85 Christmas And Christmas-Adjacent Movies For Your Ultimate Holiday Bucket List

One of my favourite things during the holiday season is to curl up with my family and a good Christmas movie.

So if Christmas at your house looks like much like ours... cosy pyjamas, an overload of snacks and “just one more movie”, this list is for you.

I’ve pulled together a mix of classics, cosy rom coms, kid friendly favourites, Christmas adjacent comfort watches and brand new 2024–2025 releases so you can build a Christmas movie bucket list that actually feels current, not just the films you grew up with.

Now, when I say ‘Christmas’ movie, I don’t necessarily mean a movie that’s about Christmas or set at Christmas.

Sometimes the best movies to watch are ‘Christmas-Adjacent’. You know, the ones that we associate with Christmas.

For example, if you grew up in the 80s in the UK, The Wizard Of Oz was on TV every Christmas. Every. Time.

I’ve included an age rating for each movie to make it easier to plan what you watch with younger kids, tweens or teens. Some are pure family fun, some are better saved for after bedtime.

Top tip: You can grab a free printable version of the entire bucket list at the end of this post. 

 

How to use this Christmas movie bucket list

You definitely don’t need to watch all 85 in one holiday season. Use this list as your mix and match menu to create a line-up that fits your family mood, the time you have and the ages of your kids.

You can:

• Pick a handful of movies from each category
• Theme different nights across December
• Save the more grown up titles for at home date nights
• Let older kids choose from a “pre-approved” list for sleepovers

To keep things simple, the movies are grouped into:

• Family favourites for all ages
• Animated and younger kid picks
• Cosy Christmas rom coms and musicals
• Christmas adjacent comfort watches
• Action, horror and darker festive picks
• Faith, nostalgia and “big feelings” Christmas movies

At the end you’ll find a link to a free printable one page Christmas Movie Bucket List you can print out and tick off as you go.

About the age ratings

Ratings in this list are a mix of:

• US film ratings (G, PG, PG-13, R, Not Rated)
• TV ratings for streaming originals (TV-G, TV-PG, TV-14)

Tip: Sites like Common Sense Media are brilliant if you want more detail on language and themes before you press play.

Where to watch these Christmas movies

Most of the newer films on this list are on Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ or Hulu, plus Hallmark’s apps if you have them.

Older classics tend to rotate between streamers, rentals and broadcast TV each year, so it is worth doing a quick search on your go to streaming guide before you plan a movie night.

85 Christmas & Christmas-Adjacent Movies To Add To Your Bucket List

Family favourites for all ages

Big comfort, lots of chaos, mostly PG or PG-13, great for mixed age family nights.

• Almost Christmas (Comedy/Drama, 2016, PG-13)
• Christmas With The Kranks (Comedy, 2004, PG)
• Daddy’s Home 2 (Comedy, 2017, PG-13)
• Deck The Halls (Comedy, 2006, PG)
• Elf (Comedy/Fantasy, 2003, PG)
• Four Christmases (Comedy/Drama, 2008, PG-13)
• Fred Claus (Comedy/Fantasy, 2007, PG)
• Home Alone (Comedy/Family, 1990, PG)
• Home Alone 2: Lost In New York (Comedy/Family, 1992, PG)
• How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Family/Fantasy, 2000, PG)
• Jingle All The Way (Comedy/Family, 1996, PG)
• National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (Comedy, 1989, PG-13)
• Nativity! (Comedy/Family, 2009, PG)
• The Christmas Chronicles (Family/Adventure, 2018, PG)
• The Christmas Chronicles 2 (Family/Adventure, 2020, PG)
• This Christmas (Comedy/Drama, 2007, PG-13)
• Noelle (Comedy/Family, 2019, G)
• Santa Claus: The Movie (Family/Fantasy, 1985, PG)
• The Santa Clause (Comedy/Family, 1994, PG)
• The Santa Clause 2 (Comedy/Family, 2002, G)
• The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (Comedy/Family, 2006, G)
• Candy Cane Lane (Comedy/Family, 2023, PG) - Eddie Murphy’s over the top decorating contest chaos on Prime Video
• Family Switch (Comedy/Family, 2023, PG) - body swap family comedy set at Christmas on Netflix

Animated & younger kid picks

Perfect for earlier bedtimes, younger siblings and December weekend mornings.

• A Christmas Carol (Disney) (Animation/Drama, 2009, PG)
• Alvin And The Chipmunks (Animation/Comedy, 2007, PG)
• Arthur Christmas (Animation/Comedy, 2011, PG)
• Frozen (Animation/Fantasy, 2013, PG)
• The Grinch (Animation/Comedy, 2018, PG)
• The Muppet Christmas Carol (Family/Musical, 1992, G)
• The Nightmare Before Christmas (Animation/Fantasy, 1993, PG)
• The Polar Express (Animation/Adventure, 2004, G)
• The Snowman (Animation/Family, 1982, NR)
• The Star (Animation/Family, 2017, PG)
• Klaus (Animation/Adventure, 2019, PG)
• A Boy Called Christmas (Family/Fantasy, 2021, PG) - Father Christmas origin story on Netflix
• Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Family/Musical/Fantasy, 2020, PG) - magical musical toy shop adventure on Netflix

Cosy Christmas rom coms & musicals

For older teens and grown ups who want festive feelings, big chemistry and city lights.

