The holidays are a great time to put some time away to spend some quality time flicking through the best streaming services for a good movie, especially a good Christmas flick. In October, I put myself to the test to watch a horror movie each day of the month, so when it came to Christmas I thought why not test myself again by doing my own Christmas movie advent calendar.
For the first 12 days of December, I dedicated a few hours each evening to watch a Christmas movie including new ones I had yet to watch and ones to revisit, of course. While my little experiment was much less intense than my last one, the most difficult part was trying to narrow all of my options down to just 12. It’s surprising how much Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney Plus has to offer.
If you’ve found yourself in the same boat and are stuck for festive titles to get through for the remainder of the countdown to Christmas, I’ve done the hard part for you. These are the 12 movies I’ve checked off my Christmas 2024 watchlist – each pairing perfectly with a glass of mulled wine.
Hot Frosty (2024)
Director: Jerry Ciccoritti
Running time: 92 minutes
Where to stream: Netflix (US, UK, and AU)
I started my December with a brand new release from Netflix for two reasons; I wanted to watch a Christmas movie I hadn’t yet seen, and I wanted it to be a Netflix original because, after all, Netflix Christmas movie category is the new Hallmark.
The story of Hot Frosty is ridiculous. A widowed woman (Lacey Chabert) brings a snowman to life who turns out to be a handsome young man (Dustin Milligan), with whom she must fall in love with before he melts. It’s a stereotypical fairy tale-like story that’s far from being one of the best Netflix movies, but it packs a modern twist and some very questionable acting that, actually, I kind of enjoyed.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Director: Ron Howard
Running time: 105 minutes
Where to stream: Netflix (UK); Netflix, Prime Video (AU)
Everyone’s favorite green-haired Christmas hater comes out every holiday season, and if it was a childhood favorite of yours just like me, then it’s one that you’re likely to watch multiple times at this time of year. I know I do.
What makes this a beloved Christmas classic for so many is Jim Carrey’s bold characterization of the Grinch, a performance that is so over-the-top and dominating – just as the rest of the movie’s sets, costumes, and prostheses. Everything about this movie is pure camp and fun, but the most shocking part about this movie is the criminal 49% score it has on Rotten Tomatoes.
Recently I’ve had personal beef with Rotten Tomatoes for its unjust scores of cult classics, and the one thing I’ve accepted is that Christmas movies are designed to be unserious and not necessarily hard-hitting. So why judge a movie that so obviously defies this? But there’s nothing that Rotten Tomatoes can do or say that will change my mind about this movie – it’s excellent.
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Director: Frank Capra
Running time: 129 minutes
Where to stream: Prime Video, Plex (US); Prime Video, Plex, Pluto TV (UK); Stan, Plex (AU)
It’s a Wonderful Life is one of those movies that everyone says is a must-watch at this time of year, but it’s been only up until now that I’ve had the chance to check it off my watchlist – and I gave it a respectable 3.5 stars on Letterboxd.
With most movies from Hollywood’s Golden Era, I find that a lot of time is spent dwelling on backstory therefore taking a while for the main plot to actually kick in. The same goes for It’s a Wonderful Life, however its backstory is integral to the plot therefore I felt it was necessary to include, but nothing about it was remotely Christmas-related until around three quarters of the way in – which made me bump down my score slightly.
That aside, it’s a touching tale of one man’s internal struggles with career, family life, and self-doubt at a time where the whole world is inundated with joy and happiness. It’s easily one of the best Prime Video movies you can find.
Home Alone (1990)
Director: Chris Columbus
Running time: 102 minutes
Where to stream: Disney Plus (US, UK and AU)
Now, it wouldn’t be a Christmas streaming list without Home Alone, would it. And even over 30 years after it was released, it still hits home at this time of year.
Even though this isn’t my personal favorite of the Home Alone films (I’m an unapologetic fan of it’s New York-set sequel), I still get round to watching it multiple times every December for multiple reasons. The main one being that I grew up on slapstick comedy movies, so every scene with Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern as the burglars has me in stitches no matter how many times I’ve seen it.
Our Little Secret (2024)
Director: Steven Herreck
Running time: 100 minutes
Where to stream: Netflix (US, UK, and AU)
After my experience watching Hot Frosty, I was intrigued to discover what other Christmas content Netflix had to offer. Our Little Secret stood out to me because, just by it’s poster (and Lindsay Lohan, of course), I had a feeling that it would offer something similar to Hot Frosty. But this Netflix Christmas movie was different, because it was better.
Although Hot Frosty gaining higher ratings, Our Little Secret packs a story that keeps you on engaged in spite of its equally questionable acting. Lindsay Lohan and Ian Harding play ex lovers who after a decade of being separated find themselves spending Christmas with each other when they learn that their new partners are siblings. And what more could you ask from Kristen Chenoweth as Lohan’s difficult mother-in-law?
The Merry Gentlemen (2024)
Director: Peter Sullivan
Running time: 86 minutes
Where to stream: Netflix (US, UK, and AU)
I don’t what came over me, but I was really feeling my Netflix Christmas movie fantasy – especially after watching Our Little Secret. The Merry Gentlemen is another Christmas movie that Netflix have churned out this year, but this was one that was actually quite difficult to watch, and is by far my least favorite movie that I’ve watched this holiday season. There’s bad but in a way that’s still bearable, and there’s just plain bad.
