10 classic Christmas movies and where to stream them

One of the things I love about the Christmas holidays is the time they provide to sink into my couch and watch some classic festive comfort flicks. JustWatch has revealed their list of the most rewatched movies of the season, based on the last three holiday periods, and it’s official—viewers crave humor, warmth, and nostalgia.

This year, as you gather with your people, settle in and watch any or all of these 10 certified classic Christmas movies.

10

It’s a Wonderful Life

It’s a Wonderful Life is crucial because it was one of the first films to modernize the holiday spirit. It’s Christmas Eve, 1945, and George Bailey (James Stewart) is busy contemplating suicide. See, he sacrificed his own dreams to help his family and community, then he fell into financial ruin.

By December 24, his overwhelm and despair were suffocating. At the perfect moment, his guardian angel appears and gives him a glimpse of what life would’ve looked like without him, revealing George’s profound impact on others. As a result, George realizes the value of his own life and is forever changed. As one of the most inspirational American films ever made, it’s a perfect watch to remind ourselves of the importance of gratitude, community, and self-sacrifice.

Stream It’s a Wonderful Life on Amazon Prime Video.

9

The Holiday

Break out the mistletoe, because we’re venturing into a cozy rom-com with Jack Black, Jude Law, Cameron Diaz, and Kate Winslet. The Holiday’s self-care vibe offers a fun escape from life’s trouble to self-love and new beginnings. It’s the time of year for rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation, and that’s exactly what this movie inspires.

Our story follows two broken-hearted women who meet on a home-exchange website and decide to swap homes for Christmas. Amanda (Diaz) is a Los Angeles-based movie trailer editor who has just been cheated on, and Iris (Winslet), a journalist from a small English village, is in love with a man about to marry another woman. Both believe they can escape love with this little swaparoo, but the universe has other plans.

Stream The Holiday on AMC+.

The Holiday

Release Date

December 5, 2006

Runtime

136 minutes

Director

Nancy Meyers

8

Love Actually

Quirky rom-coms are popular during the holiday, thanks to the warm, fuzzy feelings they inspire. The season is all about love and connection, especially in the face of loss, and that’s where Love Actually takes us.

Set in London, this interconnected story of love, loss, and relationships features nine separate plots, most leading up to Christmas. Storylines include a writer falling for his housekeeper, a musician’s manager pursuing a hit Christmas song, one man struggling with his wife’s infidelity while another struggles with his feelings for his best friend’s wife, and a stepfather and stepson bonding through their shared grief. Through these narratives, we get to explore familial, romantic, and unrequited love.

Stream Love Actually on Amazon Prime Video.

Love Actually

Release Date

September 7, 2003

Runtime

135 minutes

Director

Richard Curtis

7

A Christmas Story

Of course A Christmas Story is on the list! As young Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley) spends December dodging his bully, learning universal truths, and dreaming about the ideal gift (a Red Ryder Carbine-Action 200-Shot Range Model air rifle BB gun), everyone else is busy bursting his bubble. “You’ll shoot your eye out,” they mockingly tell him. Instead, what awaits him is the best handmade bunny suit on the planet, courtesy of Aunt Clara.

The beloved holiday classic’s popularity hails from its universally relatable humor, non-sappy holiday tone, blend of family-friendly shenanigans, and unique narration from a child’s perspective wrapped in 1940s nostalgia. There’s also the infamous “fragile” leg lamp scene. You didn’t really think I was going to ignore acknowledging that beauty, did you?

Stream A Christmas Story on HBO Max.

A Christmas Story

Release Date

November 18, 1983

Runtime

94 minutes

Director

Bob Clark

6

The Grinch

Where are my fellow grinches this season? With me, I hope—and with Benedict Cumberbatch, or, as Zach Galifianakis calls him on Between Two Ferns, Benadryl Cumbersnatch. Either way, we love him, especially in The Grinch. His grumpy transformation from grump to gratitude is why this story remains one of the most classic Christmas movies to date.

As the holiday’s biggest hater, nothing makes the Grinch happier than ruining Christmas for the Who-people. Following a failed attempt to sabotage their tree-lighting ceremony, he steals all their presents. The joke’s on him, though, because when he hears them celebrating anyway, his heart grows three times its size, leading him to do the right thing—gasp!—and return what he stole. He even goes a step further and joins the festivities. Aww.

