There are no rules that say you have to watch a Christmas movie on Christmas. But it is absolutely the best time to watch Christmas movies, or at least Christmas-adjacent films. These stories don’t tend to play the same way in March as they do in December. Plus, Christmas films have the added benefit of being family-friendly selections … for the most part. Some Christmas action movies are probably best left for older viewers.
This year’s selections for the 10 best movies to watch on Christmas are available on most of the major streamers, and include new films mixed with some older titles. Not every selection below is strictly Christmas-related, but they all share the Christmas spirit in one way or another.
Need more recommendations? We also have guides for the 10 best TV shows to watch on Christmas, the best Christmas movies on Netflix, the best Christmas movies on Disney+, the best Christmas movies on Hulu, the best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best Christmas movies on Max, and the best Christmas movies on Hallmark Channel.
The Iron Giant (1999)
Would you believe that one of Vin Diesel’s best roles was when he voiced a giant robot 25 years ago? The Iron Giant is a masterpiece, and one of the last great 2D animated movies made before Pixar’s 3D style became the industry norm. The Giant (Diesel) is an alien robot that finds itself in America in 1958 during the Cold War. Although the Giant was created as a weapon of mass destruction, he is blissfully free of his memories when he befriends a young boy, Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal).
Although this isn’t a movie set during Christmas, snow does fall by the end of the story when federal agent Kent Mansley (Christopher McDonald) and the U.S. army descend upon Hogarth’s town to find and destroy the Giant. The conclusion pulls on the heartstrings in unexpected ways, as the Giant is influenced by the greatest superhero of them all to become more than just a weapon. He’s “Superman.”
Watch The Iron Giant on Paramount+.
Carry-On (2024)
We love the idea of Die Hard as a Christmas action movie as much as anyone else, but it’s time give the genre a fresh selection. Much like Die Hard 2, Carry-On is set at an airport on Christmas Eve. Kingsman‘s Taron Egerton stars as TSA agent Ethan Kopek, whose holiday is ruined when an unnamed traveler (Jason Bateman) blackmails him into letting something dangerous get smuggled onto a commercial plane without being flagged.
The traveler seems to have prepared for every contingency that Ethan comes up with to stop him, and he’s even got someone ready to kill Ethan’s girlfriend, Nora Parisi (Sofia Carson), if he doesn’t go through with his end of the deal. Ethan’s always wanted to be a cop, but he’ll have to settle for being a hero if he can live long enough to figure out a way to prevent this terrorist plot from coming to fruition.
Watch Carry-On on Netflix.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005)
Strangely enough, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe does qualify as a Christmas movie, complete with a cameo appearance by Santa himself. Since this is an English story, the name Santa goes by is Father Christmas (James Cosmo). During World War II, Peter Pevensie (William Moseley), and his three siblings, Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and Lucy (Georgie Henley), are sent to the British countryside to escape the German blitz.
While playing in their temporary home, Lucy and her siblings find their way into a fantasy realm known as Narnia, which is ruled with an iron fist by the White Witch (Tilda Swinton). Edmund soon falls under the sway of the witch’s power, but the rest of his family decide to help free Narnia alongside the great lion, Aslan (Liam Neeson). Aslan’s return may weaken the White Witch, but the Pevensie children still have their roles to play in the battle ahead. Even Edmund.
Watch The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe on Hulu.
Krampus (2015)
Sometimes Christmas just isn’t complete without a yuletide horror story. That’s what Krampus is, without veering into R-rated territory. The story follows a dysfunctional family who have come together for the holidays to make each other miserable. Young Max Engel (Emjay Anthony) is a true believer in Christmas until his mean cousins ridicule him and taunt him for his faith in Santa Claus.
In his anger, Max has attracted the attention of the anti-Santa, Krampus (Gideon Emery), an entity that punishes people who have lost the Christmas spirit. Krampus descends upon the household with his deadly toys and holiday minions to make everyone pay, and there’s no Santa Claus coming to bail out the family this year.
Watch Krampus on Max.
Scrooged (1988)
Scrooged is a variation of the classic story from A Christmas Carol with a few modern twists. Or at least as modern as a film from 1988 can be. Bill Murray plays a miserly TV executive named Frank Cross whose network is putting on its own production of A Christmas Carol. None of that matters to Frank until he finds himself living out the story himself on Christmas Eve.
