The 50 Best Christmas Movies on Netflix You Can Stream All Holiday Season

Sipping hot cocoa, baking holiday treats and singing off-key to Christmas carols are great ways to kick off the holiday season. But if you want to take the festivities up a notch, try streaming the best Christmas movies on Netflix.

Whether you’re looking for comedies (like The Christmas Chronicles) or romantic flicks (ahem, A Christmas Prince), the streaming service has something for everyone in the family. Not to mention, most of the titles have star-studded casts—I'm talking Dolly Parton, Vanessa Hudgens and Tim Allen. Keep reading for 82 of the best Christmas movies on Netflix right now.

• Cast: Milo Manheim, Fiona Palomo, Joel Smallbone, Lecrae
• Rating: PG
• Director: Adam Anders
• Run Time: 88 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 74% | IMDb 6.4/10
• Genre: Family

Curious to learn more about the nativity story? Here's a fun musical retelling of Jesus's birth—as told by his parents. Journey to Bethlehem includes solid performances and features a stellar soundtrack you can't help but sing along to (obsessed with "Mary's Getting Married"). The movie also explores themes like perseverance, compassion and teamwork.

• Cast: Heather Graham, Brandy Norwood, Jason Biggs
• Rating: TV-PG
• Director: Mary Lambert
• Run Time: 81 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 40% | IMDb 4.4/10
• Genre: Comedy

The movie follows a couple who are preparing to have a modest Christmas celebration. When they accidentally enter the wrong address into the GPS, they wind up on the doorstep of a college friend who has a seemingly perfect life. To make matters worse, they can’t leave due to a winter storm.

• Cast: Ida Ursin-Holm, Kanan Gill, Marit Adeleide Andreassen
• Rating: TV-14
• Director: Petter Holmsen
• Run Time: 88 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 30% | IMDb 5.4/10
• Genre: Romance

This feel-good movie follows a newly engaged couple, Thea and Jashan. To celebrate their engagement, Thea brings Jashan home for Christmas, where they soon find out that his Indian roots and her Norwegian traditions clash spectacularly, making for a holiday they'll never forget.

• Cast: Jennifer Garner, Ed Helms, Emma Myers
• Rating: PG
• Director: McG
• Run Time: 105 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 45% | IMDb 5.7/10
• Genre: Comedy

In Joseph McGinty Nichol's fantasy comedy, Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms star as a married couple who are forced to put their holiday plans on hold when they accidentally swap bodies with their teenagers. Think Freaky Friday but with a Christmas twist. The story is based on Bedtime for Mommy by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and pairs perfectly with a festive Christmas snack to complete the holiday movie experience.

• Cast: Michael Godere, Ezekiel Ajeigbe, Raul Ceballos
• Rating: TV-Y7
• Director: Brett Haaland
• Run Time: 25 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 36% | IMDb 5.1/10
• Genre: Family

Join Mr. Wolf and his animal friends as they embark on a wild journey to spread Christmas spirit ahead of the annual Holiday Heist-tacular. The Netflix special is based on the 2022 movie, The Bad Guys, which is inspired by Aaron Blabey's graphic novel series of the same name. The runtime is just 25 minutes, so it's great for anyone with a shorter attention span.

• Cast: Christian De Sica, Angela Finocchiaro, Dharma Mangia Woods
• Rating: TV-MA
• Director: Giovanni Bognetti
• Run Time: 102 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes N/A | IMDb 5.9/10
• Genre: Comedy

When their two adult children move out, Carlo and Anna can feel them slowly drifting away when they miss several phone calls and special occasions. However, when the parents learn that their kids also intend to miss Christmas, they hatch a plan that tricks them both into showing up.

• Cast: Abel Mutua, Robert Israel Burale
• Rating: TV-G
• Director: Peter Kawa
• Run Time: 30 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes N/A | IMDb 7.7/10
• Genre: Romance

The sentimental drama revolves around a father who struggles to balance his family and career. When his daughter prepares to put on a school play called "Christmas Love," the growing demands of his job continue to distract him. But as the play gets closer, he realizes he must make an important decision.

• Cast: Justin Hartley, Barrett Doss, Essence Atkins
• Rating: TV-PG
• Director: Charles Shyer
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 73% | IMDb 6.1/10
• Genre: Romance

Meet Jacob Turner, a successful writer who’s forced to return to his childhood home after his estranged mother passes away. When he finds a diary among her belongings, he embarks on a heartwarming journey of self-discovery.

