From cult classics and comedies to action-packed flicks and romcoms, these holiday movies will help you count down to Christmas.
It’s that time of the year – Mariah Carey and Michael Bublé are awakened from their deep slumber, homes are filled with fresh (or faux) trees, festive markets are popping up, and Orchard Road is transformed into a winter wonderland sans (real) snow. To add to the joyous spirit, we’ve curated a list of our favourite flicks for the Yuletide season. Get into the festive mood with heartwarming, hilarious and hair-raising Christmas movies!
Best Christmas movies to watch
1. The Polar Express
Hop on board the Polar Express, the most magical train ride that’s a perfect watch for the whole fam. The movie follows a boy who’s doubtful about Santa and takes a wild ride on a mysteriously cool train on Christmas Eve. But it’s no ordinary locomotive – it’s THE Polar Express, which is on a mission to make non-believers believe again. He meets some seriously special folks who turn his journey into a Christmas tale for the ages. There’s hot cocoa, carols, and Tom Hanks voicing pretty much everyone.
Watch on Netflix
2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Cosy up with the quirkiest green dude in Whoville. The Grinch, a grumpy ball of fur with a heart two sizes too small, is out to put the “bah humbug” in Christmas. But hold your reindeer – this ain’t your typical holiday hijinks. Watch as the Grinch hatches a plan to swipe Christmas from the cheerful Whos in Whoville. Spoiler alert: there might be some epic sleigh manoeuvres involved. Will the Grinch’s icy heart thaw in time for the festive fun?
Watch on Prime Video
3. Spirited
You know you’re in for a rib-tickling treat when you press play on a movie starring Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell. This musical comedy gives a modern spin to Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, as the story unfolds from the perspective of the ghosts themselves. Are you ready to be whisked off on a magical journey?
Watch on Apple TV
4. The Guardians of The Galaxy Holiday Special
Say what? Yup, you read that right. Marvel dives into the Christmas realm with a festive TV special. Expect the same humour you know and love from the movies as the Guardians make their way to Earth. The mission? To find the perfect present for Quill and make the holidays a memorable one.
Watch on Disney+
5. Falling for Christmas
Lindsay Lohan arrives in style – just in time for a feel good Christmas movie. Paired up with Chord Overstreet (of Glee fame), she plays a pampered, spoiled heiress who falls (literally) head over heels in love and ends up with amnesia after a skiing accident. But left with a choice between her social media influencer boyfriend and the widower owner of a lodge, will she end up with the right man?
Watch on Netflix
6. Love Hard
Starring Nina Dobrev of The Vampire Diaries fame and Darren Barnet aka Paxton Hall-Yoshida from Never Have I Ever, Love Hard tells the story of the former flying 3,000 miles to meet her soulmate. The plot twist? It’s a completely different guy. Don’t worry, it’s a holiday film after all. The catfish trope doesn’t take a deadly turn. Instead, you get endearing moments, as cliche as they might be – isn’t that what Christmas is all about?
Watch on Netflix
7. Single All The Way
Single All The Way is the queer holiday film we’re living for. Tired of his family meddling with his single status, Peter convinces his best friend to pose as his boyfriend. You can tell where this is going, right? Iconic names like Kathy Najimy, Jennifer Coolidge and Michael Urie (from Ugly Betty) star in the film, so be prepared for the warm fuzzies.
Watch on Netflix
8. Office Christmas Party
Can’t wait for your annual office Christmas party? Watch Jennifer Aniston and T. J. Miller one-up each other as they throw the most insane office Xmas party to impress a potential client. Let’s just say it’s NSFW and nothing like the ones we’ve attended in reality. But hey, at least we can relieve our crazy party days vicariously with this banger of a film.
Rent on Apple TV
9. Midnight at the Magnolia
Cheesy? Check. Sweet? Check. OTT acting? Check. Ticking all the right boxes, this holiday film is about two radio hosts, Maggie and Jake, pretending to be a couple so they can bring in massive ratings. While the plot seems trite, our reasoning is that you can totally watch this during the festive season without any judgment.
Watch on Netflix
10. The Nightmare Before Christmas
We can’t help but feel the movie title is a reference to all the Christmas planning. Jokes aside, this cult animation film is a timeless masterpiece. Meticulously created with stop-motion animation, Tim Burton brilliantly showcases gothic styles and themes in the film. Wondering whether it’s a Halloween or Xmas flick? We say it’s both.
Watch on Disney+
11. A Bad Moms Christmas
Forget about romance and get into festive mischief with a trio of “bad” mothers. This sequel to the hilarious Bad Moms movie sees Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn ditching their annual Christmas preparation for a little harmless fun. To make things worse, all their mums have decided to pay them a visit. Let loose and be prepared for belly-aching laughs.
