Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without fixing your eyes on the TV, for hours on end, watching festive films. It doesn’t even matter that many of them are completely terrible.
From old-time classics such as Love Actually to new movies, starring the likes of Kristen Davis and Vanessa Hudgens, there’s something for everyone to get ready for the holiday season. It’s also the perfect family activity as you relax over the winter break.
Whether you’re looking for a truly festive film or, perhaps, a feel-good flick that’s just set around Christmas, there’s quite the selection to choose from.
Luckily, Netflix is serving up a host of holiday movies this year, ready for you to stream. All that’s left is to plan your festive film night – and we’ve got a seasonal guide to help you.
Best Christmas movies to watch on Netflix
Single All the Way (2021)
Peter is – you guessed it, single and wants to avoid his family questioning him about his relationship status over the holidays. Preempting their judgement, he manages to persuade his best friend Nick – whom is family already think he should date – to pose as his boyfriend when he visits home for Christmas.
David and the Elves (2021)
This Polish Christmas comedy sees David, a young boy whose parents have forgotten the meaning of Christmas, befriend an overworked elf named Albert as they journey together to the Tatra mountains to find the true meaning of Christmas.
The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star (2021)
We know Queen Margaret, Princess Stacy and Lady Fiona from the previous two Princess Switch movies and we meet our three doppelgängers again in the third instalment of this lovable Christmas movie.
When a priceless Christmas artefact is stolen by thieves, royal look-alikes Queen Margaret and Princess Stacy (both played by Vanessa Hudgens) have no choice but to turn to the mischievous Lady Fiona (also Hudgens) for help.
Love Hard (2021)
Nina Dobrev steps away from her well known role of Elena Gilbert in The Vampire Diaries in this dating disaster rom-com festive film. When Natalie Bauer (played by Dobrev) meets a guy on a dating app, she has no idea that she’s about to be catfished when she goes to surprise him at his family home ahead of Christmas.
Father Christmas Is Back (2021)
Another new festive film is British comedy Father Christmas Is Back – with a star-studded cast, featuring Elizabeth Hurley, John Cleese and Kelsey Grammer. Join in on this family reunion during the Christmas holidays as the attempt to have a perfect Christmas results in a family secret being revealed.
Best Christmas movies on Netflix
Klaus (2019)
In Netflix’s first original animated feature, a selfish (and exceedingly irritating) postman called Jesper (voiced by Jason Schwartzman) and a grumpy old toymaker (J.K. Simmons) become friends and attempt to cheer up the miserable, frosty town of Smeerensburg. Sergio Pablos’s animations are charming, even if the story subplots can get a little complicated.
Holiday in the Wild (2019)
This feel-good festive rom-com stars Sex and the City’s Kristen Davis as a single woman on safari in Zambia, trying to get over her husband who unceremoniously dumped her two days before their second honeymoon. Luckily, her safari pilot turns out to be quite the catch… Expect sunny Christmas cheer and plenty of baby animals.
The Holiday (2006)
One of the few decent Rom Coms on Netflix, here two women with broken hearts, Surrey journalist Iris (Kate Winslet), and Los-Angeles movie-trailer maker Amanda (Cameron Diaz), house swap for Christmas for some much-needed R&R. Both women end up attached to the other’s emotional baggage, leading to two, new and unexpected love stories. A lovely, fluffy film that warms the heart without making it cringe.
Love Actually (2003)
Netflix’s big “get” for the festive season is Richard Curtis’s endearingly cloying Christmas classic Love Actually, which really ought to have become an end-of-year tradition by now for any respectable Brit. Featuring a host of A-listers (and Martine McCutcheon), it also has the most 2003 soundtrack of all time, with Hugh Grant et al serenaded throughout by the likes of Sugababes, Girls Aloud, S Club Juniors and Dido.