Director Charles Shyer told Tudum, “It’s a unique movie for Christmas. Those themes that drive the story are themes that all of us can relate to, about forgiveness, understanding, not holding grudges and closing chapters in your life in a good way. It’s touching. It’s a movie that stands on its own without Christmas.”

• Cast: Luke Evans, Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley
• Rating: TV-Y7
• Director: Stephen Donnelly
• Run Time: 96 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 40% | IMDb 6.2/10
• Genre: Musical

In this fun musical adaptation of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Story and the 1970 film Scrooge, Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Christmas Past, Present and Future. After seeing the consequences of his behavior and actions, Scrooge goes through a surprising transformation. The movie was met with mixed reviews from critics, but it tackles important themes like injustice, greed, redemption and the importance of family.

• Cast: Margherita Buy, Diana Del Bufalo, Sabrina Impacciatore, Benedetta Porcaroli
• Rating: MA
• Director: Alessandro Genovesi
• Run Time: 93 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 60% | IMDb 5.4/10
• Genre: Comedy

When the family patriarch is murdered, seven women—all of whom have different motives—get trapped together in a mansion and are forced to solve the mysterious murder. Knives Out fans will appreciate this suspense-filled mystery.

• Cast: Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Pete Davidson
• Rating: TV-MA
• Director: Laura Murphy
• Run Time: 52 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 91% | IMDb 6.5/10
• Genre: Comedy

When Detective Terry Seattle decides to investigate who murdered Santa, he enlists the help of celebrity guest stars Jason Bateman and Maya Rudolph. But there's just one catch: Bateman and Rudolph aren't given a script. Having no idea how this will play out, the pair improvise their way through the case in hopes of catching the real killer.

• Cast: Dennis Storhøi, Maibritt Saerens, Jan Gunnar Røise
• Rating: TV-MA
• Director: N/A
• Run Time: One season
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 68% | IMDb 7.1/10
• Genre: Family

Thanks to a huge snowstorm, a group of passengers find themselves stuck at Oslo airport on Christmas Eve. With the clock ticking and the storm raging on, everyone's holiday plans go south—but not all hope is lost. What starts as a nightmare becomes a heartwarming, bonding holiday experience for the passengers.

• Cast: Amaryllis Aubel, Jodi Benson, Alex Cazares
• Rating: TV-G
• Director: Matt Engstrom, Christo Stamboliev
• Run Time: 46 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 54% | IMDb 5.3/10
• Genre: Family

Boss Baby is in for quite the adventure when he accidentally switches places with one of Santa's elves. As he goes into boss mode at the North Pole, his big brother, Tim, must figure out how to get him back and save the Templetons' holiday tradition. The holiday spin-off is based on Tom McGrath's Oscar-nominated The Boss Baby, which made $528 million at the box office.

• Cast: Lindsay Lohan, Chord Overstreet, George Young, Jack Wagner
• Rating: TV-PG
• Director: Janeen Damien
• Run Time: 95 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 62% | IMDb 5.3/10
• Genre: Comedy

This lighthearted, Hallmark-esque film follows Sierra, a spoiled heiress who loses all of her memories after falling down a snowy mountain. However, when she's taken in by a local lodge owner named Jake, she gains a new perspective on life (and even finds love in the process). In his rave review, Editor Joel Calfee says it "offers all the Hallmark-esque holiday goodness, but also allows Lohan to showcase her talents."

• Cast: Aimee Garcia, Freddie Prinze Jr., Grace Dumdaw
• Rating: PG
• Director: Gabriela Tagliavini
• Run Time: 89 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 65% | IMDb 5.6/10
• Genre: Comedy

Feeling career burnout, a famous singer named Angelina travels to a small town in New York to grant a fan's wish. To her surprise, she not only gets the inspiration she needs to revamp her career, but she also finds love. The heartwarming tale features two charming leads and strikes a good balance between drama and cheesy romance.

• Cast: Rose McIver, Ben Lamb
• Rating: PG
• Director: Alex Zamm
• Run Time: 92 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 73% | IMDb 5.8/10
• Genre: Romance

Amber Moore, an aspiring young journalist, is sent to Aldovia to report on a charming Prince who's about to become king. But what she gets is way more than a scoop. FYI, the movie was filmed at Peles Castle, a Neo-Renaissance castle in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania. This is the same castle that was used in the film A Princess for Christmas.