Watch on Apple TV
12. Elf
Comedian Will Ferrell plays a happy-go-lucky elf, so you know you’re in for a good laugh. But don’t let the title fool you – turns out he’s actually a human who crawled into Santa’s bag when he was a baby. Upon that revelation, he travels from the North Pole to the Big Apple to find his biological dad and all sorts of silly shenanigans ensue. This Christmas classic is a great family movie if you ask us.
Watch on Apple TV
13. While You Were Sleeping
Now, on the surface, the plot might seem slightly creepy – Sandra Bullock’s character saves her crush, played by ex-heartthrob Peter Gallagher, from a freak accident. Then, she ends up acting as his fiance while he struggles with memory loss. Totes normal! But apart from that, you’ll likely be rooting for her lovable character as she tugs at your heartstrings with her naivety and innocence. Also, spoiler alert: she ends up falling for someone else.
Watch on Disney+
14. Holidate
Single and dreading family holiday reunions? You might just relate to this film. Two strangers are sick and tired of being single during the holidays so they come up with an arrangement to be each other’s plus one. We say come for Emma Roberts and stay for the feel good plot.
Watch on Netflix
15. Love Actually
This one is a holiday must-watch featuring an all-star cast, including the likes of Keira Knightley, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant and Liam Neeson. This British rom-com may have weathered controversy over the years, but it’s still at the top of our festive list. Warning: you may or may not shed a tear as the film shows the different nuances in relationships through 10 love stories that are linked in one way or another.
Rent on iTunes
16. Home Alone
This movie has been a cult classic for over two decades and with good reason. It’s got slapstick humour, a little crazy action, memorable quotes (“keep the change, ya filthy animal!”) and a happy ending all wrapped up in a bow. Plus, you can continue the rib-tickling marathon with its numerous sequels.
Watch on Disney+
17. The Princess Switch
Christmas is the only time of the year when we close one eye and watch the cheesiest films. Enter The Princess Switch (and its many sequels). Starring Vanessa Hudgens, it’s about two lookalikes trading lives. What’s the plot twist? One of them is a princess. We know, the plot seems trite but hey, let’s give credit to the High School Musical actress for taking up a dual role. Continue the mind-boggling action with its second and third films.
Watch on Netflix
18. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Christmas is magical. What better way to celebrate this joyous occasion than with a Harry Potter movie? We know, the other films in the franchise have wonderful Christmas scenes, but they tend to be darker than the original. Also, in the first instalment, Harry spends December at the magical Hogwarts, enthralling us all with the whimsical world of wizardry.
Available on HBO Go
19. The Holiday
Two lovelorn women, played by Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz, escape their personal heartbreak by flying halfway across the world for a home exchange during the festive season. And Jude Law in a Christmas movie? Count us in. Apart from a cast of Hollywood heavyweights, this movie is endearingly sweet. It’s bound to make even the coldest of hearts melt.
Watch on Amazon Prime Video
20. Last Christmas
As the song goes, “Last Christmas, I gave you my heart; but the very next day, you gave it away…” In this holiday movie, be prepared to cry your heart out. Set in wintery London, Kate has everything working against her. She’s homeless and tries to make ends meet by working at a Christmas shop as an elf – all while recovering from heart surgery. Thanks to a strange turn of fate, she meets a charming man called Tom who helps her see how blessed she truly is. Sounds like a Christmas miracle, right? Well, let’s just say not everything is as it seems.
Watch on Amazon Prime Video
21. Gremlins
This one is for the horror junkies. Imagine getting a cute little critter as a Christmas present, but… there are three rules. Don’t get it wet, don’t expose it to light and, most importantly, don’t feed it after midnight. Of course, like all good horror movies, the rules get broken and all hell breaks loose. But don’t worry, it’s more campy than scary.
Rent on Apple TV
22. Frozen
No matter how old we are, Frozen will always have a special place in our hearts. It has sisterhood and magic – and it’s set in a town that’s perpetually snowing. Join Elsa, Anna and Olaf on adventures like no other in the first and second movies. No one’s judging if you can’t let it go! Extra brownie points if you got the pun.
Watch on Disney+
23. James and the Giant Peach
Based on Roald Dahl’s novel of the same name, James and the Giant Peach is another stop-motion marvel. It tells the story of an orphan boy travelling to New York City on a peach alongside lovable anthropomorphic insects. We can’t really put a finger on it, but the movie never fails to give us all the feels.
Watch on Disney+
So what are you waiting for? Time to binge-watch these superb Christmas movies!
[This article was originally published in 2021 and updated in 2023 by Nicole Nithiyah.]
