We bring good tidings, with a slew of new Christmas movies being released in 2022—and there’s something for everyone! Whether you’ve been waiting with bated breath for Lindsay Lohan’s return or prefer to check out David Harbour as a grizzled and grumpy Santa, we’ve got plenty of alternatives to the holiday classics Die Hard and Love Actually. Here’s where to stream your favorite Christmas movie in 2022.
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New Christmas movies
Christmas action classics
Funny Christmas movies
Christmas movies for kids
Christmas movies on Netflix
Classic Christmas movies
Christmas horror movies
Romantic Christmas movies
New Christmas movies in 2022
Here’s what’s new this year—there are some very decent options (along with some classic cheesy Christmas fare).
Spirited
Year: 2022
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell, Octavia Spencer
What it’s about: A Christmas Carol, but make it funny, and add some musical numbers? Ryan Reynolds is a modern-day Scrooge, and Will Ferrell is the Ghost of Christmas Present.
Available on: AppleTV+
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
Year: 2022
Starring: Sean Gunn, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Kevin Bacon
What it’s about: The gang attempts to create a special Christmas for Quill, with predictably chaotic results. If anyone is playing “Six degrees of Kevin Bacon” this Christmas, this movie will make it easier!
Available on: Disney+
Falling For Christmas
Year: 2022
Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Chord Overstreet, George Young, Jack Wagner
What it’s about: Lindsay Lohan marks her return with a fun Christmas caper involving an amnesiac heiress and a hardworking everyman with a precocious child (sounds kind of like Overboard). Watch out for Lohan singing “Jingle Bell Rock,” which she previously performed in the non-Christmas classic Mean Girls.
Available on: Netflix
Violent Night
Year: 2022
Starring: David Harbour, Beverly D’Angelo, John Leguizamo, Cam Gigandet
What it’s about: After a group of mercenaries break into a wealthy family’s home on Christmas Eve and take everyone hostage, Santa steps in to save the day.
Available on: TBC (cinematic release from 2 December)
Scrooge: A Christmas Carol
Year: 2022
Starring: Luke Evans, Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley
What it’s about: A lighthearted animated telling of the OG Christmas story by Charles Dickens, complete with musical numbers (a bit of a theme this year).
Available on: Netflix
Christmas With You
Year: 2022
Starring: Aimee Garcia, Freddie Prinze Jr.
What it’s about: Popstar Angelina (Aimee Garcia from Lucifer) escapes the demands of her record label and makes a surprise visit to a fan in a small town. When she is snowed in, Angelina is invited to stay with the young fan and her single father (Freddie Prinze Jr.), reconnecting with her roots and falling in love (of course!).
Available on: Netflix
Christmas action classics
A unique category that possibly only exists to house the best holiday movie of all—and a few other controversial choices.
Die Hard
Year: 1988
Starring: Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, Alan Rickman
What it’s about: You know what it’s about! But is it a Christmas movie? It takes place during a Christmas party, the soundtrack is full of Christmas classics, and more Americans watch Die Hard at Christmas than Home Alone. Convince us it doesn’t belong on this list.
Batman Returns
Year: 1992
Starring: Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken
What it’s about: The Penguin wreaks havoc at Christmas, Catwoman seeks vengeance, and Batman fights to save Gotham City.
Available on: HBO Max
Lethal Weapon
Year: 1987
Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey
What it’s about: Murtaugh and Riggs, an odd-couple pair of cops, are assigned to work together. As Christmas approaches, they uncover a drug-smuggling operation, becoming friends along the way.
Available on: Roku
The Long Kiss Goodnight
Year: 1996
Starring: Geena Davis, Samuel L. Jackson
What it’s about: A small-town mom with amnesia discovers she is actually an assassin working for the United States government. As her memory returns, she is torn between the life she’s made for herself and the life she used to lead. (And it’s Christmas.)
Available on: Available to stream or buy on AppleTV+, YouTube, and major cord-cutting services
Funny Christmas movies
Why should the kids have all the Christmas fun? These movies feature grownups getting into plenty of Christmas shenanigans, from stoner comedies like Harold and Kumar and The Night Before through to dark comedies like The Ref and The Family Stone.
The Night Before
Year: 2015
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie
What it’s about: Three lifelong friends spend Christmas Eve searching New York for the Nutcracker Ball, the holy grail of Christmas parties.
Available on: fuboTV, AMC+, DirecTV
A Bad Moms Christmas
Year: 2017
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn
What it’s about: When their mothers decide to come and visit at Christmas, these bad moms let loose and finally stand up for themselves.