• Cast: Isabela Merced, Shameik Moore, Kiernan Shipka, Odeya Rush
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Luke Snellin
• Run Time: 93 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 85% | IMDb 5.9/10
• Genre: Romance

Based on the book by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle, Let It Snow follows a group of high school seniors whose lives intersect after a snowstorm hits their small town on Christmas Eve. Mysterious encounters, budding romances and impromptu parties ensue.

Kiernan Shipka, who stars as Angie, told The Hollywood Reporter, "I think the main lessons are to take a chance on love, to not be afraid and to not let love stop you from doing scary things because if you do those scary things, life could be more fulfilling."

• Cast: Abayomi Alvin, Kunle Remi, Efa Iwara
• Rating: TV-14
• Director: Kunle Afolayan
• Run Time: 121 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes NA | IMDb 5/10
• Genre: Comedy

This charming tale follows a matriarch who desperately wants her sons to settle down by getting married and having children. To get the ball rolling, she gives them some incentive by promising a house to the first son who ties the knot. Fun fact: This was the first-ever Netflix Christmas movie to be shot in Nigeria.

• Cast: Vanessa Hudgens, Sam Pallado, Nick Sagar
• Rating: TV-G
• Director: Michael Rohl
• Run Time: 101 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 63% | IMDb 6.1/10
• Genre: Romance

Think The Parent Trap, but with a more mature, modern-day twist and a bit of holiday cheer. Hudgens stars as the talented baker, Stacy DeNovo, and her royal doppelgänger, Margaret Delacourt. When the two discover that they look exactly alike, they come up with a clever plan to trade places during the holidays. Contributing Editor Emma Singer gives this one her seal of approval, saying, “my tween daughter practically watched this movie on repeat last holiday season and I actually didn’t mind. Vanessa Hudgens is quite good in it and the trading places storyline is mighty entertaining to see unfold.”

• Cast: Kristin Davis, Rob Lowe
• Rating: PG
• Director: Ernie Barbarash
• Run Time: 86 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 43% | IMDb 6.2/10
• Genre: Romance

After her husband suddenly ends their relationship, Kate Conrad goes to Africa for a solo safari. She meets Derek Holliston and works with him to rescue a baby elephant, and when she extends her stay throughout the holidays, she realizes she might be falling for her new partner in crime.

PureWow's Executive Managing Editor Catrina Yohay said, "It's such a feel-good movie with a great message about what really matters in life, and I can't get over the adorable elephants, plus the awareness it brings to a great cause."

• Cast: Kurt Russell, Darby Camp, Judah Lewis
• Rating: PG
• Director: Clay Kaytis
• Run Time: 103 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 67% | IMDb 7/10
• Genre: Family

Sister-brother duo Kate and Teddy are determined to catch Santa Claus on camera. However, their mission soon turns into a wild adventure that involves Santa’s loyal Elves. Fun fact: Kurt's grandson (aka Kate Hudson's son), Bing Bellamy, makes a cameo as the young boy who asks for a snowboard in the video letters. “My kids and I really enjoyed watching this one. It’s just the right amount of cheesy, the big brother-little sister dynamic is relatable and the action is entertaining enough for older kids but still safe to watch with those who still believe in Santa,” says Singer.

• Cast: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Zooey Deschanel, James Corden
• Rating: TV-Y7
• Director: Joel Crawford
• Run Time: 26 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes N/A | IMDb 6.1/10
• Genre: Family

Poppy, the queen of the Trolls, teams up with Branch and the Snack Pack to help her best friend celebrate the holidays. Kids will take a liking to the lovable characters, and the cast features an impressive lineup. Trolls Holiday was followed by another special called Trolls: Holiday in Harmony, which premiered on NBC in 2021. Most of the main cast reprised their respective roles, including Kendrick and Timberlake.

• Cast: Tamar Novas, Andrea Ros, Peter Vives
• Rating: MA
• Director: Álvaro Fernández Armero
• Run Time: 26 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 50% | IMDb 5.8/10
• Genre: Comedy

Raúl, an auditor and modern-day Scrooge, is sent to work at a Turrón-making factory in a remote village. When he gets there, however, he meets a local teacher and Christmas lover who's determined to change his mind about the holiday. The Spanish movie was featured on Netflix's global top ten list for two consecutive weeks, earning up to 13.59 million hours of views.