• Bridget Jones’ Diary (Romantic Comedy, 2001, R)
• Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (Romantic Comedy, 2009, PG-13)
• Just Friends (Romantic Comedy, 2005, PG-13)
• Last Christmas (Romantic Comedy, 2019, PG-13)
• Love Actually (Romantic Comedy, 2003, R)
• Love The Coopers (Comedy/Drama, 2015, PG-13)
• The Best Man Holiday (Comedy/Drama, 2013, R)
• The Family Man (Drama/Fantasy, 2000, PG-13)
• The Family Stone (Comedy/Drama, 2005, PG-13)
• The Holiday (Romantic Comedy, 2006, PG-13)
• Serendipity (Romantic Comedy, 2001, PG-13)
• The Princess Switch (Romantic Comedy, 2018, PG)
• The Holiday Calendar (Romantic Comedy, 2018, PG)
• When Harry Met Sally (Romantic Comedy, 1989, R)
• While You Were Sleeping (Romantic Comedy, 1995, PG)
• Single All The Way (Romantic Comedy, 2021, TV-PG) - feel good LGBTQ+ family rom com on Netflix
• Your Christmas Or Mine? (Romantic Comedy, 2022, PG-13) - British “you end up with my family, I end up with yours” chaos on Prime Video
• Happiest Season (Romantic Comedy, 2020, PG-13) - queer holiday rom com currently on Hulu or Disney+ depending on region
• Hot Frosty (Romantic Comedy, 2024, PG) - campy Netflix original where a magical scarf brings a snowman to life
• Champagne Problems (Romantic Comedy, 2025, 13+) - Netflix holiday rom com set in the Champagne region of France
• A Merry Little Ex-Mas (Romantic Comedy, 2025, TV-PG) - divorcing couple share one last Christmas with the kids, on Netflix
• A Very Jonas Christmas Movie (Musical Comedy, 2025, TV-PG) - Jonas Brothers holiday musical road trip on Disney+ and Hulu
• Joy to the World (Romantic Drama, 2025, TV-G) - lifestyle guru fakes a “perfect” family for a live Christmas Eve TV special
• Meet Me Next Christmas (Romantic Comedy, 2024, TV-PG) - festive New York adventure to reach a sold out Pentatonix concert, on Netflix

Christmas-adjacent comfort watches

Not always about Christmas, but the holiday setting and vibes are strong.

• Batman Returns (Action/Fantasy, 1992, PG-13)
• LA Confidential (Crime/Drama, 1997, R)
• Lethal Weapon (Action/Crime, 1987, R)
• The Wizard of Oz (Fantasy/Adventure, 1939, PG)
• Trading Places (Comedy, 1983, R)
• The Holdovers (Holiday Comedy/Drama, 2023, R) - melancholic, witty Christmas break boarding school story
• Carry-On (Thriller, 2024, PG-13) - tense Netflix airport thriller set on a Christmas Eve flight

Action, horror & darker festive picks

Save these for older teens and grown ups who like their holiday viewing a bit wilder.

• A Bad Moms Christmas (Comedy, 2017, R)
• A Madea Christmas (Comedy, 2013, PG-13)
• A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (Comedy, 2011, R)
• Bad Santa (Comedy/Crime, 2003, R)
• Die Hard (Action/Thriller, 1988, R)
• Die Hard 2 (Action/Thriller, 1990, R)
• Gremlins (Horror/Comedy, 1984, PG)
• Krampus (Horror/Comedy, 2015, PG-13)
• Office Christmas Party (Comedy, 2016, R)
• Violent Night (Action/Comedy, 2022, R)
• Why Him? (Comedy, 2016, R)

Faith, nostalgia & “big feelings” Christmas movies

More reflective watches, often with a strong faith thread or big emotional arc.

• Little Women (Drama/Romance, 2019, PG)
• Miracle on 34th Street (Drama/Family, 1947, NR)
• The Preacher’s Wife (Drama/Fantasy, 1996, PG)
• Scrooged (Comedy/Fantasy, 1988, PG-13)
• The Man Who Invented Christmas (Biography/Drama, 2017, PG)
• Tyler Perry’s Finding Joy (Drama/Holiday, 2025, R) - snowy Colorado second chance romance on Prime Video
• Christmas Above the Clouds (Romance, 2025, TV-G) - Hallmark’s modern spin on A Christmas Carol set in the skies

Free printable Christmas movie bucket list

If you love a good list, you can dowload our free one-page printable Christmas Movie Bucket List with all 85 films laid out in tick boxes, grouped into the same categories you see here.

Tick the movies off as you go... you can also let the kids highlight their top picks, circle anything that is “grown ups only” and keep a running total of how many you manage to squeeze in this year.

 

Get The Bucket List

Enter your email below to get the free printable and to join the Big Heart Little Star email list. You'll receive an email with a link to download the file.

Subscribe

We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

Built with Kit

Before you go... 

Here is some of the other Christmas content you might find useful:

• Awesome Group Games For Teens At Christmas
• Quick Fire Christmas Would You Rather Questions
• Simple Ways To Make Christmas Memorable For All The Family
• Christmas Family Bucket List
• Fun Christmas Eve Activities For All The Family

Pin to save: