‘Tis (almost) the season to watch the holliest and jolliest cinematic favorites, and thankfully there are plenty of great Christmas movies on Amazon Prime – one of the best streaming services to subscribe to today. Indeed, all you need is an Amazon Prime subscription to keep your movie night festive until the new year.
Of course, sifting through all the best movies on Amazon in search of a fun holiday flick could get tedious but there is no reason to get Scrooged over it so soon. The following is a quick, convenient guide to the best Christmas movies on the leading streaming platform.
White Christmas (1954)
Director: Michael Curtiz
Starring: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen
What it’s about: A successful song-and-dance duo become romantically involved with a pair of sisterly performers and join forces to put on a show to benefit their former commanding general’s struggling inn in Vermont.
Why it is one of the best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime: If your favorite things about Christmas are a little bit of romance and a lot of music, the Oscar-winning movie musical classic, White Christmas, is the perfect choice for you.
Holiday Inn (1942)
Director: Mark Sandrich, Robert Allen
Starring: Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds
What it’s about: Two rivals, one a singer and the other a dancer, vie for the affections of a beautiful performer at a lodge that only opens on major holidays.
Why it is one of the best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime: The Oscar-winning title song from White Christmas was actually originally written by Irving Berlin for Holiday Inn – a winning romantic musical comedy that celebrates various holidays but with special emphasis on the Christmas season.
The Holdovers (2023)
Director: Alexander Payne
Starring: Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa
What it’s about: A disgruntled prep school teacher, his troubled student, and a grieving cafeteria worker form an unlikely bond while spending the holiday break at a prep school together.
Why it is one of the best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime: Destined to be one of the funniest holiday movies for its humorous moments but also one of the most heartbreaking and uplifting Christmas classics, The Holdovers is an overall wonderful experience for any time of year, with its convincing ‘70s-style aesthetic and moving performances.
Love Actually (2003)
Director: Richard Curtis
Starring: Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson, Laura Linney
What it’s about: Various interwoven stories examining the joys and pains of romance set around Christmastime in London.
Why it is one of the best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime: While even Richard Curtis believes some aspects of Love Actually have not aged the best, the anthology-style comedy is considered one of the best romantic movies to watch at Christmastime by many audiences.
The Holiday (2006)
Director: Nancy Meyers
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black
What it’s about: An American movie trailer editor and an English journalist, both dissatisfied by their romantic lives, agree to switch homes for the holiday season.
Why it is one of the best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime: Another great romantic-comedy set around Christmastime is The Holiday, which is one of the most genuinely heartwarming films in the category, despite just barely acknowledging its holiday season setting.
The Best Man Holiday (2013)
Director: Malcolm D. Lee
Starring: Morris Chestnut, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Nia Long
What it’s about: Romances and rivalries alike are brought to the surface when a group of college friends reunites to celebrate Christmas together.
Why it is one of the best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime: A sequel to The Best Man 14 years in the making, The Best Man Holiday is just as fun and sexy but with an added aura of holiday spirit.
Almost Christmas (2016)
Director: David E. Talbert
Starring: Danny Glover, Mo’Nique, Omar Epps, Gabrielle Union
What it’s about: A widowed, retired mechanic invites his grown-up children and their families to stay with him for Christmas.
Why it is one of the best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime: Another great holiday comedy featuring a predominantly Black cast is Almost Christmas, which captures the relatable struggle of surviving the season amongst bickering relatives authentically and hilariously.
The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017)
Director: Bharat Nalluri
Starring: Dan Stevens, Christopher Plummer, Jonathan Pryce
What it’s about: Author Charles Dickens tries to dig himself out of his financials woes by writing and self-publishing a definitive holiday tale within days.
Why it is one of the best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime: The Man Who Invented Christmas is a wondrous and magical film inspired by the true story behind the creation of one of the most beloved holiday traditions in literary history, A Christmas Carol.
Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)
Director: Jeannot Szwarc
Starring: David Huddleston, Dudley Moore, John Lithgow, Burgess Meredith
What it’s about: After a talented and kindly toymaker fulfills his destiny as Old St. Nick, he must rescue one of his most loyal elves from a ruthless toy manufacturer who plots to take over Christmas.
Why it is one of the best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime: David Huddleston is fantastic in the title role of Santa Claus: The Movie – one of the most overlooked but captivatingly magical Christmas movies featuring Father Christmas.
The Bishop's Wife (1947)
Director: Henry Koster
Starring: Cary Grant, Loretta Young, David Niven
What it’s about: A charming angel is sent from Heaven to help an Episcopalian bishop and his spouse raise funds to build a new church.
Why it is one of the best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime: Based on the novel by Robert Nathan, The Bishop’s Wife (which was also the inspiration for 1996’s The Preacher’s Wife) is a wonderful story of rediscovering your self-worth and your love for your family at a time when love is strongest: the Christmas season.
Jingle All The Way (1996)
Director: Brian Levant
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, Rita Wilson
What it’s about: Desperate to keep a promise to his son, a workaholic father searches tirelessly for the most coveted toy on the market to give to him for Christmas.
Why it is one of the best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime: In addition to being one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s funniest family-friendly movies, Jingle All the Way is a top-tier Christmas movie as a refreshing indictment of the consuming power of commercialism, especially around the holidays.
Black Christmas (1974)
Director: Bob Clark
Starring: Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder
What it’s about: Members of a college sorority suspect they are in danger while staying at their empty college campus during winter break.
Why it is one of the best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime: Before making us laugh with A Christmas Story, Bob Clark made us scream with one of the first and best Christmas horror movies, Black Christmas, which some credit with inventing the modern slasher.
You should be primed for a Merry Christmas with these cinematic holiday favorites.
