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Best Christmas films on UK Netflix and Amazon Prime

By Ella Kemp on 12/12/2019

From Miracle on 34th Street to Deck the Halls, Netflix and its streaming sibling Amazon Prime are full of Christmas treats. Have yourself a Merry little Christmas with our top picks

Deck the Halls

Deck the Halls

Hollywood heavyweights come together for a glittering, blinding comedy in Deck the Halls, an exceptionally good-looking Christmas film. The star of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Matthew Broderick is joined by none other than Danny DeVito and Kristin Chenoweth as well as Charlotte York Goldenblatt herself – actor Kristin Davis from Sex and the City. The dark side of decorating comes out in a seriously silly buddy comedy.

WHERE

On Amazon, included with Prime membership

Miracle on 34th Street

Miracle on 34th Street

A film cherished for its traditional Christmas spirit, Miracle on 34th Street actually has a sparkling history that precedes it. Based on the 1947 film of the same name (which won three Academy Awards), the 1994 story was written and produced by The Breakfast Club director John Hughes. Beloved faces young and old come together, as Richard Attenborough and Mara Wilson (Matilda) learn the true meaning of Christmas together.

WHERE

Amazon, available to rent or buy

Nativity!

Nativity!

British filmmaker Debbie Isitt pioneered a directing style that favoured improvisation over rigid script work. Nativity! remains one of her most acclaimed films, starring Martin Freeman and Ashley Jensen (Extras). Freeman comfortably dusts off his festive comic chops as a heartbroken teacher who somehow is going to have to direct the Nativity play.

WHERE

On UK Netflix

Klaus

Klaus

Netflix makes their foray into hand-drawn animation for the first time with their festive original feature, Klaus. An all-star voice cast (Jason Schwartzman, JK Simmons, Rashida Jones) tell the story of an unlikely postman working with Father Christmas himself, with beautiful visual detail.

WHERE

On UK Netflix

The Man Who Invented Christmas

The Man Who Invented Christmas

Inevitably over the festive break, any of the very many versions of A Christmas Carol will crop up on TV. Why not brush up on a bit of history on Netflix with the story of Charles Dickens himself (Dan Stevens here), and the real inspiration of Ebenezer Scrooge? Featuring Christopher Plummer and Jonathan Pryce, The Man Who Invented Christmas takes a meta trip down memory lane.

WHERE

On UK Netflix

A Very Murray Christmas

A Very Murray Christmas

Bill Murray can't just play someone else in a Christmas film. He can't have a cameo in a Christmas film. Bill Murray has to have his own Christmas film. An SNL-style mishmash of everyone who's anyone, from George Clooney, to Jason Schwartzman, to Miley Cyrus and Maya Rudolph, the film was directed by Sofia Coppola (The Virgin Suicides, The Beguiled) and features musical numbers (a Murray special of Jingle Bells, A Miley Cyrus cover of Silent Night) as well as Murray's trademark dry humour. It's too good to be true – but then it is the season of giving, after all.

WHERE

On UK Netflix

The Christmas Chronicles

The Christmas Chronicles

A brand new Netflix Original film just in time for Christmas. Kurt Russell gets his big black boots as Santa Claus, facing a couple of meddling kids on Christmas Eve to save the holiday season in The Christmas Chronicles. There's a familiar face from Big Little Lies, and a straight-talking Father Christmas to keep things fresh.

WHERE

On UK Netflix

Love the Coopers

Christmas with the Coopers

While Love the Coopers isn't necessarily celebrated as the best film in any way at all, Christmas is a season for rest but also for research. Following Call Me By Your Name and The King, with Little Women just around the corner, a study of a younger Timothée Chalamet has never been more urgent.

WHERE

On Amazon, included with Prime membership

Elf

Elf

Of all the times Will Ferrell has made us laugh, one of the most memorable has to be with his spaghetti breakfast as Buddy Hobbs, the human who has lived his life as one of Santa's elves. Jon Favreau's comedy is endlessly quotable and Zooey Deschanel cements her likability as Jovie, an unfestive elf trapped in the all too familiar world of retail.

WHERE

Amazon, available to rent or buy

The Polar Express

The Polar Express

Based on the 1985 book of the same name, The Polar Express hit the big screen in 2004 courtesy of Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future). Tom Hanks plays a grand total of six roles in the magical film retelling the journey of a young boy who takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole.

WHERE

Amazon, available to rent or buy

Dr Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas

Dr Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas

The year is 2018 and a new Grinch film is back in cinemas. But that doesn't mean we have to forget the past, as none other than Jim Carrey played the big green monster in How The Grinch Stole Christmas in 2000. Fans of Gossip Girl can also keep an eye out for a very young Jenny Humphrey, in one of Taylor Momsen's first screen roles.

WHERE

On UK Netflix

Home Alone

Home Alone

Does it still need an introduction? It wouldn't be Christmas without it, and while other films come and go, there's always a place in our hearts for Home Alone. Another victory we owe John Hughes for, there's nothing quite like the moment Kevin McCallister realises the freedom he has.

WHERE

Amazon, available to rent or buy

The Santa Clause

The Santa Clause

Who would have thought that the pair behind TV series Home Improvement could pull together a film series like the Santa Clause trilogy? Tim Allen stars as Scott Calvin, an ordinary man who ends up having to fill the biggest boots in the business. The suit fits all too well, and the North Pole truly sparkles.

WHERE

Amazon, available to rent or buy

Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas

Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas

There are plenty of lessons to learn in Walt Disney's animated storytelling this festive season, but Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas perfects the triptych of tales with a magical Christmas spirit. Donald Duck, Goofy and Mickey & Minnie each live their own Christmases and learn the importance of patience, optimism and generosity with influences from age-old stories and a hopefulness that you just won't find elsewhere.

WHERE

Amazon, available to rent or buy

It's A Wonderful Life

It's A Wonderful Life

Italian American film director Frank Capra changed the face of Hollywood in the 1930s with titles including It Happened One Night and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Today, It's A Wonderful Life remains one of our greatest Christmas classics and one of the greatest films ever made full stop – but when it was released in 1946, the reception was somewhat muted. Celebrate the timeless power of James Stewart, in the film that Capra screened for his own family every Christmas season.

WHERE

Amazon, available to rent or buy

The Holiday

The Holiday

Two women are having a difficult festive season, and decide to do something about it. A tale of cross-continental heartbreak and festive happy coincidences, The Holiday is one of Nancy Meyers' (The Parent Trap, Something's Gotta Give) crowning moments. Forget the plot, enjoy the unashamedly soft performances of Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jack Black and Jude Law for a holiday escape to remember.

WHERE

On Amazon, included with Prime membership

Love Actually

Love Actually

It would have been rude not to, really.

WHERE

On Amazon, included with Prime membership

Christmas

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Netflix

Amazon Prime

Christmas 2019

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