21 classic Christmas movies you need to watch and where to stream them

Stephen Porzio

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Christmas time is here again, which also means it’s Christmas movie-watching season.

And to make this activity easier for readers, we’ve selected 21 major festive films both new and old and collated the data on where you can stream them.

Happy viewing!

Candy Cane Lane (Prime Video)

A husband and father (Eddie Murphy) who recently lost his job makes a deal with a wicked Christmas elf (Jillian Bell) to win his street’s house decoration contest.

Deck the Halls (Disney+, Prime Video)

Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick are neighbours who get into a feud over Christmas decorations in this comedy.

Die Hard / Die Hard 2 (Disney+)

Actually, all the Die Hards are on Disney+, but only these two are set during Christmas.

Elf (NOW Cinema, Sky Cinema)

Will Ferrell stars in this hilarious comedy as a giddy human raised by Santa’s elves, who learns about his origins and heads to New York City to meet his biological father (a brilliantly grumpy James Caan).

JOE recently caught up with one of Elf’s stars Zooey Deschanel where she talked about the film.

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How the Grinch Stole Christmas / The Grinch (Netflix)

I can’t think of these films without remembering this tweet:

[me telling my story how I survived a plane crash and lived on a deserted island for a year] it was crazy
[friend who once got a text from me where I accidentally called the grinch the grink] was the grink there?
— brent (@murrman5) October 1, 2019

The Holdovers (NOW Cinema, Sky Cinema)

The most recent bonafide Christmas classic, this Oscar-winning comedy drama sees Paul Giamatti play a grumpy teacher at a prestigious American boarding school who must look after the children who are not able to go home for the festive break.

The Holiday (Prime Video, Netflix, NOW Cinema, Sky Cinema)

In this rom-com, Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz play two lovelorn women on opposite sides of the Atlantic who arrange a home exchange.

Winslet heads to LA and starts hanging out with Jack Black, while Diaz takes up a cottage in England while getting to know Jude Law.

It’s a Wonderful Life (Prime Video, NOW Cinema, Sky Cinema)

“Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.”

Klaus (Netflix)

This Oscar-nominated animated adventure comedy follows a desperate postman (Jason Schwartzman) who accidentally brings about the genesis of Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons).

Last Christmas (Prime Video, Netflix)

Taking its name from the Wham! festive bop, Emilia Clarke is charming in this rom-com from the director of Bridesmaids about a disillusioned Christmas store worker who forms a relationship with a mysterious man (Henry Golding).

Love Actually (NOW Cinema, Sky Cinema)

Do you know the real reason why Rowan Atkinson’s salesman took so long to wrap Alan Rickman’s gift in that legendary scene?

Read about it here.

Miracle on 34th Street 1947 / 1994 (Disney+)

A department store Santa Claus claims to be the real Santa in the 1947 classic comedy drama that got a remake in 1994.

Both versions are on Disney+.

Noelle (Disney+)

Anna Kendrick and Bill Hader are Santa’s children, and they must take over his duties in this 2019 fantasy comedy.

The Santa Clause Trilogy (Disney+)

Tim Allen is a reluctant Santa in this beloved trilogy, which also got a TV series spin-off streaming on Disney+.

Spirited (Apple TV+)

Will Ferrell stars again, this time opposite Ryan Reynolds, in this modern musical comedy retelling of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.