X

Join or Sign In

Sign in to customize your TV listings

Continue with Facebook Continue with email

By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.

The Best Christmas Movies to Watch on Netflix

The streaming service is going all-in on the holidays this year

biop-ic.jpg
unnamed.jpg
Amanda Bell, Sadie Gennis

'Tis the season to start firing up some holiday films because there are a lot of solid streaming choices for Christmas movie fans to sift through. Netflix subscribers in particular are in for some tinsel-covered treats; the service continues to produce plenty of holly-jolly originals -- most of them starring celebs you will definitely recognize from some of your favorite TV shows -- to keep pace with the cable networks that have become celebrated for their yuletide collections, like Hallmark, Lifetime, and Freeform.

In addition to Netflix original films, the streaming giant also has a lots of other festive favorites in its library. Here's a look at the best of what Netflix has to offer this winter.

A Christmas Prince Franchise

netflix-christmas-prince.png

OK, OK, so the whole "ordinary girl meets handsome prince and falls in love" thing is a little stale, but when you sprinkle a little holiday cheer on top, things get pretty festive. Starring Rose McIver and Ben Lamb, A Christmas Prince is a love story for the blogging age. As a bonus, you can now also watch the sequels to this film, A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding, which sheds some light on the royal couple's happily ever after, and new installmentA Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby, which premiered Dec. 5.


The Knight Before Christmas

The Knight Before Christmas
Brooke Palmer/Netflix

Starring Vanessa Hudgens, who is quickly on her way to becoming a true Christmas queen, The Knight Before Christmas is about a dejected young woman who meets a literal knight in shining armor and falls in love. It's an absurd premise, but if you're looking to add a dose of goofiness to your Christmas festivities, it really doesn't get better than this holiday romp.


The Holiday Calendar

netflix-holiday-calendar.png

Another holiday rom-com that's worthy of your time is this cozy tale of a struggling photographer (played by Kat Graham) who receives an old advent calendar that seems to be predicting her future, including a budding love affair. D'aw. As a bonus, it also stars This Is Us' Ron Cephas Jones, so you just know you're going to catch feels.


The Princess Switch

netflix-princess-switch.png

Ah yes, the classic life swap between someone with gobs of privilege who just wants to experience the humdrum of ordinary life and an ambitious normie who just wants to take a week off to play dress-up as royalty. Fun times! The Christmas Switch features Vanessa Hudgens doing double duty as two look-alike distant relatives who trade lives, and while the film is as predictable as it sounds, it's total comfort food. And if you fall for this sweet film, you're in luck; there's a Princess Switch sequel on the way that will introduce a third character played by Hudgens!


The Spirit of Christmas

​The Spirit of Christmas
Lifetime

This 2015 film is not a Netflix original (it's from Lifetime!), but fortunately it's available to stream on Netflix because it's one of the all-time made-for-TV greats. With all the elements you crave in a holiday movie, The Spirit of Christmas is about an attorney who travels to Vermont to oversee the sale of an inn -- which happens to be haunted by a hot ghost who can only take corporeal form for the 12 days leading up to Christmas. There's romance, there's murder, there's a sexy cursed ghost! The Spirit of Christmas has it all.


Holiday in the Wild

Holiday in the Wild
Ilze Kitshoff/Netflix

This Netflix Original stars Kristen Davis as Kate, a woman who travels to Zambia after the dissolution of her marriage. There she meets a pilot, Derek (Rob Lowe), and together they discover a baby elephant who has been orphaned by poachers. As Kate and Derek grow closer, Kate also develops a special bond with the elephant and decides to extend her trip to stay with it at the animal sanctuary. Holiday in the Wild definitely isn't as playful or corny as some of the other films on this list, but if you're looking for something a bit more serious (and with some serious animal cuteness) you can't go wrong here.


The Christmas Chronicles

netflix-christmas-chronicles.png

The Christmas Chronicles has got all the ingredients for some wholesome holiday cheer: a salty Santa Claus (Kurt Russell) who likes to boogie, a gaggle of tiny elves that do the floss, and some curious kids who will have to help them all save Christmas. Prepare for Santa to have a whole new bag when watching this festive film. (And as a bonus: There is a sequel in the works!)


Christmas Inheritance

netflix-christmas-inheritance.png

This holiday film might be made of cheese, but it's still pretty fun to watch. The movie stars Eliza Taylor as Ellen Langford, the hot mess daughter of a high-powered CEO who has to get her act together if she wants her chance at advancement. But when she's sent on an errand to a small town, it brings out a more thoughtful side of her than she'd ever known before.


White Christmas

netflix-white-christmas.png

This classic Christmas movie centers on a quartet of talented performers -- played by Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen -- who team up to help save a sweet little country inn from financial ruin. It's quite a show, and it's perfect if you're in the market for something more traditional.