46 best Christmas films to stream this holiday season
Your ultimate guide to what-to-watch this Christmas on the top three streaming giants.
The countdown to Christmas is on, and what better way to get into the spirit than with a festive film? There’s every chance you’ve already revisited a handful of feel-good favourites, but if you’re looking to expand your seasonal watchlist, the good news is that the major streamers are positively overflowing with Christmas cheer in 2025.
Netflix leads the charge each year, serving up everything from delightfully cheesy romcoms like The Holiday and Love Actually to modern classics such as Klaus.
Arguably, Disney+ boasts the strongest collection of Yuletide favourites, from Home Alone to The Muppet Christmas Carol and both versions of Miracle on 34th Street.
Meanwhile, Prime Video mixes timeless classics like It’s a Wonderful Life with charming hidden gems such as Merry Little Batman.
So, whether you’re in the mood for cosy comforts or a new discovery, RadioTimes.com has pulled together the very best Christmas films across Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video to keep you thoroughly entertained this festive season.
23 best Christmas movies to watch on Netflix
1) The Holdovers
Having recently been added to the streamer, The Holdovers was released last year in the UK to sweeping critical acclaim. Starring Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham, a curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school, Paul remains on campus during Christmas break to babysit a handful of students with nowhere to go. He soon forms an unlikely bond with a brainy but damaged troublemaker, and with the school's head cook, a woman who just lost a son in the Vietnam War.
The film is both hilarious and extremely touching, offering a bit more of a melancholic Christmas film experience than some other festive films but is nonetheless, an excellent pick.
Watch The Holdovers now on Netflix
2) That Christmas
Richard Curtis made one of the most enduring Christmas films of the 21st century in Love Actually, and now his series of festive children's books have served as the basis for this new animated film on Netflix.
Similarly to Love Actually, it tells the interlocking stories of various families and friends in the run-up to Christmas Day, with an A-list cast of British actors providing the voices. It's also a lot more suitable for children than his earlier film – a sweet and charming tale suitable for the whole family.
Watch That Christmas now on Netflix
3) Nativity!
This 2009 film ended up spawning a whole franchise – with three sequels having followed in the 10 years since the original, each introducing a new major actor to the cast. The first entry is the only one streaming on Netflix and sees Martin Freeman starring as primary school teacher Paul Maddens, who is tasked with directing the annual Nativity play
A spirited film perfect for younger audiences, the cast of children more than match the big names in the cast.
Watch Nativity! now on Netflix
4) Jingle Bell Heist
This brand new festive release for 2025 sees Connor Swindells and Olivia Holt star as Nick and Sophia, two cash-strapped strangers who team up to rob a London department store on Christmas Eve. Whilst their major focus is on not getting caught and getting revenge on the store's owner, there may also be some blossoming romance round the corner.
Watch Jingle Bell Heist now on Netflix
5) Hot Frosty
Arguably the pick of Netflix's 2024 slate of festive originals, Hot Frosty stars Hallmark movie stalwart Lacey Chabert as a recently widowed woman who finds love in an unexpected way – by falling for a handsome snowman who magically comes to life.
Unabashedly silly but also rather sweet, it taps into many of the tropes of the cheesy Christmas movie – but with a game cast and some great jokes it manages to stand out from the crowd.
Watch Hot Frosty now on Netflix
6) Last Christmas
This sentimental festive romcom – which was written by Emma Thompson and directed by Paul Feig – takes its name from the hit Wham! song of the same name, and features many hits from George Michael's career on its soundtrack.
Focusing on the romance between an employee at a Christmas-themed shop (Emilia Clarke) and a man who seems too good to be true (Henry Golding), it's certainly an imperfect film. It's a little twee, rife with clichés. and a late twist received a certain amount of ridicule at the time of the film's release in 2019. But if you're looking for a slice of festive cheese, it will go down well with a glass of mulled wine.
Watch Last Christmas now on Netflix
7) Violent Night
This film is essentially like Die Hard meets Home Alone, with Stranger Things star David Harbour playing a rather crude version of Santa Claus, who must regain his mojo to take action when mercenaries gatecrash the celebrations of a wealthy family.
What follows is an entertaining bloodbath that might not necessarily bring festive cheer for all audiences, but Harbour’s big, bold and ultimately heartwarming performance anchors the film and provides plenty of laughs along the way.
