Nothing beats settling down on a cold winter evening to watch something good. With Christmas fast approaching, it is good to know which festive films and series are available on what streaming platforms. In this list you’ll find the hard work done for you as I’ve scanned Netflix, Prime and Disney+ to see what’s available. Netflix has given a helping hand with its Holidays genre found under the films heading and Disney+ has provided a Merry Christmas section. However, Prime has not been so kind.
Netflix
From searching through Netflix it is evident that the site is more concerned with promoting their own terrible Christmas films than investing in good ones. It was difficult to find suggestions here that did not have the big red N stamp, but here is a couple.
Love Actually* is currently streaming on Netflix. The modern Christmas classic has not been without controversy as the years have gone on. However, a young Hugh Grant as Prime Minister dancing is nonetheless a mandatory Christmas watch.
Deck The Halls may never reach Christmas cult film status, but Danny Devito and Matthew Broderick undoubtedly create a good comedy Christmas duo in this film. The pair become arch-nemesis as they strive to have the best house on their street, leading to plenty of chaos and festive fun.
Honourable Mentions
- Nativity*
- The Nutcracker (Royal Ballet 2018)
- The Holiday
- Anna Karenina
Prime Video
Prime seriously lacks decent Christmas or Holiday films. However, they do have some very interesting finds like some Christmas concerts/specials.
Christmas Cartoons was a surprising find on the site and contains 14 classic Christmas cartoons such as Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and Jack Frost. It’s a nice little watch to have whilst wrapping presents or baking some Christmas Treats.
Scrooge (1951) was also unexpected but another little gem on the site. Based on Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, the film gives another spin on the classic story.
Honourable Mentions
- The Night Before
- André Rieu: Home for Christmas and André Rieu: Christmas in London
- The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show
- Gordon Ramsey’s Christmas Cook-a-long
*Also has Love Actually and Nativity
Disney+
The clear winner of the battle of the 3 streaming sites, it would be highly worth getting Disney+, even if you cancel it in January. There are plenty of decent holiday films and also they round up Christmas specials of Disney shows, great for some childhood nostalgia and also the Star shows.
Home Alone & Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, are two key modern classics for the festive season. Perhaps a controversial take, but I would argue the sequel is better primarily as it’s not as overplayed and Christmas in New York is absolutely beautiful.
The Nightmare Before Christmas being either a Christmas or Halloween film can be debated. However, why not enjoy it for both? The animated tale created by Tim Burton is a less traditional Christmas film but actually gives an interesting take on the meaning of Christmas.
Honourable Mentions
- The Santa Clause 1-3
- The Muppet Christmas Carol
- Edward Scissorhands
TV Specials
- The Simpsons
- Futurama
- Black-ish
- Modern Family
- Grey’s Anatomy
- Desperate Housewives
- The X-Files
And many more
Missing from these sites but are not to be missed
- Miracle on 34th Street
- How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
- It’s A Wonderful Life
- Meet Me in St. Louis
- Elf
- The Polar Express
- A Christmas Story
- Die Hard
Angelina Pierce – Entertainment & Lifestyle Editor
