We’ve made it to the final month of the year, folks. That means two things: you’re allowed to bust out the holiday decorations (judgement-free) and it’s socially acceptable to begin making your way through your favourite Christmas movies.
Here at Lifehacker, we’re always looking for ways to make the lives of our readers that little bit easier (we’re just generous like that), so we thought we’d put together a quick list of solid Christmas movie choices as well as some information on where you can watch them.
One surprisingly fun watch we stumbled across this festive season is Apple TV’s Spirited. A fresh take on A Christmas Carol, the film is silly and full of ridiculously catchy songs.
But when it comes to our favourite Christmas movies, it’s hard to go past some old classics. Please enjoy our round-up of the very best Christmas movies you can find, broken down by streaming service.
The best Christmas movies on Netflix
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
What? You don’t like to indulge in a kid’s movie every so often? This guy has a solid 89 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so it’s likely to get you in the spirit.
The synopsis reads:
Decades after his apprentice betrays him, a once joyful toymaker finds new hope when his bright young granddaughter appears on his doorstep.
A family favourite for good reason, this is a film worth adding to your annual rotation. It also has a 94 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
A desperate postman accidentally brings about the genesis of Santa Claus.
Want to read on about what’s included in Netflix’s Christmas movie lineup for 2022? We pulled together a complete guide for you.
The best Xmas movies on Disney+
Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983)
Sometimes you just can’t go past a classic when it comes to choosing a Christmas movie.
A retelling of the classic Dickens tale with Disney’s classic characters.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
A Tim Burton classic that has kept folks entertained across the Halloween and holiday period since the early ’90s.
The synopsis reads:
The film follows the misadventures of Jack Skellington, Halloweentown’s beloved pumpkin king, who has become bored with the same annual routine of frightening people in the “real world.” When Jack accidentally stumbles on Christmastown, all bright colours and warm spirits, he gets a new lease on life — he plots to bring Christmas under his control by kidnapping Santa Claus and taking over the role. But Jack soon discovers even the best-laid plans of mice and skeleton men can go seriously awry.
Yippee ki yay, people. At this stage, there’s no longer an argument regarding Die Hard’s status as a Christmas movie. It’s a holiday film, and a well-received one at that.
The synopsis for this film reads:
New York City policeman John McClane (Bruce Willis) is visiting his estranged wife (Bonnie Bedelia) and two daughters on Christmas Eve. He joins her at a holiday party in the headquarters of the Japanese-owned business she works for. But the festivities are interrupted by a group of terrorists who take over the exclusive high-rise, and everyone in it. Very soon McClane realizes that there’s no one to save the hostages — but him.
Want to see the full list of top-rating festive films on Disney+? Keep on reading here.
The best holiday season movies on Stan
This is one of the top-rated Christmas movies you’ll find on Rotten Tomatoes. It comes in at an impressive 94 per cent, so it’s surely worth a spot on your holiday list.
Here’s the synopsis:
The holiday classic to define all holiday classics, It’s A Wonderful Life follows George Bailey, a man with so many problems he is thinking about ending it all – only for an angel to show him what life would have been like if he had never existed.
This is a Christmas movie, and don’t even try to tell us otherwise.
The monstrous Penguin (Danny DeVito), who lives in the sewers beneath Gotham, joins up with wicked shock-headed businessman Max Shreck (Christopher Walken) to topple the Batman (Michael Keaton) once and for all. But when Shreck’s timid assistant, Selina Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer), finds out, and Shreck tries to kill her, she is transformed into the sexy Catwoman. She teams up with the Penguin and Shreck to destroy Batman, but sparks fly unexpectedly when she confronts the caped crusader.
What’s a festive streaming list without Love Actually? Just the airport scenes alone are enough to get you feeling the holiday spirit.
Here’s the synopsis:
From the makers of Bridget Jones’s Diary and Notting Hill comes the ultimate romantic comedy about love’s delightful twists and turns, starring some of Hollywood’s brightest stars.
If you’re after Australian Christmas movies also, Stan has a pretty lovely selection. A Sunburnt Christmas, for example, has a 90 per cent score with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Check out our full write-up of holiday titles on Stan here.
For those of you who are after a less traditional Christmas movie, you can find a list of 16 non-Christmas, Christmas films here.
This article has been updated since its original publish date.
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