Binge-watching Christmas movies is one of the fun parts of the holiday season. The kids get to see a lot of Santa Claus, others get to see the hilarious ruckus in Home Alone, and the rest get to see Hugh Grant dance to The Pointer Sisters’ “Jump (For My Love)” in Love Actually.
If those don’t signal the festive season, we don’t know what does. Aside from the bona fide Christmas classics, the rise of streaming TV has also brought us closer than ever to much, much more content, including some of the best new Christmas movies this year.
So if you’re looking for Christmas films to watch with the fam on Christmas Eve or even before and after that, we’ve listed some of the most iconic and new Christmas movies you can watch this holiday season.
All-time best Christmas movies to stream
Christmas usually means decorations, presents, Santa’s iconic laugh, and, of course, the much-loved Christmas flicks. Whatever mood you’re in this holiday, there’s a holiday movie that’s perfect for you.
From certified classics to romantic comedy features and festive movies, here are some of the best Christmas movies you can stream for that jolly Christmas spirit.
We’ve also included some new Christmas movies (2023), as well as some of the best Christmas movies on BINGE, Foxtel Now, and Netflix. The top Christmas movies on Disney Plus are worth checking out as well.
BritBox and Amazon Prime Video also house some of the most popular Christmas classics. It’s suffice to say that your choices for movie streaming this Christmas are endless, but you can check out our top picks below so you can get started right away.
Christmas movies on BINGE / Foxtel Now
From new releases to Christmas classics to all-time favourites, BINGE and Foxtel Now have plenty of Christmas movies to offer. Popular Christmas movies like Elf, Love Actually, and The Grinch are available on demand on Foxtel and BINGE.
A Savage Christmas
One of the wackiest Christmas movies you can watch this holiday season, A Savage Christmas follows a trans woman’s return to her family home after years of estrangement.
Love Actually
Featuring an ensemble cast that includes Liam Neeson, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, Laura Linney, Colin Firth, Keira Knightley, and many others, Love Actually is an English Christmas movie that follows nine interlaced stories and explores how love affects different people.
Elf
After accidentally being sent to the North Pole, Buddy is raised as one of Santa’s elves. Deep inside (and outside too), however, he knows he doesn’t belong there. So, in his full elf uniform, he travels to New York in search of his real father.
Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch
A newer and an animated version of the 2000 film, The Grinch, it stars Benedict Cumberbatch in the titular character. As per usual, his bitterness over Christmas has him scheming with his pet dog Max to ruin everybody’s Christmas by stealing Whoville’s decorations and gifts.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
If there’s one thing that Clark Griswold wants for Christmas, it’s to have the perfect celebration with his whole family on Christmas day. But things quickly get out of hand after his relatives show up unannounced. To make it even worse, the Christmas bonus he’s been looking forward to having goes up in smoke when his employers change their minds.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Also one of the best Netflix Christmas movies is How the Grinch Stole Christmas starring Jim Carrey. A live-action adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ story, it follows the reclusive green Grinch. He hates Christmas big time, which is why he intends to ruin Christmas for the residents of Whoville. Everything goes according to plan, that is until he meets the adorable Cindy Lou Who.
Babe
Babe, a piglet, narrowly escapes being served as Christmas dinner when a farmer who won her at a country fair decides to bring him to another fair. Bonding with the border collie, Fly, she learns she has a knack for herding sheep. The Aussie Christmas movie has always been a top favourite thanks to its heartwarming quality, a sentiment that’s proven to uplift the Christmas spirit.
Gremlins
In search of a special present for his son, a salesman finally finds one at a store in Chinatown. However, it comes with a couple of warnings, all of which he fails to heed. The result? A gang of gremlins tearing up the town on Christmas Eve.
Christmas movies on Disney+
There’s a lot of Christmas favourites to stream on Disney Plus, including everyone’s go-to Christmas family film Home Alone. If you want your holidays to be action-packed, Die Hard is currently streaming on Disney+.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
One of the Christmas movies on Disney Plus you can stream this year, Director James Gunn and Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, and the rest of the Guardians are on a holiday adventure with The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Their mission? To make Peter Quill’s Christmas remarkable and head to Earth in search of the perfect present.
Home Alone
After his family accidentally leaves him behind on their vacation to Paris for the holidays, Kevin McCallister is left to his own devices. That only means big troubles for the burglars attempting to rob their home.
The Muppet Christmas Carol
The Muppet Christmas Carol is a retelling of Charles Dickens’ novel, A Christmas Carol. Starring Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge, The Muppet’s version of Dicken’s iconic Christmas story is funny, amusing, jovial, and best of all, musical! It’s also one of the best G-rated Christmas movies you can enjoy with the whole family.
Die Hard
Of all the debates people have had, one of the most amusing ones was whether Die Hard classifies as a Christmas movie. After a hard and long deliberation, it’s official – it is indeed a Christmas film – and an explosive one at that, literally. Why not when hearing Bruce Willis say “Yippee-ki-yay” is already a celebration in itself.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Jack Skellington may be the King of “Halloween Town” but even him cannot resist the joyful spirits of Christmas. After stumbling upon “Christmas Town”, Jack becomes obsessed with celebrating the holidays that he wants the Christmas role for himself, kidnapping Santa Claus and other shenanigans he could think of. Despite the touch of Halloween, The Nightmare Before Christmas is still one of the best animated Christmas movies there is.