Available on: Netflix
A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas
Year: 2011
Starring: Kal Penn, John Cho, Neil Patrick Harris
What it’s about: After a long estrangement, Kumar arrives at Harold’s and accidentally burns down Harold’s father-in-law’s prize Christmas tree. They go on a mission through New York to find the perfect replacement.
Available on: HBO Max
Bad Santa
Year: 2003
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Bernie Mac, Lauren Graham
What it’s about: An alcoholic conman and his partner pose as Santa and his helper to rob a department store each year on Christmas Eve.
Available on: Available to stream or buy on Apple TV+, YouTube, and major cord-cutting services
Deck the Halls
Year: 2006
Starring: Mathew Broderick, Danny DeVito, Kristin Chenoweth, Kristin Davis
What it’s about: Two neighbors war over whose house has the best Christmas lights.
Available on: Starz, DirecTV
Four Christmases
Year: 2008
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughan, Mary Steenburgen
What it’s about: A couple lies to both sets of their divorced parents so they can go on a tropical vacation at Christmas. After they’re caught out, they have to visit each of their parents on Christmas Day.
Available on: HBO Max, DirecTV
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Year: 1989
Starring: Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Juliette Lewis, Johnny Galecki
What it’s about: The Griswolds are preparing for a fun family Christmas, but chaos ensues (surprise!).
Available on: HBO Max, DirecTV
Noelle
Year: 2019
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Bill Hader, Shirley MacLaine
What it’s about: Nick and Noelle are Santa’s kids, but Nick is ordained to take over as Santa. Nick gets cold feet and goes AWOL right before Christmas, so Noelle sets out to find him.
Available on: Disney+
Scrooged
Year: 1988
Starring: Bill Murray, Carol Kane, Robert Mitchum
What it’s about: A mean-spirited television executive is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve.
Available on: Prime Video, Paramount+
The Family Stone
Year: 2005
Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Dermot Mulroney, Diane Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Luke Wilson, Claire Danes
What it’s about: A man brings his highly-strung girlfriend home to meet his eccentric, close-knit family at Christmas, but she doesn’t fit in.
Available on: Starz, DirecTV
The Ref
Year: 1994
Starring: Denis Leary, Judy Davis, Kevin Spacey
What it’s about: A cat burglar takes a wealthy Connecticut couple hostage during a heist-gone-wrong, but they’re in marriage counseling and drive him crazy with their bickering. To avoid being arrested he must act as their referee.
Available on: Hoopla
Trading Places
Year: 1994
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd, Ralph Bellamy
What it’s about: A homeless man trades places with a wealthy, privileged commodities broker as part of a bet by two millionaires.
Available on: Available to stream or buy on Apple TV+, YouTube, and major cord-cutting services
Christmas movies for kids
There’s plenty of winter magic here, from Christmas hijinx to stories of redemption, and lots of kids saving the day.
The Christmas Chronicles
Year: 2018
Starring: Kurt Russell
What it’s about: Siblings Teddy and Kate hatch a plan to catch Santa on camera, but they end up on a magical and unexpected journey.
Available on: Netflix
Arthur Christmas
Year: 2011
Starring: James McAvoy, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy
What it’s about: Santa’s clumsy son Arthur goes on a mission with his Grandsanta to deliver a misplaced present to a young girl only hours before Christmas morning dawns.
Available on: Prime Video, Hulu, HBO Max, DirecTV
Elf
Year: 2003
Starring: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, Zooey Deschanel
What it’s about: Buddy was left in an orphanage as a baby, but accidentally ended up at the North Pole. After being raised by elves, Santa allows an adult Buddy to return to New York to find his birth father.
Available on: HBO Max, DirecTV
Home Alone
Year: 1990
Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern
What it’s about: Amid a mad dash to the airport for their vacation, the McCallister family accidentally leaves behind their 8-year-old son, Kevin. Kevin is thrilled at first but must defend his house from a pair of burglars calling themselves the Wet Bandits.
Available on: Disney+
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Year: 1992
Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern
What it’s about: This time, the McCallisters remember Kevin, but due to a mix-up at the airport, he gets on the wrong plane and ends up in New York by himself. He books a room at the Plaza Hotel but soon crosses paths with the Wet Bandits again.
Available on: Disney+
Jingle All the Way
Year: 1996
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, Rita Wilson
What it’s about: A busy father promises to get his son a popular Turbo Man action figure for Christmas. But every store is sold out, and he must spend Christmas Eve trying to track one down at any cost.
Available on: Starz, DirecTV
Miracle on 34th Street
Year: 1994
Starring: Richard Attenborough, Elizabeth Perkins, Dylan McDermott, Mara Wilson
What it’s about: A little girl who knows ‘the truth’ about Santa meets a department store Santa who’s convinced he’s the real thing. She and a lawyer must work together to prove his claim. (See Classic Christmas Movies for the original 1947 version.)
