The fire is on. The snacks are abundant. The mulled wine is free-flowing. You’ve got everything you need to hole up for Christmas and avoid the winter chill – the only thing to throw in now is a bunch of festive flicks to really get the festive spirit flowing. If you’re stuck for a snowy streaming film to warm the cockles of your heart, look no further – here are the best Christmas movies on Netflix UK and on Amazon Prime.
Find the best movies on Netflix here, and the best TV shows on Netflix here.
Love Actually (2003)
Netflix UK
It’s a Christmas miracle! Just when you thought Richard Curtis’ quasi-festive multi-stranded rom-com wasn’t going to be streaming anywhere in the run up to the big day, Netflix adds it to the catalogue just in time. Are half of the stories a bit weird? Yes! Is a bunch of it sadder than you remember? Yes! But by the time little Jojen Reed does his adorable airport dash in the final reel, you’ll be so caught up in all the emotion that you won’t care.
Lethal Weapon (1987)
Amazon Prime
We all know by now that Die Hard is definitely a Christmas movie (come on, you know it to be true). But give it up for Shane Black, who manages to embed the festive season into most of his otherwise buddy-action blasts – Lethal Weapon is basically about the wild, broken Riggs finding someone he can spend the holidays with, with added drug-busting cop heroics in the mix. Plus, it’s funny as hell and thrillingly orchestrated by director Richard Donner.
The Christmas Chronicles (2018)
Netflix UK
Netflix’s biggest festive film this year has one huge thing in its favour – an elevator pitch that would make even the most hardened Grinch or Scrooge consider signing up to the streaming service: Kurt Russell as Santa Claus. Yes, the man behind MacReady, Snake Plissken, Stuntman Mike and more can now add Father Christmas to his list of iconic roles thanks to this Chris Columbus-produced adventure. After two kids accidentally crash Santa’s sleigh, it’s up to the pair of them – and the big man, of course – to get things back on track on the busiest night of the year.
Elf (2003)
Amazon Prime
Arguably the most recent film to really make a dent in the Christmas canon, Jon Favreau’s Elf is a total delight – from Will Ferrell’s wild and wide-eyed turn as Buddy the Elf (“…what’s your favourite color?”), to its killer fish-out-of-water gags, all playing over a lightly cynical undercurrent that stops things from ever getting too syrup-on-spaghetti sweet. It’s stuffed with instant classic comic beats (“Santa, here?! I know him!”), has a top-notch supporting cast in James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Peter Dinklage and Mary Steenburgen, and – like the over-sized Buddy himself – only grows in stature as the years go on.
Arthur Christmas (2011)
Netflix UK
One of Aardman’s best non-stop-motion animations, Arthur Christmas has its own explanation for how St. Nick delivers all those presents in one night – his set up is ultra-high-tech, with a tooled-up spaceship-style sleigh, gadgets galore, and an entire army of elves at his disposal. He’s got an entire family in on the job too – among them the titular Arthur, a clumsy misfit who hasn’t found his role in the family business. When a young girl gets missed by Santa one year, he makes it his mission to deliver her present and keep her believing. A heartfelt Christmas action movie, with added narwhals.
Gremlins (1984)
Amazon Prime
Like any family Christmas, Gremlins starts fun and friendly with cute gifts and cosy cheer – and then the bodies start piling up. Joe Dante’s festive horror-comedy is a wickedly funny creature feature starring Zach Galligan as Billy, the recipient of an adorable furry Mogwai for Christmas. The critter comes with three rules (don’t get it wet, keep it away from sunlight, and never feed it after midnight) that are broken more quickly than a cheap stocking filler, leaving the town of Kingston Falls overrun with mischievous monsters. All the charm of Amblin in its prime, with a thrillingly dark mean streak.
A Very Murray Christmas (2015)
Netflix UK
Looking for an hour of unabashed, all-out, 100-proof Bill Murray, with jingly bells on? Netflix’s Christmas special is exactly that, reuniting the screen icon with Lost In Translation director Sofia Coppola. What follows is 56 minutes of self-reflexive festive fun, as Murray prepares to host a live Christmas broadcast – except, a blizzard comes along, this time not trapping him in a 24-hour cycle, but leaving him guest-less and unable to air the show. Of course, there are guests here in their droves – from George Clooney, to Chris Rock, Amy Poehler to Maya Rudolph, as well as Michael Cera and Rashida Jones. Plus there are musical numbers galore, including Murray and Miley Cyrus duetting on ‘Sleigh Ride’. An essential watch for Murray-philes.