Frozen
It may not be a Christmas movie but being a snow-themed one makes Frozen a great watch for the kids and kids at heart during the holidays. After her sister, Snow Queen Elsa, traps their entire kingdom in eternal winter, Anna embarks on a journey to find her alongside mountaineer Kristoff and his reindeer sidekick. For an animated Christmas mix movie, Frozen is a must-see.
FeaturedA Christmas Carol
Dark fantasy meets Christmas in this Robert Zemeckis movie, A Christmas Carol. It centres on Ebenezer Scrooge, whose bitterness about everything leads him to be mean to everyone, especially during Christmas, that is until ghosts take him on a journey through his past, present, and future with the goal of remedying his petty viciousness.
Christmas movies on Prime Video
Amazon recently released their new Christmas film starring Eddie Murphy, Candy Cane Lane. There’s also the sequel to the 2022 hit rom-com Your Christmas or Mine. Find out more Christmas movies on Amazon below:
Candy Cane Lane
Eddie Murphy is Chris Carver in the new Christmas movie Candy Cane Lane. Desperate to win an annual contest as the neighbourhood’s best decorated house for Christmas, he unwittingly makes a deal with a vicious elf that’s obviously up to no good.
Merry Little Batman
Damian Wayne must save his home from bad guys who have nothing left better to do than destroy the holidays while his dad Bruce Wayne saves Gotham City.
Your Christmas or Mine 2
Asa Butterfield and Cora Kirk reprise their roles as James and Hayley in this sequel to the hit Christmas rom-com movie Your Christmas or Mine.
EXmas
Graham is shocked to learn that his ex-fiancée Ali is his family’s guest on Christmas.
Christmas movies on Netflix
With Netflix’s seemingly endless movie library, it’s not a surprise to find hundreds of Christmas movies on the platform just waiting to be explored. Here are some of the popular titles on the service you might like to watch on Christmas.
Family Switch
The bickering in the Walker family runs supreme that a rare planetary alignment causes them to switch bodies to better appreciate each other. Family Switch is one of the latest Christmas movies streaming now in Australia.
The Noel Diary
There’s no denying it – Netflix has so many Christmas movies to offer you’ll never run out of holiday films to watch. Several new Christmas movies have also been added recently, including the charming The Noel Diary.
It stars Justin Hartley as a best-selling author who returns home for Christmas to settle his mother’s estate. However, his life is changed forever after discovering a diary that holds secrets to his own past.
Scrooge: A Christmas Carol
As pointed out earlier, there’s heaps of new Christmas movies on Netflix right now and one of them stars Luke Evans and Olivia Colman. It’s also based on Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, as well as the 1970 film Scrooge. Only released last month, the 2022 version has been praised for its voice performances, especially that of Evans as the selfish miser Ebenezer Scrooge.
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
One of best Christmas movies on Netflix, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey follows a toymaker and inventor (Forest Whitaker) whose life is ruined after being betrayed by his apprentice. Losing his creative spark and with nothing to inspire or encourage him, he gets a second chance after meeting his granddaughter.
Falling for Christmas
One of the romantic Christmas movies you can watch this season, Falling for Christmas follows an engaged young spoiled hotel heiress (Lindsay Lohan) who loses her memory after a skiing accident. Now suffering from amnesia, she finds herself struggling to live a new life. But with the help of a charming cabin owner and his daughter, she might find herself strangely happy after all.
The Christmas Chronicles
Starring Kurt Russell, this is one of the most popular Christmas movies on Netflix Australia. It follows siblings Kate and Teddy whose lousy Christmas instantly becomes an intense one after their plan to capture Santa Claus gets messy. After their attempt fails, they instead bond and work with Saint Nick to save Christmas for everybody.
A Christmas Prince
Cheesy romantic Christmas movies are also welcome with the holiday spirits running high and mighty. Hence, A Christmas Prince. It follows a young journalist who’s sent abroad in the days leading up to Christmas. Her mission? To go undercover and get the scoop on a playboy prince who’s next in line to be king. Her big surprise? She falls in love with him. If you’re looking for some of the best teen Christmas movies to make you smile foolishly, this is it.
The Princess Switch
Another Christmas film with a teenage romantic twist to enjoy is The Princess Switch starring Vanessa Hudgens. In this romance comedy, a duchess switches places with someone who exactly looks like her. As a result, they find their soulmates when they fall in love with each other’s beaus.
Watch Christmas movies today
Thanks to several streaming services in Australia, the number of Christmas movies you can stream instantly is limitless. Disney Plus alone offers a great selection of holiday-themed movies, as well as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Of course, BINGE and Foxtel Now also have a rich catalogue of popular Christmas movies on their platforms, as well as new streaming service Paramount+.
Below are some of the best services for watching the best and new Christmas movies in Australia.
Even better, most of these services have free trials so if you haven’t signed up yet, the holiday season might be the best time to get started. Check out some of the free trials and other deals available in Australia below.
