What's on this Christmas? | Festive favourites streaming this December

Matt Maynard • 07 Dec 2022 Features

The most popular Christmas movies across Sky, NOW, Disney+, Amazon Prime & Netflix. 

Don't bother going through every streaming service you own to find your favourite Christmas movie. Below is a list of some of the most popular Christmas films across Sky Cinema, NOW TV, Amazon Prime, Netflix and Disney Plus. 

What Christmas movies are on Sky and NOW TV? 

Elf (2003)

It’s the go-to family favourite for a lot of us and it’s available to watch on both Sky and NOW TV.

Will Ferrell plays Buddy, a human raised by elves, who leaves the North Pole for the first time to venture into New York city to find his father. On the rare chance you haven’t seen it, Elf is the perfect family feel-good movie to whack on the TV in the build up to Christmas to get you in the festive spirit. 

Did you know Jim Carrey was actually eyed up to play Buddy the elf? But with it taking 10 years from script-end to filming Elf, Will Ferrell was eventually signed to star as our beloved Buddy. 

The Polar Express (2004)

Tom Hanks stars in this animated Christmas journey about a boy who boards the Polar Express due to his doubts about the existence of Santa Claus. 

While Hanks plays five roles in the film, Robert Zemickis initially wanted him to play every single role, but it proved too much, and eventually the roles he played came down in number dramatically!

Batman Returns (1992)

This film lingers in the realm of doubt for many viewers, with the likes of Die hard 1 and 2, and is frequently debated whether or not Batman Returns can actually be considered a Christmas movie.

One thing that can’t be argued is that it is set during the Christmas season, which is enough for most fans to argue it is indeed a Christmas watch, but that’s kind of the extent of its festiveness. 

It’s a classic none-the-less, and is available to watch on Sky Cinema and NOW TV with the Cinema Membership! 

Trading Places (1983)

Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykoyd find themselves victims of an experiment set in motion by two brother millionaires in order to settle a bet, when they purposely have their lives turned on their heads. 

Trading Places is a family classic for many, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest comedy and Christmas films ever made - a subjective statement, of course. 

A Boy Called Christmas (2021)

A Sky Original that was released last Christmas, A Boy Call Christmas starts as a story being told by Aunt Ruth, played by Maggie Smith, to her niece and nephews. 

Nikolas and his father live in the forest in solitude, when one day his father and a group of hunters are tasked with finding the legendary Elfhelm. Not wanting to stay at home under the care of his Aunt Carlotta, Nikolas leaves and ventures into the unknown to join his father in the search for Elfhelm, on a journey that’ll change him forever. A thoroughly enjoyable family Christmas movie. 

What Christmas movies are on Disney Plus? 

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022)

Released in the November of this year, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday special follows Quill and his team of miscreants as they celebrate Christmas, and is certainly worth a watch for any Marvel fan wanting to follow the team’s journey prior to the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 next year. 

The rest of the team search for the perfect Christmas gift for Quill, who is still saddened after the loss of Gamora, and decide the best course of action is to travel to Earth. With James Gunn once again at the helm, this short Marvel movie is certainly worth a small amount of your time this Christmas. 

Home Alone 1 & 2 (1990-1992)

These movies need no explanation, nor introduction. But they can be quite hard to nail down each Christmas. With huge thanks to Disney Plus, you can find both Home Alone 1 and 2 together ready to be watched one after the other.

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

The Muppets put their very own spin on Ebenezer Scrooge and his encounter with the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. 

Michael Caine plays the role of Ebenezer, while The Great Gonzo plays Charles Dickens as the narrator of the story and Kermit plays the loveable Bob Crachit. While following the traditional story of a Christmas Carol, there’s a Muppet musical spin to it with some great songs sung throughout, in what is the fourth theatrical film in The Muppets Franchise. 

What Christmas movies are on Amazon Prime?

Love Actually (2003)

Following the love lives of various different characters around London during Christmas time, there are a few movies that’ll get you in the Christmas spirit as much as Love Actually will. 

This star-studded Christmas favourite is ready to watch if you have an Amazon Prime subscription - we dare you to just try and watch it once this December.   

The Holiday (2006)

Cameron Diaz, Jack Black, Jude Law and Kate Winslet all starring together in a Christmas movie? It’s a bit of a rogue cast combination, but it’s a romance Christmas comedy that’ll warm even the coldest of hearts. 

Arthur Christmas (2011)

James McAvoy, Bill Nighy, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent and Imelda Staunton all use their fabulous voices to bring together this spectacular Christmas movie, which imaginatively answers the question, How does Santa deliver all those presents? 

When a present for a little girl named Gwen doesn’t get delivered, Arthur takes it upon himself to make sure her Christmas morning isn’t ruined. While everyone doubts his ability to turn a bad situation good, showing sheer determination and driven by the spirit of Christmas, Arthur might just have every quality needed to make the perfect Santa Clause. 

White Christmas (1954)

One of the ultimate classic Christmas movies giving birth to the Christmas song of the same name, White Christmas is a 50s movie that brings Christmas nostalgia to both the young and old. 

Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen come alive in this upbeat, warming musical, coming together to put on the ultimate show that’ll put their old commander’s inn back in business. 

What Christmas movies are on Netflix? 

Klaus (2019)

A Netflix original, Klaus was released in 2019 and completely reinvents the origin of why we write letters to Santa Clause in a truly magical, original Christmas story. 

The story follows Jesper, a spoiled failure from postal school, who is sent by his father to the end of the world to a dire little town called Smeerensburg where two tribes are at constant war with one another, in order to establish a postal service. While trying to navigate the desolate feudal town, Jesper must - against all odds - bring hope and joy to the people of Smeerensburg with a little help from his friends. 

Nativity (2009)

Martin Freeman plays primary school teacher Paul who’s tasked with creating the school’s nativity play. When he lies to his opponent and says a Hollywood producer is set to turn his play into a movie, things start going awry…

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Another film that needs no introduction, so we’re just going to tell you it’s on Netflix, and Amazon Prime, too!