• Cast: Kurt Russell, Goldie Hawn, Darby Camp, Judah Lewis
• Rating: PG
• Director: Adam Anders
• Run Time: 88 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 74% | IMDb 6.4/10
• Genre: Musical

In the Netflix original, aptly titled The Christmas Chronicles 2, Kate Pierce is now a teenager who’s unexpectedly reunited with Santa Claus when a troublemaker named Belsnickel threatens to destroy the joy of Christmas forever. Yikes.

PureWow's Senior Editor of News and Entertainment Greta Heggeness noted in her review, "Is it cheesy? Yes. Is the movie designed for kids who believe in the magic of Christmas? Absolutely. However, it made me feel nostalgic in the best way possible."

• Cast: Malachy McCourt, Ruth Negga, Lucy O'Connell
• Rating: TV-Y
• Director: Damien O'Connor
• Run Time: 30 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 70% | IMDb 7/10
• Genre: Family

This Irish-Canadian short film is just 30 minutes long, but it packs more than enough humor and poignant scenes. Based on Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes, the movie follows little Angela, who’s biggest desire is to help everyone else enjoy the holiday. “This is hands-down my favorite Christmas movie to watch with younger kids. It’s just the right length, the animation is lovely and it’s just so full of heart,” says Singer, and others agree; the movie's cast and production team earned three Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Award nominations.

• Cast: Lucy O'Connell, Brendan Mullins, Ruth Negga
• Rating: TV-Y
• Director: Damien O'Connor
• Run Time: 47 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 56% | IMDb 7.1/10
• Genre: Family

Yes, the sequel definitely lives up to the first. Only this time, it follows little Angela as she tries to bring her family together in time for Christmas—even with her father working several miles away. The plot was inspired by a story written by Frank McCourt, and the film earned an Emmy nod for Outstanding Sound Mixing and Sound Editing.

• Cast: Josh Whitehouse, Vanessa Hudgens
• Rating: TV-14
• Director: Monika Mitchell
• Run Time: 92 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 71% | IMDb 5.6/10
• Genre: Comedy

When a medieval knight, Sir Cole, is magically transported to modern-day Ohio during the holidays, he meets and quickly befriends a science teacher named Brooke. After Brooke spends time helping him navigate this new world, Sir Cole falls for her and feels less inclined to return home. I love a far-fetched romance story between two charming leads, so this one's high on my list.

• Cast: Debbie Allen, Tichina Arnold, Ryan Phuong
• Rating: G
• Director: Oliver Bokelberg
• Run Time: 80 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 100% | IMDb 7.1/10
• Genre: Documentary

Produced by Shondaland, this insightful documentary follows the legendary Debbie Allen as she trains her talented students for the annual Hot Chocolate Nutcracker. The 80-minute documentary was directed and produced by Oliver Bokelberg. This feel-good flick will definitely inspire you to do a few pirouettes. Singer confirms, “I watched this one with my daughter and we were both so impressed with the determination and talent of the young dancers. In fact, she’s been asking for dance classes ever since and that’s what she’s getting for Christmas this year.”

• Cast: Brendan Dooling, Michael May, Doug Williams, Shameik Moore
• Rating: TV-Y
• Director: Chad Eikoff
• Run Time: 26 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 57% | IMDb 5.1/10
• Genre: Family

A chipper young elf who typically helps Santa with the Naughty or Nice list is tasked with a special new assignment: to restore a 9-year-old boy's belief in Christmas. The movie is based on the picture book The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition by Carol Aebersold and Chanda Bell. And this delightful 26-minute short will be a hit for the kids.

• Cast: Forest Whitaker, Keegan-Michael Key, Hugh Bonneville, Anika Noni Rose, Phylicia Rashad
• Rating: PG
• Director: David E. Talbert
• Run Time: 122 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 91% | IMDb 6.4/10
• Genre: Musical

Sing and dance along to this fun musical, which tells the tale of a talented toymaker and his delightful granddaughter, who helps him find joy again after a heartbreaking betrayal.

Editor Alexandra Hough wrote in her review, "The entire film is reminiscent of big-studio musicals (think Oliver!) and Broadway plays with giant singing and dancing ensembles coming and going—starting with the first musical number, 'This Day.' The vibrant Victorian-esque costumes are an added bonus."

