Best Christmas movies to watch on Netflix, Amazon, and Disney Plus right now

It’s Christmas time, which means that streaming is available for the annual feast of all things festive and yuletide. Christmas is a holiday that’s inspired a wealth of enduring comedies about the value of family, community, love, and selflessness during the darkest and coldest time of the year. It’s also spawned no shortage of films that push at the boundaries of those well-worn tropes, twisting their holly jolly exterior inside out into cerebral and occasionally macabre stories that probe at the very darkness the holiday is meant to fend off.

In the spirit of the season and all its incarnations, we’ve pulled together a list of treasured classics and eclectic oddities for audiences to watch in the lead up to Christmas. Like Santa’s big ’ol toy sack, there’s something here for everyone! These are the top 10 Christmas movies that you can stream online on Netflix, Amazon Prime and HBO Max.

The Christmas Prince

Netflix Photo

If you’re looking for 100 percent confectionary fluff (and aren’t pumping Hallmark’s Christmas schedule directly into your veins), give this so-much-better-than-you-think-it’ll-be Netflix Original a whirl. AmberiZombie’s Rose McIver) plays a journalist sent to the made-up land of Aldovia the royal passing-of-the-torch to bad boy bachelor Prince Richard (Ben Lamb). Amber ends up working undercover at the castle in an attempt to uncover all of the secrets. But she is too involved! You know what the rest? The Christmas magic makes it all too romantic.

The Christmas PrinceYou can stream it on Netflix.

Batman Returns

Warner Home Video

It is Batman ReturnsIs it a Christmas superhero movie set during Christmas? Or a Christmas horror film with superheroes or villains within it? In any case, Tim Burton’s 1992 follow-up to the original Batman is an awesome film filled with cool visuals, exciting action sequences, attempted murder, and a nail-biting finale centered around kidnapped babies, a bat-shaped boat, and an army of rocket-strapped kamikaze penguins. It’s also a story about two strange people who find comfort in each other’s strangeness, an orphan who grows up seek revenge against the parents and society that shunned him, and a nefarious industrialist looking to make a quick buck at any cost. Though it may test the limits of what you might consider a “Christmas movie,” Batman ReturnsIt’s a wonderful film to watch during the holidays and for everyone in your family.

Batman Returnsstreaming on HBO Max.

Be on the lookout

Image: Well Go USA

Be on the lookoutFeels like a 26-year-old reaction to the original All You Need is Home. The latter is a family comedy film whose premise could’ve easily been played out like a home invasion horror movie, if not for the plucky Ferris Bueller-esque charisma of Macaulay Culkin and the dopey oafishness of Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern. Be on the lookoutInverting that dynamic is done by introducing innovative twists and turnings that transform the unsaid horror story in the aforementioned movie into something darker and more frightening. It is not a Christmas movie. This psychological horror film explores the possibility that the behavior of Kevin McCallister, a young boy with latent sociopathy might be a sign. I won’t spoil the movie by saying more, but you can rest assured. Be on the lookoutIf you can stomach the sometimes gory horrors, this holiday drama is a captivating one.

Be on the lookoutYou can stream it on Amazon Prime.

Black Christmas

Shout! Factory

If you’re looking for a straightforward, tinsel-lined horror movie, you can’t do better than Bob Clark’s Canadian slasher flick. (We apologise to Jack Frost, the serial-killer snowman movie — Black ChristmasIt’s just as good! Original publication in the U.S.A. Silent Night, Evil NightThis low-budget horror movie is warm like a fireplace stoked by cold winds. Clark uses shadows and lurking horrors to turn a sorority house into a something ripped from a Shirley Jackson paperback cover, and while the transgressions within don’t find too much inspiration in Christmas iconography, there is a “wrapping job” that will leave you gasping.

Black ChristmasYou can stream it on Criterion Channel.

It’s a Wonderful Life

Universal Pictures

If you haven’t seen It’s a Wonderful Life or if it’s just been awhile, then you might not know how the film, from intro to credits, is unapologetically weird and transgressive. All that Christmas Carol-esque stuff in which an “angel” shows George Bailey (James Stewart) what his town would have looked like had he never existed is just a fraction of the film. It’s preceded by 30 Years of Bailey’s life, punctuated by the Great Depression and World War II. What about that angel who helped Bailey? He and his “boss” are introduced as sentient cosmic dust. It’s a Christmas cobbler with bits from Rod Serling and Charles Dickens. Don’t let its reputation as sappy holiday detritus get in the way you enjoying of an exceptional film — Christmas or otherwise.

