The profusion of holiday movies and specials that are released in December is the nicest thing about the expansion of streaming services, not the ease with which you can watch all of your favourite series. Yes, there are a lot of new romantic comedies and family holiday films released every year, but the Christmas movie market is now now including documentaries, racy comedies, and bloody horror films. Why not watch a Christmas movie about a real-life Santa Claus bootcamp, a comedy about the day all drugs were legal on Christmas Eve, or a movie about an animatronic Santa who goes on a killing spree instead of seeing a pretty small-town chocolatier persuade a handsome real estate developer to not sell the town square? And for you lovely weirdos out there, Adult Swim Yule Log, the newest addition to our list, transforms a standard still image of a fireplace into an odd and unpredictable horror movie. Everyone can celebrate Christmas!
This year, we’ve compiled a list of the greatest new Christmas movies to see, including sequels to beloved old favourites, corny but endearing basic cable originals, and even a documentary about how anyone can be Santa Claus. We have a list of the top Christmas movies, along with information on where you can stream them, so it’s okay if you’re looking for the well-known classics. Check out our comprehensive list to Christmas movies and specials if you’d want to learn more about all the releases, as well as where and when to watch them. It exceeds Santa’s naughty list in length.
With Spencer Grammer playing his daughter and Kelsey Grammer portraying a workaholic businessman whose personal and familial relationships have soured, this Lifetime film is a family affair. After he is involved in a car accident, Santa offers him the chance to relive Christmas Eve twelve times so that he can mend his life, get back in touch with his family, and comprehend the true meaning of Christmas.
A Christmas Story Christmas (HBO Max)
Whether we wanted them or not, Christmas movie sequels and remakes are big business. In this follow-up movie from the 1970s, Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) has grown up, reconnected with old friends, and is now responsible for providing his own family with the same kind of beautiful Christmas that his father provided him. This new interpretation has received mixed reviews (our own Matt Jacobs wasn’t a fan), but it knows how to tap into the memories you’re after. [Review]
A Hollywood Christmas (HBO Max, Dec. 1)
A Hollywood Christmas with Josh Swickard and Jessika Van Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc./Randy Shropshire
What about a holiday film about being in a holiday film? A Christmas Movie Christmas was the first time the meta thing was done, but in my opinion it hasn’t been done enough. In this one, a movie director (Jessika Van) who is filming a holiday film has a bunch of Christmas movie clichés interrupt her real life. Indeed, why not?
Adult Swim Yule Log (Dec. 11, HBO Max)
You know those cheesy yule log films made for folks without fireplaces to enjoy the soothing sound of a crackling fire without having to deal with the smoke and roasted squirrel parts falling from the chimney? Casper Kelly, the creator of Too Many Cooks, gave Adult Swim his spin on the phenomenon. He transformed the innocent delight of flaming logs into a nightmare horror movie that condensed an entire season of American Horror Story into 90 minutes. It’s really ludicrous and has almost nothing to do with Christmas, but it’s a funny joke to play on your mother when you go home to visit.
If you can’t make it to the theatre to see Violent Night but still want to witness Santa Claus go on a killing spree, stay in and watch this mediocre but entertaining movie about an animatronic Santa Claus that abandons its primary commands and starts killing everyone. It’s a bloody, grindhouse substitute for romantic comedies and films about discovering the true meaning of Christmas. It’s also being exhibited in theatres.
There’s Dolly Parton in this. That is all you need to know in order to view it. Nevertheless, if you must know, here it is: Dolly and her friends are filming a network television holiday musical special (mo’ meta! ), and three sage, probably bearded mountain men lead her through her past in between big musical performances and production turmoil.
Falling for Christmas (Netflix)
Really, the only information you require about Netflix’s Falling for Christmas is that Lindsay Lohan is a Christmas movie star. If that’s not enough to pique your interest, she does portray herself as a privileged heiress to her father’s Aspen resort company, and she does have amnesia and fall in love with a local lodge worker (Chord Overstreet). It’s a perfect illustration of why you should watch a Christmas movie more for the spectacle—or lack thereof—than for the story itself. It is exactly what you would anticipate it to be, which is an unsurprisingly enjoyable time. [Review]
Haul out the Holly (Nov. 26, 8/7c Hallmark)
Lacey Chabert and Christmas go together like cats and broken tree ornaments, and this year’s Chabert offering is this silly romantic comedy about a woman who stays at her parents’ house while they’re away only to learn that the neighbourhood has certain standards for its holiday decorations, and she better comply OR ELSE. She will require a larger Nutcracker!
Hotel for the Holidays (Dec. 2, Freevee)
Ah, the old hotel anecdote around Christmas. This time, Madelaine Petsch from Riverdale finds herself in a love triangle with the handsome hotel chef and a guest who just happens to be royalty while working as manager at a luxurious hotel during winterfest. Pick the prince, young lady! You don’t want a guy who constantly smells like cheese. This one is truly a gift because it is available on Freevee, Amazon’s free streaming platform.
