93 Best Christmas Movies of All Time
Whether you watch a classic or find something new, there's a Christmas movie for anyone on this list.
The holiday season brings falling snow, twinkling decorations, the coolest gifts, and unforgettable memories made with your family and friends. While snowball fights and Christmas parties are super fun ways to usher in the holidays, nothing beats curling up on the couch with your blankets and besties to watch all the best Christmas movies you grew up loving.
Of course, most classic Christmas movies are available in the age of streaming. If you’re in the mood to watch feel-good flicks that evoke the season’s magical spirit, like When Harry Met Sally and While You Were Sleeping, those are also ready to stream. You can also watch classics like A Miracle on 34th Street and rom-coms like Love Actually that emanate feelings of comfort, warmth, and happiness. Meanwhile, newer holiday hits like Holidate and Happiest Season hit just as hard. So, for your next winter break hangout, celebrate the greatest time of the year and settle in to watch the best Christmas movies of all time.
All I Want for Christmas (1991)
Two years before she played Dani in Hocus Pocus, Thora Birch played a schemer named Hallie, who, along with her brother, concocts a plan to get her divorced parents back together.
'Twas the Night (2001)
This underrated DCOM stars a pre-Breaking Bad Bryan Cranston as Nick, an irresponsible uncle who hijacks Santa Claus's sleigh and goes on a joyride on Christmas Eve.
Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)
Who said Christmas movies had to be holly jolly?
After his parents are brutally murdered on Christmas Eve by someone dressed in a Santa Claus costume, Billy grows up fearing Ol' Saint Nick, as well as the holiday in general. When he becomes an adult, Billy snaps one Christmas Eve and goes on a rampage dressed as Kris Kringle.
MORE: The Best Christmas Horror Movies to Put Some Scare in the Season
I'll Be Home for Christmas (1998)
Nineties heartthrob Jonathan Taylor Thomas plays a self-centered college kid who finds himself stranded in the desert days before Christmas. He's forced to go on quite a journey in order to get home in time for the holiday.
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (2001)
Cole and Dylan Sprouse share the role of Justin, a boy who sees his mom making out with a guy in a Santa Claus suit and mistakingly believes Ol' Saint Nick wants to replace his father. To stop the "affair," Justin takes matters into his own hands.
Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas! (2011)
The holidays don't go as planned for the Duncans when mom Amy and daughter Teddy get separated from the rest of the family days before Christmas.
Happiest Season (2020)
Abby is so in love with her girlfriend, Harper. She's even looking forward to proposing when she visits Harper's family for their annual Christmas dinner. But there's one huge issue: Harper's family has no idea about their relationship or that she's gay. Now, Abby has to decide if she and Harper even have a future together.
Falling for Christmas (2022)
After wealthy hotel heiress Sierra Belmont receives her picture-perfect marriage proposal, she has a skiing accident and suffers from amnesia. She’s found by local lodge owner Jake Russell, who takes her in as she tries to bring back her memory.
Last Christmas (2019)
Based on the song of the same name, Last Christmas follows the story of a woman named Kate in London. She works as an elf all year round and isn't too happy with where her life is going. But when she meets a guy named Tom, everything may change for the better.
Holidate (2020)
Sloane is tired of her family always asking about her love life and Jackson is tired of dating during the holidays. So the two of them decide to team up and be each others' "holidates." That way, he doesn't have to worry about dating and her family will finally leave her alone. But the longer the two of them keep up this arrangement, the more they might actually like each other.
Spirited (2022)
Starring Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, and Octavia Spencer, Spirited is a comical, musical reimagining of the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol.
Last Holiday (2006)
The movie takes place during the holidays, while Georgia is a department store employee. She has big dreams to become a professional chef, but never acts on them. But when she discovers she has a terminal illness, she decides to live her best life.
Home Alone (1990)
Stream Home Alone when being cooped up in the house with the fam over winter break starts to drive you nuts. Eight-year-old Kevin McAllister has to defend his house against a pair of goofy burglars, and the antics he pulls will crack you up. If the movie leaves you wanting more, there's Home Alone 2 and Home Alone 3, too.
Home Alone 2 (1992)
Kevin McAllister is back and up to his usual antics. When he loses his father at the airport he gets on a plane headed to the Big Apple while the rest of his family is headed to Florida. Of course he finds his way into a room at the Plaza Hotel, but while making himself at home, he learns the Sticky Bandits are up to something — and it is up to him to stop them before it is too late.
Four Christmases (2008)
Brad and Kate have been in love for years, but Christmas has always been a struggle with their families. They always make big plans to avoid going home, but this year, they've got no such luck. Now, they're forced to spend it with their dysfunctional families and each of their divorced parents.
Single All the Way (2021)
Tired of his family obsessing over the fact that he’s still single, Peter convinces his best friend Nick to come home for the holidays and pretend to be his boyfriend. Peter soon learns that his mother has coordinated a blind date for him — but the set-up might just prove that Peter and Nick have belonged together this whole time.
Elf (2003)
Year after year, the jokes just don't get old (just check out this hilarious reminder why Elf is the best holiday movie ever!). Watch this one with your friends — you'll be quoting it to each other all through winter break.
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020)
Jeronicus Jangle used to invent toys that everyone loved, but after his apprentice stole one of his most prized creations, he loses his creative spark. Years later, his granddaughter, Journey, is spending the holidays with him when she learns about what happened. She teams up with one of his older inventions to get her granddad back on track and save her family's business.
The Princess Switch (2018)
On a trip to Belgravia right before Christmas, Stacy discovers she looks just like Duchess Margaret Delacourt, a royal figure in the country. Wanting to live a "normal" life, Margaret switches lives with Stacy for two days. This makes sure Stacy is back in time for a baking competition and Margaret can make it to her wedding. But, of course, things aren't that simple when Margaret falls in love with Stacy's BFF Kevin and Stacy has eyes for the prince.
The Princess Switch: Switched Again (2020)
In The Princess Switch sequel, Duchess Margaret thought she avoided life as a royal. But she now finds herself about to become the queen of Montenaro. Plus, she and Kevin are having problems as he begins to think he could never be good enough for her. Stacy now has royal duties of her own, but she helps Margaret again so Margaret and Kevin can have alone time to work through their issues.
But now, a third look-alike has entered the picture. Margaret's cousin Fiona has spent her family's fortune and no one knows that she's decided to take over Margaret's life so she can have the funds of Montenaro's royal treasury all to herself.
Sam is an assistant news editor at Cosmo, covering all things pop culture, entertainment, and celebrity news. She previously covered those same topics along with health, lifestyle, and beauty at Seventeen. When she isn't draping her cheeks in blush, you can probably find her live-tweeting awards shows or making SwiftToks.
Stacey Grant is a senior editor at Seventeen who runs the brand's Snapchat Discover channel. She also covers entertainment topics specializing in nostalgia, such as classic '90s and '00s Disney Channel and Nickelodeon content.
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