Your Weekend Plans Now Include Binge-Watching Netflix’s Best Holiday Movies
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Your Weekend Plans Now Include Binge-Watching Netflix’s Best Holiday Movies
Each year, come December, it’s time to break out all the beloved holiday traditions: picking out gifts for friends and family, bundling up to spend the evening outside ooh-ing and ahh-ing over festive decorations, and planning your Netflix movie marathon. (Although there’s no shame in watching a snow-filled movie in August.) Over the past few years, the streaming service has become the place for holiday cheer, gifting viewers original holiday movies, like The Christmas Prince and Jingle Jangle, and most recently, adding a third film to its Princess Switch series (love u, Vanessa Hudgens!).
They've all pretty much become instant holiday classics, not to mention the *perfect* pairing for a night of popcorn and hot chocolate for those evenings when it’s just too brrr-inducing to venture outside.But those aren't the only holiday films you should add to your Netflix binge-watch list. The streaming service is overflowing with Christmas movies, from timeless classics like White Christmas, to films with plenty of classic holiday meet-cutes, like Holidate. Or maybe you're more into watching couples falling in love while saving orphaned baby elephants and learning the true meaning of the holiday season, as they do in Holiday in the Wild?
Oh, and if you're not into Hallmark-style fare (who even are you?), Netflix has some unexpected holiday movie options, too. You'll def want to check out Christmas Crossfire and Christmas Break-In when you can't stand one more snow-covered rom-com.
So, if you're looking for something Christmas-y to watch for your next night in, look no further than this list of the 48 best holiday movies on Netflix. And don't worry—it's been checked twice.
Gabriel Hennessey - 2/47
1) The Princess Switch 3
Is it even Christmas if Vanessa Hudgens isn’t getting mistaken for the queen of a small country or a scheming cousin trying to ruin the holiday season? In the third installment of this Netflix original movie series, Queen Margaret and Princess Stacey (both played by Vanessa Hudgens) must enlist the help of cousin Fiona (also played by Vanessa Hudgens) when a priceless royal relic is stolen.
But will a dashing, mysterious man from her past help Fiona reform her selfish ways? And will there be the introduction of a fourth character also played by Vanessa Hudgens? You’ll just have to wait until this winter to find out.
Premiering Winter 2021
Netflix - 3/47
2) The Princess Switch
Before seeing the latest installment in this identity-swapping trilogy, why not take a watch down memory lane? In The Princess Switch, Vanessa Hudgens plays a single American baker who enters a baking competition in Belgravia. While she’s there, she meets a woman who looks just like her and is engaged to a prince. The two switch lives for a bit and—surprise, surprise—romantic entanglements ensue.
Netflix - 4/47
3) The Princess Switch 2: Switched Again
How do you make a holiday movie about two identical strangers who decide to switch places and fall in love at Christmas even better? Add a third identical stranger(ish), obviously. When soon-to-be Queen Margaret Delacourt (Vanessa Hudgens) needs some support from her closest friend before her coronation, it's back to Belgravia for Princess Stacy (Vanessa Hudgens). But no one warned the doppelgänger duo about Lady Fiona (Vanessa Hudgens), who has a dastardly plot to bring down Margaret—and the holidays.
Netflix - 5/47
4) Mariah Carey’s Merriest Christmas
The Queen of Christmas herself is ready to help you celebrate the season in this musical special, especially if your fave way is dancing around your house while belting holiday songs into your hairbrush/microphone. Get ready to sing along with Mariah to all the Christmas classics—yes, even that one.
Netflix - 6/47
5) Christmas Wedding Planner
There’s nothing like being a wedding planner during the holidays to remind a girl how single she is. But Kelsey doesn’t have the time to dwell on it when Connor, a private investigator, shows up right before the big Christmas wedding that is supposed to be Kelsey’s big break into the industry and threatens to ruin the whole thing.
Netflix - 7/47
6) DreamWorks Holiday Classics
It’s a sleigh full of your favorite DreamWorks characters in this set of four short holiday-based films from the animation studio. Get ready to giggle the night away with Shrek and Donkey, Hiccup and Toothless from How To Train Your Dragon, and those penguins from Madagascar who are always up to no good.
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7) A Boy Called Christmas
After his father goes missing, a young boy named Nikolas must travel to the North Pole to save him—and maybe realize his destiny as a certain man in a red and white suit?—in this family-friendly film. Based on the book of the same name by Matt Haig, A Boy Called Christmas stars Henry Lawfull, Sally Hawkins, Kristen Wiig, and the always-a-joy-to-watch Maggie Smith.
