If you needed further proof of the inadequacies of digital streaming services, try looking for great Christmas movies. I sure did. The beloved classics of the genre are conspicuously absent from most digital streaming platforms – like Netflix and Hulu and Amazon Prime and HBO Go and heck, even Crackle – so that each service only seems to have one or two “great” Christmas movies to choose from.
So if you were thinking about taking a load off after a long day of work and shopping and decorating this week, plunking yourself down in front of the TV with a mug of eggnog and just finding a Christmas classic at random, you’re going to run into problems. And if you’re looking for a specific holiday favorite you’re doubly screwed. You might be able to stream those films for an additional rental fee but come on, is that REALLY why you bought the subscription service in the first place?
Fortunately, Crave has you covered. We scoured all the major digital streaming services and singled out the twelve best Christmas movies they have available, so whatever one you have in your house, you’ll be able to find something great. Take a gander at the best yuletide films currently available, and ask yourself why the heck there aren’t more of them, because it’s absolutely ridiculous that all these expensive services would have crappier selections – together, no less – than any of the old mom and pop video stores they put out of business.
The 12 Best Christmas Movies on Streaming:
Top Photo: Paramount
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and Canceled Too Soon, and watch him on the weekly YouTube series Most Craved, Rapid Reviews and What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
The Top 12 Christmas Movies on Streaming
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Bad Santa
Billy Bob Thornton plays a drunk, oversexed mall Santa Claus who also plans to rob the join on Christmas Eve. Bad Santa is still shockingly profane, but it's also still very human and funny.
Photo: Dimension Films
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Black Christmas
A killer is stalking sorority girls over the winter holiday in this horror classic, which helped spawn the whole slasher genre and still remains one of the scariest motion pictures ever produced.
Photo: Warner Bros.
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A Carol for Another Christmas
This rare Christmas movie has been unearthed and finally released on instant streaming, and it's a must-see film that reimagines A Christmas Carol in the 20th century, as three ghosts warn an American industrialist against isolationism by showing him the horrors of World War II, the tragedies of contemporary poverty and the dangers of nuclear holocaust. Written by Rod Serling, and starring Sterling Hayden, Peter Sellers, Ben Gazzara, Eva Marie Saint and Robert Shaw. As relevant as ever, and wow, what a cast!
Photo: TCM
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Love Actually
The modern Christmas classic might be a little treacly - okay, okay, it's REALLY treacly - but that's a big part of what the holiday is all about. Love Actually tells the interconnected stories of misguided lovers in London, as they fall in and out of love.
Photo: Universal Pictures
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Miracle on 34th Street
One of the greats. Miracle on 34th Street stars Edmund Gwenn as a department store Santa Claus who insists he's the real deal, and winds up having to prove it in court. A sweet, funny film that challenges what it means to believe, and finds in favor of believing.
Photo: 20th Century Fox
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The Muppet Christmas Carol
One of the best versions of A Christmas Carol is still this version starring felt puppets. It's a handsome production, full of lovely songs and genuinely melancholy, anchored by a spectacular performance by Michael Caine, who grounds the whole bizarre production with his emotionally rich interpretation of Ebeneezer Scrooge.
Photo: Buena Vista Pictures
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The Nightmare Before Christmas
Henry Selick's stop-motion animated classic is half Christmas special, half Halloween nightmare, and everything we love about both holidays put together. A skeleton tires of scaring people and decides to hijack Christmas and spread yuletide cheer, but no matter how hard he tries, he can't help being who he is. Strange and whimsical and wonderful.
Photo: Buena Vista Pictures
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Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
A Christmas horror movie for kids, Rare Exports finds a small boy fighting to save his family from a demonic Santa Claus after an archaeological expedition unearth's the monster's tomb. Imaginatively produced and gorgeously filmed, Rare Exports evokes beloved genre classics like The Goonies while adding a colorful Christmasy flavor.
Photo: Oscilloscope Laboratories
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The Santa Clause
Most of Tim Allen's family comedies don't hold up terribly well, but the concept behind this holiday confection - about a divorced dad who's forced to replace Santa Claus because of a contractual obligation - leads to so many fun situations that it still plays great. Tim Allen was never better, and The Santa Clause is just about as good as you remember.
Photo: Buena Vista Pictures
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Scrooged
Richard Donner's modern version of A Christmas Carol is one of the most cynical holiday comedies, but that just makes Scrooge's redemption that much more satisfying. Bill Murray is hilarious as an unethical television executive who gets the Christmas spirit beaten into him by three unforgettable ghosts.
Photo: Paramount
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Tokyo Godfathers
The late, great Satoshi Kon gave us one of the best unsung Christmas movies ever, a vibrant and emotionally powerful story about three homeless people who find an abandoned baby and race all over Tokyo in an effort to find its mother. Amazing animation, wonderful characters and a story that yields one surprise after another make Tokyo Godfather one of the best Christmas movies you probably haven't seen.
Photo: Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan
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White Christmas
A quartet of crooners comes together to help rescue a failing hotel in this Christmas standard, a romantic and funny film packed to the gills with great songs and good cheer. White Christmas really is as good as you've heard.
Photo: Paramount
