25 New York Christmas Movies to Get You in the Holiday Spirit

There's nothing quite like celebrating the holiday season in the Big Apple. There’s the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, the dazzling window displays at Macy’s Herald Square and, of course, the Radio City Rockettes. But even if you’re unable to experience these iconic traditions in person, you don't have to miss out on all the action. You can live vicariously through your favorite characters in the best New York Christmas movies.

Join Buddy the Elf as he travels the busy streets of Manhattan to find his father, or watch Kevin McCallister as he effortlessly cons his way into the famous Plaza Hotel for the holidays. From It Happened on 5th Avenue to Serendipity, each of these movies will transport you to the city that never sleeps. So, grab a Christmas snack and holiday drink—like peppermint hot cocoa or a spiced eggnog latte and keep reading for 25 New York Christmas movies, available to stream on Prime Video, Netflix and more.

• Cast: Victor Moore, Ann Harding, Don DeFore, Charles Ruggles
• Rating: NR
• Director: Roy Del Ruth
• Run time: 116 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 80% | IMDb 7.6/10
• Genre: Romantic Comedy
• NYC Location Highlights: Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, Central Park, Times Square

When the O’Connors, one of the richest families on 5th Avenue, head to their mansion in Virginia for the holidays, a homeless man named Aloysius T. McKeever (aka Mac) takes up residence in their luxury New York home. Mac also invites a homeless veteran to live with him—but doesn't reveal that he's been squatting. He gets quite the surprise when one of the O’Connors turns up and keeps her real identity a secret. In my humble opinion, this is one of the sweetest and funniest holiday movies ever made. Let’s just say it has Christmas spirit to spare.

• Cast: Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn
• Rating: NR
• Director: George Seaton
• Run time: 96 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 96% | IMDb 7.9/10
• Genre: Comedy
• NYC Location Highlights: Macy’s department store (34th street), Central Park West, New York County Courthouse

When an old man named Kris Kringle gets hired to play Santa Claus at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, he does such a great job that he gets hired to work at the store, too. He starts to claim that he’s the real Santa, causing others to question his motives and even his mental state. So, he decides to take the matter to court. Will this prove he’s the real deal?

Miracle on 34th Street earned three Academy Awards, including Best Actor in a Supporting Role (for Gwenn), Best Writing, Original Story and Best Writing, Screenplay. 

• Cast: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, Jack Kruschen
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Billy Wilder
• Run time: 125 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 93% | IMDb 8.3/10
• Genre: Romantic Comedy
• NYC Location Highlights: Majestic Theatre; 205 Columbus Avenue; Central Park

It’s not strictly a holiday movie, but most of the drama unfolds during the Christmas season, which earns it a spot on this list. The Apartment, which won five Oscars (including Best Picture), follows a lonely insurance worker named C.C. Baxter. To climb up the corporate ladder, he starts to lend his Upper West Side apartment to company bosses who are having romantic affairs. However, things get complicated when Baxter learns that his own manager is hooking up with the woman he has feelings for. Much like The Pogues’ “Fairytale of New York,” this classic certainly taps into the seedier side of Christmas in NYC.

• Cast: Bill Murray, Karen Allen, John Forsythe, Bobcat Goldthwait
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Richard Donner
• Run time: 100 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 71% | IMDb 6.9/10
• Genre: Comedy, Fantasy
• NYC Location Highlights: The Seagram Building; Rockefeller Center

Inspired by Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, Scrooged revolves around Frank Cross, a selfish and bitter TV executive who gives the Grinch a run for his money. After firing one of his employees on Christmas Eve, Frank gets a surprise visit from the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, causing him to re-evaluate his life. Fans of Ghostbusters will be delighted by the unique blend of horror and comedy in this modernized retelling of the Christmas classic. Plus, Bill Murray might hail from Chi-town, but he makes a pretty convincing New Yorker in this one.

• Cast: Ross McCall, Jaime Ray Newman, Jamie Bamber
• Rating: TV-MA
• Director: Nathan Ives
• Run time: 89 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes (N/A) | IMDb 4.7/10
• Genre: Romance, Drama
• NYC Location Highlights: Central Park; The Plaza Hotel; Rockefeller Center; Macy’s

Set during the week that leads up to Christmas day, this movie follows several guests at a Manhattan hotel as they navigate the ups and downs of being in love. The film features a few glimpses of the New York skyline at night, and some pretty iconic set locations, including The Plaza Hotel, Macy’s and the Rockefeller Center. Beyond that, viewers will surely appreciate Nathan Ives's honest approach to the complicated side of romance—a fresh departure from the run-of-the-mill rom-com with a decidedly New York attitude. (Hint: New Yorkers don’t care much for all that cloying, cutesy stuff.)

• Cast: Ryan Paevey, Bruce Davison, Julia Duffy, Elizabeth Henstridge
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Ron Oliver
• Run time: 83 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 53% | IMDb 6.5/10
• Genre: Romance, Drama
• NYC Location Highlights: The Plaza Hotel; Grand Army Plaza; Central Park South

There’s something particularly magical about the relationship between Christmas and The Plaza Hotel, so it should come as no surprise that someone imagined a romance stemming from it. In this Hallmark romance, a historian named Jessica teams up with Nick, a handsome decorator, to work on an exhibition about the history of Christmas at The Plaza Hotel in New York. Although she’s already in a relationship, Jessica finds herself falling for Nick. Will she choose to stop this budding romance in its tracks? Or will she leave her boyfriend for Christmas?

• Cast: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Edward Asner
• Rating: PG
• Director: Jon Favreau
• Run time: 97 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 86% | IMDb 7.1/10
• Genre: Comedy
• NYC Location Highlights: Rockefeller Center; Central Park; Lincoln Tunnel; Empire State Building; Grand Central Terminal

Arguably Will Ferrell’s best movie ever (I said what I said), Elf follows Buddy, a boy who’s raised as one of Santa’s elves after he’s accidentally sent to the North Pole. However, he doesn’t exactly fit in with the rest of the workers. Determined to find his real father, Buddy leaves the North Pole and ventures to NYC to search for him. But when Buddy finally reunites with his dad, chaos ensues. 

"Elf is the best holiday movie of all time and I will not be taking any questions," says PureWow Beauty and Cultures Editor Chelsea Candelario. "I watch this every season (multiple times) and I have it memorized by this point."

• Cast: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard
• Rating: PG
• Director: Chris Columbus
• Run time: 120 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 35% | IMDb 6.9/10
• Genre: Comedy
• NYC Location Highlights: Plaza Hotel; Central Park; World Trade Center; Rockefeller Center

Kevin McCallister is at it again in this sequel to the classic Home Alone—but this time, he gets separated from his family after boarding a plane headed for New York City. Who knows, you may learn a thing or two from Kevin’s booby traps.

PureWow's Audience Development Strategist Nicole Frazzini says, "As someone who’s always been obsessed with New York at Christmas, Home Alone 2 is the perfect Christmas movie. It’s got all the best parts of the original—hilarious performances by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern plus unbelievable savviness from Kevin McCallister."

• Cast: Julie Andrews, Sofia Vassilieva, Kenneth Welsh, Debra Monk
• Rating: G
• Director: Kevin Lima
• Run time: 89 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 73% | IMDb 6.9/10
• Genre: Comedy
• NYC Location Highlights: The Plaza Hotel; Toys R Us at 1466 Broadway

Follow the shenanigans of Eloise, a charming six-year-old girl who lives in New York's Plaza Hotel. When the daughter of the hotel's owner prepares to get married during the holidays, Eloise tries to intervene and play matchmaker, but will she be successful?

Beauty and Cultures Editor Chelsea Candelario says, "I watch Eloise At Christmastime every year and it's such a cute movie to watch with the whole family. I remember growing up and wanting to visit the Plaza Hotel because Eloise made it look so glamorous."

• Cast: Liesel Matthews, Vanessa Lee Chester, Rusty Schwimmer
• Rating: G
• Director: Alfonso Cuarón
• Run time: 97 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 97% | IMDb 7.6/10
• Genre: Fantasy
• NYC Location Highlights: N/A

A young girl named Sara is sent to a boarding school in New York by her single dad when he gets drafted to fight in World War I. Her world is turned upside down when she gets news that her father was killed in combat. (Fair warning: There are some tear-jerker scenes, so you might want to keep a box of tissues handy.) Although this film adaptation places the boarding school in NYC, the New York scenes were actually filmed in Chicago. Go figure. Nevertheless, this one is a childhood favorite of mine and the fantasy elements absolutely capture the hope, possibility and magic of the holidays in the Big Apple.

• Cast: Dudley Moore, David Huddleston, John Lithgow
• Rating: G
• Director: Jeannot Szwarc
• Run time: 108 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 22% | IMDb 6.3/10
• Genre: Adventure
• NYC Location Highlights: N/A

This film taps into the origins of the beloved Santa Claus by following the present-day Santa as he struggles with a massive workload. Things get even more stressful when one of his elves runs away from the workshop and heads to New York to work at a failing toy company. With the fate of Christmas at stake, it’s up to Santa to get his trusty elf back and save the holidays. As far as set locations go, the Big Apple was used as background for flying scenes but the rest of the movie was filmed elsewhere.

