We’re finally in holiday season this year — so can you blame us for wanting to spend it glued to the couch watching A Charlie Brown Christmas on repeat? No, you cannot, and that’s why we’ve compiled the ultimate family holiday viewing list. These kid-friendly picks guarantee something the whole family can enjoy, from old-school classics like White Christmas to newcomers like Prime Video’s Candy Cane Lane and Disney’s The Naughty Nine.
After all that 2023 had to offer, there’s nothing that sounds better than a movie you know half by heart, a guarantee that Christmas will be saved before the credits roll, and the knowledge that even the roughest of years can’t take the glorious tradition of holiday movie binge-watching away from you.
Though delightful new Christmas movie additions come out every year, the heart of these holiday movies are all the same: family, the joy of giving back, and the spirit of togetherness. Oh yeah — and just a touch of holiday magic.
Let yourself be swept away with these family-friendly holiday picks.
A version of this article was previously published in October 2020.
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‘Candy Cane Lane’
Image Credit: Claudette Barius /© Amazon Prime Video /Courtesy Everett Collection Starring Edie Murphy and Tracee Ellis Ross, Prime Video’s new Christmas movie Candy Cane Lane tells the story of one dad willing to do just about anything to win his street’s Christmas decoration competition.
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‘The Naughty Nine’
Image Credit: Courtesy Disney+ The Naughty Nine, which was released this year on Nov. 22, tells the story of a mischievous fifth grader who puts together a team to steal from the North Pole after he didn’t get any gifts.
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‘A Boy Called Christmas’
Image Credit: ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection In a quest to find hope and joy and bring it back home, a young boy named Nickolas travels to a magical land in A Boy Called Christmas.
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‘Scrooge: A Christmas Carol’
Image Credit: ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection In another rendition of the classic Christmas tale of Scrooge and the three spirits in 2022’s animated movie Scrooge: A Christmas Carol. The movie, starring Luke Evans and Olivia Colman, tells the story of selfish miser Ebenezer Scrooge as three spirits visit him to try and change his mind about Christmas.
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‘Spirited’
Image Credit: Claire Folger /© Apple TV+ /Courtesy Everett Collection 2022’s Spirited, starring Ryan Reynolds and Will Farrell, tells the story of Scrooge and the three spirits with a modern and hilarious twist. Oh, and did we mention that fantastic musical numbers?
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‘Christmas With the Kranks’
Image Credit: ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection Starring Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis, Christmas With the Kranks tells the story of two recent empty-nesters who are eager to spend their first holiday season solo. That is, however, until their neighbors hear word of their less-than-traditional Christmas.
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‘Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas’
Image Credit: ©Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas tells the story Jack Skellington, a scary creature who’s growing old his Pumpkin King gimic. That is, however, until he discovers the magic of Christmas and becomes determind to spread Christmas joy.
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‘Angela’s Christmas’
Image Credit: ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection Based on the children’s book Angela and the Baby Jesus by Frank McCourt, Angela’s Christmas tells the heartwarming story of a little girl who steals away a Baby Jesus from church and has to deal with the consequences.
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‘Arthur Christmas’
Image Credit: ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection 2011’s Arthur Christmas hopes to answer one of the most highly-debated Christmas questions of all-time: How does Santa deliver all the presents in one night to billions around the world? The movie follows Arthur, Santa’s grandson, as he helps an army-worth of Elves to deliver every single present.
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‘8-Bit Christmas’
Image Credit: Sabrina Lantos /© Warner Bros. /Courtesy Everett Collection. A new Christmas classic is on the way courtesy of…Nintendo? Yes, you read that right! 8-Bit Christmas features Neil Patrick Harris as Jake Doyle, who tells his daughter the story of a Christmas back in the late ’80s when everyone (and we mean everyone) wanted to get their hands on a Nintendo. It’s a journey to get the holiday gift everyone wants, and a young Jake Doyle will stop at nothing to get it.
