As you get ready for the holidays, there’s nothing like Bing Crosby crooning “White Christmas.” Or, if chaos is more your speed, how about Gremlins on a violent spree? Or Robert Downey Jr. getting turkey all over his uptight sister? Here are all the holiday movies you can watch now on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
‘HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS’ (1995)
Jodie Foster directs this holiday comedy about (what else?) an eccentric, dysfunctional family reuniting for Thanksgiving. The terrific cast includes Holly Hunter, Robert Downey Jr., Dylan McDermott, and Claire Danes. (On Amazon Prime)
‘WHITE CHRISTMAS’ (1954)
What better way to get into the Christmas spirit than with this Technicolor classic? Sing along with the tunes from Irving Berlin, who penned the immortal title song. (On Netflix)
‘THE HOLIDAY’ (2006)
Two unhappy women, one British (Kate Winslet) and one American (Cameron Diaz), swap houses for Christmas and find unexpected romance in this heartwarming comedy. Jack Black and Jude Law costar. (On Amazon Prime)
‘THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS’ (1993)
Bored with Halloween, Jack Skellington hijacks Christmas and everything goes horribly (wonderfully) wrong in our favorite stop-motion film that’s perfect watching for any time of year. (On Netflix)
‘BRIDGET JONES’S DIARY’ (2001)
We’ll never forget Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) and his hideous Christmas sweater — or his pained embarrassment for having to wear it. But would Bridget (Renée Zellweger) and Mark ever have started talking if he didn’t put it on? And bonus holiday: This romance ends happily on New Year’s Eve. (On Netflix)
‘A VERY MURRAY CHRISTMAS’ (2015)
Yes, it’s a Christmas special, and not a movie, but you always make an exception for Bill Murray. The comedian rounds up a few friends — including George Clooney and Miley Cyrus — for this “let’s put on a show!” Netflix original. (On Netflix)
‘GREMLINS’ (1984)
So it’s not exactly a cute and cuddly Christmas movie. In fact, its legendary carnage helped inspire the PG-13 rating. So watch with caution — and please, follow those Gremlin guidelines! (On Netflix)
‘MEAN GIRLS’ (2004)
Is butter a carb? Yes. So then The Plastics singing “Jingle Bell Rock” totally makes this a holiday movie. (On Netflix)
‘BAD SANTA’ (2003)
Billy Bob Thornton plays a mall Santa who’s a rude, chain-smoking, alcoholic sex addict. Oh, and he’s just doing the gig so he and his pint-sized assistant can rob the joint. If heart-tugging sentiment isn’t your thing, Willie T. Soke might be what you want for Christmas. (On Netflix)
‘BAD SANTA 2’ (2016)
Willie Soke is back and this time he’s brought his foul-mouthed mother, Sunny (Kathy Bates), who might be an even worse human being than he is. And hey, “The Kid” from the first movie returns for the sequel, all grown-up! (On Netflix)
‘THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS’ (1974)
If you crave more vintage holiday classics like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” this one about a discouraged Santa (and two quarreling brothers named Heat Miser and Snow Miser) should do the trick. (On Amazon Prime)
FROSTY’S WINTER WONDERLAND (1976)
Lonely Frosty the Snowman gets a snow bride named Crystal in this sequel to the 1969 TV special “Frosty the Snowman.” And since Parson Brown refuses to marry snow people, they build a snow parson! (On Amazon Prime)
‘KUNG FU PANDA HOLIDAY’ (2010)
In this TV special, Po (Jack Black) hosts his first formal Winter Feast as the Dragon Warrior. But it’s not easy: Will there be time for the family tradition of hanging decorations and cooking noodle soup with his father? (On Netflix)
‘MICKEY’S ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS’ (1999)
In this Christmas-themed anthology, Donald Duck’s nephews have Christmas every day, Goofy tries to convince his son that Santa is real, and Mickey and Minnie exchange The Gift of the Magi. (On Netflix)
‘I WANT A DOG FOR CHRISTMAS, CHARLIE BROWN’ (2003)
Linus and Lucy’s little brother, Rerun van Pelt, wants his own dog. Snoopy asks his brother, Spike, if he wants the job, but complications ensue in this 43-minute TV special. (On Amazon Prime)
‘HAPPY NEW YEAR, CHARLIE BROWN!’ (1986)
Everyone is coming to Peppermint Patty and Marcie’s New Year’s Eve party. Except maybe Charlie Brown, who says he wants to finish his book report on “War and Peace.” He’s probably still mad about how rude she was on Thanksgiving, tbh. (On Amazon Prime)
‘WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING’ (1995)
In this underrated rom-com set during Christmas, Sandra Bullock is a lonely token taker whose crush on a man she doesn’t know (Peter Gallagher) leads to her find true love. Only catch? She finds it with his brother (Bill Pullman) and his eccentric, lovable family. (On Netflix Dec. 1)
