The countdown to Christmas is finally here, and Jack Frost is nipping at your nose. What better way to celebrate than being curled up in front of the TV with your favorite blanket, cookies in the oven, and family by your side? Amazon Prime Video has holiday classics that everyone will enjoy.
Here are some of the best Christmas movies your family can stream or rent on Prime.
"Surviving Christmas"
With no plans or close relatives to celebrate the holidays, a wealthy man named Drew Latham (Ben Affleck) returns to his childhood home to relive his Christmas memories. When he finds another family living there, he offers the owners (James Gandolfini, Catherine O’Hara) $250,000 to pretend to be his parents. Things are going great (for him) until their real daughter (Christina Applegate) shows up making his newly purchased relationship complicated.
"12 Dates of Christmas"
Kate (Amy Smart) and Miles’ (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) first date didn’t go as expected. After a failed attempt of trying to use her date to impress her ex, Kate thought she would never find love. Luckily, through a Christmas miracle, she gets 12 chances to relive the date over and over again until she gets things right.
"Almost Christmas"
Newly widowed Walter (Danny Glover) just wants his family home for the holidays — but Christmas turned out to be nothing short of a mess. With his bickering adult children (Gabrielle Union, Kimberly Elise, Romany Malco, Jessie T. Usher) under one roof for five days, the retired father wonders if his family will make it to Christmas in one piece.
"Home Alone"
Toy cars. A tarantula. A flying iron. These are just a few items you need when you’re an 8-year-old defending your home during Christmas. When Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) is mistakenly left at home by his family when heading out on vacation, he at first embraces the new freedom — until he discovers two burglars (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) are planning to rob his home.
"Home Alone 2"
You guessed it, Kevin is alone (again), and this time he’s stranded in the Big Apple.
As the McCallisters head to Florida for the holidays, Kevin loses track of his father and gets on a plane headed to New York City. That doesn’t stop the quick-witted kid from conning his way into a room at the Plaza and laying low until it’s time to head back home. When he discovers the Stick Bandits (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) are on the loose, he comes up with new ways to protect himself and the friends he makes along the way.
"The Family Stone"
"The Family Stone" is a star-studded film following uptight Meredith Morton (Sarah Jessica Parker) as she meets her boyfriend’s (Dermot Mulroney) not-so-welcoming family. When she finds that she’s the odd one out, Meredith calls in her sister (Claire Danes) for backup which leads to an unexpected twist.
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas"
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is a live-action film based on the Dr. Suess book and stars Jim Carey as the grumpy green outcast living at the top of Whoville. After growing tired of hearing the cheers of the nearby town, the Grinch plots to steal Christmas gifts to end the holiday once and for all. The devious plan soon takes a turn once he befriends Little Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen), who to his surprise steals his heart.
"The Holiday"
It’s the holidays and two unlucky-in-love women 6,000 miles apart decide they need a change of scenery. Without ever meeting in person, Iris (Kate Winslet) and Amanda (Cameron Diaz) impulsively trade homes, one being in LA and the other in countryside England. Shortly after their arrival, they unexpectedly spark romance with two locals that makes them question if they’ll ever go back home.
"The Polar Express"
On the night of Christmas Eve, a young boy who struggles with believing in Santa boards a magical train headed to the North Pole. During the journey, he meets several other kids just like him who are determined to prove that the Big Guy is as real as everyone says he is.
"The Nightmare Before Christmas"
"The Nightmare Before Christmas" follows Jack Skellington, a pumpkin king who loves a good scare. One day, Skellington grows bored of his annual schemes and stumbles into Christmas Town where he becomes fascinated with the idea of Christmas and tries to bring it to Halloween Town. In true Skellington fashion, he plots to kidnap Santa and take over Christmas until he soon discovers his version may not have been the best.