The Merry Gentlemen is Netflix’s attempt at bringing the Magic Mike effect to its platform, but fails to land as a serious movie about dance. Ashley (Britt Robertson) is a New York-based dancer – or that’s what Netflix is convincing us to believe – who comes back to her small hometown, vowing to save her parents’ performing venue by hosting a saucy all-male dance act – and I use ‘saucy’ very, very loosely.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Director: Henry Sellick
Running time: 75 minutes
Where to stream: Disney Plus (US, UK, and AU)
Is it a Halloween movie? Is it a Christmas movie? The answer is both. The Nightmare Before Christmas is a short and sweet watch but is yet another essential alongside fellow classics Home Alone and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
The pairing of Tim Burton’s classic stop-motion animation technique and Danny Elfman’s incredible knack for an original score brings the movie to life. Unlike many other animated features, the characters have this sense of relatability that is difficult to come across in animations. And for a cast made up of monsters, creatures, and non-human beings, it makes it even more impressive.
A Nonsense Christmas (2024)
Director: Sam Wrench
Running time: 50 minutes
Where to stream: Netflix (US, UK, and AU)
After all those Christmas movies, I was definitely due a break. Instead, I filled my evening with Sabrina Carpenter’s Netflix holiday variety special A Nonsense Christmas, and it’s one of my favorite pieces I’ve watched this Christmas.
Everything about this music and comedy variety show is spectacular, showcasing Carpenter’s talents as host, singer, producer, and actress all rolled into one. Taking inspiration from I Love Lucy and even SNL, Carpenter’s holiday special packs festive sketches, cheeky innuendos, and music performances with celebrity guests Shania Twain, Kali Uchis, and Chappell Roan covering classic Christmas tunes.
Though it’s not the typical holiday movie you’d usually reach for, it’s an incredibly entertaining watch that’s just as cozy as all the best Christmas movies.
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
Director: Brian Henson
Running time: 85 minutes
Where to stream: Disney Plus (US, UK, and AU)
Re-watching The Muppet Christmas Carol after indulging in some hearty winter comfort food made this experience all the more festive – especially with a nice glass of something to sip on as Michael Caine sings his heart out in what I would consider one of the best Disney Plus movies you can watch at this time of year.
If there’s one thing that kept my childhood colorful, it was the Muppets and all things Jim Henson from Bear in the Big Blue House to David Bowie in Labyrinth, and The Muppet Christmas Carol made an appearance every single Christmas. Though it’s take on Dickens’ classic novel is simplified and goes at an easy pace, it’s a movie that has the magical ability to appeal to both children and adults alike, and I can’t help but cackle every time Miss Piggy bursts into the frame at any given opportunity.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
Director: Chris Columbus
Running time: 120 minutes
Where to stream: Disney Plus (US, UK, and AU)
One of my unpopular opinions is that I am a bigger fan of Home Alone 2 than it’s precedent, and I have my reasons. For me, there’s nothing more festive than a movie set right in the Big Apple where every avenue and street is decked with the most extravagant trimmings and everyone is practicing their figure skating skills in Central Park or Rockefeller Centre. My other reason; Catherine O’Hara looking so chic in her oversized brown trench coat.
I’ve always said that Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is up there with my favorite Christmas movies, and I’ve even gone further to say that it’s in my top spot. But though this movie has been dragged by critics, what remains a constant is the silly comedic elements that I love from the first movie, but Kevin cranks up the volume on the traps he leaves for Harry and Marv, leaving me squirm after the fall of each brick (if you know you know).
Falling for Christmas (2022)
Director: Janeen Damian
Running time: 95 minutes
Where to stream: Netflix (US, UK, & AU)
After obsessing over the Hallmark-esque Our Little Secret, I was hungry for more Netflix, more cringe, and most importantly, more Lindsay Lohan. Falling for Christmas hit all the same peaks and valleys as Lohan’s most recent Netflix Christmas flick, and I got everything I was expecting.
Lohan stars as the daughter of a luxury hotel mogul who’s engaged to a social media-obsessed influencer, where days before Christmas she gets into a skiing accident and loses her memory – only to fall in love with the lodge owner that helps her through recovery. It perpetrates an unoriginal and cringeworthy archetype of the ‘influencer’ persona, on top of an upper class versus lower class divide that’s far too on the nose; I loved it.
On top of the movie’s stereotypes that we’ve seen countless times before is an overlapping generic Christmas-pop soundtrack that could’ve easily come from any season of Selling Sunset, and as a huge fan of the show, I felt right at home. Though some parts were borderline hard to watch like the repetition of slapstick comedy tropes when it comes to Falling for Christmas, what you see is certainly what you get.
Love Actually (2003)
Director: Richard Curtis
Running time: 130 minutes
Where to stream: Prime Video (US); Netflix, Prime Video, Paramount Plus (AU)
Love Actually packs one of the best ensemble casts for any movie ever – and I will die on that hill. Name another movie where Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Kiera Knightley, Alan Rickman, Laura Linney, and Liam Neeson bless the screen together. You can’t.
Cast aside, everything about Love Actually is so painfully British but that’s where it’s charm lies. Throughout the movie’s ‘countdown to Christmas’ style plot, each of it’s intertwining storylines give us a peak into the different lifestyles of each character, defining the saying ‘you don’t know what goes on behind closed doors’. From its hyper-romanticized scenes to the more gut-wrenching moments, the peaks and valleys of Love Actually take you on a wild emotional rollercoaster. After all these years, the Joni Mitchell scene gets me every time.
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rowan.davies@futurenet.com (Rowan Davies)