Watch Violent Night now on Netflix
8) Our Little Secret
Lindsay Lohan’s second festive film for Netflix is more grounded than her previous offering, Falling for Christmas. She stars as Avery, who finds herself unexpectedly shacked up alongside her ex-boyfriend Logan (Ian Harding) years after splitting up.
They’ve each found new partners, but it turns out those partners are siblings — which leads to an awkward festive holiday that sees Avery and Logan desperately trying to keep their history a secret from the new family. The contrived set-up is mined for some amusing gags, ensuring this is a cut above most made-for-streaming seasonal fare.
Watch Our Little Secret now on Netflix
9) Klaus
The first Netflix original film to be nominated for the Best Animated Feature award at the Oscars, Klaus is a charming, heartwarming film that serves as an alternative origin story for Santa Claus, who is voiced by JK Simmons as part of a star-studded voice cast that also includes Jason Schwartzman, Rashida Jones and Joan Cusack.
Schwartzman plays Jesper, a hapless student postman who is stationed in the miserable, selfish Arctic town of Smeerensburg as a punishment for being the worst person at his Academy, with his life changing when he comes across a brilliant but reclusive toymaker known as Klaus.
10) The Christmas Chronicles
There have been a lot of great on-screen Santas over the years – from Richard Attenborough to Tim Allen – and the idea to cast Kurt Russell as Jolly Old Saint Nick (alongside Goldie Hawn as Mrs Claus) was a stroke of genius from the creative team behind this Netflix original family flick from 2018.
It follows a pair of siblings whose plan to capture Santa Claus on camera one Christmas Eve goes horribly awry – leading them to form an alliance with the big man and his elves in order to save Christmas. It was followed by a sequel on 2020, which is also worth a watch.
Watch The Christmas Chronicles now on Netflix
11) Robin Robin
Aardman Animations has plenty of Wallace & Gromits on offer – but if you're looking for something more explicitly festive, you can check out the studio's 2021 musical short Robin Robin, which follows a stop-motion bird attempting a heist.
The robin in question has been raised by a family of mice, and has only recently become aware that she is rather different from her relatives, so she sets out on a daring adventure to steal a star and prove that she, too, can be a good mouse. The impressive voice cast includes Richard E Grant, Gillian Anderson and Adeel Akhtar.
Watch Robin Robin now on Netflix
12) Single All the Way
When it comes to Christmas movies generally, you can somewhat guess the plotline and unfortunately, the genre lacks diversity in all areas. But this recent Netflix movie seeks to rectify some gaping representation holes and is the streaming giant's first gay festive romcom.
Single All the Way follows bachelor Peter (Michael Urie), whose plans to bring his boyfriend home for Christmas are derailed when he discovers that his new man is actually someone else’s husband.
When Peter convinces his best friend Nick (Philemon Chambers) to accompany him instead, his family soon hatch a plan to make a real relationship happen between the pair. But, of course, like any good romantic film, the pair are left to contemplate their own relationship and ask themselves how much they really mean to each other.
Watch Single All the Way now on Netflix
13) Falling for Christmas
In Falling for Christmas, Lindsay Lohan returns to the big screen as Sierra Belmont, a newly engaged heiress who has a skiing accident in the days leading up to Christmas.
After she is diagnosed with amnesia, she finds herself in the care of handsome cabin owner Jake (Chord Overstreet) and his daughter. Queue a will-they-won't-they storyline to keep you guessing and a fair share of heartwarming romance.
While the premise is far from ordinary, the film has quickly ticked many viewers' boxes on what they want in a festive film: an easy watch, quietly comedic and somewhat predictable.
Watch Falling for Christmas now on Netflix
14) Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
If you're looking for the kind of festive musical that has an important life message at its centre, look no further than this 2020 film.
In Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, we follow the story of Jeronicus Jangle, an eccentric inventor who loses his passion for life after a personal tragedy. It takes a visit from his granddaughter, a creative young girl called Journey, to once again spark his enthusiasm – but it might be too late to thwart a dastardly scheme by his former apprentice-turned-rival.
Watch Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey now on Netflix
15) Love Hard
There's just something about romcoms and Christmas that seem to go hand in hand, and this 2021 Netflix release fits the bill perfectly. Starring The Vampire Diaries' Nina Dobrev, this film takes everything we know and love about the genre and upends it with a modern twist.
Dating apps and catfishing plague this LA writer's fledging romance and when Natalie (Dobrev) finds out that she's been speaking to an entirely different person than she thought – after having travelled 3,000 miles to surprise him for the holidays – hope is almost lost.
