As December arrives, and the days get even colder and the nights get darker, we all have our own ways of embracing the festive season. Whether that be winter walks, baking Christmas treats, or decorating your home with fairy lights, there are so many wonderful festive traditions to enjoy this month.
One thing that is always a popular choice, is to gather the family and watch your favourite Christmas films (hot chocolate included!).
We have assembled a list of 12 of our favourite family friendly Christmas films for you to enjoy this festive season, from classics to hidden gems, we’ve got you covered with exactly what to watch this month.
1. Home Alone (1990)
After 8-year-old Kevin acts out the night before a family holiday to Paris, his mother makes him sleep in the attic.
When he wakes up the next day and realizes (you guessed it) he’s been left home alone by his family, he’s more than happy to have the whole house to himself.
However, it’s not long before he must protect his family home from a pair of wicked (and very clumsy) burglars. If you liked this one, the second film, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is also a great watch.
Rated PG. Available on Disney+.
2. Elf (2003)
As a toddler, Buddy was transported to the North Pole after climbing in Santa’s sack one night and subsequently raised by Santa’s elves.
Now, as an adult, he’s on a mission to find his real dad—Walter Hobbs—in New York City.
(Oh – did we also mention Walter is on the naughty list?) As you can imagine, things don’t go so well for Buddy.
Rated PG. Available on NowTV.
3. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king of Halloween Town, has become fed up with the spooky holiday.
One day he stumbles into Christmas Town, and becomes so infatuated with the idea of Christmas that he decides to try and create his very own version.
Rated PG. Available on Disney+.
4. The Santa Clause (1994)
A personal favorite, The Santa Clause is Tim Allen at his best.
When he accidentally knocks a man in a Santa suit off his roof, he’s taken to the North Pole to take on the role before the following Christmas arrives.
If you liked this, you’ll be sure to enjoy the brand new series following Tim Allen as Santa now streaming on Disney+.
Rated PG. Available on Disney+.
5. Jingle All The Way (1996)
A father vows to get his son the popular ‘Turbo Man’ action figure for Christmas.
However, he left it too late and now every store is sold out of them, so he must travel all over town and compete with everybody else in order to find one before the big day.
If this doesn’t serve as a reminder to get your Christmas shopping done early, I don’t know what will.
Rated PG.
6. Arthur Christmas (2011)
Have you ever wondered how Santa delivers presents to every single child in just one night? Well according to this film, he does so with a super high-tech operation in the North Pole.
Unfortunately, this year, Santa missed one child so he enlists the help of his clumsy son Arthur to make things right. Will he manage it? Find out in this film.
Rated PG. Available on Prime Video.
7. The Princess Switch (2018)
A Chicago baker and a soon-to-be princess discover they are practically identical.
So of course, they form a plan to trade places for a while. We like to think of it like the Parent Trap, only with Vanessa Hudgens and it’s all about Christmas.
Fun fact about The Princess Switch, we provided lots of Christmas decorations for this fantastic festive film, have a watch and see if you can spot them.
Rated TV-G. Available on Netflix.
8. How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Dr. Seuss’s Christmas tale comes to life in this live-action remake.
A bitter and hateful Grinch becomes increasingly irritated at the thought of the nearby village planning their big Christmas celebrations.
To ruin their Christmas, he disguises himself as Santa Claus (and even dresses up his dog Max, to look like a reindeer) and travels to the village to raid it of all of the presents and decorations.
Rated PG. Available on Prime Video.
9. The Polar Express (2004)
A young boy with no belief in Santa Claus takes an unexpected train ride to the North Pole.
After meeting some friends along the way (and even Santa himself) he soon learns that the magic of Christmas comes to those who truly believe.
Rated G. Available on NowTV.
10. Falling For Christmas (2022)
Brand new this year, Lindsay Lohan stars as Sierra, a spoiled heiress who’s living her best life.
But, one day when a ski accident leaves her with amnesia, she’s taken in by a local charming lodge owner until her memory comes back. And over time, they start falling in love.
Rated PG. Available on Netflix.
11. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
Another adaptation of A Christmas Carol, this time reimagined by a set of classic beloved characters—aka the Muppets.
This feature-length film also includes original songs, so be prepared for them to be stuck in your head all Christmas!
Rated G. Available on Amazon Prime.
12. Gremlins (1994)
Ok, it’s debatable whether this is technically a Christmas film or not (like Die Hard – is that a Christmas film?!) but it does take place around the holidays, so we’re including it.
On Christmas Eve, what’s supposed to be an adorable gift ends up having evil babies that ruin a young boy and his family’s celebration after he breaks three very important rules.
Rated PG-13. Available on Prime.
We hope you enjoyed reading and are inspired to watch one of these fantastic films on the lead up to Christmas.