The 20 best Christmas movies (new and classic) you can watch on streaming platforms

BarcelonaFeeling the Christmas spirit isn't always well-received, especially if you live surrounded by GrinchesBut at one point or another, we've all ended up watching a Christmas movie snuggled under a blanket, alone or with family. Streaming platforms have long known that Christmas products... included seriesThey're a goldmine for keeping viewers hooked to their service. Turn on the Christmas lights, put on some comfy clothes, and sift through and choose from the selection of the best Christmas-themed movies you can find on the platforms (don't worry, We have avoided the two thousand five hundred proposals that Netflix produces each year)

There are Christmas movies that try to disguise it, and others that go all out, as is the case withThe spirit of NadalOne of the most recent additions to the illustrious list of holiday-themed offerings. Ryan Reynolds, hugely popular thanks to products like DeadpoolHe teams up with comic book star Will Ferrell to create a modernized and musical (very musical) version ofThe Christmas StoryFrom Charles Dickens's novel, this Christmas classic is told from the ghosts' point of view, not Mr. Scrooge's. The Ghost of Christmas Present (Ferrell) chooses Clint Briggs as the man to reform, but things don't go as planned, and his victim turns the tables, forcing the spirit to re-examine his past, present, and future.

For whom? For those who enjoy musicals and aren't ashamed.

Arguably one of the most underrated romantic comedies of the genre. During the Christmas holidays, a wonderful Kate Winslet, devastated by a toxic relationship, swaps her charming and welcoming cottage English with a neurotic, Californian Cameron Diaz, who lives in a large mansion in sunny Los Angeles. While the former meets a charming and endearing music producer played by Jack Black (thankfully, more restrained than usual), the latter falls head over heels for an irresistible Jude Law.

For whom? For those who are easily swayed by stories of coincidences and second chances.

More Christmas with a British touch. One of the recent releases in the Christmas genre is Your Christmas or mine, available on Amazon. One of the film's main draws is its star, Asa Butterfield, the Otis of Sex educationwho here plays James. Romantic fervor leads him and his girlfriend, Hayley, to want to spend Christmas together, but a communication breakdown causes them to end up celebrating the holidays separately, each with the other's family. This experience makes them realize they come from different worlds: Hayley's relatives could be considered guardians of the Christmas spirit, while James's are unique examples of old-fashionedness. The film's positive reception has led the platform to release a sequel this year. Don't Christmas or mine 2, in which a new misunderstanding will cause them to spend Christmas in unexpected places.

For whom? For those who don't mind watching classic screwball comedies.

A Christmas classic guaranteed to make you laugh. Only if you've spent part of your life hiding in a cave could you not know Macaulay Culkin and Kevin McCallister, the character that made the actor a global star when he was just 10 years old. Adorable Kevin is mistakenly left alone in his house while his whole family travels to Paris for the Christmas holidays. The house to himself – Kevin is fed up with his older brother, Buzz – begins to disappear when he realizes that two burglars intend to break in and steal the family's belongings. RamboKevin will set out to defend his property. If the original film isn't enough, you can find all the sequels on Disney+, from the second installment set in New York – complete with a Donald Trump cameo – to Finally home alone, released this year.

For whom? For those who want to let their inner child out for a walk.

Lucy (Sandra Bullock) is a Chicago subway ticket seller with a sad and lonely life—her parents are dead and she lives with a cat (applause for the cliché)—who is fascinated by Peter, a passenger who buys his subway ticket from her every day. On Christmas Day, a group of thieves tries to rob the attractive young man, who ends up falling onto the subway tracks but is bravely saved by the ticket seller. A series of misunderstandings leads Peter's family, who are suffering from amnesia, to believe that Lucy is his fiancée, news that particularly surprises the boy's brother, Jack (Bill Pullman). While you were sleeping It has all the expected clichés: a clumsy but charmingly endearing protagonist and a family that seems to have swallowed twenty kilos of Christmas spirit, but isn't that what we expect from a romantic comedy set during the Christmas season?