• Cast: Judy Greer, Ed Asner, Erin Fitzgerald
• Rating: TV-Y
• Director: Jeff Gill, Evan Spiridellis
• Run Time: 25 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes N/A | IMDb 5.8/10
• Genre: Family

A disgruntled Bo travels to the North Pole to ask Santa for help with giving her friends better presents, but she learns an important life lesson: Christmas isn’t just about getting cool toys. A Storybots Christmas received six Daytime Emmy Award nominations and won two, including for Outstanding Special Class Animated Program and Outstanding Directing in a Preschool Animated Program.

• Cast: Bethany Joy Lenz, Victor Webster, Robert Wisden
• Rating: TV-14
• Director: Christie Will Wolf
• Run Time: 84 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 88% | IMDb 6.9/10
• Genre: Comedy

In this Italian comedy film, a prime minister makes a visit to Hungary during the week of Christmas. However, when a corpse appears in his hotel, chaos and hilarity ensue. Fun fact: Co-stars Victor Webster and Shantel VanSanten got married in real life after playing romantic leads in Love Blossoms in 2017.

• Cast: Bill Murray, Michael Cera
• Rating: TV-14
• Director: Sofia Coppola
• Run Time: 84 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 68% | IMDb 5.5/10
• Genre: Comedy

Actor Bill Murray offers a unique twist on holiday entertainment with his star-studded special. For the project, he teamed up with big names like Miley Cyrus, George Clooney, Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones and Chris Rock. Does the killer cast make it worth a watch? Senior Director of Special Projects Rachel Bowie thinks so: “A Very Murray Christmas has become an annual must-watch for me — and one that I treasure. I think it's the New York-y ness of it all for me, especially the idea of being snowed in at the Carlyle. But I also absolutely love the song selections. "Fairytale of New York" by the Pogues is probably my favorite Christmas song and to have it sung around the piano by so many famous faces? I love it. Add to that the Miley Cyrus, George Clooney sing-along at the end (complete with a change to a sound stage) and this film offers the perfect amount of over-the-top holiday fun!"

• Cast: Dolly Parton, Jenifer Lewis, Josh Segarra, Jeanine Mason
• Rating: PG
• Director: Debbie Allen
• Run Time: 98 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 66% | IMDb 5.2/10
• Genre: Musical

Following her father's passing, Regina Fuller makes plans to sell her small hometown and evict the residents, setting the deadline for Christmas Eve. But when a determined angel pays her a visit, it seems like there might be hope for the townspeople after all.

Per Deadline, Parton believes this film brought joy at a stressful time. She said, “Who knew that when we were creating this movie, that it would be aired in the middle of the pandemic, and it would bring so much joy and so much hope to millions of people around the world? I think that was one of greatest gifts that we gave and didn’t even know quite when we were doing it that we were going to help uplift the world.”

• Cast: Emma Roberts, Luke Bracey
• Rating: TV-MA
• Director: John Whitesell
• Run Time: 104 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 46% | IMDb 6.2/10
• Genre: Comedy

The movie introduces viewers to Sloane, a twenty-something single woman who’s fed up with her family always setting her up on awkward dates. It’s not long before Sloane crosses paths with a handsome stranger named Jackson, who has serious commitment issues. As predicted, they agree to be each other’s “Holidate,” aka platonic plus-ones.

In her honest review, Heggeness wrote, "Holidate might not resonate with every audience. That being said, it’s definitely worth the watch if you’re OK with crude, cheesy humor."

• Cast: Vanessa Hudgens, Sam Palladio, Suanne Braun
• Rating: TV-G
• Director: Michael Rohl
• Run Time: 88 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 56% | IMDb 5.4/10
• Genre: Romance

In this sequel, Margaret's Christmas coronation begins to complicate her love life, prompting her double Stacy to step in to save the day. However, things get even messier when a third look-alike enters their lives. “Ask my daughter, or any Hudgens fan for that matter, if The Princess Switch really needed a sequel and the answer will be yes. Just like the first one, this follow-up has all the chaos and romance a tween girl could ask for,” says Singer.

Fun fact: Hudgens played not two, but three characters in this film. As for how she did it, she told Popsugar, "I had two other actors come in and learn all the parts. We would set up a wide shot, which is a camera that nobody can touch because, dare it move, it'll mess up the entire thing and coverage on one of the characters. We'd finish that, I would go into hair and makeup, change and then my other stand-ins would do the same, as well. And we would rotate until we got all of the bits of the scene that we needed."