• Cast: Harley Jane Kozak, Lauren Bacall, Thora Birch
• Rating: G
• Director: Robert Lieberman
• Run time: 97 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 7% | IMDb 5.9/10
• Genre: Comedy
• NYC Location Highlights: N/A

Sibling duo Ethan and Hallie only want one thing for Christmas: for their divorced parents to get back together. But there's just one problem. Their mother has fallen head-over-heels for a new guy, who quickly becomes her fiancé. As Christmas day approaches, the siblings scheme to reunite their parents for the holidays. Although the story is set in NYC, the whole movie was actually filmed in Los Angeles.

• Cast: Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, Octavia Spencer, Sunita Mani
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Sean Anders
• Run time: 127 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 70% | IMDb 6.6/10
• Genre: Musical Comedy
• NYC Location Highlights: N/A

Ferrell has been promoted from Buddy the Elf to Scrooge, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and he's taking his job very seriously. In Spirited, Scrooge embarks on one last mission before he retires, and it involves helping an "unredeemable" media consultant named Clint. Watch for the epic chemistry between Ferrell and Reynolds, and see if you can tell whether the movie was really filmed in Manhattan where it was set. (Spoiler: It was filmed entirely in Massachusetts.)

• Cast: Zoey Deutch, Kendrick Sampson, Ray Nicholson, Shay Mitchell, Leah Jefferies
• Rating: PG
• Director: Daryl Wein
• Run time: 87 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 72% | IMDb 6.2/10
• Genre: Romantic Comedy
• NYC Location Highlights: Tiffany & Co. Store; Bryant Park; East River

Meet Rachel, a New Yorker whose life is turned upside-down when she stumbles upon a gorgeous engagement ring that was meant for someone else. The film is based on Melissa Hill's novel of the same name and directed by Daryl Wein and the ring in question comes from one of NYC’s most iconic retailers: Tiffany’s, of course. Psst: Reese Witherspoon fans might be interested to know that this rom-com was produced by the A-lister’s own media company, Hello Sunshine.

• Cast: John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale, Molly Shannon
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Peter Chelsom
• Run time: 91 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 59% | IMDb 6.8/10
• Genre: Romantic Comedy
• NYC Location Highlights: Serendipity 3 restaurant; Central Park; Bloomingdale’s; Plaza Hotel

Jonathan and Sarah have a chance encounter at Bloomingdales in New York, and there’s an instant spark, but Sarah is hesitant to take things further because she wants to leave it up to fate. Fast forward ten years later, and they still can’t stop thinking about each other. Will fate bring them back together? Watching this film will make you feel like you're walking the streets of New York, and I could go on for days about Cusack and Beckinsale's stellar chemistry. And for what it’s worth, if you find yourself in NYC over Christmas, I think dessert at the real Serendipity 3 is a must.

• Cast: Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Garry Marshall
• Run time: 118 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 7% | IMDb 5.6/10
• Genre: Romantic Comedy
• NYC Location Highlights: Brooklyn Bridge; Radio City Music Hall; Tiffany & Co. Store; Statue of Liberty; Langone Medical Center

Think Valentine's Day, but during the holidays. The film follows the lives of multiple couples (and singles) in New York City—all of whom are somehow connected. These stories range from a chef having an awkward encounter with her ex to a man going through the final stages of cancer. You’ll take a liking to this if you’re into feel-good, star-studded rom-coms. Unlike other movies on the list, the primary (though not exclusive) film location for this one was, in fact, NYC.

• Cast: Nicolas Cage, Téa Leoni, Don Cheadle, Saul Rubinek
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Brett Ratner
• Run time: 125 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 53% | IMDb 6.8/10
• Genre: Comedy/Romance
• NYC Location Highlights: Olympic Tower; Tarrytown

Jack, a successful Wall Street executive, wakes up on Christmas day and discovers that he’s been transported to an alternate universe. Instead of living as a rich and carefree bachelor, he’s now residing in New Jersey with a wife and two kids. As he struggles to get used to this new normal, he must make an important decision. Should he follow his heart or his career? A classic conundrum for any Manhattanite considering making the move to Jerz.

• Cast: Tricia Helfe, Greg Bryk, Tedde Moore
• Rating: G
• Director: John Bradshaw
• Run time: 88 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes (N/A) | IMDb 6.1/10
• Genre: Romance, Drama
• NYC Location Highlights: N/A

Santa Claus appears to be losing his holiday spirit—and he’s even considering retirement. But Mrs. Claus isn’t letting him give up that easy. Determined to reignite his spark and find the spirit of Christmas, they head back to the place where they first fell in love: New York. Fun fact: although the whole story takes place in the Big Apple, it was filmed in Ontario, Canada.