For whom? For those who pretend to be independent but secretly crumble like sugar cubes in front of a rom-com.

We open the eternal debate, ?Die Hard Is it or isn't it a Christmas movie? If we accept that having the holidays as a backdrop counts, then it has every right to be on that list. Bruce Willis plays John McClane, a New York City police detective who arrives in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve intending to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get complicated when a group of terrorists enters the building where McClane's ex-wife is attending a party, and the cop is forced to use all his professional skills to free her and the other hostages. And the rest is cinematic history... Yippee Ki Yay!

For whom? For those who can only tolerate the Christmas spirit in small doses.

Christmas gatherings can be moments of connection or a breeding ground for awkward situations. In Kenneth Branagh's film, a group of friends, who have known each other since their days studying together at Cambridge and acting in a theater group, reunite to spend New Year's Eve at one of their family homes. What should have been a heartwarming reunion turns into a kind of collective catharsis in which everyone spills their deepest secrets. A funny, moving, and touching film, especially considering that many of the cast members (Emma Thompson, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, etc.) are, in fact, friends from their university days.

For whom? For those who believe that chosen family, the family of friends, has as much value as blood family.

The cinematic celebration of Christmas isn't just an Anglo-Saxon phenomenon. We have our own examples too, although in this case they tend to focus on another magical night, Three Kings' Day. This is the case with... Barcelona, winter night, the closest we've ever come to having our own Love actuallyAfter the success of Barcelona, summer nightDani de la Orden snatched them away to make a sequel that had a good dose of intertwined love stories and Christmas hope.

For whom? For those who prefer the Three Kings to Santa Claus.

Those steeped in 80s nostalgia have a special place on their cinematic altar reserved for this film, which can be understood as a tale against the more commercial side of Christmas. Billy's father, partly to make up for the little attention he pays him, gives him a strange creature called mogwai which he finds in a small shop in New York's Chinatown. The shop owner gives him strict instructions on how to treat the creature, which they name Gizmo: it cannot be exposed to bright lights or sunlight, it cannot be given water or get wet, and it can never be fed after midnight. But we all know that rules exist to be broken.

For whom? For nostalgic parents who believe that children's movies from their era were better than those of today.

Judy Garland singing Have yourself at merry little christmas with an ecstatic gaze towards the sky. Little more argument is needed to justify the inclusion of Vincente Minnelli's film on this list. The actress and singer plays Esther, the second of four daughters in the wealthy Smith family, who live in St. Louis at the beginning of the 20th century. Their peaceful existence is disrupted when her father announces he has found a new job that will require them to move to New York City right after Christmas, a life change that jeopardizes the young woman's love affair with her neighbor, John.

For whom? For the classics to the core.

We won't justify the unjustifiable: most Netflix Christmas movies are only watchable if you're in a catatonic state after a gargantuan Christmas or Boxing Day meal. However, from the huge shipment that lands on the platform each year, there are a few things worth salvaging, such as Single until Christmaswhich will not enjoy any prominent place in the history of cinema, but has sufficient doses of cuteness To guarantee everything we ask of a Christmas movie, Peter asks his best friend, Nick, to accompany him to celebrate Christmas Day with his family and thus put an end to his mother's constant attempts to find him a partner.

For whom? For those who believe that love begins with friendship.

Jim Carrey is a controversial figure. For most moviegoers, he's such a histrionic actor that he's difficult to watch. However, for viewers who grew up with him, he's a direct link to their childhood. In 2000, Carrey once again tested the patience of his fans by transforming into the Grinch, one of the most iconic characters in Anglo-Saxon children's literature. Furry and grumpy, the creature created by Dr. Seuss is against Christmas celebrations, but little by little, his heart softens. If you can't stomach a Carrey movie, you can always discover the Grinch from the 1966 animated version by Chuck Jones, narrated by Boris Karloff, on Dailymotion.