You can watch it on HBO Max on November 24.
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‘The Nutcracker and the Four Realms’
Image Credit: Laurie Sparham / © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is a dazzling story based on the ballet The Nutcracker. When Clara (Mackenzie Foy) is transported into a world full of amazing sights and characters like a Sugar Plum Fairy (Keira Knightley), she must battle the forces of an evil mouse army to save the day.
You can watch this film on Disney+.
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‘Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch’
Image Credit: © Universal Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection. Whether you’re a fan of the original, 1966 Boris Karloff-narrated cartoon, or Jim Carrey’s wild interpretation of the Dr. Seuss character, there are plenty of interations of How The Grinch Stole Christmas to go around. In 2018, Benedict Cumberbatch voiced the iconic Christmas curmudgeon, in this animated retelling of the classic story, Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch.
Watch it now on Amazon Prime Video.
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‘Noelle’
Image Credit: © Disney+ / courtesy Everett Collection. 2019’s Noelle stars Anna Kendrick in the titular role. When her father, the one and only Santa Claus, retires, it’s up to Noelle to save Christmas when her brother Nick Kringle (Bill Hader) gets cold feet.
You can watch the move on Disney+.
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‘Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey’
Image Credit: Gareth Gatrell/NETFLIX. Starring Forest Whitaker, Keegan-Michael Key, Phylicia Rashad, and more, Netflix’s Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Story tells the story of legendary toymaker Jeronicus Jangle, whose apprentice steals his most valuable invention. Jangle’s granddaughter takes on the family cause and tries to bring them back together for the holiday.
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‘The Christmas Chronicles 2’
Image Credit: Joe Lederer / fotojo. Even if you missed the first Christmas Chronicles, there will be plenty to enjoy in this Christopher Columbus classic starring Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn and Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. Teen daughter Kate (Darby Camp of Big Little Lies) is struggling over the holiday’s with her mother’s new boyfriend and his family in tow. But a magical mischief-maker named Belsnickel pulls Kate and her brother back into their quest to save Christmas with the Clauses.
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‘Alien Xmas’
Image Credit: .NETFLIX. Uh oh! There’s an alien invasion and these kleptomaniac extraterrestrials want to steal Earth’s gravity itself. Who can stop them? Only the spirit of Christmas — and one small alien named X — can save the day in this holiday movie coming soon to Netflix.
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‘A Christmas Carol’
Image Credit: ©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection. This animated Christmas Carol starring Jim Carrey as Ebeneezer Scrooge will always have a special place in our hearts.
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‘Elf’
Image Credit: ©New Line Cinema/Courtesy Everett Collection. Starring Will Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel, this holiday gem will have the whole family laughing with it’s hilarious (and extremely quotable) one-liners and perfectly lifts your spirits with its sweetness, humor and all-around innocence. Fair warning, though. You will be hearing “Buddy the elf, what’s your favorite color?” from your kids nonstop, and they might try to convince you to make Buddy’s spaghetti for dinner — that is, spaghetti covered in maple syrup, chocolate and sprinkles. Truly hysterical for kids and adults (would you expect anything else from Will Ferrell?), your kids will pee themselves laughing.
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‘Klaus’
Image Credit: ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection. Meet the new postman of Smeerensburg, Jesper — down on his luck after a rough go in postal academy and his placement in an icy and unfriendly town. Just when all hope seems lost, Jesper manages to strike up an unlikely friendship with mysterious carpenter Klaus, and the power of their kindness ushers in a new era of holiday spirit for the island.
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‘The Polar Express’
Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection. Based on the utterly gorgeous book written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg, this movie tells the story of a young boy who wasn’t sure he believed in Santa until he was whisked away on Christmas Eve night to the North Pole and received the first gift of Christmas from Santa himself. Starring the vocal talents of Tom Hanks as pretty much every character, this is a perfect holiday film the whole family will enjoy.
