Your Ultimate Holiday TV Guide: The Best Movies to Watch This Season

Ultimate Holiday TV Guide: 2025 Edition

The holidays are officially here, which means cozy blankets, warm drinks, and plenty of time to queue up your favorite festive movies. Whether you lean toward classics, goofy comedies, heartfelt romances, or animated magic, this year’s lineup across AMC, Freeform, HBO Max, Netflix, and Hulu is absolutely packed. Here are all the must-watch picks to make your December feel extra merry and bright.

AMC's Best Christmas Ever

AMC is once again delivering a comforting mix of timeless favorites and feel-good holiday staples, perfect for watching any night of the month.

Christmas With the Kranks
This comedy follows a couple who decide to ditch the usual holiday chaos for a tropical getaway, but their neighbors are not having it, leading to hilarious drama, over-the-top reactions, and a sweet reminder of what community really means.

Scrooged
Bill Murray puts a wonderfully unhinged modern spin on A Christmas Carol, blending dark humor, wild visuals, and plenty of unexpected heart that makes it a great pick for anyone who likes their holiday movies with a quirky twist.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
From impossible holiday lights to chaotic family gatherings; this classic nails every relatable holiday struggle, all while serving up some of Chevy Chase’s funniest moments as he tries too hard to create the perfect Christmas.

Elf
Buddy the Elf’s contagious enthusiasm and childlike wonder make this movie feel like an instant mood booster, and every scene—from the singing to the sugary “meals”—adds to its status as a modern-day holiday must-watch.

The Holiday
Two women escape their messy love lives by swapping homes for the season and end up finding new romance all set against the charming English countryside and warm California sunshine.

Freeform's 25 Days of Christmas

Freeform’s annual marathon continues to be the ultimate comfort watch, offering a mix of nostalgic childhood classics and heartwarming favorites that never get old.

The Santa Clause (1–3)
Tim Allen’s journey from workaholic dad to full-fledged Santa Claus is filled with humor, wonder, and heartfelt moments, and the trilogy only gets more magical as Scott Calvin learns to balance life, family, and his new role in the North Pole.

Home Alone & Home Alone: Lost in New York
Watching Kevin McCallister outsmart burglars with creative traps, or run wild through New York City, never stops being funny, and both movies blend slapstick chaos with genuinely sweet holiday moments.

Jingle All the Way
Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a frantic dad racing against the clock to find the season’s hottest toy, turning a simple gift hunt into a hilarious adventure that perfectly captures the stress and fun of holiday shopping.

Miracle on 34th Street
Whether you are watching the original or the ’90s remake, this heartwarming story about a department-store Santa who might be the real deal is a timeless reminder to believe in kindness, magic, and holiday miracles.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
This beloved stop-motion special tells the story of an outsider who finds his place in the world, and its memorable music, charming characters, and gentle message of acceptance make it a yearly must-watch.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Jim Carrey’s wild and heartfelt performance as the Grinch brings new life to Dr. Seuss’s classic tale, delivering big laughs, emotional depth, and plenty of holiday cheer.

HBO Max

HBO Max has a great mix of nostalgic throwbacks, newer gems, and quirky holiday picks you can pair with your favorite snacks and warm drinks.

A Christmas Story
Ralphie’s mission to get a Red Ryder BB gun leads to a series of hilarious and chaotic childhood moments, and the movie’s mix of nostalgia, quirky characters, and endlessly quotable lines makes it a yearly favorite. You can also catch the sequel, A Christmas Story Christmas on the platform as well.

8-Bit Christmas
This newer comedy feels like a warm hug for anyone who grew up in the ’80s, as it follows a boy on a determined mission to score the hottest gaming console of the decade.

Gremlins
For viewers who like a little mayhem mixed into their holiday movies, this creature-filled adventure adds a fun and mischievous twist to the season with its blend of humor, action, and festive chaos.

The Man Who Invented Christmas
This imaginative film follows Charles Dickens as he struggles through writer’s block and ends up creating A Christmas Carol, offering a charming blend of biography, whimsy, and creative inspiration.

Netflix

Netflix continues to crush the holiday movie game with a lineup full of cozy romances, big adventures, and beautifully animated stories.

The Christmas Chronicles
Kurt Russell’s unexpectedly cool and charismatic Santa teams up with two siblings to save Christmas, bringing lots of fun, heart, and action-packed moments that families will love.

Holidate
Two strangers agree to be each other’s plus-one for every holiday to avoid awkward gatherings, but their chemistry slowly grows into something more, making for a funny, charming, and very bingeable rom-com.

A Very Vintage Christmas
This small-town romantic drama follows a woman who discovers a mysterious box of sentimental holiday items and sets out to return it, creating a cozy and nostalgic story filled with gentle romance.

Last Christmas
Inspired by George Michael’s music, this emotional dramedy follows a woman trying to rebuild her life during the holidays, offering a mix of humor, heartache, and uplifting moments with a twist you won’t forget.

Klaus
This beautifully animated film tells a fresh, heartwarming origin story of Santa Claus, and its gorgeous visuals and emotional storytelling have already made it a modern holiday classic.

Hulu

Hulu’s holiday list mixes classics with lesser-known gems, giving you an abundance of fun options when you want something a little different.

Deck the Halls
Two neighbors get pulled into an over-the-top competition to outdo each other’s Christmas decorations, leading to ridiculous stunts, big laughs, and a silly fun time.

Die Hard
Set during a holiday party gone terribly wrong, this action-packed classic is always a fun debate-starter—is it a Christmas movie or is it just a fun action movie?

The Santa Stakeout
Two detectives go undercover in a festive neighborhood to solve a robbery case, but their mission slowly turns into an unexpected love story filled with cozy charm and holiday warmth.

A Sudden Case of Christmas
This newer film brings humor, heart, and fun surprises as a family’s carefully planned Christmas starts to fall apart, reminding viewers what really matters during the season.

 Grab your favorite blanket, load up your streaming apps, and dive into a December full of festive movie marathons. No matter what you are in the mood for, there is something on this list that’ll make your holiday season feel brighter.