Christmas is a unique time for the world of film. With snow-covered hills, twinkling fairy lights and festive love stories to enjoy, what more could you want than to curl up on the couch with a good Christmas movie right now?
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With a whole heap of streaming services to choose from these days, the Christmas offering is huge among sites like BINGE, Stan, Foxtel Now, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Netflix.
If you’re looking for a flick to watch with family and friends during the silly season, here’s a list of our top picks, from old Christmas movies to modern-day classics.
50. The Santa Clause 2 on Disney+
The sequel to Tim Allen’s The Santa Clause, Santa has to get married by midnight or lose the title forever. Plus, his son’s on the naughty list.
49. Arthur Christmas on Binge
The son of Santa Claus is portrayed by James McAvoy on a journey to retrieve a lost present, in this family-friendly animated film.
48. Trapped In Paradise on Disney+
Nicolas Cage stars in a crime comedy about three brothers trying to rob a bank on Christmas.
47. Surviving Christmas on Stan or rent on Amazon Prime Video
Ben Affleck stars as a young millionaire who, trying to avoid being alone on Christmas, pays a family to pose as his own.
46. Jack Frost on Binge
Michael Keaton dies in an accident and reincarnates as a snowman, revisiting his family.
45. Jingle All The Way on Disney+
Howard (Arnold Schwarzenegger) promises his son a Turbo Man toy for Christmas. He is forced to fight every parent and travel all over town to get the toy after he forgets to buy it in time.
44. It Happened On Fifth Avenue to rent on Apple TV and Amazon Prime
A homeless person holes up in a mansion with some friends and changes the lives of the owners in the process.
43. Noelle on Disney+
A new addition to the Christmas offering from Disney, Noelle was released in 2019 and stars Anna Kendrick as Kris Kringle’s daughter Noelle, and Bill Hader as her brother, Nick, who is in line to replace Santa. When Nick goes missing it’s up to Noelle to save Christmas.
42. The Christmas Chronicles on Netflix
Kurt Russell stars as Santa Claus in this kid-friendly film, about siblings Kate and Teddy who devise a plan to take a photo of Santa on Christmas Eve. When their plan goes awry, they must help Santa to save Christmas.
41. Nothing Like the Holidays on Amazon Prime Video
A Puerto Rican family spends what might very well be their last Christmas together.
40. Deck the Halls on Stan
Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick star as neighbours clashing over their homes’ Christmas decor.
39. Christmas Eve on Amazon Prime Video
Six different elevators get stuck on Christmas Eve, and the different groups inside each have nowhere to go.
38. A Bad Moms Christmas on Netflix or Rent on Amazon Prime
Amy (Mila Kunis), Kiki (Kristen Bell) and Carla (Kathryn Hahn) rebel against the huge burden of arranging Christmas for their respective families while dealing with a visit from their own mothers.
37. Four Christmases on Netflix or Rent on Amazon Prime
Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn play a couple who celebrates four separate Christmases with each of their divorced parents.
36. The Bishop’s Wife on Amazon Prime Video
Cary Grant plays an angel who helps a bishop with his spiritual guidance.
35. Prancer rent on Apple TV+
A young girl in a troubled family encounters a wounded reindeer and cares for it on her farm.
34. The Family Man on Amazon Prime Video
Nicolas Cage plays a banker who wakes up one Christmas morning and is offered a glimpse of what life would be like if he made a different choice.
33. Serendipity on Stan
John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale play a pair who meet one Christmas Eve, and search for each other years later believing that fate would bring them together.
32. A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas on Binge
The third instalment in this stoner comedy series takes Harold and Kumar on a journey to find a replacement Christmas tree.
31. The Santa Clause on Disney+
Tim Allen’s character accidentally knocks Santa off his roof on Christmas Eve, and must do the job of Father Christmas for the night.
30. You’ve Got Mail on Binge
Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks play two strangers who hate each other, but unknowingly begin an anonymous online relationship.
29. The Shop Around the Corner to rent on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video
The source material for You’ve Got Mail, with the online relationship replaced with a pen pal arrangement.
28. Scrooged on BINGE
Bill Murray is a modern-day Scrooge in this update of A Christmas Carol.
27. Edward Scissorhands on Disney+
Tim Burton’s story of tolerance and acceptance for those who are different rings especially true in today’s social landscape. A great lesson for kids almost three decades later!
