The 17 best classic Christmas films of all time that you can stream right now

24/12/2023

It’s time to snuggle up and watch one of these wholesome festive films (Universal Pictures/The Independent)

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Christmas has almost arrived, and there’s nothing better than curling up on the sofa with a mug of hot chocolate, a fluffy blanket and a wholesome Christmas film on the TV.

From Love Actually and Elf to Home Alone, It’s a Wonderful Life and Die Hard, you don’t need to rent, buy or wait for a film to pop on terrestrial telly. Thanks to the rise of streaming, whether it’s pure schmaltz or low-key drama, it’s never been easier to dive down the candy-striped rabbit hole of festive films.

If you’ve got a subscription to Disney+, Prime Video, Netflix or Now TV, Christmas films are right there at your fingertips. Grab the popcorn, dish out the Quality Street, and nab the best spot on the sofa, because these are the best classic Christmas films ready and waiting for you to stream now and throughout the festive period.

The best Christmas films of all time to stream in the UK

‘Home Alone’ (1990)

Streaming platform: Disney+

Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin lives every kid’s dream when his family accidentally leaves him home alone for Christmas, seeing him demolish ice cream sundaes, mac and cheese and watching Angels with Filthy Souls over and over. Until, that is, two grimy burglars try and enter his home, forcing Kevin to take matters into his own conniving hands, sending the burglars packing, thanks to a series of elaborate booby traps.

Watch now on Disney+

‘The Santa Clause’ (1994)

Streaming platform: Disney+

When Tim Allen’s Scott startles Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, accidentally causing Saint Nick’s demise after he falls off Scott’s roof, the divorced dad dons the red suit, instantly bounding him to the Santa Clause and turning him into Father Christmas. Get things in order over the next 11 months, Scott, or disappoint millions of children.

Watch now on Disney+

‘Die Hard’ (1988)

Streaming platform: Disney+

Let’s not rehash the Die Hard isn’t a Christmas film argument for the umpteenth time. Even if Bruce Willis doesn’t think it’s a festive film, it’s entered the Christmas movie canon. Regarded as one of the best action films ever, it unfolds during a Nakatomi Plaza Christmas party, where guests soon become hostages. Police officer John McClane (Willis) realises he must be the one to save his estranged wife and ensure the safety of the rest of the guests. “Now I have a machine gun. Ho-ho-ho.”

Watch now on Disney+

‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ (1947)

Streaming platform: Prime Video

On the surface, It’s a Wonderful Life doesn’t sound very festive at all, but it’s an enduring Christmas classic that everyone needs to watch at least once. James Stewart plays George Bailey, a young and compassionate man who has always sacrificed his own dreams of travelling the world to stay in “this crummy old town”. With the walls of Bedford Falls closing in, George is driven to the brink of suicide, until he’s visited by his guardian angel Clarence, who shows George what the world would be like without him in it.

Watch now on Prime Video

‘Elf’ (2003)

Streaming platform: Now TV Cinema

Declared Britain’s favourite Christmas film in 2020, Elf sees Buddy (Will Ferrell), one of Santa’s elves, discover that he’s actually a human and not an elf. He sets out for New York to find his father and all that comes with navigating the cruel human city with childlike wonder. A perfect fish-out-of-water film with great performances that has stood the test of time.

Watch now on Now

‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’ (1992)

Streaming platform: Disney+

A charming and whimsical take on Charles Dickens’s Christmas classic, The Muppet Christmas Carol is arguably one of the best renditions. Despite performing alongside a bunch of puppets, Michael Caine took his role as Ebenezer Scrooge very, very seriously, famously telling reporters he acted as if he was “working with the Royal Shakespeare Company”. We love him for it.

Watch now on Disney+

‘Love Actually’ (2003)

Streaming platform: Now TV

Love Actually is problematic as hell. Richard Curtis won’t even stop telling us how the “lack of diversity” makes him “feel uncomfortable and a bit stupid”. Yet the cute rom-com has emerged as a nostalgic Christmas classic. Love it or hate it, the interconnected storylines about love and relationships in the lead-up to Christmas still make us feel all warm inside.

