All the Christmas Movies You Need to Stream This Holiday Season
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The season of 24/7 Christmas movies and carol singing has arrived, and we couldn't be more excited. There's nothing better than hot cocoa and Hallmark holiday movies on repeat, but sometimes we want to be in control of our merriment. When that happens, we turn to our favorite platforms for the best Christmas movies streaming right now. And just to be super clear, "best" means just the right mix of high-quality classics and cheesetastic made-for-TV holiday goodness. There's no room for cinematic snobbery during the most wonderful time of year, which is why A Christmas Prince and It's a Wonderful Life are equal in our eyes.
Every movie on this list brings us joy, and hey, isn't that what the holidays are all about?
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A Christmas Prince Series
Set in the fictional country of Aldovia, Netflix's A Christmas Prince franchise is pure holiday magic. First, intrepid journalist Amber (Rose McIver) and Prince Richard (Ben Lamb) fall madly in love in A Christmas Prince, then they tie the knot in A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding. In the 2019 installment, the duo are set to welcome their first baby, and we can't wait.
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It's a Wonderful Life
For years, It's a Wonderful Life only aired once a year on NBC, but now, thanks to Prime Video, we can watch George Bailey learn how one person's life can touch so many others whenever we like. This classic was released in 1946, but its message of kindness and neighborly love will always warm hearts.
Holiday in Handcuffs
Holiday in Handcuffs has an absolutely bonkers premise: an aspiring artist gets dumped right before her family's big holiday celebration, and her solution is to kidnap a random businessman at musket-point and force him to pretend to be her boyfriend. None of this should work, but thanks to the sweet chemistry between stars Melissa Joan Hart and Mario Lopez, it totally does.
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The Man Who Invented Christmas
Dan Stevens, of Downton Abbey fame, plays a handsome Charles Dickens in this delightful tale of how A Christmas Carol came to be. The movie almost certainly takes some liberties where the true-story aspect is concerned, but it's far too fun to watch a sexy Dickens argue with Christopher Plummer's Ebenezer Scrooge to complain about historical accuracy.
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White Christmas
Throw it all the way back to 1954 with this seasonal favorite. Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney star in this festive musical about singers who team up to perform a Christmas show for a rural town in Vermont.
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Dr. Sesuss' The Grinch
It's hard to top the original 1966 version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Still, the 2018 animated movie is a worthy successor. The story is the same — the Grinch learns to appreciate Christmas only after he attempts to sabotage Whoville's festivities — but the bright animation is fun, and the reboot offers up plenty of laughs.
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The Princess Switch
Vanessa Hudgens is twice as nice as a duchess and a Chicago baker who swap places in The Princess Switch. Their life-swapping also leads to unexpected romances, making this the romantic holiday movie we always dreamed of (sorry, Love Actually).
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The Christmas Chronicles
Kurt Russell swoops in and takes Tim Allen's title as our favorite movie Santa in The Christmas Chronicles. The movie follows a brother and sister whose attempt to catch Santa leads them to team up with Father Christmas to save the holiday instead. If you're looking for a family-friendly holiday tale, this one is sure to keep everyone entertained.
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Disney's A Christmas Carol
The CGI in Disney's A Christmas Carol is a little too realistic sometimes, but don't let that detour you from enjoying this underrated retelling of Charles Dickens's classic novel. Jim Carrey offers up a movingly melancholy take on Ebenezer, and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future give this version of the story an extra dose of eeriness to go with the requisite holiday cheer.
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The Holiday Calendar
The Holiday Calendar is another romantic Christmas movie, but it gets bonus points for its inventive plot. The movie follows a photographer who inherits an Advent calendar that predicts the future — and helps her find love in the process.
The March Sisters at Christmas
Little Women gets a festive modern update in The March Sisters at Christmas, a movie that includes two of our favorite things: sisterly bonding and home renovation. But the thing we love most about this adaptation is that — spoiler alert — Beth doesn't die. Happy endings for everyone!
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The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
Disney's take on The Nutcracker doesn't get nearly as much love as it should. Sure, it could use a few more dance numbers, but the visuals are magical, and young Clara's journey has never been more exciting.
Girlfriends of Christmas Past
Fuller House favorite John Brotherton stars in Girlfriends of Christmas Past, which is reason enough to check out this movie. But if you need more convincing, this is a love story that kicks off with three women deciding to get revenge on their cheating ex.
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Holiday Inn
White Christmas and Holiday Inn have the same basic plot, but Bing Crosby's earlier version of the story adds an extra dash of heartbreak to the proceedings. In this version, his character opens a holiday-entertainment-themed inn after getting dumped, and his new venture leads to a second chance at love.
Home For Christmas
A rom-com-obsessed woman thinks she's found true love in this British holiday movie. Unfortunately for her, her boyfriend didn't get the message. Still, that won't stop her from chasing her own happily ever after.
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Christmas With the Kranks
One of the best Christmas movie tropes is the holiday curmudgeon learns to embrace the season, and Christmas With the Kranks is a prime example of the genre. Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis play the Kranks, a couple who plan on skipping a traditional Christmas now that they're empty-nesters. Their plans to forgo Christmas merriment put them on the naughty list with their neighbors, and wacky antics ensues.
Christmas With a View
Clara, a restaurant manager at a ski lodge, is so not impressed with her new boss, a celebrity chef who she's sure is a total snob. But then they keep running into each other, and it turns out they have more in common than they thought.
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Christmas Inheritance
Before she can inherit her father's business, an heiress must complete an errand in a small, Christmas-obsessed town. When a snowstorm leaves her stranded, she realizes her father left her so much more than just a business.
A Merry Friggin' Christmas
If you want to have a double-feature night with Christmas With the Kranks, A Merry Friggin' Christmas is the perfect companion. The movie stars Joel McHale as Robin Williams's adult son who isn't excited about spending the holidays with his family. Gilmore Girls star Lauren Graham is also in this one as McHale's character's wife.
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The Spirit of Christmas
A sexy ghost named Daniel becomes human for the 12 days before Christmas every year, which is perfect timing for a lawyer who's in town to oversee the sale of his mansion. Not only do sparks fly between this unlikely couple, but they also bond as they solve the mystery surrounding Daniel's death.
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The Christmas Calendar
A small-town baker receives a mysterious Christmas calendar that the entire town is convinced must be from a secret admirer. The truth is a little more complicated, but it still ends in a holiday romance.
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Let It Snow
Teens get their own Love Actually in this new Netflix original. The movie stars Kiernan Shipka, Jacob Batalon, and Shameik Moore as high-school students who find themselves in a series of unexpected romances when a snowstorm hits their town on Christmas Eve.
A Dogwalker's Christmas Tale
The cuteness of dogs collides with the joy of Christmas in this story of a selfish young woman who learns humility when she falls for a cute dogwalker. Her crush leads her to fight against a development that would replace the local dog park with a salon.
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Christmas Perfection
The plot of Christmas Perfection is a dream come true for any Christmas fan. A woman wakes up to find she's magically been transported to a village in Ireland for her picture-perfect Christmas — and even though things are a little too perfect, it still sounds amazing.
Holly's Holiday
An ad exec gets the ultimate holiday surprise when a mannequin comes to life to help her after she falls outside his shop window. Now she has to choose between the perfect guy and a more realistic, nonmannequin option.