10+ Best Christmas Movies to Watch on Netflix This December 2026

December evenings call for exactly one thing: a good film, a warm drink, and nowhere to be. Netflix has invested heavily in its Christmas content library over the past several years, producing original films that range from heartwarming romantic comedies to animated family favourites and musical spectacles. The result is a catalogue that can carry you through most of December without repeating yourself.

The best Christmas films are not necessarily the most technically impressive — they are the ones that make you feel something familiar, whether that is warmth, nostalgia, laughter, or the specific comfort of watching characters find their way to each other before the credits roll.

Christmas film nights are one of the many small traditions that make the season worth looking forward to. Whether you are watching alone, with a partner, with children, or with a room full of people who cannot agree on anything else, Netflix usually has something that will work.

Quick question: are Netflix Christmas films actually worth watching?

Netflix Originals vary considerably in quality, but the platform’s Christmas output has improved steadily. Several of its originals — particularly in the animated and family categories — are genuinely excellent. The romantic films follow familiar patterns but are made with enough charm and care to be enjoyable for exactly what they are.

Here are more than 10 of the best Christmas movies to watch on Netflix in December 2026, grouped by mood and audience.

What Makes Netflix a Good Source for Christmas Films

Netflix began investing in original Christmas content in the late 2010s and has continued expanding its library each year. Unlike licensed films — which can disappear when contracts expire — Netflix Originals are permanently available on the platform, which makes them reliable choices year after year.

The library covers a wide range. There are light romantic comedies designed for adults who want something easy and cheerful, animated films that hold up for audiences of all ages, musical productions with notable performers, and adventure-focused family films that keep younger viewers engaged. Availability varies by region, but the core Netflix Originals listed here are widely accessible.

Romantic Christmas Movies on Netflix

A Christmas Prince (2017) One of Netflix’s earliest Christmas Originals and still one of its most watched. A journalist is sent to cover a royal family in a fictional European kingdom and ends up falling for the prince. The plot is straightforward and leans entirely into the fairy-tale format — which is exactly what makes it work. It was popular enough to spawn two sequels: The Royal Wedding (2018) and The Royal Baby (2019), making it easy to extend a single viewing session into a full trilogy weekend.

A Castle for Christmas (2021) Brooke Shields plays a bestselling author who travels to Scotland after a public controversy and ends up in a dispute over a castle with its gruff owner, played by Cary Elwes. The Scottish setting gives the film a visual warmth that distinguishes it from many of its genre peers, and the central pairing has genuine screen chemistry. A solid choice for a quiet evening that requires no mental effort and delivers consistent comfort.

The Princess Switch (2018) Vanessa Hudgens plays two women — a Chicago baker and a princess — who swap lives in the lead-up to Christmas in a fictional European country. The film leans into its implausibility with enough self-awareness to make the result charming rather than ridiculous. Two sequels followed (Switched Again and Royally Rare), extending the characters across a full festive franchise.

Falling for Christmas (2022) Lindsay Lohan’s return to film acting after a decade away from the screen was met with warm reception. She plays a spoiled heiress who loses her memory in a skiing accident and ends up staying with a warm-hearted lodge owner and his young daughter. The film is a deliberate throwback to the kind of Christmas romantic comedy that dominated the early 2000s, and it largely succeeds on those terms.

Family Christmas Films on Netflix

The Christmas Chronicles (2018) Kurt Russell plays a charismatic and unexpectedly modern Santa Claus who gets stranded with two children on Christmas Eve after they stow away in his sleigh. The film has more energy and wit than many family Christmas productions, and Russell’s performance gives it a distinct personality. A sequel — The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020) — followed with Goldie Hawn as Mrs. Claus and an expanded story that stands on its own as well as the original.

Klaus (2019) Arguably the best Christmas film Netflix has ever produced. A spoiled postal student is assigned to a remote Arctic town and inadvertently helps a reclusive toymaker start delivering gifts to local children. The animation style is extraordinary — hand-drawn in a way that feels both classical and completely distinctive — and the story addresses the origins of Christmas gift-giving traditions with surprising emotional depth. Klaus received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature and remains a standout in the Netflix library.

Angela’s Christmas (2017) Based on a short story by Angela’s Ashes author Frank McCourt, this animated short film follows a young Irish girl who brings the baby Jesus figurine home from the church nativity scene to keep him warm. It is brief — under 30 minutes — but genuinely touching and well-suited to younger children who need something with a shorter runtime. A follow-up, Angela’s Christmas Wish, continued the character’s story.

Holiday Rush (2019) A popular radio DJ loses his job just before Christmas and has to move his four children into their aunt’s smaller home, forcing a reset on the family’s expectations about the holidays. It is a warmer and more grounded family film than many Netflix Christmas productions, with a cast that brings genuine feeling to the material. The message about what the holiday actually means — separate from how much it costs — lands without being preachy.

Feel-Good Christmas Comedies and Musicals

Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square (2020) A musical film written and produced with Dolly Parton, who also plays a guardian angel. Christine Baranski plays a wealthy woman who returns to her hometown intending to sell it to a developer — only for the community and the season to gradually change her mind. The film is unabashedly theatrical, with original songs and a distinctly Broadway energy. It is not subtle, but it is joyful, and Parton’s presence gives it an authority that carries the production across its more sentimental moments.

The Princess Switch: Switched Again (2020) The second instalment in the Princess Switch franchise adds a third character — a look-alike cousin — and raises the plot stakes accordingly. It is more chaotic than the original, but it has a self-aware sense of humour about its own absurdity that makes the escalation enjoyable rather than exhausting. A good choice when the first film has already been watched and the group wants to continue.

Holiday in the Wild (2019) Rob Lowe and Kristin Davis star in this romantic drama set in Zambia. A woman whose husband leaves her on the day she planned to go on safari decides to travel anyway, where she meets a conservationist and helps rescue an elephant orphan. The setting is genuinely unusual for a Christmas film and gives it a warmth and visual distinctiveness that separates it from the European fairy-tale format most Netflix romantic films follow.

If You Have Already Seen the Obvious Choices

For viewers who have worked through most of the list above, Netflix also offers a reliable stock of licensed Christmas titles that appear each December. These vary by region but typically include animated classics, made-for-TV films, and seasonal documentaries about Christmas traditions around the world.

The platform also adds new original Christmas content each November, so checking the “Holiday” category in early December reliably surfaces titles that were not available the previous year. Pairing the viewing schedule with Christmas planning — whether that is choosing gifts using a structured approach like the 7-gift rule or planning which traditions to carry into the season — turns December evenings into something more deliberate and enjoyable.

Tips for Planning Your Christmas Film Nights

Getting the most out of Netflix’s Christmas library is largely a matter of matching the film to the moment. A few simple approaches help.

Match the film to the audience. Klaus and the Christmas Chronicles work across ages. The Princess Switch and romantic originals are better suited to adult evenings. Holiday Rush and Christmas on the Square work well for families who want something with more warmth and less fantasy.

Spread the library across the month. Starting a film marathon too early means running out of fresh options by Christmas week. Beginning in mid-November with one or two films per week leaves the best titles for the final stretch.

Revisit films without apology. Christmas films are among the most re-watched content on any platform, and there is good reason for that. A film associated with a specific December — a specific person, a specific year — gains meaning on each viewing. Netflix’s retention of its Originals makes that kind of annual return possible.

The best Christmas films are not background noise. They are a small ritual — a signal that December is different from other months and worth paying a different kind of attention to.

Whatever the evening calls for, the list above has something to offer.