittingly leaves him behind when they go on Christmas vacation. When thieves try to break into his home, he puts up a fight like no other.

  4. Elf

    Elf

    2003

    # 4

    When young Buddy falls into Santa's gift sack on Christmas Eve, he's transported back to the North Pole and raised as a toy-making elf by Santa's helpers. But as he grows into adulthood, he can't shake the nagging feeling that he doesn't belong. Buddy vows to visit Manhattan and find his real dad, a workaholic.

  5. Father Christmas

    Father Christmas

    1991

    # 5

    Classic animation based on Raymond Briggs' book. What does Father Christmas do with himself for the other 364 days of the year ?

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  6. It's a Wonderful Life

    It's a Wonderful Life

    1946

    # 6

    A holiday favourite for generations... George Bailey has spent his entire life giving to the people of Bedford Falls. All that prevents rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town is George's modest building and loan company. But on Christmas Eve the business's $8,000 is lost and George's troubles begin.

  7. Trading Places

    Trading Places

    1983

    # 7

    A snobbish investor and a wily street con-artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.

  8. Tokyo Godfathers

    Tokyo Godfathers

    2003

    # 8

    On Christmas Eve, three homeless people living on the streets of Tokyo discover a newborn baby among the trash and set out to find its parents.

  9. Miracle on 34th Street

    # 9

    Kris Kringle, seemingly the embodiment of Santa Claus, is asked to portray the jolly old fellow at Macy's following his performance in the Thanksgiving Day parade. His portrayal is so complete that many begin to question if he truly is Santa Claus, while others question his sanity.

  10. Love Actually

    Love Actually

    2003

    # 10

    Eight very different couples deal with their love lives in various loosely interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London.

  11. The Snowman

    The Snowman

    1984

    # 11

    A young boy makes a snowman one Christmas Eve, which comes to life at midnight and takes him on a magical adventure to the North Pole to meet Santa Claus.

  12. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

    # 12

    Instead of flying to Florida with his folks, Kevin ends up alone in New York, where he gets a hotel room with his dad's credit card—despite problems from a clerk and meddling bellboy. But when Kevin runs into his old nemeses, the Wet Bandits, he's determined to foil their plans to rob a toy store on Christmas Eve.

  13. Die Hard

    Die Hard

    1988

    # 13

    NYPD cop John McClane's plan to reconcile with his estranged wife is thrown for a serious loop when, minutes after he arrives at her offices Christmas Party, the entire building is overtaken by a group of terrorists. With little help from the LAPD, wisecracking McClane sets out to single-handedly rescue the hostages and bring the bad guys down.

  14. A Charlie Brown Christmas

    # 14

    When Charlie Brown complains about the overwhelming materialism that he sees amongst everyone during the Christmas season, Lucy suggests that he become director of the school Christmas pageant. Charlie Brown accepts, but it is a frustrating struggle. When an attempt to restore the proper spirit with a forlorn little fir Christmas tree fails, he needs Linus' help to learn the meaning of Christmas.

  15. Meet Me in St. Louis

    Meet Me in St. Louis

    1944

    # 15

    Young love and childish fears highlight a year in the life of a turn-of-the-century family up to the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.

  16. The Nightmare Before Christmas

    # 16

    Tired of scaring humans every October 31 with the same old bag of tricks, Jack Skellington, the spindly king of Halloween Town, kidnaps Santa Claus and plans to deliver shrunken heads and other ghoulish gifts to children on Christmas morning. But as Christmas approaches, Jack's rag-doll girlfriend, Sally, tries to foil his misguided plans.

  17. The Holiday

    The Holiday

    2006

    # 17

    Two women, one American and one British, swap homes at Christmastime following bad breakups. Each woman finds romance with a local man but realizes that the imminent return home may end the relationship.

  18. Scrooged

    Scrooged

    1988

    # 18

    Frank Cross is a wildly successful television executive whose cold ambition and curmudgeonly nature has driven away the love of his life. But after firing a staff member on Christmas Eve, Frank is visited by a series of ghosts who give him a chance to re-evaluate his actions and right the wrongs of his past.

  19. While You Were Sleeping

    # 19

    A transit worker pulls commuter Peter off railway tracks after he's mugged, but—while he's in a coma—his family mistakenly thinks she's Peter's fiancée, and she doesn't correct them. Things get more complicated when she falls for his brother, who's not quite sure that she's who she claims to be.

  20. How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

    # 20

    A grumpy hermit hatches a plan to steal Christmas from the Whos of Whoville.