• Cast: Kat Graham, Alexander Ludwig
• Rating: TV-PG
• Director: Martin Wood
• Run Time: 85 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 50% | IMDb 5.9/10
• Genre: Romance

Operation Christmas Drop follows Erica Miller, a young woman who works as a political aide for a high-profile congresswoman. Her career takes a predictable turn when she’s tasked with traveling to Guam to visit the Andersen Air Force Base for the annual Operation Christmas Drop.

In her review, Heggeness says, "Not only did the movie capture my attention for one hour and 36 minutes, but it also educated me about the decades-old military tradition. Although Operation Christmas Drop is seriously dramatized, everything you see/hear about the mission is pretty legit."

• Cast: Kathy Najimy, Luke MacFarlane, Michael Urie, Jennifer Coolidge
• Rating: PG
• Director: Michael Mayer
• Run Time: 99 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 70% | IMDb 6.2/10
• Genre: Comedy

When Peter breaks up with his boyfriend right before Christmas, he asks his BFF and roommate, Nick, to be his plus one when he returns home for Christmas instead. When they arrive, Peter's family tries to play matchmaker by setting him up with someone new. Soon, they realize that Nick may have been his perfect match all along. (FYI, this marked Netflix's first-ever gay rom-com.)

• Cast: Renata Notni, Angélica María, Alex Rose Wiesel, Héctor Bonilla
• Rating: MA
• Director: Raúl Martínez Resendez
• Run Time: 87 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 70% | IMDb 4.5/10
• Genre: Comedy

Meet Don Servando, better known as “Grumpy Grandpa.” After he gets kicked out of his retirement home, Don spends the holidays with his extended family. But he only stirs up trouble when he goes out of his way to stop Alicia, his daughter-in-law's aunt, from controlling the holiday celebrations.

• Cast: Keythe Farley, Dee Bradley Baker, Kaliayh Rhambo
• Rating: TV-Y
• Director: Stephen Chiodo
• Run Time: 40 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 100% | IMDb 6.2/10
• Genre: Family

A young elf mistakes a tiny alien for a Christmas gift, not knowing her new plaything has plans to destroy Earth's gravity—and steal all the presents. Think of it like The Grinch but, ya know, with aliens and a few minor jump scares. FYI, Alien Xmas currently boasts a remarkable 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. “I had to watch this one with my kids because of its high rating, and it didn’t disappoint.” says Singer. “The storyline is very much a knock-off of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, but it still feels fresh and there are some themes about technology that are very of-the-moment.”

• Cast: Leandro Hassum, Elisa Pinheiro, Danielle Winits
• Rating: MA
• Director: Roberto Santucci
• Run Time: 101 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 81% | IMDb 6.7/10
• Genre: Comedy

If it were up to me, I’d love to celebrate Christmas every day of the year. However, for Jorge, a family man who was born on December 25, living (and reliving) the holiday is possibly the worst thing he can imagine. In this Brazilian comedy, Jorge wakes up on Christmas Eve with no memories of the previous year, and he's stunned to learn that he's trapped in a time loop.

• Cast: Josh Swickard, Amanda Detmer
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Shaun Paul Piccinino
• Run Time: 106 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 52% | IMDb 5.8/10
• Genre: Romance

After learning that his mother needs to acquire more land, a young man pretends to be a ranch hand in an attempt to convince a woman to sell her farm. (Talk about sneaky.) Upon its release, A California Christmas became Netflix's top film in the United States, and it spawned an equally charming sequel, A California Christmas: City Lights.

• Cast: Bronte Carmichael, Richard E. Grant, Gillian Anderson
• Rating: G
• Director: Dan Ojari, Michael Please
• Run Time: 30 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 100% | IMDb 7/10
• Genre: Family

The 32-minute stop-motion film follows an adorable bird who gets raised by a family of mice. But her biggest Christmas wish is to learn more about who she really is. Determined to know where she belongs, she embarks on an exciting new journey. The movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, a British Academy Children's Award for Animation and an NAACP Image Award for Best Short-Form (Animated).

• Cast: Paul Reubens, Joe Manganiello
• Rating: TV-PG
• Director: John Lee
• Run Time: 99 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 60% | IMDb 6.1/10
• Genre: Family

For the first time ever, Pee Wee Herman jets off to New York to celebrate a new friend’s birthday. Naturally, the trip is anything but smooth sailing. OK, so it's not set in a cozy small town, but it's filled with laugh-out-loud moments and holiday charm.

