The Best Christmas Movies on Netflix Right Now
Christmas is almost here, which means lots of hot cocoa, frenzied shopping and wrapping gifts. But the perfect cure for the stress of the holiday season is a great Christmas movie, and there are a handful of solid films currently available to stream on Netflix. Below, we’ve rounded up a curated list of the best Christmas movies on Netflix right now, from bona fide classics to new favorites.
A Christmas Prince
The one that started it all — “A Christmas Prince” was Netflix’s first foray into the Christmas Romance genre, and the 2017 film was such a hit, it essentially put the streamer on the map as a new go-to destination in the market previously dominated by Lifetime and Hallmark. Ever-charming “Ghosts” and “iZombie” star Rose McIver stars as Amber, an ambitious journalist who infiltrates the Aldovian Royalty under the guise of tutoring young Princess Emily (Honor Kneafsey). But when the precocious princess quickly discovers the truth, the two team up to rehab the public image of the handsome, reclusive Prince Richard (Ben Lamb), who just as quickly wins Amber’s heart. And of if you’re not ready to leave Aldovia, Netflix also has two sequels, “The Royal Wedding” and “The Royal Baby.” – Haleigh Foutch
That Christmas
One of five new Christmas movies released on Netflix in 2024, “That Christmas” is the best of the bunch. This animated feature from “Love Actually” writer Richard Curtis weaves various stories together in a small U.K. town in the days leading up to Christmas, mostly centered around the kids — a lonely child of a single parent, kids trying to eschew their families’ long-held traditions, twin sisters with very different personalities and of course the parents trying to hold it together. It’s charming, sweet and it will 100% make you cry. Plus the kids love it. – Adam Chitwood
The Princess Switch
A lighthearted rom-com dressed up in Christmas clothes (and royal finery), “The Princess Switch” gets a lot of attention for delivery double Vanessa Hudgens, but it’s also one Netflix’s most downright enjoyable original romantic comedies to date. Hudgens plays dual leading roles as Stacy, a Chicago baker who travels to the fictional kingdom of Belgravia for an international Christmas baking competition, and Lady Margaret Delacourt, Duchess of Montenaro, who happens to look exactly like Stacy. When the Duchess decides she needs some time out of the public eye, the two decide to switch lives temporarily — and naturally, they both wind up falling in love during the ruse. It’s an identity-switching, royal romance genre mashup that hits all the right beats, and it also has two increasingly unhinged sequels, “Switched Again” and “Romancing the Star,” in which Hudgens takes on a third role as Margaret’s mischievous cousin, Lady Fiona Pembroke. – Haleigh Foutch
Falling for Christmas
Lindsay Lohan’s much-hyped return to the screen is an enjoyable romp around the Christmas tree, riffing on “Overboard” with the story of an entitled heiress (Lohan), who loses her memory during a skiing accident and learns to love more than herself when kind ski resort local (played by “Glee’s” Chord Overstreet) takes her in. In the Netflix Christmas rom-com tradition, it’s heightened to absurd extremes (Goldie Hawn fell off a boat, Lohan falls off a mountain), but that’s also part of what makes Netflix’s particular brand of Christmas romance so fun. Lohan remains an endearing on-screen presence — and they even throw in a little “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” callback for the “Mean Girls” crowd. – Haleigh Foutch
The Knight Before Christmas
A year after “The Princess Switch,” Vanessa Hudgens delivered another of Netflix’s best Christmas movies with “The Knight Before Christmas” — the streamer’s most outlandish and perhaps its most entertaining of the bunch yet, though it succeeds more as a fish-out-of-water Christmas comedy than a swoon-worthy romance. Josh Whitehouse stars as Sir Cole Lyons of Norwich, a medieval knight magically transported to present-day Ohio, where he falls for Hudgens’ disillusioned High School teacher and fumbles through his first encounters with cars, technology and all the wonders of the modern world on his quest to prove himself a true knight. – Haleigh Foutch
Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square
There are very few public figures who incite instant joy and affection quite like Dolly Parton, and she brings all that signature feel-good spirit to her Netflix holiday special “Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square.” As unabashedly optimistic and high-camp as its title star, the musical special features music by Parton and stars the great Christine Baranski an apex Scrooge planning to evict an entire town right before Christmas, until she a visit from an angel (played by Parton, obviously) helps her find her goodwill toward mankind again. There are tap dance tangos, an aerial dancer in the town square gazebo and massive ensemble dance breaks everywhere you look — at one point, they even paint Baranski’s face what can only be described as Grinch-green; it’s a gleeful, chaotic holiday spectacle. – Haleigh Foutch
The Christmas Chronicles 1 & 2
Netflix has its own original Christmas movie franchise in “The Christmas Chronicles.” The 2018 film stars Kurt Russell as Santa Claus and finds him in a pickle when he gets stranded on Christmas Eve. It’s up to a couple of kids to help him get Christmas back on track, and maybe save their own Christmas in the process. The 2020 sequel, directed by Chris Columbus, takes a more fantastical approach to the story and finds Goldie Hawn playing Mrs. Claus, with a storyline that takes place largely at the North Pole. – Adam Chitwood
Let It Snow
If it’s a YA rom-com you’re looking for, 2019’s “Let It Snow” is an absolute delight. The entire film takes place on Christmas Eve in a snowy Illinois town and follows the misadventures of various teen characters – a girl who ends up spending the day with a pop star; a girl worried her boyfriend is going to break up with her; a kid planning a big party inside a Waffle House. This one’s charming as all get-out. – Adam Chitwood
Klaus
The 2019 Oscar-nominated animated film “Klaus” is fun for the whole family, and substantial to boot. Directed and co-written by Sergio Pablos, the film is set in the 19th century and revolves around a postman who’s stationed in the Far North who befriends a reclusive toymaker named Klaus. The film puts a unique spin on the Santa Claus narrative, and boasts a voice cast that includes Jason Schwartzman, J.K. Simmons, Rashida Jones and the late Norm Macdonald. – Adam Chitwood
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
Writer/director David E. Talbert’s 2020 musical “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey” is a joyous and surprisingly emotional Christmas tale. Forest Whitaker stars as Jeronicous Jangle, a once-happy toymaker and inventor who now runs a failing pawnbroker shop. When his granddaughter comes to visit, however, she lights a spark in him that he hasn’t seen for three decades, and together they battle Jeronicous’ former apprentice (played by Keegan-Michael Key). – Adam Chitwood
Carry-On
Jaume Collet-Serra has built an impressive filmography making white-knuckle thrillers set in confined locations – movies like “The Shallows,” “Orphan” and a string of unusually compelling Liam Neeson vehicles (the best, perhaps, is 2015’s “Run All Night”). After a brief foray into big budget franchises (with DC’s “Black Adam” and Disney’s “Jungle Cruise”), he has returned to the style of film that he made his name with. And what a return it is. “Carry-On” stars Taron Egerton stars as a TSA agent who, during a busy holiday season, is blackmailed by a mysterious figure (Jason Bateman) into letting a suspicious bag get through security. From there, Collet-Serra spins a thrilling yarn, clearly indebted to John McTiernan’s immortal Christmastime action classic “Die Hard,” that brings real suspense, real action and, crucially, real emotion. Egerton is the relatable, somewhat shaggy hero, who has a lot to prove and Bateman is a genuinely creepy villain, always one step ahead of any potential roadblock (until he isn’t). With a starry supporting cast that includes Sofia Carson, Logan Marshall-Green, Danielle Deadwyler and Dean Norris and a pulse-pounding score from Lorne Bafle, “Carry-On” is the yule tide thriller you didn’t know you needed but now can’t imagine your life without. Open this present as soon as you can. – Drew Taylor
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