Available on: Disney+
The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two
Year: 2020
Starring: Kurt Russell, Goldie Hawn
What it’s about: Now a cynical teenager, Kate is unexpectedly reunited with Santa and must help save Christmas.
Available on: Netflix
The Grinch
Year: 2018
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch
What it’s about: The Whos live in Whoville, and they all love Christmas. Just outside town lives the Grinch, who hates Christmas and plans to steal it. (You can also look for the original animated version and the live-action Jim Carrey version.)
Available on: fuboTV, FXNOW, DirecTV
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Year: 1992
Starring: Michael Caine
What it’s about: The Muppet characters retell the classic Christmas tale of the redemption of Ebenezer Scrooge.
Available on: Disney+
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Year: 1993
Starring: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara
What it’s about: Jack Skellington is the king of Halloween Town. When he discovers Christmas Town, he attempts to bring Christmas to his home.
Available on: Disney+
The Polar Express
Year: 2004
Starring: Tom Hanks
What it’s about: On Christmas Eve, a young boy boards a magical train headed to the North Pole.
Available on: HBO Max, DirecTV
The Santa Clause
Year: 1994
Starring: Tim Allen
What it’s about: After accidentally knocking Santa off his roof on Christmas Eve, an ordinary dad must step in and take his place.
Available on: Disney+
Christmas movies on Netflix
Is Netflix aiming to be the new Hallmark this Christmas? There’s plenty to choose from, including Hallmark-style romances as well as some surprisingly good additions to the Christmas genre.
Love Hard
Year: 2021
Starring: Nina Dobrev, Jimmy O. Yang
What it’s about: In one of the better Netflix Christmas movies, a young woman in LA realizes she’s been catfished when she decides to surprise the guy she’s been chatting with on a dating app. Highlights include a caroling duet with beautifully updated lyrics for “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”
Available on: Netflix
A Boy Called Christmas
Year: 2021
Starring: Maggie Smith, Henry Lawfull, Jim Broadbent, Kristen Wiig
What it’s about: Father Christmas’s origin story; a young boy called Nicholas searches for his father, who is on a mission to discover the fabled village of Elfhelm.
Available on: Netflix
A Castle for Christmas
Year: 2021
Starring: Brooke Shields, Cary Elwes
What it’s about: A bestselling author decides to escape to Scotland to avoid a scandal. She falls in love with a castle and the grumpy duke who owns it.
Available on: Netflix
Holidate
Year: 2020
Starring: Emma Roberts, Luke Bracey
What it’s about: Two strangers agree to be each other’s platonic plus-ones for the year, only to develop feelings for each other.
Available on: Netflix
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
Year: 2020
Starring: Forest Whitaker, Keegan-Michael Key, Hugh Bonneville, Anika Noni Rose
What it’s about: Jeronicus Jangle is a legendary toymaker, but when his apprentice steals his most prized creation, his granddaughter must go on an adventure to recover it with the help of a long-forgotten invention.
Available on: Netflix
Let it Snow
Year: 2019
Starring: Kiernan Shipka, Joan Cusack, Isabela Merced
What it’s about: A snowstorm brings together a group of young people in a small town on Christmas Eve.
Available on: Netflix
Single All the Way
Year: 2021
Starring: Michael Urie, Philemon Chambers, Kathy Najimy, Jennifer Coolidge
What it’s about: To avoid judgment from his family, Peter convinces his best friend Nick to pretend to be in a relationship with him for the holidays. Another top Netflix pick, and notably Netflix’s first gay rom-com.
Available on: Netflix
The Princess Switch
Year: 2018
Starring: Vanessa Hudgens, Sam Palladio, Nick Sagar
What it’s about: A baker from Chicago travels to Belgravia with her best friend to compete in a Christmas baking competition, where she bumps into a duchess who looks just like her. They decide to switch lives for a couple of days.
Available on: Netflix
The Princess Switch: Switched Again
Year: 2020
Starring: Vanessa Hudgens, Sam Palladio, Nick Sagar
What it’s about: The Duchess unexpectedly inherits the throne to Montenaro. Her lookalike friend must save the day before a third lookalike steals the throne.
Available on: Netflix
The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star
Year: 2021
Starring: Vanessa Hudgens, Sam Palladio, Nick Sagar
What it’s about: The three lookalikes must join forces to recover a priceless relic on loan to Montenaro from the Vatican.
Available on: Netflix
Classic Christmas movies
These golden oldies are the Christmas classics that have stood the test of time—featuring all your favorite festive songs, life lessons, and some familiar dialogue.