Premiering Winter 2021
Netflix - 9/47
11) A Thousand Kilometres from Christmas
A man in his thirties who has forgotten the meaning of Christmas tries to reignite his holiday spirit, reluctantly, in this new Spanish rom-com.
Johann Müller / EyeEm - Getty Images - 10/47
12) Holidate
What's a list of holiday movies without at least one "friends with judgy families who promise to just be each other's plus one but end up falling in love with each other" film? While it may seem like a tired trope, the scenes with Kristen Chenoweth alone make Holidate worth a watch
Netflix - 11/47
13) Dolly Parton's Christmas On The Square
Dolly Parton is here to once again prove that she's a national treasure. (Not that she doesn't already firmly hold that title.) The Grammy winner's new holiday special features 14 new songs, Jenifer Lewis, and a delightfully grinchy Christine Baranski, so go ahead and have a holly Dolly Christmas.
Netflix - 12/47
14) Pottersville
Who hasn’t had a night where they’ve had too much to drink, wandered around their small town in a gorilla suit, and been mistaken for Bigfoot? But when Maynard’s stunt gets local and then national attention, tourists flock to the town, causing him to realize this sudden spotlight just might be what can save the town in this off-beat Christmas comedy.
Movieclips Indie@Youtube - 13/47
15) A Very Murray Christmas
Every holiday could always use some more Bill Murray. With special guests Miley Cyrus, Phoenix, George Clooney, and Chris Rock—just to name a few—A Very Murray Christmas is Murray at his best. His dancing-and-singing-and-drinking-until-he-passes-out-on-Christmas-Eve best.
Netflix - 14/47
16) A Christmas Prince
The Netflix Christmas original that started it all, The Christmas Prince took the internet by storm in 2017. The holiday rom-com follows journalist Amber Moore as she travels to Aldovia to cover the crown prince's ascension to the royal throne. She goes undercover to report on the story...and ends up falling for the prince in the process (because, of course she does).
But will they get their snow-capped happily ever after? You'll just have to tune in to find out.
Netflix - 15/47
17) A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding
After people lost their collective sh*t over A Christmas Prince, Netflix did what it does best: make a seriously corny sequel. And, just like another princess-themed franchise (cough, The Princess Diaries, cough) this time, there’s a royal wedding going down.Expect ridiculous hijinks, cringe-worthy banter, and truly insane wedding-dress designs. File this Christmas movie under "So Bad, It's Good."
Netflix - 16/47
18) A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish
Laura Marano (who you last saw on Netflix alongside Noah Centineo in The Perfect Date) stars in this modern-day retelling of Cinderella with a Christmas twist. Marano stars as Kat, an aspiring singer-songwriter who is treated like a servant and demoralized by her stepmother and stepsisters.
But, the handsome new Santa at the tree lot, an invitation to the exclusive Wintergarden Christmas Gala, and some holiday magic just might make this her best Christmas yet.
Netflix - 17/47
19) A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby
Still want more Aldovia? Netflix heard your pleas, and oh, have they answered. In A Christmas Prince 3: The Royal Baby, now Queen Amber and King Richard are getting ready to welcome the next heir to the throne, but things are about to get a little dicey (as they tend to do in the country right before Christmas).
When King Tai and Queen Ming visit to renew a sacred truce, and the treaty suddenly goes missing, Amber, Richard and Princess Emily only have until Christmas Eve to find it.
Netflix - 18/47
20) Let It Snow
Multiple storylines of teens dealing with relationships, friends, and friends who maybe want to be more than friends come together during one fateful Christmas Eve snowstorm in Let It Snow. (Think Love Actually but with more waffles and more Kiernan Shipka.)
It's based on the novel comprised of three short stories that intersect by YA masters John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle, so you can expect some seriously heartwarming and funny moments. After its 2020 release, Let It Snow took Twitter by storm with viewers praising its sweetest scenes, as well as its positive representation of LGBTQ+ relationships and family dynamics.
Netflix - 19/47
21) White Christmas
What's a Christmas movie marathon without this 1950s classic? Something out of the Grinch's lair, that's what. The heartwarming film follows two friends and former soldiers who decide to help their former Army general's struggling inn drum up Christmas business by putting on a big show. The cast is incredible (Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney!), and the dance numbers are *chef's kiss*.
Netflix - 20/47
22) Christmas Survival
Christmas Survival brings some good, ole fashioned and much-needed dry British humor to the holiday season. (Shown even more by the title it was released under in the U.K.: Surviving Christmas with the Relatives.)
When family members gather for the holidays at their parents' dilapidated country house, it becomes much more of a test of their endurance than a celebration of the season.