It’s a Wonderful LifeYou can stream it on Amazon Prime.

You can jingle all the way

Image by 20th Century Fox

What’s more Christmas-y than a story of a loving parent going to whatever lengths necessary to preserve their child’s happiness? ’80s action icon Arnold Schwarzenegger, in a patently bizarre turn of reverse-typecasting, stars in You can jingle all the wayHoward Langston is a salesman who works too hard and neglects his family. Desperate to fulfill his son’s Christmas wish, Howard embarks on a search for a Turbo Man action figure. Problem is: it’s Christmas Eve and they’re all but entirely sold out. His mission is complicated by Myron Sinbad, a fellow negligent father and postal worker who also shares his goal. You can jingle all the wayThe Christmas Comedy focuses on Howard’s exasperation, escalating stakes and Myron’s acrimonious relationship amid the ferocious holiday shoppers and concludes with a Jetpack-enabled ending. If that doesn’t scream “Christmas” to you, I don’t know what does.

You can jingle all the wayYou can stream it on Disney Plus, Amazon PrimeAnd Hulu.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

Warner Home Video

It was the first time I’d ever seen. National Lampoon’s Christmas VacationI was shocked to discover this truth until years later, when my friend forced me into watching it together. I understand now why my friend was so shocked: It’s an hilarious comedy, so hilarious in fact that I’m surprised I hadn’t seen it sooner. Chevy Chase is pitch-perfect in the role of Clark Griswold, a salaryman and put-upon father at his wit’s end trying to pull off the perfect family Christmas celebration. As each of his carefully-laid plans either hits a snag or utterly falls apart, so too does Clark’s disposition; transforming from a mild-mannered family man into a living powder keg of seething rage barely holding it together under a façade of holiday cheer. At least he’s got a Christmas bonus coming up, right?

National Lampoon’s Christmas VacationYou can stream it on HBO Max.

Christmas Nightmare

Image: Touchstone Pictures/Disney

Movie about Christmas? Halloween movie? Split the difference: Tim Burton and stop-motion animator Henry Selick’s macabre holiday musical is the perfect Thanksgiving movie. It’s still fascinating to watch Jack Skellington trying to figure out how to keep his holiday spirit alive. There are many strange details in every frame. If you’ve seen this one too many times, fall down the YouTube rabbit hole of Danny Elfman performing the soundtrack live.

Christmas NightmareYou can stream it on Disney Plus.

Santa Clause

Image: Walt Disney Pictures

Santa Clause is a classic Christmas comedy, one that offers a whimsical (albeit slightly macabre) answer for how ‘ol Kris Kringle is such a perennial symbol of the holiday despite ostensibly being a bajillion years old. Tim Allen plays Scott Calvin, a father-daughter toy seller who is divorced. HighlanderA fateful twist, Santa Clause is accidentally killed and Scott then becomes the next person to assume his title and responsibilities. Scott is forced to confront his identity and convince his family members of it. He learns about the meaning of Christmas from the person who was first to experience the spirit of this central figure. It’s heartwarming and hilarious in a way that’s stood the test of time and a feel good Christmas movie for the whole family.

Santa ClauseYou can stream it on Disney Plus.

Christmas in White

Paramount Pictures

Christmas in WhiteYour home deserves to have the largest and most impressive screen possible. The 1954 musical was shot in VistaVision by Michael Curtiz, the highest resolution film of its time. This decision had a profound impact on the restoration of the movie, which is as vibrant with color as modern action movies. The TV is a great complement to the elaborate sets and dance routines. A nice pair of speakers or headphones elevates these classic Christmas songs that are sung by Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby. The film removes the explicit racist blackface of its predecessor. Holiday InnIt still contains an entire routine that celebrates the pleasures of minstrel shows. Prepare to talk about the horror to your family and to deal with any concerns from your relatives.

Christmas in WhiteYou can stream it on Netflix.