The Holiday (2006)
Amazon Prime
If you’ve already watched *[Love, Actually]https://www.empireonline.com/movies/love-actually/review/), next in line for a cheesy Christmas rom-com should be The Holiday, with its starry central foursome of Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black. The set-up is pure fantasy meet-cute stuff – Diaz and Winslet are recently heartbroken in their respective LA and chocolate-box England homes, so embark on a winter house-swap where they meet intriguing new men – but genre icon Nancy Meyers (who writes, directs, and produces) pulls it all off with wit and panache.
Nativity (2009)
Netflix UK
Some of the Nativity sequels are firmly on the cinematic naughty list, but the original has more in its favour – especially if you’re entertaining your own set of elves and need to keep them busy for a while. Martin Freeman is put-upon teacher Mr. Maddens, who’s in charge of the annual primary school nativity play – and in a bid to out-do their rival school, he promises that his Hollywood producer ex-girlfriend is coming to see their show. Except, that’s a big ol’ lie, and it’s too late to take it back. Cue kiddy cutesiness, and appearances from the likes of Pam Ferris, Jason Watkins, Clarke Peters, and comedians Ashley Jensen, Ricky Tomlinson, and Alan Carr. Good-hearted fun – but whatever you do, don’t put Nativity 3: Dude, Where’s My Donkey? on by mistake.
Rise Of The Guardians (2012)
Netflix UK
Less a Christmas movie than an every-holiday-in-one movie, Rise Of The Guardians pitches the likes of Jack Frost, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and the Sandman as a superhero team. And yes, Santa is in there too – or ‘North’, as he’s called here, a tattooed, sword-swinging badass voiced by Alec Baldwin with a thick Russian accent. Together the Guardians face off against Jude Law’s villainous Pitch, a dark force that threatens the sweet, innocent dreams of children the world round. Santa with swords – if that’s not Christmas entertainment, we don’t know what is.
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (2011)
Amazon Prime
If your ideal Christmas revolves around that whole ‘eat, drink, and be merry’ maxim (and very possibly swapping the ‘drink’ bit for, ahem, something else), then Harold & Kumar have the festive stoner film for you. The plot, such as it is, revolved around John Cho and Kal Penn’s pothead duo searching for a Christmas tree – but it’s all just an excuse for all kinds of THC-enhanced antics, from shooting Santa in the face, to getting their you-know-whats stuck to an icy pole. It’s dumb, puerile, and has Neil Patrick Harris singing while swinging a candy cane – which, let’s face it, are all endorsements if you’re in the market for this kind of thing.
Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)
Amazon Prime
Bridget Jones isn’t explicitly a Christmas movie, but it all kicks off around New Year with that turkey curry buffet scene and ends in a snowy smooch – so, yeah, we’re counting it. With a whip-smart, stupendously sweary script, a swooningly romantic score, and an outstanding leading trio in Renée Zellweger, Hugh Grant and Colin Firth (in the jumper that basically kick-started the whole consciously-ugly Christmas knitwear trend), it’s a rom-com classic that works any time of year. But especially well with sherry and mince pies.
The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017)
Netflix UK
In the pantheon of Dan Stevens movies, this one isn’t up there with The Guest – but it is a fun spin on A Christmas Carol, effectively telling the origin story of Charles Dickens’ oft-reinvented morality tale. Stevens is a down-on-his-luck Dickens, visited here by Ebenezer Scrooge himself as the character manifests in the writer’s brain. As that implies, this plays fast-and-loose with the truth and is far from a grim-and-gritty biopic, but it’s worth watching for the bickering banter between Christopher Plummer’s Scrooge and his tortured creator.
A Bad Moms Christmas (2017)
Amazon Prime
Let’s be honest – A Bad Moms Christmas isn’t as good as the (surprisingly fun) original Bad Moms. But, the brilliant leading trio of Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn all return, this time facing off against their own (bad) moms, meaning Cheryl Hines, Susan Sarandon, and – best of all – Christine Baranski join the cast here. Their inclusion, and a fresh dose of Hahn playing joyously against type as the caustic, raucous Carla, mean there’s some festive cheer to be found in round two. If you have time, pair Christmas in a double bill with the first Bad Moms, which is on Netflix.