The 10 Best Christmas Movies to Watch on Amazon Prime

With so many Christmas movies on Amazon Prime, it’s challenging to figure out which ones are worth spending the time on. Luckily, we’re here to help. These ten are among the best Christmas movies to watch on Amazon Prime to get you into the Christmas spirit.

10 Eloise at Christmastime

Shenanigans are to be expected at Christmas, especially when a kid goes to New York with her nanny. Julie Andrews is outstanding in her role here, but Sophia Vassilieva steals the show as a loveable, chaos-causing kid. The movie is reminiscent of a lot of the early 2000s movies with kids causing havoc in a particular setting, and the romantic subplot between the hotel owner’s daughter, her fiancé, and the guy she really loves gives it the legs to make it a Christmas classic. If you like heartwarming stories alongside a bit of fun, this might turn into one of your new Christmas pleasures.

9 It’s a Very Muppet Christmas Movie

Jim Henson’s muppets are a huge hit of nostalgia for many of us, and while there are several muppet Christmas movies, this one is among the best for the season. As with most muppet movies, this one takes the plot of an existing film and throws in all the callbacks, pop culture references, and hilarity that we’ve come to expect from such a film. The base plot is from It’s a Wonderful Life, and the film makes sure the audience knows it. Most people might think it’s just another made-for-TV movie, but this title hits all the right notes to make it a classic. If you’re into muppet movies, you should catch this one while it’s available.

8 National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

As someone who enjoys considering how much Clark Griswold’s house impacts the electric grid, this is a must-see every Christmas. If you have seen any of the National Lampoon movies before, you don’t need to, as each one is a stand-alone entry, albeit with callbacks to some of the other films. Chevy Chase is excellent, as always, in this one, with the rest of the supporting cast adding to his zany antics on screen. Despite being a comedy, it also tugs at the heartstrings at the right moments, making it a true holiday film that can go toe-to-toe with all others in its category. It remains one of the best options for Christmas movies to stream on Amazon Prime.

7 Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas

This is what you get when you mash up a musical, Tim Burton, Halloween, and Christmas. If that sounds chaotic, then you’ll be pleasantly surprised to learn that it all comes together to create what is one of the most beloved Christmas films in recent memory. Jack Skellington, the mayor of Halloweentown, decides that he wants to bring joy into people’s lives, and after seeing Christmastown, he decides he can do it better. This claymation extravaganza is equal parts fun, romance, comedy, and drama. If you’ve never seen this and are looking for something different from the typical romcom, consider adding it to your list of Christmas movies to stream on Amazon Prime. You won’t be disappointed!

6 Home Alone 1 & 2

Kevin! This one shouldn’t be new to most people, but it’s one of those Christmas movies on Amazon Prime that most might overlook. In both titles, Kevin McAllister is accidentally abandoned by his larger-than-average family and has to fend for himself. In both situations, he runs afoul of a pair of bandits who carry a grudge across both films. While it is a comedy, there are more profound moments in the movie where Kevin learns to love his family for who they are despite their quirks. The low Tomatometer score isn’t truly indicative of the film, and this one is worth watching.

5 Die Hard

Christmas doesn’t start until Hans Gruber falls from Nakatomi Tower, at least for some of us. Die Hard is a product of its time — a movie set during Christmas but without the typical trappings of a Christmas movie. What it does have is more action than you can shake a stick at. Bruce Willis nails it as John McClane, who finds himself inside a corporate office as a group of terrorists led by Gruber (Alan Rickman) attempts to take it over. McClane does what any man would in such a situation and fights back, eventually triumphing. It’s a great movie, and while some might not consider it a Christmas movie, it’s got a lot of Christmas-adjacent window dressing. This one is perfect if you want a little action to spice up your Christmas movie marathon.

4 Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

If you’ve ever traveled during Christmas, this one’s for you. In what reads like a series of unfortunate events, Neal Page (Steve Martin) tries desperately to get home to his family. Unfortunately, everything that can go wrong does, and he finds himself in the dubious company of Del Griffith (John Candy). The duo is the perfect comedy pairing, with the movie sometimes feeling like a buddy-cop flick without the cops and other times feeling like a standup comedy routine with added action. This might be the perfect remedy if you want a light-hearted Christmas flick to brighten up the days.

3 The Holiday

Romcoms are a staple of the Christmas season, and this one is quite heartwarming and has just the right amount of uniqueness to make it stand out from the crowd. Amanda (Cameron Diaz) owns a company that makes movie trailers, and Iris (Kate Winslet) is a reporter. When both women run into rocky patches in their lives, they decide to swap residences for the season, leading to both women discovering who they are. Bonus points for Jack Black being Jack Black. When it came out, it was a fantastic film, and while it’s a little dated, it still retains a lot of its charm, making it one of the better Christmas movies on Amazon Prime for rom-com fans.

2 The Holdovers

One of the things that will strike many viewers of this one is that it looks like a film from the 1990s despite being shot in the 2020s. This adds to the beauty of the film, which explores the relationship between Angus (Dominic Sessa), Paul (Paul Giamatti), and Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) in a unique “found family” movie. Without giving too much of the plot away, Angus is a kid who seems to have been abandoned by his family, Mary is coping with the recent loss of her son, and Paul is being a dislikable curmudgeon. Throw all three of them on the grounds of an empty prep school, and the result is a film that’s equal parts heartwarming, funny, and nostalgic.

1 The Man Who Invented Christmas

Charles Dickens is such a beloved figure in literature that we sometimes forget that it wasn’t all roses for him either. In this film, we explore a semi-fictionalized Dickens and his struggles to create a new Christmas-themed story, leading to him penning A Christmas Carol. While the film takes a lot of theatrical license with its retelling, it’s clear that there’s a lot of love and care put into this film. It’s probably not a film that will appeal to everyone, but if you like historical fiction or are a Charles Dickens fan, this one might be worth adding as one of your Christmas Movies to stream on Amazon Prime.

Christmas movies make us laugh, make us cry, and make us think. Streaming Christmas movies on Amazon Prime is one of the best ways to get your money’s worth from the service, especially during the season. These films are among the best on the platform and well worth watching if you’re trying to capture that feeling of Christmas.