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’Tis the season to be streaming. With the holidays fast approaching, everyone is looking for the right film (or stand alone special) to get them into the Christmas spirit. Luckily, Netflix has a ton of holiday-related content. There’s one problem: A lot of that content is…um…of questionable quality.
So we’re here to help. We scrolled through Netflix’s entire catalogue of Yule-themed films and found the ten titles most likely to get you jazzed for Santa. There are hollywood classics, heartwarming adventures, and some cynical Christmas takedowns.
Here are the Top 10 Christmas Movies on Netflix.
‘Love Actually’
Love Actually might be the most divisive holiday film ever — people love it, hate it, or love and hate it at the same time — but it’s also a standby modern classic. Between the all-star cast, banging soundtrack, and myriad of ridiculous subplots, Love Actually is a stalwart of the season. [Watch Love Actually on Netflix]
‘White Christmas’
Is there any other film that so perfectly screams Christmas? Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye play former soldiers-turned-entertainers who fall for a pair of songbird sisters. Fun fact: Holiday Inn is the popular musical comedy that introduced most of America to Irving Berlin’s enchanting carol “White Christmas.” This film was just capitalizing off of the nostalgia for that song and film. [Watch White Christmas on Netflix]
‘Scrooged’
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has been reimagined in countless ways over the years, but Scrooged might be the rowdiest, bawdiest version of the tale. In this adaptation, Bill Murray stars as Frank Cross, a horrid TV executive who gets a new lease on life after being visited by a trio of Christmas spirits. [Watch Scrooged on Netflix]
‘Miracle on 34th Street’
This charming remake of the holiday classic tells the story of a department store Santa who may be the real thing. Richard Attenborough stars as Kris Kringle, a mercurial and mysterious man who casts a spell over practically everyone he meets — save for a skeptical little girl. [Watch Miracle on 34th Street on Netflix]
‘A Very Murray Christmas’
Netflix produced this whimsical original last year as a way to unite Bill Murray with the holidays once more. The bittersweet film shows Murray soldiering through a disappointing Christmas Eve with the help of songs, celebrity friends, and dream sequences. [Watch A Very Murray Christmas on Netflix]
‘Ernest Saves Christmas’
What happens when Santa wants to retire? Well, he needs a replacement. This silly comedy follows the beloved Jim Varney character Ernest P. Worrell as he tries to connect the old Santa with the new. Spoiler alert: In the end, Christmas gets saved. [Watch Ernest Saves Christmas on Netflix]
‘Bojack Horseman Christmas Special’
If you’re looking for something to poke holes into the hypocrisy of the holiday season, then you ought to watch the Bojack Horseman Christmas Special. Bojack and Todd watch a truly terrible Horsin’ Around Christmas Special that mocks the saccharine sprinkled over the holiday. [Watch Bojack Horseman Christmas Special on Netflix]
‘Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special’
This delightful special has the most incredible celebrity guest list of any Christmas-themed episode in TV history. I’m serious. Cher, Magic Johnson, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Oprah Winfrey, Little Richard, K.D. Lang, and Grace Jones are just a few of the iconoclasts who stop by to wish Pee-wee a happy holiday season. [Watch Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special on Netflix]
‘Christmas with the Kranks’
This odd comedy about a Christmas season gone wrong has a surprising literary origin. It’s based on John Grisham’s Skipping Christmas. Both the book and the film delve into what the holidays really mean to us and asks the question: Do we really owe our neighbors a fabulous light display? [Watch Christmas with the Kranks on Netflix]
‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe’
This epic children’s fantasy film might not seem all that Christmas-y at first glance, but it is literally about Christianity. C.S. Lewis envisioned the mighty Aslan as a representative of Christ and the White Witch as a symbol of pagan evil. Oh, and Father Christmas – the British Santa — makes an appearance. [Watch The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe on Netflix]