Frank lost his faith in humanity a long time ago, and the Ghosts of Christmas Past (David Johansen), Present (Carol Kane), and Future have a hard time reaching his long buried heart. So they may have to literally slap some sense into Frank and show him the enormity of what he’s lost, and what he might still be able to reclaim.
Watch Scrooged on Prime Video.
Dear Santa (2024)
Jack Black makes almost everything better, and he’s easily the best thing in Dear Santa, a new Christmas film that went under the radar earlier this month on its way to Paramount+. A dyslexic kid named Liam Turner (Robert Timothy Smith) is going through some rough times when he writes a letter to Santa Claus asking for his help. Liam accidentally addressed his letter to Satan Claus, and it winds up in the hands of Satan (Black) himself.
Satan trades one red suit for another, so to speak, and he is very interested in bringing Liam’s soul to Hell. But Satan can’t help himself when it comes to liking this kid and wanting to genuinely help him. That’s going to cause all kinds of problems down in Hell, especially when Satan can’t deliver what he originally came for.
Watch Dear Santa on Paramount+.
The Holdovers (2023)
The Holdovers is a very different kind of Christmas story, but Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) is basically th Grinch of the Barton Academy boarding school in 1970. Paul is forced to stay behind during Christmas break to oversee the children who can’t go home to their parents. Eventually, that leaves Paul in charge of just one student: Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa).
It’s not really in Paul’s nature to be a people person or empathetic to his students. However, Angus’ emotional plight and Paul’s grieving co-worker, Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), reawaken some of his closed-off feelings. Even as Paul bonds with Angus in a meaningful way, there’s a high price to pay for his newfound empathy … even if it does make him a better person in the process.
Watch The Holdovers on Prime Video.
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
The 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street turned 30 this year, but since the 1947 original film is available on Peacock, we’ll get this all-time classic holiday movie on our list. Edmund Gwenn won an Oscar for his role as Kris Kringle, who is perhaps the greatest department store Santa Claus ever. Children and parents love him, and Macy’s enjoys a lot of good will when he’s around. The only problem is that Kris really believes that he’s Santa, and that makes people think he’s crazy.
Kris befriends a young girl, Susan Walker (Natalie Wood), and he tries to restore her faith in Christmas by proving that he is really Santa. Convincing a child is one thing. But if Kris wants to avoid spending the rest of his Christmases in an asylum, then he’ll have to prove his identity in a highly publicized trial.
Watch Miracle on 34th Street on Peacock.
Home Alone (1990)
Home Alone gets a lot of flak for its improbable premise and its occasionally violent slapstick comedy. But there are some genuinely touching moments, a great cameo by John Candy, and some really hilarious performances by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern as Harry and Marv, the Wet Bandits.
Macaulay Culkin became a star as Kevin McCallister, a child in a large family who is accidentally left behind while his relatives goes on vacation. As his mother, Kate (Catherine O’Hara), desperately tries to get back to him, Kevin realizes that the Wet Bandits have targeted his house for a robbery. And he’s going to fight back with some deviously inventive traps.
John Williams provided the score for this film, and he also co-wrote the memorable theme song Somewhere in My Memory, which feels like an instant Christmas classic.
Watch Home Alone on Disney+.
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
Finally, we’re closing out this year’s list with an underrated Christmas action thriller: The Long Kiss Goodnight. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang‘s Shane Black wrote this film, and he does have a tendency to set his movies during the holiday season. Geena Davis plays Samantha Caine, a woman who is missing memories from over half of her life. Despite settling down as a schoolteacher with a loving husband, Hal (Tom Amandes), and a daughter, Caitlin (Yvonne Zima), Samantha still wants to know who she really is.
She should have been careful about what she wished for. Private investigator Mitch Henessey (Samuel L. Jackson) has picked up new leads about Samantha’s old life, and she’s starting to remember some particularly lethal skills. Unfortunately for Samantha, she won’t be able to hide from her enemies anymore, even if she can’t remember why they’re trying to kill her.
Watch The Long Kiss Goodnight on Pluto TV.