Stream The Grinch on Peacock.

The Grinch

Release Date

November 9, 2018

Runtime

90 Minutes

Director

Yarrow Cheney, Scott Mosier

5

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

As my personal favorite Christmas movie, it’s tradition to fire up National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation first thing on Thanksgiving Day. Chevy Chase stars as the well-meaning but disaster-prone Griswold patriarch, Clark.

A giant child, he’s stoked to create the perfect old-fashioned Christmas for his family, which includes his wife (Beverly D’Angelo) and two kids (Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki), his parents and in-laws, and his elderly aunt and uncle. His plans quickly unravel into chaos when his obnoxious cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) and his family arrive unannounced. Simple mishaps soon escalate into exploding lights, a burnt tree, a frantic squirrel on the loose, and one of the best on-screen holiday meltdowns.

From its star-studded cast and their superb performances to its non-stop jokes and heartfelt messages, Christmas Vacation doesn’t just deserve a holiday rewatch. It demands it, and we abide.

Stream National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation on Hulu.

4

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

See? I told you the Grinch’s story is one of the biggest Christmas movie classics. While How the Grinch Stole Christmas does share the same core plot with The Grinch, it takes a different approach to the titular character.

Whereas The Grinch softened and made him more relatable and family-friendly, How the Grinch Stole Christmas hardens and vilifies him as an unhinged, meaner, sarcastic loner, offering a much darker comedic take that emphasizes the Grinch’s deep-seated hatred for the holiday. The extraordinarily versatile Jim Carrey stars and breathes a genuine stream of fear into the story with his portrayal of a lovably evil Grinch, making this flick lovably entertaining for the holiday.

Stream How the Grinch Stole Christmas on Amazon Prime Video.

3

Home Alone

Home Alone was one of the best and most popular movies of the 90s. When eight-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) is accidentally left behind when his entire family goes on vacation, he’s anything but afraid. No parents or rules means it’s a party, and Kevin has a blast eating, watching, and doing whatever he wants—that is until two burglars come snooping around the house. Now, it’s up to him to defend the family home from intruders, which he does using elaborate, handmade booby traps.

Home Alone quickly became—and has remained—a cultural phenomenon and is considered by many to be a definitive Christmas movie because it’s bursting with comedy and energy. The film easily stands the test of time and is loved by new and old audiences alike.

Stream Home Alone on Disney+.

Home Alone

Release Date

November 16, 1990

Runtime

103 minutes

Director

Chris Columbus

2

Die Hard

The mere debate about whether Die Hard is officially a Christmas movie continues to rage on, securing its status as one of the best holiday movies to watch. When a group of terrorists invades a Christmas Eve party at a fancy Los Angeles skyscraper, NYPD officer John McClane single-handedly takes them down and saves the hostages.

Thanks to the film’s blend of humor and intense, fast-paced action with the “every man’s hero” character, Die Hard is responsible for helping redefine the action genre… and redefine what makes a Christmas movie! Yippee-ki-yay!

Stream Die Hard on Amazon Prime Video.

Die Hard

Release Date

July 15, 1988

Runtime

132 minutes

Director

John McTiernan

1

Elf

Thanks to this hysterically heartwarming story, as well as Ferrell’s genuinely innocent and enthusiastic portrayal, Elf has secured itself as the number-one most rewatched Christmas classic. When he’s accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler, Buddy (Ferrell) is raised among Santa’s elves.

Even as a grown man, he’s unable to shake the feeling that he doesn’t belong there, so he travels to New York, in full elf regalia, in search of his father, Walter (James Caan). A shrewd, cynical businessman, he’s not very interested in this son from another life, but after a DNA test proves their relationship, Walter slowly accepts Buddy and accepts him into the family. It’s the funniest, sweetest, warmest holiday flick you’ll watch this season.

Stream Elf on HBO Max.

Elf

Release Date

October 9, 2003

Runtime

97 minutes

Director

Jon Favreau

Movies aren’t the only things to take advantage of during the Christmas season! In between viewings, take a peek at How-To Geek’s favorite holiday deals of 2025, then settle back in for more entertainment.