It’s a Wonderful Binge (Dec. 9, Hulu)
Looking for something to put you on Santa’s bad list because you’re sick of the fake Christmas cheer? Watch this Hulu original movie, a follow-up to the raunch-com. a binge. Another parody of The Purge is called It’s a Wonderful Binge, but instead of murder, it makes drugs and alcohol legal for one day of the year, which just so happens to be Christmas this year. Boys, light up those trees.
Thanks to classics like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman, Rankin/Bass has established the stop-motion animated feature as a mainstay of the Christmas season. I guess Disney saw that as a challenge and produced Mickey Saves Christmas, a stop-motion holiday movie, on its own. It adheres to the tried-and-true pattern of someone ruining Christmas (way to go, Pluto), and a race against time to make sure that everyone receives their gifts.
The world has changed significantly since Reno 911! debuted in 2003, but judging by the Comedy Central franchise’s most recent release—a feature-length Christmas special—you’d never know it. It features the same hilarious cast, the same hot pants, and the same kinds of shenanigans. Lieutenant Jim Dangle (Thomas Lennon) in the Jimmy Stewart parody is contemplating suicide after learning the financial repercussions of switching to cryptocurrency. Thankfully, Terry (Nick Swardson), his guardian angel, tells him how the world would have been different if he had never been born. Saying that everyone in the Reno Sheriff’s Department would have been happier is not a spoiler.
Santa Bootcamp (Nov. 19, 8/7c Lifetime)
In this movie, Emily Kinney from The Walking Dead plays an event planner who is tasked with organising a lavish Christmas gala for a mall mogul. Melissa Joan Hart works behind the camera. She enrols in a Santa bootcamp in her quest to find the ideal Santa, where she meets an instructor (the gorgeous Rita Moreno), who teaches her to once again love Christmas. Does she fall for the charming mall magnate as well? You place a butterscotch wager.
Santa Camp (HBO Max)
It’s not necessary for Christmas movies to revolve around a small-town baker attempting to save her shop, an innkeeper trying to save her inn, or a candle manufacturer fighting to save her candle factory. Films like Santa Camp, which follow an annual meeting of would-be Santas as they welcome their first diverse Santas and empower Mrs. Clauses, are particularly effective at capturing the holiday mood. It’s a lovely movie that doesn’t mind defying expectations, and the ending might just make your heart swell to the brim.
Something From Tiffany’s (Dec. 9, Amazon Prime Video)
A traditional “whoops, my engagement ring for my girlfriend was switched with another guy’s gift and now his girlfriend has the ring so I need to get it back from her but maybe I should just fall in love with her instead” plot is featured in Prime Video’s top Christmas movie of the year. So recognisable.
Spirited (Apple TV+)
Yes, it is a different interpretation of A Christmas Carol. But this time, thanks to a very special Scrooge, it’s the Ghost of Christmas Present who is contemplating his life. Spirited, which stars Ryan Reynolds as the miserly human who is supposed to be the one changing and Will Ferrell as the spectral representative of Christmas, has by far the most well-known cast of all the Christmas films released this year (sorry, Lacey Chabert). Were we clear that it was a musical?
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (Nov. 25, Disney+)
Wow, what the heck? Yes, Disney+ is attempting a Christmas special set in the Guardians of the Galaxy universe, despite (or possibly because of) the notoriety of The Star Wars Holiday Special. Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) set out to find Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) an amazing Christmas present after he misses the holiday. Maybe they’re going to kidnap Kevin Bacon.”
Three Wise Men and a Baby (Nov. 19, 8/7c Hallmark)
Because it brings together three prominent Hallmark actors, Three Wise Men and a Baby is like the Hallmark version of The Avengers. There will be jokes about diapers as three guys who find themselves caring for a baby over the holidays are portrayed by Andrew Walker (My Family Christmas Tree), Tyler Hynes (Unexpected Christmas), and Paul Campbell (Christmas by Starlight). (It’s against the law for movies like this to not contain a joke about a stinking diaper.) Peacock offers some Hallmark movie streaming options.
New Christmas movies coming soon
Call the Midwife Holiday Special (Dec. 25, 9/8c PBS)
Even on Christmas, midwives are on call. With ten Christmas specials already produced and an additional one scheduled for this year, the PBS series has been a more consistent source of holiday cheer than Santa Claus himself (I’m STILL waiting for that pony, guy). The horrible train accident has passed in this episode, and the midwives are thrilled when their first patient is a familiar face.
Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All (Dec. 20, 8/7c CBS and Paramount+)
The closest thing we have to the Queen of Christmas Present is Mariah Carey, thanks to a few elusive contemporary holiday classic tunes. In this musical special that is solely focused on the music, she performs at Madison Square Garden. Because CBS does not want a riot on its hands, she will perform “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
Snow Day (Dec. 16, Paramount+)
Receiving a new adaptation, sequel, or continuation of a beloved holiday film is similar to receiving a pair of socks for Christmas; it may not be what you wanted, but you’ll accept it because it’s there. When school is cancelled due to excessive freezing precipitation, a group of kids once again live their lives to the fullest in this musical adaptation of the 2000 movie.
