Christmas Movie Guide: The Best Christmas Movies and Where to Stream Them

It’s the Christmas season and with that comes Christmas movies. Of all the holidays, it feels like Christmas has the most movies and the most popular movies. Everyone has a favorite Christmas movie, whether you’re a traditionalist and like It’s a Wonderful Life or White Christmas, or you prefer a modern hit like Elf, or prefer to go for something different like Die Hard or Black Christmas, you have one that you love and that you watch every year. If you’re looking to watch a Christmas movie but don’t know what to watch or looking for a specific Christmas movie but don’t know where to stream it, I’m here to help. For this guide, I looked at some iconic Christmas movies and broke them down into different categories. Looking for a classic? Something scary? A gem from the 90s? We got all that and more. I’ve also listed where to stream all of these movies, whether they are available to rent on Amazon Prime or are streaming for free on Hulu or Netflix. Here is my guide to Christmas movies.

Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold and Beverly DeAngelo as Ellen Griswold in NATIONAL LAMPOONS CHRISTMAS VACATION — NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION (Warner Bros.)

CLASSICS

A Christmas Story (Available on HBO Max)

Elf (Available on HBO Max)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Available on Peacock and to rent on Amazon Prime)

It’s a Wonderful Life (Available on Prime Video)

Miracle on 34th Street (1947) (Available on HBO Max)

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (Available on HBO Max)

– Clark Griswold and the family try to have the hap-hap-happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby danced with Danny fucking Kaye while dealing with snooty neighbors, unexpected guests, and a lost Christmas bonus.

White Christmas (Available on Netflix)

Arnold Schwarzenegger as Howard Langston in JINGLE ALL THE WAY — JINGLE ALL THE WAY (20th Century Studios)

90s GEMS

Home Alone/Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (Available on Disney+)

I’ll Be Home for Christmas (Available on Disney+)

Jingle All the Way (Available on Disney+)

– An Arnold Schwarzenegger classic where he plays an absent father trying to get an impossible toy for his son.

A Muppet Christmas Carol (Available on Disney+)

The Santa Clause (Available on Disney+)

Rashida Jones voices Alva, J.K. Simmons voices Klaus, and Jason Schwartzman voices voices Jesper in KLAUS — KLAUS (Netflix)

ANIMATED CHRISTMAS

Arthur Christmas (Available for rent on Amazon Prime)

A Charlie Brown Christmas (Available on Apple TV+)

The Grinch (2018) (Available to rent on Amazon Prime)

Klaus (Available on Netflix)

– This Oscar-nominated visual stunner focuses on a postman on an island above the Arctic Circle who forms an unlikely friendship with a mysterious carpenter that brings joy to the sad and cold island.

The Polar Express (Available on HBO Max)

Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman and Michael Keaton as Batman in BATMAN RETURNS — BATMAN RETURNS (Warner Bros.)

CHRISTMAS WITH ACTION

Batman Returns (Available on HBO Max)

“Mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it.”/“But a kiss can be even deadlier if you mean it.” This iconic line, along with the snowy, festive setting, solidified Batman Returns as an iconic Christmas movie.

Die Hard/Die Hard 2 (Available on IMDb TV or for rent on Amazon Prime)

Fatman (Available on Peacock and for rent on Amazon Prime)

Shazam! (Available on HBO Max)

Bill Goldberg as a murderous Santa Clause in SANTA'S SLAY — SANTA’S SLAY (Media 8 Entertainment)

SCARY CHRISTMAS

Anna and the Apocalypse (Available to rent on Amazon Prime)

Black Christmas (1974) (Available to rent on Amazon Prime)

Gremlins (Available on HBO Max)

Krampus (Available to rent on Amazon Prime)

Santa’s Slay (Available on Peacock and to rent on Amazon Prime)

**– Bloody, hilarious, and weird as hell, Santa’s Slay is a Christmas horror classic starring WWE wrestler Bill Goldberg as a murdering Santa Clause.**

Robert Downey Jr. as Harry Lockhart and Val Kilmer as Gay Perry in KISS KISS BANG BANG — KISS KISS BANG BANG (Warner Bros.)