White Christmas
Year: 1954
Starring: Bing Crosby, Danny Kay, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen
What it’s about: Ex-Army friends team up to become a successful song-and-dance act. They meet two beautiful sisters who also perform. The four of them band together to help save a failing Vermont inn. Famous for Bing Crosby singing ‘White Christmas’, which Irving Berlin wrote for the film.
Available on: Netflix
A Christmas Carol (aka Scrooge)
Year: 1951
Starring: Alastair Sim, Jack Warner, Kathleen Harrison
What it’s about: Miserly Ebenezer Scrooge has no time for Christmas. But this Christmas Eve, he is visited by three Christmas spirits who show him the error of his ways. Famous for the line, “God bless us, every one.”
Available on: Plex
It’s a Wonderful Life
Year: 1946
Starring: James Stewart, Donna Reed
What it’s about: A frustrated businessman is visited by an angel, who shows him what life would have been like if he had never existed. Famous for the line, “every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.”
Available on: Prime Video, fuboTV, Hoopla, Plex
Meet Me in St. Louis
Year: 1944
Starring: Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien, Mary Astor
What it’s about: A wealthy family with four beautiful daughters live happily in St. Louis but are forced to relocate to New York, leaving behind love, St. Louis, and the St. Louis Fair. Famous for Judy Garland’s rendition of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”
Available on: Available to stream or buy on Apple TV+, YouTube, and major cord-cutting services
Miracle on 34th Street
Year: 1947
Starring: Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood
What it’s about: See Christmas Movies for Kids for the 1994 remake.
Available on: Prime Video, Disney+
Christmas horror movies
Whether exploring folklore, making statements about consumer culture, or just opting for all-out gore with a side of zombies, these are the festive picks of the horror genre.
Black Christmas
Year: 2019
Starring: Imogen Poots, Cary Elwes
What it’s about: A group of sorority pledges is stalked by a stranger during Christmas break. Refusing to be terrorized, they fight back and discover that the killer is part of a college conspiracy.
Available on: DirecTV
A Christmas Horror Story
Year: 2015
Starring: William Shatner
What it’s about: A family is stalked through a winter wonderland by Krampus (the Christmas demon), a couple’s young son starts behaving strangely after a trip to get a Christmas tree, and Santa is fighting off zombie elves at the North Pole.
Available on: Available to stream or buy on Apple TV+, YouTube, and major cord-cutting services
Better Watch Out
Year: 2016
Starring: Olivia DeJonge, Levi Miller, Ed Oxenbould
What it’s about: A babysitter must defend a 12-year-old boy from intruders; however, she soon discovers that this is no “normal” home invasion.
Available on: fuboTV, Hoopla, Roku, Tubi, Peacock, Vudu, Crackle
Gremlins
Year: 1984
Starring: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates
What it’s about: A young man is given a new pet but inadvertently breaks two of three mysterious rules; no water, no bright light, and no food after midnight. Miniature green monsters take over the town of Kingston Falls.
Available on: HBO Max, Peacock Premium
Krampus
Year: 2015
Starring: Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner
What it’s about: Max is annoyed at his dysfunctional family and turns his back on Christmas, unleashing the spirit of Krampus, the Christmas demon. Beloved holiday icons take on a life of their own, forcing the family to fight together to survive.
Available on: fuboTV, DirecTV, Peacock Premium
Romantic Christmas movies
There’s nothing like a little Christmas romance; think mulled wine by a fire, grand gestures in the falling snow, or a kiss under the mistletoe.
Happiest Season
Year: 2020
Starring: Kristen Davis, Mackenzie Davis, Mary Steenburgen, Dan Levy
What it’s about: Abby is about to propose to Harper. But a trip to stay with Harper’s family at Christmas forces Harper to admit that her family doesn’t know she’s gay, much less in a relationship.
Available on: Hulu
Bridget Jones’s Diary
Year: 2001
Starring: Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant
What it’s about: Bridget Jones keeps a diary as she tries to improve herself and her love life over the course of a year. Full of hilariously awkward moments, it also features an excellent fight scene.
Available on: fuboTV, Showtime, PlutoTV, DirecTV
The Holiday
Year: 2006
Starring: Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Jack Black
What it’s about: Two women, one from L.A. and one from London, decide to escape their complicated love lives and swap homes at Christmas. It’s a Nancy Meyers film, so expect stunning homes and plenty of festive romance.
Available on: DirecTV, TNT
Love Actually
Year: 2003
Starring: All of England
What it’s about: Eight love stories play out in parallel across London at Christmas. (Just don’t try to make sense of the timeline.)
Available on: fuboTV, Showtime, Peacock Premium
If you can’t get enough Christmas content, check out the Hallmark Christmas movies, watch the best Christmas TV episodes ever, or find out what else is streaming this holiday season.
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