She soon finds out that actually, she's been catfished by her dream man's childhood friend Josh (Jimmy O Yang) who is equally as unlucky in love. Essentially, this is a lighthearted romantic comedy that chronicles Natalie's attempts to reel in love, all with varying results.
Watch Love Hard now on Netflix
16) The Noel Diary
The best kinds of Christmas films are those that somehow end up in a whirlwind of events that you least expect. With The Noel Diary, we follow Justin Hartley as Jacob Turner, a best-selling author who returns home at Christmas to settle his mother's estate upon her death.
Instead, he discovers a diary that holds secrets to the past and also to Rachel (Barrett Doss) – an intriguing young woman on a mission of her own. Together, they embark on a journey to confront their pasts and discover a future that's totally unexpected.
Watch The Noel Diary now on Netflix
17) The Princess Switch
A Netflix Christmas film list can't be complete without a mention of The Princess Switch. Now onto its third movie, the franchise has won over viewers with how charming it is, not to mention the sheer amount of joyful escapism the three films provide.
The identity-swapping premise is rather simple but it doesn't mean it gets any less interesting to watch. In the first film, we follow Margaret, Duchess of Montenaro, who, one week prior to Christmas, switches places with Stacy, a Chicago 'commoner' who looks exactly like her.
With the assistance of a magical Santa's helper, Margaret falls in love with Stacy's handsome co-worker while Stacy falls in love with Margaret's fiancé, the dashing Prince.
As for the other two movies, there's ascensions to the throne, romance and fun in store, which is the perfect kind of film trilogy to get stuck into at Christmas time.
Watch The Princess Switch now on Netflix
18) Christmas with You
Pair any good Christmas film with a catchy soundtrack and you basically have a festive hit.
In this Christmas movie, pop star Angelina (Aimee Garcia) escapes to grant a young fan's wish in small town New York even though she's suffering with career burnout. She not only finds the inspiration to revitalise her career, but also a shot at true love.
Watch Christmas with You now on Netflix
19) I Believe in Santa
If you're looking for the kind of film that will most likely leave you with a smile on your face and believing a little more in the magic of Christmas, look no further than this Netflix release.
The film follows Lisa (Christina Moore) and her new romantic flame Tom (John Ducey). All is going well in their blissful five months of dating until Lisa learns that Tom is actually obsessed with her least favourite holiday of the year.
The big question of the film is, though: is it time to give Christmas another chance?
Watch I Believe in Santa now on Netflix
20) Scrooge: A Christmas Carol
Netflix has taken to adapting a Charles Dickens classic and this version is a glorious animation. A Christmas Carol has seen iterations as a Muppet-filled affair, a 1901 silent film and a 2009 computer animated feature film, also.
This time round, though, this newly released Netflix film updates the famous 1970 Leslie Bricusse-composed musical with reimagined songs.
And when we tell you that this is a star-studded voicing affair, we mean it. Not only do we have Luke Evans as Adult Scrooge, we also have Olivia Colman as 'Past', the Ghost of Christmas Past, Jessie Buckley as Isabel Fezziwig and Johnny Flynn as Bob Cratchit.
Rounding out the cast is Fra Fee as Harry Huffam, Giles Terera as Tom Jenkins, Trevor Dion Nicholas as 'Present', James Cosmo as Mr Fezziwig and Jonathan Pryce as Jacob Marley.
Watch Scrooge: A Christmas Carol now on Netflix
21) Holidate
'Feel-good' is the term that springs to mind when describing this festive number, and it's clear to see why. Holidate follows two strangers who, fed up with being single over the holidays, agree to be one another's dates to their respective holiday gatherings while they remain single.
We follow them as they go from being platonic plus-ones to fighting their very real (and growing) feelings towards each other. Not only does it have a touch of raunch to it, the film also includes a good slate of festive songs that will leave you humming along long after watching.
22) A Castle for Christmas
This movie may be a little bit silly, but it's all part of the festive charm that makes it such an easy watch.
To escape a scandal, a best-selling author journeys to Scotland where she falls in love with a castle – and faces off with the grumpy duke who owns it.
A Castle for Christmas stars Brooke Shields as protagonist Sophie Brown, while Cary Elwes plays Duke Myles. There's also even a cameo from Drew Barrymore.
Watch A Castle for Christmas now on Netflix
23) Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker
This documentary film is a welcome change from the usual comedic fare that populates Netflix's Christmas movie lists usually.
