The holiday season is finally upon us, and what better way to get into the festive spirit than by cosying up inside to watch Christmas movies?
Whether you’re a lover of rom-coms, timeless classics, or need to keep the kids entertained with some animated movies, Netflix offers a huge selection of Christmas films spanning every genre.
The streaming service has even broadened its scope to produce its own Christmas movies, including the most recent family comedy, Family Switch.
So whatever it is you’re in the mood for, The Independent’s culture team has you covered with a list of the best festive flicks to watch on Netflix this holiday season.
Klaus
‘Klaus’— (Netflix)
Enchanting animation Klaus is an alternative origin story for Father Christmas written and directed by Sergio Pablos, the Spanish animator who created the Despicable Me franchise. Jason Schwartzman voices Jesper, a trainee postman who is sent to the Arctic town of Smeerensburg as punishment for his perpetual indolence. “He’s definitely searching for something,” Schwartzman told The Independent when the film was released, “But he’s also a character who’s very spoiled. He’s gone through life doing as little work as possible. Those kids were always the most frustrating people in high school, at least for me. They were so smart and they had it all figured out, and I wanted vengeance. I wanted them to pay the price.” With additional voice work from Rashida Jones and the late, great Norm Macdonald, this is a festive treat with unexpected bite. Kevin EG Perry
Carol
Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett in ‘Carol’— (Rex Features)
Director Todd Haynes’s 2015 Oscar-nominated Carol is not necessarily a Christmas tale, but it still tells the beautiful and fateful love story that develops between two women over the holidays in a picturesque, snow-laden 1950s Manhattan. With the effervescent Cate Blanchett as titular Carol Aird and Rooney Mara as her younger, more reserved paramour, Therese Belivet, this romance is sure to leave you feeling warm this winter. Inga Parkel
A Castle for Christmas
‘A Castle for Christmas’— (Mark Mainz/Netflix)
This 2021 Netflix original starring Brooke Shields and The Princess Bride star Cary Elwes was a rare Christmas hit for the streamer. Shields plays an American author who impulsively buys a castle from a crotchety, Scottish duke (Elwes) while on vacation. Sure, the plot is as predictable as you’d expect (spoiler: they fall in love) and the script is not exactly Shakespeare but the charms of the two leads and the idyllic backdrop of the Highlands are enough to make this fluffy romp a very cosy picture indeed. In 2021, Shields told The Independent that rom-coms were her “happy place” – in this film, you can see why. Tom Murray
Holidate
Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey in ‘Holidate’— (Steve Dietl/NETFLIX )
Emma Roberts leads Holidate, a festive rom-com about a woman who’s sick of being pestered by her family for being single. To avoid judgment at the next holiday get-together, she makes a pact with a stranger (Luke Bracey) to be each other’s platonic plus-ones all year long. Although easily classifiable as a cheesy Christmas watch, Roberts and Bracey manage to bring humour and appeal to their roles. IP
White Christmas
Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye, Bing Crosby and Vera-Ellen with dancers in ‘White Christmas’— (Paramount/Kobal/Rex)
Arguably the quintessential Christmas musical, this 1954 classic directed by Casablanca’s Michael Curtiz brings together an all-star cast of Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen. The plot, about World War II veterans putting on a show to help out their old Major General, is significantly less important than Irving Berlin’s magical musical numbers. The title track is of course the best known, but don’t miss Clooney and Vera-Ellen’s sparkling performance of “Sisters” or Crosby and Clooney’s “Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)”. KEGP
Family Switch
(L-R) Emma Myers, Brady Noon, Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms in ‘Family Switch’— (Netflix )
If you’re looking for a laugh-out-loud comedy to watch with the whole family, be sure to add Family Switch to your list. The film stars Jennifer Garner opposite The Hangover’s Ed Helms as parents who magically switch bodies – Freaky Friday style – with their two older teens during the holidays. In order to avoid a permanent switch, the family must “fix what is broken” together. IP
Love Actually
So problematic: Andrew Lincoln with his placards in ‘Love Actually'— (Shutterstock)
Is it truly Christmastime if you haven’t rewatched the divisive Love Actually at least once? Well known for its troubled, sexist storylines that have not aged well, the 2003 flick remains a bonafide seasonal classic. So you better watch it before it’s removed from the streamer for good on 31 December. Featuring an all-star cast of Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley, Colin Firth, Bill Nighy, the late Alan Rickman, Laura Linney and Liam Neeson, through nine intertwined stories, the movie proves that the holidays are better spent with loved ones. IP
Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square
Dolly Parton in ‘Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square’— (COURTESY OF NETFLIX)
When a Scrooge-like woman, portrayed by Christine Baranski, decides to sell the entirety of a small town and evict all the people living there, she’s visited by a Chrismas angel – played by none other than the legendary Dolly Parton – who helps her find her holiday cheer. Also featuring the beautiful vocals of the dazzling Jenifer Lewis, Josh Segarra and Jeanine Mason, Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square is a unique musical that brings Parton’s holiday flare to your screen. IP
The Noel Diary
Barrett Doss and Justin Hartley in ‘The Noel Diary’— (KC Bailey/Netflix)
The Noel Diary is a moving story about a best-selling author (Justin Hartley) who returns home at Christmas to settle his late mother’s estate. While going through her things, he stumbles across a diary that unlocks many secrets to his past as well as that of an alluring young woman (Barrett Doss) on a mission of her own. Together, they set off on an unforgettable journey to uncover their intertwining truths that make for an unexpected future. IP
Falling for Christmas
Lindsay Lohan and Chord Overstreet— (Netflix)
Making her big return to the screen in 2022 was Lindsay Lohan, who starred opposite Glee’s Chord Overstreet in Falling for Christmas – the first movie of her two-picture deal with Netflix. After a dangerous ski accident leaves an heiress (Lohan) with amnesia right before the holidays, she finds herself in the trusty care of a handsome, widowed cabin owner (Overstreet) and his daughter. The Independent’s Isobel Lewis declared it an “unmitigated mess” that somehow still manages to be “the perfect Christmas film”. IP
A Boy Called Christmas
Henry Lawfull in ‘A Boy Called Christmas’— (Netflix/Studiocanal)
A Boy Called Christmas is an adventurous and fantastical-filled origin story of St Nick. Led by Henry Lawfull, the movie follows a young Nicholas in search of his father, who’s on a quest to the snowy north to find the fabled village of elves. With all the fixings of a joyous holiday film – excitement, miracles and nostalgia – this film is “a cynical Santa origin story delivered with surprising heart,” according to The Independent’s film critic, Clarisse Loughrey.
