The 12 Best Christmas Movies on Hulu in 2023

The Polar Express (2004)

Based on Chris Van Allsburg’s Caldecott-winning children’s picture book of the same name, The Polar Express was the most expensive animated film ever when it was made.

Starring the voice (and likeness) of Tom Hanks in multiple roles, the plot hinges on that age-old dilemma of a child who begins to doubt whether Santa is real.

As though sensing the young boy’s apprehension, a train pulls up on Christmas Eve bound for the North Pole, and the conductor invites him along.

The visually stunning film is feast for the eyes—especially if you’ve got a nice big 4K TV—but it has long since divided critics and audiences alike. Love it or not, it’s hard to deny it’s beautiful to look at. And it definitely adds to the Christmas spirit of any room.

Mickey Saves Christmas (2022)

It’s incredible that Mickey Mouse almost turned 100 without ever experiencing stop-motion animation. But 2022’s Mickey Saves Christmas saw the world’s most famous mouse in his very first stop-motion special a week after his 94th birthday.

For that reason, it’s must-see viewing for pretty much any Disney fan. The only downside is that it’s aimed more toward the younger Clubhouse audience than the classic Mickey gang.

The big names are here as Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and others celebrate the Christmas season at their cozy cabin surrounded by rolling white snow. Christmas is going to be perfect!

Until Pluto screws it up.

Mickey’s floppy best friend unplugs the cabin’s Christmas lights causing Santa to crash and lose a sleigh full of presents. This compels the Mouse & Company to head to the North Pole to do exactly what the title says—save Christmas! (No surprises here.)

It’s just 23 minutes long, making it the perfect length for short attention spans or to keep little ones busy for half an hour.

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Regarded as one of the greatest Christmas movies more than 75 years later, Miracle on 34th Street also sits on many other Best Of lists that aren’t about the holidays. It was also nominated for 4 Oscars, winning 3, which is not something many Xmas movies achieve.

The Christmas classic has been remade numerous times for film, radio, theater, television, and even a puppet show at Macy’s—where the film takes place.

So what’s it about? And does it hold up after 3 quarters of a century?

In a nutshell, the public falls in love with a department store Santa. After he claims to be the real deal, he’s shipped off to Bellevue and faces a court hearing to decide his mental competency.

To answer whether it holds up after all this time. Yes, it does. Surprisingly well. However, even though it was one of the first feature films to be colorized—way back in 1985—you’ll be watching the original black & white on Hulu.

If that’s a turn off for you or the kids, you can always watch the 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street starring Richard Attenborough as Saint Nick. It’s also Hulu and worth watching on its own merits regardless.

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

The Dickens timeless classic as told by The Muppets.

Starring Michael Caine as Scrooge.

It’s the perfect recipe for a version of a Christmas classic. And not only is it a fantastic retelling of that tale, it’s also the best Muppet movie ever made.

It’s been said that Michael Caine approached making the film with all the seriousness of working with the Royal Shakespeare Company. And it shows. And it makes the film that much better.

There are still jokes, of course. (It’s The Muppets after all.) But it all blends perfectly together. The puppetry, the humans, the spooks, the humor.

The magic of Christmas meets the magic of The Muppets. What more can a family ask for?

Jack Frost (1998)

Jack’s band may be big in Denver but they’re still waiting for their big break. While Jack’s son Charlie is just waiting for his dad to show up for once.

After Jack promises a family Christmas at the cabin, a record company comes calling. The only catch is they want to see Jack’s band play in person—on Christmas Day!

The good news is Jack realizes the error of his ways, turns around, and drives to meet his family.

The bad news is he drives right into a snowstorm, crashes his car, and dies.

The End.

Just kidding. Obviously that’s just the beginning. Because Charlie builds a snowman, plays his dad’s “magic” harmonica, and the snowman comes to life. And [Spoiler Alert] it’s his dad!

Fatherly guidance and friendship follows and the 2 make up for lost time. But a Chinook soon hits Colorado and Jack begins to melt. Because, as Charlie’s mom keenly points out, “That’s what snowmen do.”

Jack Frost was a box office bomb and was deemed “sentimental schmaltz” by the Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus. But sentimental schmaltz is precisely what the season calls for.

And it’s a family movie. Watch it with kids and they’re guaranteed to laugh. And they may also learn something about loss and grief without even knowing it.

Forget what the Scrooges say. Hulu & Chill with Jack Frost.

👀 NOTE: This is not to be confused with the Christmas horror movie of the same name from the year before or the timeless Rankin-Bass TV special from 1979. (You can watch both on Prime Video, while 1997’s Jack Frost is also on Peacock and the stop-motion animation classic is also on AMC+.)

Christmas Vacation (1989)

The Griswold’s are back and this time it’s for Christmas.

Clark just wants to have the perfect Christmas — and put up the most Christmas lights ever. But of course things don’t go as planned.