"Frozen"
When her kingdom is frozen over by her Snow Queen sister, Anna (Kristen Bell) teams up with Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and their new snow friend Olaf (Josh Gad) to save their day in the hit musical that your kids (and you) will want to sing along with over and over."National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation"
The Griswalds are back! Chevy Chase stars as Clark Griswold, everyone’s favorite quirky dad who wants the perfect Christmas after learning he’s up for a holiday bonus. Clark’s plans quickly go awry when his erratic cousin brings his family along via camper. To make matters worse, Clark learns his Christmas bonus is actually a coupon.
"A Bad Moms Christmas"
"A Bad Moms Christmas" follows three moms tired of the stresses of preparing for Christmas. Just as the trio decides to have a “simple” holiday, they’re each hit with unexpected visits from their loving yet smothering mothers.
"Elf"
Will Ferrell stars as Buddy, a human raised by elves who struggles to fit in with his much shorter peers. As he gets older, Buddy decides to head to the Big Apple to build a relationship with his birth father and learn more about where he came from. To Buddy’s surprise, he finds that his father not only has another family but is also on Santa’s naughty list.
"Four Christmases"
Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon star as Brad and Kate, an unmarried couple who every year plan an exotic vacation instead of spending time with their dysfunctional families for the holidays. How do they get out of it? By lying of course. That is until their plans fall apart forcing them to travel to four family holiday parties.
"A Christmas Carol"
"A Christmas Carol" is the British adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic play starring George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge — a grumpy businessman who hates Christmas just as much as he enjoys making money. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is awakened by three spirits who take him on a journey through his past, present and future to convince him to change his bitter ways.
"White Christmas"
Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye star in this 1954 classic musical following two singing brothers preparing to perform a Christmas show at a lodge in rural Vermont. When they arrive, they run into an old friend and owner of a local inn who they learn is experiencing financial woes. During their stay, they meet two talented sisters with whom they team up not only to help their misfortunate friend but also to spark a romance in the process.
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” features Sam the Snowman (Burl Ives) as he tells us the story of Rudolph, the famous reindeer that guided Santa’s sleigh through a bad storm on Christmas Eve with his very shiny nose.
"A Madea Christmas"
"A Madea Christmas" follows Madea Simmons (Tyler Perry) as she joins her niece on a surprise visit with her estranged daughter out in the middle of nowhere for the holidays. The real surprise is when the two learn that not only is her daughter married, but she also lives on a farm with her husband’s hilarious parents (played by Kathy Najimy and Larry the Cable Guy).
"Christmas with the Kranks"
In "Christmas with the Kranks," empty nesters Luther (Tim Allen) and Nora Krank (Jamie Lee Curtis) choose to “skip Christmas” this year and take a Caribbean cruise instead, making them the outcasts to their holiday-obsessed neighbors. As they get ready to head out for their trip, their daughter decides to come back home causing them to celebrate last minute.
"Die Hard"
For nearly three decades, the debate has continued on whether "Die Hard" is considered a Christmas movie (we’ll let you decide). In this action-packed classic, it’s Christmas Eve and NYPD cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) is visiting his estranged family for the holidays. That is until a group of terrorists takes over the building during his wife’s Christmas party. Naturally, McClane takes it upon himself to save his wife and hopefully make it out alive just in time to open presents.
"The Perfect Holiday"
All single mom of three Nancy (Gabrielle Union) wants for Christmas is the perfect man. When her daughter overhears her venting to her friends, she asks the department store Santa (Morris Chestnut) to make her wish come true.
"Jingle All the Way"
In this 1996 film, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Howard Langston, a workaholic dad who wants to make up for the time missed with his wife and son. When he makes a near-impossible promise to get the coolest (and sold-out) toy of the season, Howard meets another dad (played by Sinbad) who is just as anxious to find the same toy. With time ticking, the dads team up to find the toy and learn why waiting till the last minute isn’t always the best idea.
Brandi Smith
Brandi Smith is a Media Trainee at NBCULocal based in NYC. She’s a Jayhawk who loves all things Lifestyle, Rihanna, and TikTok recipes. Brandi is a self-proclaimed foodie who enjoys finding hole-in-the-wall restaurants wherever she travels. When she’s not at work, she’s either at the gym or catching up on the latest reality TV shows with her very vocal dog Billy.
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