SmartStream

There was a time when we knew where to watch our favorite Christmas movies. It’s a Wonderful Life was broadcast on Thanksgiving evening. We could catch the jerky animation of Santa Claus is Coming to Town or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in prime time before being tucked into bed. With the ever-growing fragmentation of streaming services, we now need to search to find the movies and shows we watch year after year. Here’s a little help.

This list has been compiled using Reelgood and other online sources to find where each title is available. You can find many holiday movies on services to which you already subscribe. Other titles can only be rented or purchased from Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Apple TV, YouTube, Microsoft, iTunes, and Vudu.

Typically, if two or more movies you want are on the same service, it will be cheaper to subscribe for the month than to rent several titles. In January, you can stop the service.

Many movies and TV shows can be found on the Live TV schedule for Free Ad-Supported Live TV (FAST) services like Xumo, Freevee, or Pluto TV. Hallmark and Lifetime have converted some channels to play only holiday movies in December. Here’s a quick list:

• Christmas Plus Channel on Freevee.
• Holiday Movie Favorites by Lifetime (aka “It’s a Wonderful Lifetime”) on Pluto TV, Freevee
• Hallmark Movies and More on Holiday Favorites – Freevee, Philo, Sling TV, Frndly TV
• Hallmark Movies Now on Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, Sling, Pluto TV, Fubo TV, and Hulu+ Live TV
• Redbox Romance and Gravitas Movies on Xumo offer a stream of Christmas favorites during the holidays.

TubiTV has a page dedicated to the Christmas movies available on TubiTV.

For those who like to inject a little fear into the holiday spirit, Shudder and AMC+ are where you’ll find violent Christmas movies and holiday terror films. On the other hand, Disney+ has many animated and family classics.

Holiday Classics and Where You Can Find Them

We’ve listed movies alphabetically by category. Find your favorites or try a blind pick and watch something new.

Classics from the 40’s and 50’s

• Christmas in Connecticut (1945) – Max
• Holiday Inn (1942) – Prime Video
• It’s a Wonderful Life (1947) – Prime Video
• Meet Me in St. Louis (1945) – TVision, or rent/buy on Prime Video
• Miracle on 34th Street (1947) – Disney +
• The Bishops Wife (1948) – Prime Video, Plex, Pluto TV, Roku, Tube
• The Shop Around the Corner (1940) – Max
• White Christmas (1954) – Netflix

Almost as Good as the Original

• How the Grinch Stole Christmas (live action 2000) – Max
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas (animated 1967) – Peacock
• Miracle on 34th Street (1994) – Hulu
• Miracle on 34th Street (1947) – Disney+

Classics from the 80’s, 90’s, and 2000s

• A Christmas Story (1983) – Prime Video, Max
• A Christmas Story Christmas (2022) – Max
• Home Alone (1990) – Disney+
• Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) – Disney+ , Starz
• I’ll Be Home For Christmas (1998) – Disney+
• Jingle All the Way (1996) – Apple TV+
• Last Holiday (2006) – Hulu
• Love Actually (2003) – Hulu, Netflix
• National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) – Prime Video, Hulu, Max
• The Holiday (2006) – Hulu
• The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) – Disney+

2018 to 2023 New Releases

• A Boy Called Christmas (2021) – Netflix
• A Sisterly Christmas (2021) – Fubo, Max, discovery+
• Best Christmas Ever (released Nov. 16) – Netflix
• Candy Cane Lane (released Dec. 1) – Prime Video
• Christmas With You (2022) – Netflix
• Dash & Lily – 2020 (limited series) – Netflix
• Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square (2020) – Netflix
• Falling for Christmas (2022) – Netflix
• Free Rein: The Twelve Neighs of Christmas (2018) – Netflix
• How to Fall in Love by the Holidays (2023) – Roku
• Holiday Rush (2019) – Netflix
• Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020) – Netflix
• Let It Snow (2019) – Netflix
• Love Hard (2021) – Netflix
• Silent Night (2021) – AMC+
• Spirited (2022) – Apple TV+
• The Noel Diary (2022) – Netflix
• Your Christmas or Mine? (2022) – Prime Video

(Not Hallmark) Holiday Romance

• A Castle For Christmas (2021) – Netflix
• A Christmas Prince (2017) – Netflix
• A Cinderella Christmas (2017) – Hulu
• A Heartland Christmas (2010) – Peacock
• A Princess for Christmas (2011) – Plex, Freevee
• Dear Santa (2011) – Prime Video, Peacock, Philo, Pluto TV, Plex, Crackle, Roku
• Dear Santa (2020) – Hulu, AMC+,
• Holidate (2020) – Netflix
• The Holiday Calendar (2018) – Netflix
• The Holiday Fix Up (2021) – Hulu
• Operation Christmas Drop (2020) – Netflix
• The Knight Before Christmas (2019) – Netflix
• The Princess Switch (2018) – Netflix

Holiday Variety Shows

• A Very Demi Holiday Special (2023) – December 8 , 2023 – Roku
• A Very Murray Christmas (2015) – Netflix
• Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special (2020) – Apple TV +
• PeeWee’s Playhouse Christmas Special (1988) – Not available to stream so get the DVD
• The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special 2022 – Disney+