• Cast: Henry Lawfull, Toby Jones, Sally Hawkins, Kristen Wiig
• Rating: PG
• Director: Gil Kenan
• Run Time: 106 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 83% | IMDb 6.7/10
• Genre: Family

A boy named Nikolas embarks on a wintry adventure to find his father after his mother passes away. But when he discovers a magical village of elves along the way, he learns that his destiny is far bigger than he imagined. The movie is based on A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig and directed by Gil Kenan, best known for the 2006 film Monster House.

• Cast: Nina Dobrev, Jimmy O. Yang, Darren Barnet
• Rating: TV-MA
• Director: Hernán Jiménez
• Run Time: 105 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 53% | IMDb 6.3/10
• Genre: Comedy

The Vampire Diaries alum Dobrev ditches her fangs and opts for a modern dating app in this charming rom-com. When Natalie, an LA-based writer, decides to surprise her online boyfriend for Christmas by showing up at his door, she gets the surprise of a lifetime.

Dobrev told Tudum, "The theme of the movie is to try to get people to not look at exteriors and look at the human inside. That can come in all kinds of different shapes, sizes, cultures, ethnicities. She fell in love with these humans. It’s really great, and it was a very wonderfully diverse cast that needs to be represented more in film and television."

• Cast: Brooke Shields, Cary Elwes, Lee Ross
• Rating: TV-G
• Director: Mary Lambert
• Run Time: 88 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 75% | IMDb 5.6/10
• Genre: Romance

Sophie Brown, a successful American author, takes a trip to Scotland. When she arrives at her father's village, she hopes to buy a gorgeous castle, but the owner has no intention of selling to a foreigner. Can she change his mind?

As it turns out, Shields's involvement in this film made Elwes want to hop on board. He told ScreenRant, "My favorite thing was getting to work with Brooke because obviously, I've been a big fan for a long time, like many people. And when I heard she was doing this movie, and I read the script, I thought how perfectly she was cast in the role of Sophie Brown. And it was an opportunity to really show her comic chops."

• Cast: Henry Keane, Glen Keane, Lucas Neff
• Rating: TV-Y
• Director: Eddie Rosas
• Run Time: 28 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes N/A | IMDb 5.6/10
• Genre: Family

The special revolves around Trash Truck, who doesn't have the slightest clue what Christmas is about. After Hank and his pals give him the full rundown of the festive holiday, Santa pays them an unexpected visit by crash-landing in their junkyard. And now, it's up to them to help Santa and save Christmas. “If you haven’t seen Trash Truck yet, start with the regular show,” says Singer, adding that “once you meet the characters and get the vibe, you will totally understand what a peaceful and empathic holiday special awaits.”

• Cast: Diona Elise Burnett, Taleia Gilliam, Andy Hayward
• Rating: TV-Y
• Director: Jeremy Konner
• Run Time: 28 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes N/A | IMDb 6.1/10
• Genre: Family

BFFs and aspiring chefs Waffles and Mochi learn about new holiday traditions in honor of their first-ever Freezie Day. And to their surprise, it's about more than just food. After you watch, you can grab the kids and check out the original cooking puppet series, Waffles + Mochi, which features several more adventures with Michelle Obama, who owns a grocery store. (Psst: Emma Singer says it's one of her kids’ favorite shows to watch, even as they get older, when they just want something sweet and low-key—and “the holiday special is every bit as magical as the creative and thoroughly entertaining TV series.”)

• Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Rashida Jones, J.K. Simmons
• Rating: PG
• Director: Sergio Pablos
• Run Time: 97 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 95% | IMDb 8.2/10
• Genre: Family

When the Postal Academy’s worst student, Jesper, gets stationed at a frozen island in the North, he strikes up an unlikely friendship with a teacher named Alva and a mysterious carpenter named Klaus. Add stunning animation to a creative, inspiring story and you’ll get this gem, which, by the way, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and comes highly recommended by Executive Editor Alexia Dellner, who says: “I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Klaus! The animation is beautiful, the music is great and I love that it's a Santa origin story that focuses less on the big man himself and more on Jesper, the lazy postal worker turned do-gooder. It's not overly stimulating, clocks in around 90 minutes (the perfect movie length, IMO) and has plenty of laughs and feel-good moments for the whole fam.”