Most of us are spending more time at home this Christmas as the Covid-19 pandemic sadly twists and marches on. We’re finding our social plans cancelled or postponed and many of our favourite venues are closed due to their staff self-isolating. But it’s not all doom and gloom, because one thing we can really on is the British telly!
Whether you’re an Amazon Prime lover, a Netflix addict, are hooked on YouTube, Disney+ or a BBC all the way kind of soul, there are films galore available for all this festive holiday.
So, grab a cocoa, snuggle up on the sofa with a cosy throw and get into the Christmas vibe with one of our top 10 best Christmas movies below. Here are some classics, old and new – enjoy!
THE ABSOLUTE CLASSICS
1 It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
We start our list with this 40s classic film that’s still loved 75 years later. Enjoy the story of George Bailey as he discovers the importance of a single life and the impact we have on those around us. If the story sounds a little familiar, it’s loosely based on the 1843 Charles Dickens classic novella A Christmas Carol, like another film on our list.
Watch on Amazon Prime and sometimes this film plays at your local cinema around the holidays.
2 White Christmas (1954)
Starring the famous Rosemary Clooney (aunt of George Clooney), Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and Vera-Ellen, in this film, two WWII vets, Bob and Phil, leave the Army to become entertainers, getting entangled with a pair of sisters, Betty and Judy. The men encounter General Waverly who was their commander in the war who’s having financial difficulties with his quaint country inn in rural Vermont. The four plot to put on a musical Christmas extravaganza to put the business back on track.
Rent this film on Amazon Prime.
THE 90s HITS
3 Home Alone (1990)
Most of us have seen this film dozens of times, unwittingly or not. The McCallister family leave their son, Kevin, behind in their rush to get to their airport in time for their family trip to Paris. Kevin relishes having the house to himself (after all, he wished he had no family) until he realises two con men hope to rob the home and he protects his home by any means necessary.
You can watch this Christmas classic on Disney+. Look out for the modern take that came out this year too!
4 The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
For the Dickens lovers out there and the many adaptations, this “muppety” version of the tale is a fun classic with Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit and Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge. You’ll see plenty of muppet favourites from Miss Piggy and Gonzo to Fozzie Bear and Sam the Eagle weaving in and out of the story as Scrooge sees the spirits of Christmas past, present, and future. Will he be redeemed and find happiness?
Enjoy this family favourite on Disney+.
OLDER FAVS
5 How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
If you loved the original Christmas tale by Dr Seuss, you’ll enjoy the film of the same name about a reclusive Grinch who wants to ruin Christmas for the cheerful citizens of Whoville. When emerging from his mountain top to swipe the Christmas spirit the Grinch meets his match, the endearing Cindy Lou Who, who puts a kink in his plans.
Watch on Apple TV or Amazon Prime.
6 Elf (2003)
In this charming and silly comedy, Buddy was raised in the North Pole amongst Santa’s elves. He’s always had the feeling he didn’t fit in so he travels to New York in a full elf costume, searching for his real father who is a cynical businessman but making up for long-lost time doesn’t always go as planned! This film is about relationships and saving Christmas but also about the budding romance between Buddy and Jovie in which they sing a memorable duet of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”
Rent the full-length film on YouTube – and sometimes you can find it on Netflix.
7 The Holiday (2006)
English Iris and Californian Amanda both are unlucky in love and decide to swap homes during Christmas. Iris spends her time in Amanda’s Hollywood mansion and Amanda visits Iris’s quaint English cottage in a postcard-worthy country village. Both ladies bump into some local men and adventure ensues. This rom-com is a perfect Christmas feel-good film starring Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Cameron Diaz, Jack Black, and Rufus Sewell, directed by Nancy Meyers and with the dramatic music of Hans Zimmer.
Look for it on Netflix.
RECENT FESTIVE FAVS
8 Noelle (2019)
Anna Kendrick, Shirley MacLaine, and Bill Hader star in this modern Christmas fill about Kris Kringle’s daughter, Noelle. She is full of the magic and joy of Christmas but wishes she had an important job like her brother, Nick, who will take over the family business: being Santa. But Nick is crumbling under the pressure so Noelle tells him to take a break and get away but the trouble is he hasn’t returned. Will she have time to find her brother and save Christmas?
Watch this fun film on Disney+.
9 Love Hard (2021)
With one of the new Netflix releases, this modern Christmas tale signifies dating in the model era: there’s always a catfish in the water. In this rom-com, a single woman and writer writes about her disastrous dating life. When she finally finds her seemingly perfect match on a dating app, has she found the one and should she fly 3,000 miles to surprise him for Christmas?
Enjoy the movie with your Netflix subscription.
10 Single All the Way (2021)
Peter is always single around the holidays (you know, the classic premise) and to get his family off his back, he asks his best friend to pose as his boyfriend for the trip home this year. What could happen, we wonder?
This film is another new Netflix release for the holidays, so grab the popcorn!
There are so many great holiday films from feel-good to funny to charming to raucous that we couldn’t possibly put them all on one list. But we hope you love our top 10 picks.
Some honourable mentions include Jingle All the Way (1996), About a Boy (2002), Love Actually (2003), Four Christmases (2008), Office Christmas Party (2016), Last Christmas (2019), The Knight Before Christmas (2019), and The Happiest Season (2020). Which Christmas film is written on your must-watch list each year and which new ones do you plan to jot down?
Grab your cocoa, savour a Christmas treat, pop on your face mask, and happy watching, solo or with good company!