Kid – Friendly Family Classics

• A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) – Apple TV +
• A Muppet Family Christmas (1987) – Currently not available to stream
• Angela’s Christmas (2017) – Netflix
• Arthur Christmas (2011) – Max
• Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas (A Muppet movie) (1977) – Prime Video, Peacock
• Frozen (2013) – Disney+
• It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002) – Available to buy/rent only
• Klaus (animated 2019) – Netflix
• Lego Star Wars Holiday Special (2020) – Disney+
• Prep and Landing: Naughty vs. Nice (2011) – Disney+
• The Boss Baby: Christmas Bonus (2022) – Netflix
• The Polar Express (2004) – Max , Hulu
• Silver Skates (2020) – Netflix
• The Star (2017) – FuboTV
• The Year Without A Santa Claus (1974) – TNT, TBS, TruTV, buy/rent
• Wish for Wings that Work (1991) – Not available to stream but can be found on YouTube

Rankin/Bass Stop – Motion Animation

• Rudolph the Red – Nosed Reindeer (1964) – Prime Video
• Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town (1970) – Buy/rent only
• The Little Drummer Boy – (1968) – Peacock
• Frosty the Snowman (1969) – Buy/rent only on Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV
• Jack Frost (remastered 1979) – Prime Video, Freevee (on the Christmas Plus Channel)

Santa Claus and Family

• The Claus Family (2020) – Netflix
• The Christmas Chronicles (2018) and The Christmas Chronicles 2 (2020) – Netflix
• The Santa Clause (1985), The Santa Clause 2 (2002), The Santa Clause 3 (2006) – Disney +
• Elf (2003) – Hulu, Max
• Fred Claus (2007) – Hulu, Max, TNT, TBS, truTV
• Catch Me if you Claus (2023) – Peacock
• Noelle (2019) – Disney+
• Santa Claus the Movie: 25th Anniversary Edition (1985) – Buy/rent only

Raucous Christmas

• A Bad Mom's Christmas ( 2017) – Disney+
• A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (2011) – Apple TV+
• Bad Santa (2003) – Paramount+, Prime Video
• Office Christmas Party (2016) – Prime Video
• The Night Before (2015) – Prime Video

Family Gatherings

• A Chestnut Family Christmas (2021) – Max, Discovery+
• Almost Christmas (2016) – Fubo, Peacock
• Family Stone (2005) – Hulu, Fubo
• Father Christmas is Back (2021) – Netflix
• Four Christmases (2008) – Hulu, Max, TNT, TBS, TruTV
• Happiest Season (2020) – Hulu
• Home for the Holidays (1995) – Showtime, FuboTV, Hoopla, Kanopy
• Love the Coopers (2015) – Fubo, Freeform
• Mixed Nuts (1994) – Tubi
• Nothing Like the Holidays (2008) – Max
• Surviving Christmas (2004) – Prime Video, AMC+
• This Christmas (2007) – Fubo, Peacock
• Why Him? (2016) – Rent/buy on Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu, YouTube

Competitive Neighbors

• Christmas with the Kranks (2004) – Prime Video, AMC+, Hoopla, AMC+
• Deck the Halls (2006) – Hulu, Starz

A Christmas Carol

• A Christmas Carol (1938) – Max
• A Christmas Carol (1951) – Buy/rent on the Dove Channel
• A Christmas Carol (1984) – Starz, Tubi
• A Christmas Carol (1999 with Patrick Stewart) – Buy/rent
• A Christmas Carol (2004) – musical with Kelsey Grammer – Fubo, Freevee, Crackle, Hoopla
• A Christmas Carol (animated with Jim Carrey 2009) – Disney+
• Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983) – Disney+
• Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol (1962) – Peacock
• Scrooge (1951) – Dove Channel, Freevee, Prime Video
• Scrooge (musical with Albert Finney 1970) – Paramount+, Prime Video Fandor Subscription, Fawesome
• Scrooged (1988) – Paramount+, Freevee
• The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) – Showtime, Starz
• The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) – Disney+

Other Christmas Favorites

• 8 – Bit Christmas ( 2021) – Max
• A Christmas Tale (2008) – AMC+
• A Madea Christmas (2013) – Hulu, Fubo
• Carole’s Christmas (2019) – Max
• Family Man (2000) – Philo, Tubi
• Happy Christmas (2014) – Paramount+, AMC+, hoopla
• Jack Frost (1998) – Prime Video and Roku
• Prancer (1989) – Philo, AMC+
• Santa Camp (2022) – Max
• The Best Man Holiday (2013) – Peacock
• The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (2008) – Peacock
• Unaccompanied Minors (2006) – Tubi, Canopy
• While You Were Sleeping (1995) – Disney+

The Dark Side of Christmas, Action, and Terror

• A Christmas Horror Story (2015) – AMC+, Tube, Shudder
• Anna and the Apocalypse (2017) – AMC+, Kanopy, Shudder
• Await Further Instructions (2018) – AMC+, Shudder, Tubi
• Black Christmas (1974) – FuboTV, Peacock
• Black Christmas (2019) – Netflix, fuboTV, FXNow
• Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022) – AMC + , Shudder
• Christmas Evil (1980) – Fubo, Showtime, AMC+, Shudder, Flixfling, Vudu, Popcornflix, Tubi
• Day of the Beast (1995) – AMC+, Fandor, Screambox, Freeze, Vudu, Canopy, Hoopla
• Dead End (2003) – Prime Video, Shudder, AMC+. Freevee, Tubi
• Die Hard (1988) – Hulu, Fubo, MGM+, TubiTV
• Fatman (2020) – Peacock
• Hosts – 2009 – Fubo TV, AMC+
• Krampus (2015) – Peacock
• Red Snow (2021) – Freevee, buy/rent
• Reindeer Games (2000) – Max
• The Tower (2012) – Buy/rent Prime Video, Apple TV+
• The Advent Calendar (2021) – AMC+, Shudder
• The Children (2008) – Tubi, Vudu, Freevee
• Violent Night (2022) – Prime Video

Still can’t find the movie you want? Do a global voice search for the title on Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, and other smart TVs.