Whether it’s having all the grandparents visiting, cousin Eddie and family dropping by unannounced, or Todd and Margo being… Todd and Margo, Clark has no shortage of forces at work trying to dampen his Christmas spirit.

But the man is resolute.

We’re gonna press on, and we’re gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny fucking Kaye.

Clark Griswold

Written by the man who owned the 80s comedy film, John Hughes, the movie is a Christmas classic and mandatory annual viewing.

Elf (2003)

Buddy, a human raised by Santa’s elves, heads to NYC at Christmastime to find his biological father. It’s Will Ferrell as the world’s biggest elf. What more do you need to know?

Zooey Deschanel singing Baby It’s Cold Outside in the shower? Check.

Peter Dinklage attacking Will Ferrell for calling him an elf? Check.

Ed Asner as Santa? Bob Newhart as Papa Elf? James Caan losing his shit? Check, check, check.

It’s Elf. If you haven’t seen it, see it.

And if you want a deep dive into this 21st century Christmas classic, check out the 🎄 Christmas Bonus at the end of to point you in the right direction.

The Family Stone (2005)

The Family Stone is a Christmas movie for adults. Not because it’s full of f-bombs and full frontal nudity. (It’s not.) But because it’s a comedy-drama with a more mature sense of humor. (Heck, it won the AARP movie award for Best Grownup Love Story.)

It follows the tried and true Christmas trope of accompanying a significant other home for the holidays — and being the complete opposite of their family.

In this version, Sarah Jessica Parker is an uptight, ultra-conservative New Yorker and Dermot Mulroney is her Wall Street boyfriend with a hippy-dippy family. And they head to his hometown for the holidays.

There are no surprises in The Family Stone, but that’s not why we watch Christmas movies, is it? Besides, any chance to watch Diane Keaton is worth your time.

Deck the Halls (2006)

The second Christmas box office bomb on our list.

Anal retentive optometrist Steve Finch is The Christmas Guy in town. But his new neighbor, car salesman Buddy Hall, is set to dethrone him — and have the brightest Christmas lights ever.

A Christmas comedy starring Danny Devito and Matthew Broderick as feuding neighbors? Sign me up!

Unfortunately for 20th Century Fox, everyone did not share this enthusiasm and the movie failed to make back its budget. Even Broderick was reportedly muttering on set “I’ve hit rock bottom”.

To make matters worse, Devito and Kristin Chenoweth were both nominated for Supporting Actor/Actress Razzies and the film got a Razzie nom for Worst Excuse for Family Entertainment.

So why the *!#@ does this move make the list if it’s so terrible?

Because it’s not terrible.

It’s fun. And funny.

Sure, it’s crass and crude in parts — although it’s certainly no Bad Santa — and people are mean at times. But it’s a < check notes > comedy. Don’t take it so seriously and you just might enjoy it.

Put the kids to bed, turn off serious mode for 90 minutes, and Deck the Halls.

Happiest Season (2020)

There aren’t too many LGBT Christmas movies to choose from, so it’s a relief that Happiest Season is worth watching every year.

It’s another significant-other-home-for-the-holidays movie, but this time there’s a bit of catch. Or a rather huge one. Like marlin-sized.

Abby goes home with live-in girlfriend Harper for Christmas. But Harper’s family is under the impression that they’re just roommates. Because Harper hasn’t come out yet.

Shocked that her girlfriend isn’t the person she thought she was, does Abby stay and live a lie, leave in a huff, or out the woman she loves?

(You might even find yourself shipping for a totally different outcome.)

Mary Steenburgen assumes her rightful role as matriarch, while Aubrey Plaza and Daniel Levy are their usual hilarious, brilliant selves.

The Holiday (2006)

Remember that period in Jack Black’s career when he became a romantic comedy leading man? It lasted for 136 minutes. So if you missed The Holiday, you missed it.

And it was brill. Totally brill.

Black not only looked his best, The Holiday also stars Jude Law, Cameron Diaz, and Kate Winslet, all in their maximum early-thirties hotness.

The 2 leading ladies swap homes (and countries) over the Christmas break to get away from their disastrous love lives and—naturally—end up falling in love with local men.

Its runtime is the exact same length as another classic Christmas rom-com on our Netflix Christmas list, which is quite long for a romantic comedy. But both films are worth a spot on your Christmas watchlist.

Die Hard (1988)

The mother of all Christmas action movies is one of the greatest action movies of all time.

In case you’ve been living under a pile of snow, Bruce Willis stars as everyman off-duty cop John McCLane of the NYPD. And he’s in Los Angeles to win back his estranged wife and kids.

But he’s got to kill a whole bunch of terrorists exceptional thieves first. Because they’ve taken over the Nakatomi Plaza — yes, the Nakatomi Plaza — and they’ve got the detonators.

The film turned both Willis and Alan Rickman into Hollywood stars, the latter whom has another movie listed among our 12 Best Christmas Movies on Netflix. Both movies are Christmas classics and worthy of annual viewing.

Yippee-Ki-Yay, Father Christmas!