The 10 best Netflix Christmas films for kids and adults: What to watch this Christmas

Netflix is a treasure trove of aging blockbusters, cult classics and so-bad-they’re-good budget films. You could easily spend a few hours flicking through what to watch online. But it’s Christmas Day, and you don’t want to waste your time with that! So, here’s our selection of the best (mostly) family-friendly films to watch on Netflix this Christmas.

1. Best Netflix Christmas films: A Very Murray Christmas

https://youtube.com/watch?v=XJP3db3R014

It can’t be Christmas without some Bill Murray in your life, and what better way than this Netflix Original from Lost in Translation director Sofia Coppola?

This offbeat musical sees Bill Murray hosting the variety show of the year, but when it looks as if nobody will turn up, it could turn into a complete disaster. Starring Bill Murray, obviously, alongside Miley Cyrus, George Clooney, Amy Poehler, Michael Cera and more, you’ll have a hard time trying to not enjoy yourself watching this.

2. Best Netflix Christmas films: Home Alone

A Christmas classic that anyone who grew up in the 1990s will remember as being the ultimate Christmas movie. Loved by adults and children alike, Home Alone sees Macaulay Culkin left behind when his family go on holiday, leaving him to rule the roost any way he sees fit.

While that sounds like a jaunty jape, throw in some peril in the form of two burglars trying to break in to steal the family’s Christmas presents, and you end up with a hilarious Christmas adventure.

3. Best Netflix Christmas films: Scrooged

What’s that, another Bill Murray film? Yes, Scrooged is a fantastic Christmas movie and a wonderfully modern twist on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

Murray plays Frank Cross, an all-round Scrooge who has no passion for the Christmas spirit after his unpleasant childhood. However, after visits from the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, Frank knows he must change his ways.

4. Best Netflix Christmas films: Disney’s A Christmas Carol

Telling the tale of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, this animated movie starring Jim Carrey is the perfect Christmas movie for both kids and adults, thanks to some wonderful animation and brilliant casting. While it may not be an original story and provide no exciting new twists, sometimes you just can’t beat a classic.

5. Best Netflix Christmas films: The Santa Clause

https://youtube.com/watch?v=t067u2Jnks0

Tim Allen plays Scott Calvin who, inadvertently, manages to kill Santa Claus. Don’t worry, this isn’t some sort of crazy Santa snuff film, instead it’s a great family romp through the ups and downs of being Santa, as Scott quickly discovers he has to fill the big man’s shoes to keep Christmas going.

6. Best Netflix Christmas films: Jingle All the Way

Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in this excellent 1990s Christmas hit as a mattress salesman who constantly disappoints his son due to his work commitments. As you can probably imagine, Howard Langston (Schwarzenegger) sets out to redeem himself in his son’s eyes by finding the last Turbo Man action figure in town and taking his son to the Wintertainment parade so he can meet his superhero idol. Schwarzenegger excels in this Christmas comedy caper.

7. Best Netflix Christmas films: Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas

Split into three parts – largely so you can take a break if the wee ones get restless – Disney’s take on the Christmas movie follows the separate tales of Donald Duck, Goofy and Mickey Mouse as they each handle their own Christmas problems.

Donald is stuck reliving Christmas day ad infinitum in a homage to Groundhog Day, Goofy is on a quest to quash his son’s skepticism of Santa Claus, and Mickey and Minnie Mouse discover the true meaning of Christmas. Heartwarming stuff, that.

8. Best Netflix Christmas films: It’s a Wonderful Life

https://youtube.com/watch?v=upnZeHhDMZE

It couldn’t be a Christmas movie list without featuring It’s a Wonderful Life, and thanks to Netflix actually having it, we can put it on our list too!

You should know the plot by now – the film has been out since 1947, after all.

9. Best Netflix Christmas films: All I Want for Christmas

While the prospect of a family film revolving around a divorce doesn’t sound like the feel-good Christmas comedy you should watch, it’s actually great fun.

Hallie and Ethan just want to spend Christmas together as a family with their divorced parents, but things aren’t that simple. Perhaps a wish from Santa – along with a whole host of pranks – can help them realise their dream.

10. Best Netflix Christmas films: Blackadder’s Christmas Carol

Rowan Atkinson takes up the role of the eponymous Blackadder once again, but this time – in a twist on both the A Christmas Carol storyline and the Blackadder series – he’s actually the loveliest man in England. After being visited by the ghosts of Blackadders past, he’s shown that sometimes it doesn’t pay to be a nice guy.

As you can expect from anything Blackadder-related, this BBC feature-length episode is a brilliant way to enjoy a subversive Christmas.

Want a better selection of Netflix films to watch this Christmas? Here’s how you can change your Netflix account to an American one.