In this Shonda Rhimes docufilm, we learn more about Debbie Allen's (Grey's Anatomy) career and follow her group of dance students as they prepare for Allen's annual Hot Chocolate Nutcracker.
It's a behind-the-scenes look at Allen's own dancing school, but also provides crucial insight into a career and dance style that is usually vastly underrepresented.
12 best Christmas movies to watch on Disney+
1) Home Alone
More than 30 years on from the film's release, Macaulay Culkin's turn as Kevin McAllister remains one of the most revered child performances of all time. As you'll no doubt be aware, the film sees 8-year-old Kevin – who has inadvertently been left behind when his family go off on holiday – laying all manner of violent booby traps in a bid to stave off the threat of two opportunistic burglars (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) on Christmas Eve.
The film has spawned a number of sequels over the years, which are also all available to view on Disney Plus, although in our opinion only the most immediate of those follow-ups, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, is especially worth your time.
Watch Home Alone now on Disney+
2) Die Hard
While not everyone considers this classic 1988 action flick to be a Christmas movie – it had its original release in July, after all – it's undoubtedly become a seasonal staple for millions of film fans around the world, thanks to its Christmas Eve setting, festive soundtrack and perhaps the best use of Ho Ho Ho ever seen on film.
Of course, the film stars Bruce Willis as John McClane, a New York detective who unexpectedly finds himself up against an army of terrorists while visiting his wife's Christmas Eve party in an LA skyscraper. Willis's central performance – which includes a string of memorable lines – has gone down in action movie history, while few villains are more iconic than Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber.
3) The Muppet Christmas Carol
There have been countless adaptations of Charles Dickens's classic Yuletide yarn over the years, and yet few of them can boast anything like the fandom of this delightful version starring The Muppets. Narrated by Gonzo (as Dickens himself) and Rizzo the Rat, it finds key roles for the majority of the beloved characters, while Michael Caine is on superb form as Ebenezer Scrooge – playing it completely straight against his non-human co-stars.
This fresh, brilliantly chaotic take on the iconic tale coupled with an assortment of terrific original songs – including Thankful Heart and It Feels Like Christmas – make this perhaps the definitive film version of the novella, a movie that can't fail to put you in a great festive mood.
Watch The Muppet Christmas Carol now on Disney+
4) A Christmas Carol
If the Muppets aren't for you (what is wrong with you??), then you might be more at home with this 2009 adaptation of the tale. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and originally designed to be watched in 3D, it saw the filmmaker use the same motion-capture animation techniques he'd used in his earlier Christmas film Polar Express – which gives the film a rather unique visual style.
Jim Carrey stars in multiple roles as Ebenezer Scrooge and all three of the visiting spirits, while there are also key roles for Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Bob Hoskins and Robin Wright, among others. How much it works for you will largely depend on how keen you are on the technology used, but the story itself is performed well and told faithfully.
Watch A Christmas Carol now on Disney+
5) The Nightmare Before Christmas
Is Tim Burton and Henry Selick's macabre animated feature a Christmas film or a Halloween one? That's a question thats invariably asked every year, and perhaps the most appropriate answer is that it's actually both at once.
The stop-motion musical fantasy tells of Jack Skellington, the disillusioned Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, who one day stumbles upon a portal to Christmas Town and becomes devoted to bringing Yuletide to his own home, even kidnapping Santa Claus (or Sandy Claws). Although it leans into its Halloweeny themes, there are more than enough Christmassy images and ideas to qualify it for a festive watch.
Watch The Nightmare Before Christmas now on Disney+
6) Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas
This animated anthology starring Mickey and his pals was released straight to video back in 1999 and is a great option for younger viewers looking for a bit of festive fun,
It consists of three short films – Donald Duck: Stuck on Christmas, A Very Goofy Christmas and Mickey and Minnie's Gift of the Magi – and if that's not enough for you, you can find a further five stories in the 2004 follow-up Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas.
Watch Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas now on Disney+
7) The Santa Clause
This Christmas comedy from 1994 sees Tim Allen – in his first leading film role – playing a divorced and somewhat curmudgeonly father who finds himself unexpectedly landing a gig as the next Santa Claus after he inadvertently kills the previous Saint Nick.
Although initially startled at the prospect, he slowly grows into his new role and rediscovers a Christmas spirt that he'd long been missing. It was followed by two sequels – The Santa Clause 2 and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause – in 2002 and 2006, which are also both streaming on Disney+.