Watch now on Now TV

‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ (2000)

Streaming platform: Netflix and Prime Video

Whichever Grinch adaptation you prefer, it’s the 2000s live-action comedy starring Jim Carrey, in a big green Grinch suit, that most of us in the UK will remember. Titled just The Grinch when it was released in the UK, the Grinch is a grump who lives on a mountain with a deep-seated hatred for Christmas and a penchant for mischief. Ready to ruin Christmas with his eccentric performance, it’s Carrey who makes this film so good.

‘The Snowman’ (1982)

Streaming platform: Channel 4

The classic, BAFTA-winning animated adaptation of Raymond Briggs's tale of a boy who builds a snowman that comes to life is basically the pre-cursor to a John Lewis ad. A silent short film propelled by a young Aled Jones’s angelic voice singing “Walking in the Air”. We challenge you not to cry watching this one.

Watch now on Channel 4

‘Miracle on 34th Street’ (1994)

Streaming platform: Disney+

We may quibble over which Miracle on 34th Street is better, but the 1994 version in which Richard Attenborough plays Kris Kringle (a man claiming to be Santa Claus) is just too good. The sweet relationship between Attenborough and the precocious and sceptical Susan (Mara Wilson) is a delight. Both versions are on Disney+, so you can watch the 1947 film if you prefer.

Watch now on Disney+

‘The Holiday’ (2006)

Streaming platform: Netflix and Prime Video

Los Angeles-based Amanda (Cameron Diaz) and London-based Iris (Kate Winslet) are stuck in the same loveless situations. Meeting on a home exchange website, they decide to swap homes for two weeks over the holidays to escape their problems. A smart and fuzzy film, if a little predictable.

‘Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas’ (1993)

Streaming platform: Disney+

Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas is either the most Christmassy Halloween film or the most Halloweeny Christmas film. Either way, we’re happy to watch it surrounded by pumpkins or candy canes. The stop-motion musical film features a cast of quirky characters and hauntingly delightful songs.

Watch now on Disney+

‘Carol’ (2015)

Streaming platform: Studiocanal via Prime Video

One of the most recent so-called Christmas classics is Todd Haynes’s Carol. A beautifully shot and rare queer drama, adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s 1952 novel. After a chance encounter, department store worker Therese (Rooney Mara) falls in love with mysterious older woman Carol (Cate Blanchett) in the lead-up to Christmas.

Watch now on Prime Video

‘Scrooged’ (1988)

Streaming platform: Channel 4 and Prime Video

We’ve established The Muppet Christmas Carol is the best adaptation of Charles Dickens’s Victorian tale of morality, but it’s Bill Murray’s portrayal as a selfish TV executive in 1988’s Scrooged that’s always on repeat. Getting ready to stage a live production of A Christmas Carol, nasty, cynical Frank ends up living out the same story, and is visited by three ghosts.

‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ (2001)

Streaming platform: Netflix

“Bridget Jones isn’t a Christmas film”, we hear you cry. Oh, but it is. Single Bridget’s Yuletide starts with a 10-day hangover, continues with an unfulfilled reconciliation and ends with a traditional family get-together. Also, Mark Darcy wears an ugly jumper with a reindeer on the front.

Watch now on Netflix

‘White Christmas’ (1954)

Streaming platform: Prime Video

In this all-singing, all-dancing Christmas classic, Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye are a toe-tapping duo that follow a harmonising sister act to an inn, only to realise it’s their former army commander who owns it and is down on his luck. Cue the performers putting on a show to draw back guests, including a reimagined version of the title song, which Bing Crosby introduced in Holiday Inn.

Watch now on Prime Video

‘Jack Frost’ (1998)

Streaming platform: Prime Video

Met with critical disdain, Jack Frost is our festive guilty pleasure. Bland? Forgettable? Yes. Charming? Do we want to watch it every single year? Yes. Michael Keaton’s Jack is a rockstar dad who can’t keep his promises. Killed in a car accident, he returns in the body of his son’s snowman a year later.

Watch now on Prime Video

The best classic Christmas films to rent or buy in the UK

For the time being, there are sadly just some classics too good for streaming services (it’s actually probably a rights issue), but you can still rent or buy them from Amazon Prime Video.