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23) Christmas In The Heartland
How far would you be willing to go to not have to spend Christmas with family you've never met? If it's not "switch places with a stranger you meet on an airplane who also doesn't want to go home for the holidays," then it's not far enough.
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24) El Camino Christmas
Another Netflix original Christmas movie, this one stars Jessica Alba as a reporter and Dax Shepard as a sheriff's deputy. (Worth noting: This shouldn't be confused with the new Breaking Bad film.) Their everyday lives get turned upside down when five strangers get trapped together inside a liquor store during a holdup on Christmas Eve. Yikes. But I guess there are worse places to be on lockdown...
Netflix - 23/47
25) Christmas Inheritance
So cheesy, yet so so good. In order to prove to her father that she's capable of running the family's toy business, spoiled heiress Ellie pays a visit to Snow Falls (where the company started) to learn the true meaning of Christmas. Along the way, she just so happens to meet a handsome hunk, and, well, you can probably guess what happens next...
Netflix - 24/47
26) The Holiday Calendar
If you've been missing Kat Graham ever since Vampire Diaries ended, then you'll be v happy to see her front and center inThe Holiday Calendar. She plays a photographer who's given a magical Advent calendar—yes, really—that reveals unexpected clues to her destiny.
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27) Christmas With A View
Vivica A. Fox and Patrick Duffy star in this Christmas rom-com, which tells the story of an aspiring restaurant owner who meets a famous chef when he comes to work at her hotel. As you might guess, things get ~spicy~ from there.
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28) Santa Girl
Think the holidays at your house are awkward? Imagine if you're Santa's daughter, Cassie, who has just left home for the first time to go to college, where she's fallen in love with someone who is definitely not the son of Jack Frost, the person she's supposed to marry before taking over the family business. Things are about to get a little complicated, to say the least.
Netflix - 27/47
29) Holly Star
They say there are those moments when your life flashes before your eyes. When puppeteer Sloane has one of her own while home for the holidays, she's able to catch a glimpse of where to find a buried treasure. Sloane, her best friend, and her childhood sweetheart soon find themselves caught up in the mystery, but hey, there are probably worse ways to spend the holidays than on a treasure hunt.
Netflix - 28/47
30) Elliot: The Littlest Reindeer
When Blitzen announces his retirement, Elliot decides this is the perfect chance to make his dream of being one of Santa's reindeer come true—even if he is a miniature horse. I guess if there's any time of year where you just might get everything you ever wanted, it's Christmastime.
Netflix - 29/47
31) Angela's Christmas Wish
Add Angela's Christmas Wish to the top of your must-watch list the next time the whole family is looking to spend the night in together. This sweet story, based on a children's book by Pulitzer Prize–winning author Frank McCourt, follows a young Irish girl who, after seeing that the baby Jesus doll in the local nativity scene has been left without a blanket, makes it her personal mission to ensure he's able to stay warm.
This, of course, is easier said than done. The adventures Angela has, plus the film's overall message of generosity might make it a new family favorite.
Netflix - 30/47
32) Holiday In The Wild
Yes, Rob Lowe and Kristin Davis are technically the stars of Holiday in the Wild, but you could make a pretty good argument that the elephants are the real scene stealers in this rom-com set in Zambia. After her husband announces he's leaving her right before they're supposed to head out on a safari vacation (rude), Kristin's character Kate ends up on her second honeymoon alone.
But don't worry. Between Lowe's character Derek and an orphaned elephant who needs nursing back to health, Kate might just end up having the Christmas of a lifetime.
Netflix - 31/47
33) The Knight Before Christmas
he Knight Before Christmas officially gets the award for the best Christmas pun/title on this list. Vanessa Hudgens stars as Brooke, a teacher who has given up on love until she (quite literally) runs into Sir Cole Christopher Frederick Lyons, a medieval knight who has somehow ended up in the present day.
Brooke, of course, feels compelled to help Sir Cole get back to his right time period or remember who he actually is—whichever comes first. That is, unless Brooke and Sir Cole find themselves living happily ever after instead...
Netflix - 32/47
34) Super Monsters Save Christmas
When Santa's reindeer go missing before Christmas, the Super Monsters (a.k.a. the kids of famous monsters like a mummy, a vampire, and a witch) are on the case. This family-friendly film is sure to put a smile on everyone's face.
Netflix - 33/47
35) Holiday Rush
Popular radio DJ Rush Williams and his four kids, who are used to living a lavish lifestyle, get a heavy dose of reality when Rush loses his job right before the holidays.
But when the radio station where Rush had his first job conveniently comes up for sale, not all the family's holiday cheer is lost. With some help from his producer and his aunt (Marlene Love), plus a healthy dose of the simpler life with his family, Rush just might be able to put his plans for Christmas back on the air.