Watch The Santa Clause now on Disney+
8) How the Grinch Stole Christmas
After Scrooge, there's no doubting the second most famous Christmas-hater – Dr Seuss's infamous green creation The Grinch. Although there was a more recent animated movie adaptation in 2018, this 2000 film starring Jim Carrey is undoubtedly the definitive movie version.
It follows the infamous grouch as he does his worst to ruin the festive period for the Christmas-loving residents of Whoville, who he despises. However he is soon befriended by a 6-year-old local girl named Cindy Lou (Taylor Momsen ) who tries to get him to change course.
How the Grinch stole Christmas is also available to stream on Netflix.
Watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas now on Disney+
9) Miracle on 34th Street
Another classic Christmas story, there are actually two versions of this film available on Disney+. The 1947 original stars Edmund Gwenn as Kris Kringle, with Richard Attenborough playing the same role in the popular 1994 remake – which also features Matilda child star Mara Wilson.
Both films are set in New York City and see Kris Kringle – who had been working as a department store Santa – put on trial due after doubts are raised as to whether he could possibly be the real Santa Claus, much to the distress of the young girl he has befriended.
Watch Miracle on 34th Street now on Disney+
10) Noelle
This 2019 Disney+ original stars Anna Kendrick as Santa Claus's daughter Noelle, who is forced to take over the family business when her father decides that the time has come to retire and her older brother goes mysteriously missing.
The starry supporting cast also includes Bill Hader, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Billy Eichner, Julie Hagerty and Shirley MacLaine.
11) The Family Stone
The late Diane Keaton leads an ensemble cast that also includes the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker, Claire Danes, Rachel McAdams and more. The film follows Parker's Meredith, who has grown up with conservative values, discovering that she's a bit of a misfit at her boyfriend's family's Christmas celebrations.
While their relationship seems to be going swimmingly when in the city, when they visit family in a small New England town, that's when things start to go awry.
The Family Stone is also available to stream on Netflix.
Watch The Family Stone now on Disney+
12) Le Pupille
This Oscar-nominated Italian short film from La Chimera director Alice Rohrwacher is an under-the-radar gem in Disney+'s Christmas library – and is well worth a watch if you're after something a little different from the usual festive fare.
Set at Christmastime during the Second World War, it follows Serafina, a young outcast at a strict Catholic orphanage who is always getting in trouble, and is soon excited by the delivery of a large cake.
Watch Le Pupille now on Disney+
11 best Christmas movies to watch on Prime Video
1) It's a Wonderful Life
A popular choice for the best Christmas film of all time – and simply one of the greatest films ever made full stop – Frank Capra's tremendous festive fable will reduce just about anyone who watches it to tears.
The film stars Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, a frustrated businessman who is rescued from his suicidal state by a guardian angel, who shows him just how many people his life has touched and just how valued he is, despite his own thwarted ambitions for his life and career.
Although the film was considered something of a bomb on its original release, it gradually built up a devoted following when it began airing regularly on TV and is now rightly regarded as a true masterpiece: a heartwarming Christmas tale about the importance of family, friendship and community that avoids falling into overtly cheesy sentimentality.
Watch It's a Wonderful Life now on Prime Video
2) Scrooge
Few tales have been adapted for the screen on more occasions than Charles Dickens's yuletide yarn A Christmas Carol – from the landmark 1951 film starring Alasdair Sim to the beloved Muppet version to this year's intriguing new take Christmas Karma – and this version from 1970 is currently streaming on Prime.
A musical version starring Albert Finney in the lead role of Ebenezer Scrooge – with Alec Guinness and Roy Kinnear among the other big names in the cast – its reviews are perhaps fairly middling compared to some of the very best adaptations of this story, but it's still well worth watching if you're looking for another take on the source material.
Watch Scrooge now on Prime Video
3) Love Actually
More than 20 years on from its release back in 2003, Love Actually remains a must-watch for many at this time of the year. With an all-star cast that includes Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth and more, the film follows eight couples from all walks of life in the days leading up to Christmas.
There's heartbreak, blossoming romance and plenty of festive feels – but we'd expect no less from the mind of Richard Curtis, who is otherwise known for Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill and the more recent That Christmas.
Love Actually is also available to stream on Netflix
Watch Love Actually now on Prime Video
4) The Bishop's Wife
Cary Grant and David Niven star in this festive-themed fantasy romcom from 1947, which is adapted from a novel of the same name It sees an angel named Dudley (Grant) visit a bishop (Niven) who is suffering from a number of problems in the run-up to Christmas – including both in his family life and trying to find funds to build a new cathedral.