26. How the Grinch Stole Christmas on Netflix
This Dr. Seuss adaptation stars Jim Carrey as a creature who hates Christmas.
25. Christmas with the Kranks on Binge
In this French film, a troubled family reunites on Christmas when their mother falls ill with leukemia.
24. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York on Disney+
Kevin McAllister is left behind again for Christmas vacation, and must evade the same criminals he encountered.
23. Babes in Toyland rent on Apple TV+
A Christmas musical starring Ray Bolger, and telling a fantasy Christmas story featuring characters from nursery rhymes.
22. White Christmas on Binge
This musical features Bing Crosby as a US Army Captain who tries to save his former General’s inn on Christmas Eve.
21. The Lemon Drop Kid to rent on Apple TV
Bob Hope stars as a con artist in New York who needs to scam as much as he can by Christmas, to pay off a gangster.
20. The Preacher’s Wife on Disney+
A remake of The Bishop’s Wife, Denzel Washington plays an angel who helps a preacher as he struggles with his church’s finances.
19. Mickey’s Christmas Carol on Disney+
This short, family-friendly feature retells the Dickens classic—but with a Disney twist. Great for toddlers!
18. The Family Stone on Disney+
Claire Danes, Sarah Jessica Parker and Diane Keaton head an ensemble cast in this dramedy about a family get-together on Christmas, and a proposal about to happen.
17. Christmas in Connecticut on Binge
Barbara Stanwyck plays a food writer who pretends to live a charmed farm life in Connecticut and must host a Christmas dinner while covering up the lie.
16. The Last Holiday on Netflix
Queen Latifah stars as Georgia, a shy woman who decides to sell of all of her possessions and live it up at an extravagant European hotel when she learns she has a terminal illness.
15. Elf on BINGE
Will Ferrell stars as Buddy The Elf in this festive comedy, about a human boy raised in the North Pole as one of Santa’s helpers. Upon learning of his true heritage, Buddy travels to NYC to meet his real dad.
14. Gremlins on Binge
Zach Galligan and Phoebe Cates star in this cult classic about a supernatural pet that multiplies and wreaks havoc upon his town on Christmas.
13. Little Women on Binge
A Civil War-era period drama with an ensemble cast portraying the March sisters and their family.
12. The Polar Express on Binge
This magical Robert Zemeckis film tells a truly unique Christmas story about love, courage, and friendship, all on a journey aboard a train to the North Pole.
11. The Apartment on Amazon Prime Video
Billy Wilder portrays a man who lends his apartment to his bosses for their affairs, but falls in love with one of their paramours on Christmas.
10. The Holiday on Binge
A very Love Actually-esque rom-com with multiple storylines and a Christmas theme, Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz enter a home exchange to help them forget their broken hearts.
9. A Charlie Brown Christmas to rent on Apple TV+
A criticism of Christmas commercialism, this famous TV movie is a true season tradition that provides a counterpoint to all the marketing around us.
8. Miracle on 34th Street on Disney+
A mall Santa claims to be the real thing, and a lawyer must defend this assertion in court to prevent him from being institutionalised.
7. The Nightmare Before Christmas on Disney+
The King of Halloween Town, Jack Skellington (Danny Elfman) tries to bring Christmas to his homestead in Tim Burton’s most Christmasy film ever.
6. A Christmas Carol on Disney+
The Jim Carrey adaptation of Charles Dickens’s novel tells the story of the misanthropic Ebenezer Scrooge (Alastair Sims) as he’s visited by various ghosts on Christmas Eve.
5. Die Hard on Disney+
Bruce Willis’ big hit tells a surprising story of family and friendship amidst a Christmas-themed action extravaganza with a deliciously evil Alan Rickman as a terrorist.
4. Home Alone on Disney+
Macaulay Culkin plays Kevin McAllister, a little rascal who has to protect his home from burglars when he’s left behind during Christmas vacation.
3. A Christmas Story on Binge
Widely agreed to be one of the best Christmas films ever made, Peter Billingsley stars as a child tries to convince his parents to get him a BB gun for Christmas.
2. Love Actually on Binge
This romantic comedy features a massive ensemble cast and ten interconnected storylines in a heartwarming Xmas special. Not one for the kids, though—it’s a bit raunchy.
1. It’s A Wonderful Life on Stan or to rent on Amazon Prime Video
This James Stewart-headed classic is the ultimate Christmas flick. The film tells the story of a depressed man who’s given a glimpse of a world without him in the picture. Perfect for the entire family.
