Best Christmas movies to stream in the UK: Embrace the festive season!

Wednesday 13 December 2023 by Jonathan Victoria  Features

There’s no better way to fully embrace the spirit of Christmas than by curling up on the sofa and watching a holiday film. From Home Alone to Love Actually, there’s something for everyone this time of year!

The problem is, they’re never all in one place anymore. With so many different streaming services offering their catalogue, it can be hard to find your favourites.

Well, worry no more as we bring you the best Christmas movies to stream in the UK, with some of the best films found on each of the major services. 

Christmas movies on Netflix

The Grinch

You simply can’t talk about Christmas without also mentioning The Grinch. The tale of the classic Dr Suess story is a must-watch every year, and thankfully, this year you can take your pick.

Netflix has the ever-popular How the Grinch Stole Christmas starring Jim Carrey from 2000 as well as the newer animated The Grinch from 2018.

The Holiday

One for the adults, The Holiday packs some serious star power, with Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz and Jack Black playing the main roles.

It tells the age-old story of finding love when you least expect it, providing a happy story for all during the most wonderful time of year.

A Very Murray Christmas

A Very Murray Christmas is not a conventional Christmas film, but instead it is a Christmas musical comedy film comprised of skits made from the minds of Sofia Coppola and Bill Murray ad features an amazing ensemble cast of some big Hollywood names.

The 2015 Netflix original is a rather unknown film but very underrated at that, putting a different spin on the conventional Christmas film.

Christmas movies on Disney Plus

Home Alone series

What is Christmas without Home Alone? A young child left at home after his family forgets him when leaving to go on holiday, only to have to valiantly fend off two crooks so he can save his family’s Christmas. It’s a unique tale of naughty and nice.

Disney Plus is the home of all four Home Alone films, although in all honesty, you only really need to watch the first two that feature Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister. The other two are rather meh.

The Muppet Christmas Carol

You take a timeless story and you add the Muppets to it, nine out of 10 times you get an absolute cracker of a film. The Muppet Christmas Carol is certainly one of those nine.

Retelling the Charles Dicken story of A Christmas Carol with Michael Caine as Scrooge, it’s a fantastic family watch that can and will be enjoyed for generations to come.

Die Hard

Die Hard IS a Christmas film. Fight amongst yourselves about that one.

Seriously, what’s more Christmassy than a police officer single-handedly bringing a stop to a terrorist group that has taken over a Los Angeles skyscraper on Christmas Eve?

Christmas movies on Sky Cinema

Elf

In all honesty, none of the other services comes close to the Christmas catalogue that Sky Cinema boasts, and that is shown simply by the following three movies, starting with Elf.

For so many people these days, Elf is their favourite Christmas film - and for good reason. Will Ferrel at his finest, it’s a hilarious family comedy that keeps every one of all ages entertained. They really don’t come much better than it.

Love Actually

A Christmas rom-com that covers multiple stories that each could’ve been made into their own standalone film. 

With an amazing cast to back, Love Actually is without a doubt a modern-day Christmas staple.

The Polar Express

Another Christmas staple is certainly The Polar Express. The animated kids film is a heartwarming tale of a magical Christmas adventure, one that helps the spirit of Christmas glow warmly in every child's heart.

There is nothing you can’t love about this film, particularly with Tom Hanks who plays multiple roles to perfection (as he always does), bringing to life every character.

Christmas movies on Prime Video

It’s a Wonderful Life

We’ve spoken about classics but It’s a Wonderful Life could be the literal definition of a classic movie.

While other holiday-themed movies came before it, this 1946 black-and-white flick defined the genre, with some even saying it was ahead of its time for its Black Mirror-esque alternate plotline.

Scrooged

My personal favourite, Bill Murray makes a return to this list in another retelling of A Christmas Carol. 

This time, Scrooge (played by Murray) is a big-time TV executive who is ruining his network's theatre-to-TV version of the tale - that is until he is visited by Christmas ghosts three.

The Night Before

Finishing off with one for the young adults, Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie and Joseph Gorden-Levitt play three friends who have a Christmas tradition of finding the best party on Christmas Eve.

A story that many may know all too well, although the events of the film may not be an accurate representation of every Christmas Eve party (Miley Cyrus probably doesn’t have time to be at them all).

Honourable mentions

There are plenty of films that have been left out, and not for any particular reason. Here are some more joyous Christmas movies you can watch this season.

• Gremlins, Sky Cinema
• Klaus, Netflix
• A Christmas Story, Prime Video
• Miracle on 34th Street, Disney Plus
• Bad Santa, Sky Cinema
• Office Christmas Party, Netflix
• White Christmas, Prime Video
• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Disney Plus