For whom? For those who complain about Christmas but, deep down, love it.

The (supposed) joy of Christmas can be fascinating even for creatures whose existence is dedicated to the art of frightening, as is the case with Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town. Tired of doing the same thing every year and wanting to experience the same satisfaction he sees reflected in the inhabitants of Christmas Town, Skellington decides to take control of the festivities and convinces his neighbors to exchange pumpkins and ghosts for fairy lights and Santa Claus. A captivating animation and a soundtrack that's downright addictive are two of the key reasons to revisit it.

For whom? For those who enjoy Christmas movies that don't look like Christmas movies.

The general consensus is that Frank Capra's film is the best Christmas movie ever made, the quintessential Christmas classic. This tale—about a father (James Stewart) who, facing dire financial straits, decides to commit suicide—is first seen on screen. The angel Clarence rescues him and helps him find solace in life.

For whom? For those committed to traditions.

In an era where labels like Hallmark practically mass-produce Christmas movies, finding a proposal like this The station of happinessWorthy and with a good cast, it seems almost like a (Christmas) miracle. In this LGBTQ romantic comedy, Abby (Kristen Stewart) accompanies her partner, Harper (Mackenzie Davis), to spend Christmas with her family, a golden opportunity to propose. However, there's a major snag: although they've been living together for some time, Harper still hasn't come out to her family as a lesbian and treats Abby as just a friend, a humiliation that's hard to swallow.

For whom? For those who believe that love can do anything.

Billy Wilder's film about loneliness and love might not be what we'd expect from a Christmas movie, but no one can deny it's a true gem. C.C. Baxter, a discreet bachelor, agrees to let his superiors use his apartment for their affairs, hoping that one day these favors will be rewarded with a promotion at the insurance company where he works. One of the women who visits the apartment is Fran Kubelik, an elevator operator at the company, C.C.'s lover, and the woman whose wife he's in love with. The entire story unfolds between Christmas and New Year's.

For whom? For those who don't shy away from a bittersweet love story.

It might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a Christmas movie, but this gem written by Nora Ephron has many elements that make it a great choice for the holidays. The screenwriter and master of romantic comedy drew inspiration from the classic You and I to write the love story of Annie (Meg Ryan) and Sam (Tom Hanks), a young widower from Seattle. On Christmas Eve, Sam's son, Jonah, calls the radio station to share his father's sadness and, incidentally, try to find him a partner. Annie, who lives on the other side of the United States, becomes obsessed with Sam. Is it possible that their story will have an ending as romantic as that of You and I?

For whom? For die-hard romantics.

This film deserved a place on this list if only for being responsible for popularizing the song White ChristmasBing Crosby and Fred Astaire star as Jim and Ted, two dancers in love with the same woman, Lila, their show partner. On Christmas Eve, Lila and Ted confess their affair to Jim, leading to the breakup of the trio. A year later, Jim opens the Holiday Inn, an entertainment venue that operates only during the holidays.

For whom? For those who come across a good classic.

Christmas doesn't always have to be a time of joy; it can also be a time of anguish. This British dark comedy exemplifies this perfectly, showing a group of friends celebrating Christmas in an idyllic country house while the world outside faces the apocalypse. The cast alone makes it worth watching: Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, and Lily-Rose Depp, among others. An anti-Christmas film that might just be the Christmas movie for those who don't like Christmas.

For whom? For those who can't stand too much Christmas cheer.

Did I really think I'd get to the end of this list without that title appearing? Haters of the universe, can return to the cave. We are well aware that some storylines haven't aged well—I'm looking at you, Englishman, looking for girls in the United States; and also at you, poster boy—but a Christmas without Hugh Grant dancing in Downey Street or without Emma Thompson crying while listening to Joni Mitchell is like a Christmas without stew and meat or without Mariah Carey singing All I want for Christmas is you. Stories of love, friendship, and Christmas.

For whom? For those who start celebrating Christmas a month earlier than usual.