Interestingly, there was a remake of the film in 1996 titled The Preacher's Wife, with Denzel Washington in the role of Dudley and parts for Courtney B Vance and Whitney Houston as the preacher and his wife.
Watch The Bishop's Wife now on Prime Video
5) The Holiday
Love Actually is probably still the most beloved star-studded mid-2000s Christmas romcom – but Nancy Meyers's 2006 film can give it a good run for its money, and is now firmly established as a festive favourite.
The film sees Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz star as two women living in England and the US respectively who swap homes for the festive period in a bid to cast aside their relationship woes – only to each find themselves falling for local guys played by Jack Black and Jude Law.
The Holiday is also available to stream on Netflix and Disney+.
Watch The Holiday now on Prime Video
6) The Amazing Mr Blunden
This film from Lionel Jeffries – which came two years after his classic family favourite The Railway Children – is adapted from a 1969 novel by Antonia Barber (titled The Ghosts) and follows two young children after they move with their mother to a new mansion and soon encounter a series of unusual goings on.
They soon realise that the wealthy benefactor who had allowed them to move to this property – the titular Mr Blunden (Laurence Naismith) – has actually been dead for decades, and afterwards find themselves introduced to two friendly ghost children who enlist them on a mission that requires them to travel back in time. It's a classic Christmas ghost story that's suitable for the whole family.
Watch The Amazing Mr Blunden now on Prime Video
7) The Man Who Invented Christmas
As mentioned above, A Christmas Carol has been adapted for the screen on countless occasions, but this film from 2017 is to date the only major release to tell the story of how the classic tale came about. It stars Dan Stevens as Charles Dickens, following the then-struggling novelist as he sets about writing the story while being inspired by Victorian London and his own painful past.
Rather than serving as a no-nonsense biopic, the film also has an element of fantasy to it as Dickens interacts with imagined versions of his new creations, with Christopher Plummer starring as Scrooge and even some appearances from the various ghosts.
Watch The Man Who Invented Christmas now on Prime Video
8) Silent Night, Deadly Night
This 1980s slasher got a brand new remake this year – so it's a good time to check out the original. Highly controversial upon its release, the film follows a young boy who is scarred by a traumatic encounter that involves a man wearing a Santa costume brutally murdering his parents.
Following that horrifying incident, he is sent to be raised by nuns – including an extremely strict Mother Superior – in an orphanage, and experiences more traumatic experiences around the festive period which ultimately lead him to don a Santa suit and embark on a murderous rampage. If you're looking for something with a little less festive cheer and goodwill than your average Christmas film, this could be the one for you.
Watch Silent Night, Deadly Night now on Prime Video
9) Small Things Like These
This great 2024 movie might not automatically seem like a Christmas movie – but it definitely has a claim to belonging to the genre, and not just because of its festive setting.
Based on Claire Keegan's novella of the same name, it's built around a superb performance from Cillian Murphy as Bill Furlong, a kind but taciturn coal merchant in County Wexford who is faced with a tough choice in the run up to Christmas after he encounters a traumatised young girl locked in the coal shed at a local convent.
The film has a Dickensian quality to it, and its focus on themes of redemption, generosity and family – combined with the wintry backdrop – make it undeniably worthy of Christmas film status.
Watch Small Things Like These now on Prime Video
10) A Christmas Story
A Christmas classic in the US that has never quite managed to become a seasonal staple on this side of the Atlantic, this 1983 film follows Ralphie, a nine-year-old boy who becomes obsessed with the idea of being gifted a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas – and desperately tries to convince his parents that he should get it.
Very different in tone from director Bob Clark's other Christmas movie – the festive slasher Black Christmas – the somewhat episodic narrative includes many images that have become iconic for American viewers, including Ralphie's tongue getting stuck to a frozen flagpole.
Watch A Christmas Story now on Prime Video
11) Merry Little Batman
This feature-length animation was released to little fanfare in 2023, but is a fun option if you're looking for an alternative to the usual festive fare.
It follows Bruce Wayne's son Damian (voiced by Yonas Kibreab) when he's left home alone on Christmas Eve and takes it upon himself to become 'Little Batman'' in order to protect Gotham City from a bunch of supervillains – including the Joker – who are intent on ruining the Christmas spirit.
Watch Merry Little Batman now on Prime Video
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