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‘Home Alone’
Image Credit: ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection. This classic Macaulay Culkin film about 8-year-old Kevin McCallister proves a) the ingenuity and resourcefulness of kids and b) those robbers must have been newbies. When Kevin is left home alone (I see what they did there) as his family rushes off on Christmas vacation, instead of freaking out, he successfully defeats two burglars who try to break into his house. On the downside, if you’re going to show your kids this movie, expect your house to be booby-trapped. A lot.
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‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without Rudolph. Sam the snowman (Burl Ives) tells us the story of a young red-nosed reindeer who, after being ousted from the reindeer games because of his beaming honker, teams up with Hermey, an elf who wants to be a dentist, and Yukon Cornelius, the prospector. They run into an abominable snowman and an island of misfit toys, and Rudolph saves Christmas by leading Santa’s sleigh threw a blizzard. But you already knew that. Also featuring the voices of Larry D. Mann as Yukon Cornelius and Billie Mae Richards as Rudolph, this is a fan favorite that’s sure to be watched year after year.
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‘Miracle on 34th Street’
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox Licensing/Merch. Who can forget this enchanting remake that poses the quintessential holiday question: Do you believe in Santa Claus? Starring familiar faces Richard Attenborough (yes, older brother of renown naturalist and narrator of all things BBC, David Attenborough) Mara Wilson, Dylan McDermott, and Elizabeth Perkins? The film tells the story of an old man hired at Macy’s who claims to be the Kris Kringle, is declared insane, put on trial and, in the process, restores everyone’s faith in the good in people. After a pivotal scene in which bag after bag of mail is dumped on the judge’s desk to prove Kris really is Santa Claus, this might be a choice moment to work on the kids’ letters to Santa.
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‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection. From creator Charles Schulz, beloved Charlie Brown does it again, this time learning what the meaning of Christmas is. This timeless special will warm your heart as you watch Charlie Brown and the gang try to put on a holiday play and learn a few lessons along the way. Charlie Brown’s piddly Christmas tree will teach you it’s amazing what a little love can do, and Snoopy’s antics will leave you giggling. This is a movie for ages 2 to 102, whether you have Charlie Brown’s holiday woes or Linus’s unwavering Christmas spirit.
(Note: This year the title will only be available on Apple TV+.)
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‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’
Image Credit: ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection. This remake of the beloved animated Dr. Seuss story stars Jim Carrey as the abominable Grinch, who detests Christmas and terrorizes the town of Whoville, determined to ruin Christmas once and for all by stealing it from the unsuspecting Who’s. The soundtrack features songs by Busta Rhymes, The Barenaked Ladies, Ben Folds, Smash Mouth and more. Carrey has a ridiculous number of hilarious one-liners, like when he bites into a glass bottle, then wonders aloud, “Am I just eating because I’m bored?” Truly a Christmas classic, this remake will make your heart grow three sizes.
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‘White Christmas’
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection. A feel-good star-studded musical with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney. The singers all team up to perform a Christmas show in rural Vermont, where they run into the boys’ commander from World War II, who they learn is having financial difficulties; his quaint country inn is failing. So what’s the foursome to do but plan a yuletide miracle: a fun-filled musical extravaganza. As you do. This movie has heart and soul and will have you in awe of the costumes, musical numbers and sets.
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‘The Santa Clause’
Image Credit: ©Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection. When Santa falls off a roof on Christmas Eve, an unsuspecting dad named Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) unwittingly becomes the new Santa when he puts on Santa’s suit. He is taken to the North Pole, where he must step up to the plate and begrudgingly become Santa Claus. His son, Charlie, is proud of his dad’s new job, though Scott’s convinced it’s a dream — until his hair turns white, his beard refuses to stay shaved, he gains weight inexplicably and he suddenly can’t stop eating junk food. Now that he’s accepted it, there’s just one problem: how to keep it secret from his disbelieving family.
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