Netflix - 34/47
36) Klaus
A spoiled and terrible postman Jesper teams up with a reclusive, burly toymaker named Klaus to bring cheer (and toys) to the children of Smeerensberg, an icy, Nordic island that has lost its happiness to generations-long family feuds.
Word soon gets out, and the children of Smeerensberg start writing letters to Klaus to request their toy of choice and explain any recent selfless acts they have performed. Their parents, however, decide to put aside their differences and work together to rid the town of their new common enemy: Jesper and Klaus.
With stunning visuals and a cast that includes Jason Schwartzman, J.K. Simmons, and Rashida Jones, the animated Netflix original Klaus breathes new life into a classic legend.
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38) Christmas Crossfire
This one's for all of you out there who are also on the right side of the argument about whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie. After a man interrupts an intended murder, he finds himself in the would-be killers' sights. Don't you just hate it when that happens?
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39) A Very Country Christmas Homecoming
When a country music star needs a break from fame and returns home for the holidays he, you guessed it, falls in love with a spunky single mom who lives in a small town but has big dreams. Hey, a holiday rom-com can be a li'l predictable and still totally entertaining, k?
Netflix - 38/47
40) Christmas Catch
Serious police detective Mackenzie Bennett can't be knocked off her game or her case to recover a stolen diamond encrusted reindeer (because this is a holiday detective movie)—unless, of course, the thief is an attractive man who she already literally fell for. Expect sparks and hijinks to ensue when Mackenzie tries to close this case before Christmas.
Netflix - 39/47
41) A New York Christmas Wedding
Jennifer gets the gift of a Christmas do-over when a stranger she meets on the street one night ends up being her guardian angel. But when faced with the decision to stick with the life she knows and the life that she could have had, which will she choose? (Da da dunnnn.)
Netflix - 40/47
42) The Christmas Chronicles
Kurt Russell stars as a cool-as-hell Santa (obviously) who gets stuck after two kids steal away in his sleigh (landing them on the naughty list, for sure). Come for Kurt, stay for the hilarious dialogue.
Netflix - 41/47
43) The Christmas Chronicles 2
The Clauses (played by better halves in real life and the North Pole, Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn) are unexpectedly reunited with those kids who gave them so much trouble in the first Christmas Chronicles film when the holiday is threatened to be cancelled forever.
Netflix - 42/47
44) Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker
It just isn't the holiday season without a performance of The Nutcracker. And with most live performances cancelled this year, Netflix is giving audiences a behind-the-scenes look at legendary dancer and choreographer Debbie Allen's original rendition of the classic ballet in this new documentary. Trust, you'll be giving this one a standing ovation.
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45) Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
Remember that feeling you got when you were a kid and you opened up the last present under the tree on Christmas morning and it was the exact toy you'd been waiting to get all year? If that feeling of wonder was bottled and infused into a movie, it would be Jingle Jangle, the story of a toymaker (Forest Whitaker) who creates something so magical that not even Keegan-Michael Key with a sinister mustache can spoil it.
Netflix - 44/47
46) Operation Christmas Drop
What's it take for a by-the-book Congressional aid to finally relax enough to understand the true meaning of the holidays? Nothing more than a trip to a U.S. Air Force base on a tropical island, some heartwarming moments with local kids in need, and one dashing and charismatic captain.
Netflix - 45/47
47) Just Another Christmas
The idea of getting to celebrate Christmas every day sounds like the perfect deal, except if you're Jorge, a family man who was born on Dec. 25 and hates the holiday. But you know what normally helps people learn to understand the true meaning of the season? Being forced to relive it over and over and over again.
Netflix - 46/47
48) Christmas With A Prince
Spending the holidays in a festive fairytale castle with a handsome prince? Yes. Spending the holidays caring for a selfish, whiny (but still handsome) prince after he breaks his leg in a skiing accident? No, thank you. But that's exactly what happens in this film—and you can bet that a dedicated pediatrician and her young patients will help thaw his cold exterior.
Brain Power Studio@Youtube - 47/47
49) Christmas Break-In
Okay, so, yes, the plot of Christmas Break-In sounds oddly familiar: Kid accidentally ends up in a situation where robbers are trying to throw some coal on the holiday season and the kid, ummm, alone is the only person who can save the day. But that doesn't mean a bowl of popcorn and a glass (read: many glasses) of mulled wine won't help make this Denise Richards and Danny Glover–starring film a perfectly fine way to spend a cold night in.
Italia Film Middle East@Youtube
What, like you had anything else planned?