SHANE BLACK

Shane Black deserves his category for setting nearly all of his movies in the Christmas season.

Lethal Weapon (Available on HBO Max)

The Long Kiss Goodnight (Available to rent on Amazon Prime)

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Available to rent on Amazon Prime)

– This tight, twisty hilarious crime noir features stellar performances from Robert Downey Jr., Michelle Monaghan, and a never-better Val Kilmer.

Iron Man 3 (Available on Disney+)

The Nice Guys (Available on Hulu)

Dan Ackroyd as Louis Winthorpe III and Eddie Murphy as Billy Ray Valentine in TRADING PLACES — TRADING PLACES (Paramount Pictures)

COMEDIES

Bad Santa (Available to rent on Amazon Prime)

The Night Before (Available to rent on Amazon Prime)

Office Christmas Party (Available to rent on Amazon Prime)

Trading Places (Available to rent on Amazon Prime)

– One of the best Eddie Murphy comedies is also an iconic Christmas tale.

A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas (Available on Netflix)

Jude Law as Graham and Cameron Diaz as Amanda in THE HOLIDAY — THE HOLIDAY (Sony Pictures)

CHRISTMAS ROM COMS

The Best Man Holiday (Available on Peacock and to rent on Amazon Prime)

Happiest Season (Available on Hulu)

The Holiday (Available on Hulu)

– Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, and Jack Black lead the all-star cast of Nancy Meyers’s house-swap romance.

Just Friends (Available on Netflix)

Last Christmas (Available to rent on Amazon Prime)

Love Actually (Available to rent on Amazon Prime)

Tom Hanks as Carl Hanratty and Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank Abagnale Jr. in CATCH ME IF YOU CAN — CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (Dreamworks)

CHRISTMAS AT THE OSCARS

Movies that were either nominated for Oscars or feature Oscar-winners and nominees that have a Christmas element to them.

Carol (Available to rent on Amazon Prime)

Catch Me If You Can (Available on Paramount+ and to rent on Amazon Prime)

– Steven Spielberg’s brilliant cat-and-mouse-chase film features a gripping story and terrific performances from Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks.

The Godfather (Available to rent on Amazon Prime)

Eyes Wide Shut (Available on HBO Max)

L.A. Confidential (Available to rent on Amazon Prime)

Mickey O'Hagan as Dinah, James Ransone as Chester, and Mya Taylor as Alexandra in TANGERINE — TANGERINE (Magnolia Pictures)

UNCONVENTIONAL PICKS

Movies you wouldn’t think are Christmas movies, but 100% are.

Edward Scissorhands (Available on Prime Video)

The Green Knight (Available to rent on Amazon Prime)

The Ref (Available to rent on Amazon Prime)

The Silent Partner (Available to rent on Amazon Prime)

Tangerine (Available to rent on Amazon Prime)

– Sean Baker’s micro-budget tale of a hooker (Mya Taylor) tearing through Hollywood trying to find the pimp who broke her heart was one of the first feature films ever shot on an iPhone.

Lacey Chabert as Gretchen, Rachel McAdams as Regina, Lindsay Lohan as Cady, and Amanda Seyfried as Karen in MEAN GIRLS — MEAN GIRLS (Paramount Pictures)

DOES IT COUNT AS A CHRISTMAS MOVIE?

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Available on HBO Max)

In Bruges (Available to rent on Amazon Prime)

Mean Girls (Available to rent on Amazon Prime)

– A key moment in the film, when Regina (Rachel McAdams) officially and angrily informs Gretchen (Lacey Chabert) that “fetch” will never happen, took place at the Christmas talent show. I think it counts.

Prometheus (Available to rent on Amazon Prime)

Step Brothers (Available on Netflix)

Happy Holidays, everyone!

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