• Cast: Olivia Washington, Will Adams, Tina Lifford
• Rating: G
• Director: Keith Powell
• Run time: 84 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes (N/A) | IMDb 5.5/10
• Genre: Romantic Comedy
• NYC Location Highlights: N/A

After years of avoiding her childhood home during the holidays, Jazmin Carter, a successful businesswoman, returns home to celebrate with her family. While discussing her inspiration for the film, screenwriter Monique Matthews told Script magazine, "Harlem has such unique history in America, the architecture is amazing and, I was like, ‘Wow, this is a Christmas movie, but I've never seen one here.’ And that's really why I wrote it. We write what we see but seemingly no one else has seen and that's really how it started." (I hate to call Ms. Matthews out on this one—but the filming location chosen to represent Harlem was really Hartford, Connecticut.)

• Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogan, Anthony Mackie
• Rating: R
• Director: Jonathan Levine
• Run time: 101 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 68% | IMDb 6.4/10
• Genre: Comedy Drama
• NYC Location Highlights: Vazac’s Horseshoe Bar; F.A.O. Schwarz, 5th Avenue; St. Bartholomew’s Church, Park Avenue

It’s tradition for these three BFFs to celebrate the holidays with a wild party in New York City, which happens to be where the movie was primarily filmed. But now that one of them is about to become a father, they realize that their upcoming celebration will be their last. Determined to make it the most memorable night ever, the friends embark on a mission to find the exclusive Nutcracker Ball—aka the holy grail of Christmas parties.

• Cast: Rosario Dawson, Taye Diggs, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Jesse L. Martin
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Chris Columbus
• Run time: 135 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 47% | IMDb 6.8/10
• Genre: Musical Drama
• NYC Location Highlights: Vazak’s Bar; Tompkins Square Park; Alphabet City

OK, so it's not technically a Christmas movie, but I can at least acknowledge the fact that it kicks off on Christmas Eve and ends with some holiday cheer. This classic musical revolves around a group of New Yorkers as they navigate love and their careers while dealing with poverty and the AIDS epidemic during the late '80s. It's also based on Henri Murger's 1851 novel, Scenes of Bohemian Life.

• Cast: Bill Murray, George Clooney, Paul Shaffer, Amy Poehler, Chris Rock
• Rating: TV-14
• Director: Sofia Coppola
• Run time: 56 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 68% | IMDb 5.5/10
• Genre: Musical Comedy
• NYC Location Highlights: The Carlyle Hotel

When a snowstorm hits on the same day as his holiday special, Bill gets nervous as he receives several cancellations from his guests. Worse yet, he can't afford to scrap the show, so he decides to go on with the presentation. Unfortunately for him, it's not at all what he planned. This Netflix special really captures the charming, yet quite chaotic energy of Christmas in NYC and the star-studded cast is a nod to the stand-up comedy scene that the Big Apple is famous for.

• Cast: Nina Dobrev, Jimmy O. Yang, Darren Barnet
• Rating: R
• Director: Hernán Jiménez
• Run time: 105 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 53% | IMDb 6.3/10
• Genre: Romantic Comedy
• NYC Location Highlights: N/A

Natalie is so determined to find love that she uses a dating app. When she falls head over heels for an attractive guy from New York, she decides to surprise him with an in-person visit. The only problem? She realizes that she’s been catfished.

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 [and] ethnicities." New York City is a natural choice for a movie that places an emphasis on diversity; alas, the filming of this one took place in British Columbia, Canada.

• Cast: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Frank Capra
• Run time: 131 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 94% | IMDb 8.6/10
• Genre: Fantasy
• NYC Location Highlights: N/A

George Bailey is at the end of his rope. Right when he’s nearly had it, he receives a visit from his guardian angel, Clarence, who decides to show George the impact of his good deeds. The Oscar-nominated film touches on deep themes like the importance of community, loyalty, sacrifice and commercialism. Although the movie was not filmed in New York, the fictional town of Bedford Falls where it takes place is believed to be inspired by the real New York town of Seneca Falls.

• Cast: Chris Noth, Nia Fairweather, Chris Trousdale, Otoja Abit
• Rating: TV-MA
• Director: Otoja Abit
• Run time: 88 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 62% | IMDb 5.4/10
• Genre: Romance
• NYC Location Highlights: Middle Village, Queens; Jackson Heights, Queens; 72nd Street Subway Station

As Jennifer prepares for her Christmas Eve wedding, she gets visited by an angel named Azrael. She starts to reconsider her choices when the angel shows her what life would’ve been like if she pursued a romantic relationship with her best friend and secret crush, Gabby. Personally, I love that this one was filmed primarily in Queens because Christmas in the boroughs is pretty special, too. In fact, the particular neighborhoods featured in this film are some of the most vibrant and diverse in the city.