10 Best Christmas Movies on Prime Video to Watch Right Now: ‘The Family Stone’ and More

Who would’ve thought the most moving adaptations of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol would star the Muppets? In this version, Gonzo stars as Charles Dickens, who, along with a helpful assist from Rizzo the Rat, narrates the yuletide tale of Ebenezer Scrooge (Michael Caine). A greedy capitalist living in 19th-century London, Scrooge hates Christmas and everyone around him. But when he’s visited by four ghosts on Christmas Eve, he’s forced to look back at his life and see how a past tragedy made him the unhappy man he is today.

In addition to it being a pretty accurate iteration of Dickens’ story, The Muppet Christmas Carol is also consistently funny, with great punchlines and sight gags occurring pretty much every minute. The film is also surprisingly moving, especially when Scrooge realizes Tiny Tim (Robin the Frog) will die if he doesn’t get medical help. The Muppet Christmas Carol is often dismissed as a “kids movie,” but its peculiar magic, catchy tunes (yes, there are songs) and good filmmaking (the ghost scenes are genuinely creepy!) are for everyone.

It wouldn’t be Christmas without Kevin McCallister. Macaulay Culkin became a star in this 1990 holiday classic, which sees 8-year-old Kevin left alone in his upper-class suburban home in Chicago for the holidays. With his family in France, Kevin is free to do whatever he wants, like jump on the bed, eat as much cheese pizza as he wants and try to shave. But when the Wet Bandits, Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern), want to rob his home, Kevin is forced to defend himself and learn the true meaning of Christmas — slowly torturing and almost killing two strangers with a variety of homemade weapons.

From the classic John Williams score to the Looney Tunes-esque sequences involving the robbers falling for Kevin’s traps again and again, Replica Luxury Handbag Alone is one of the rare movies that can be watched over and over again without getting boring. Credit should be given to Culkin, who always makes Kevin a hero to root for — and fear.

In Arthur Christmas, Santa Claus isn’t one man; it’s a job title, and the current occupant, Steve Claus (Hugh Laurie), runs his operation with the latest technology to get the job done. When Steve forgets to deliver a present, it’s up to lowly minion Arthur (James McAvoy) and the retired Grandsanta (Bill Nighy) to give it to its recipient. But Arthur’s inexperience and Grandsanta’s old age derail their journey, and soon, the duo has caused far more trouble than they intended. Will Arthur’s good intentions ruin Christmas for everyone?

Arthur Christmas is an animated comedy from Aardman, the studio that made the Wallace & Gromit films. Arthur Christmas shares those films’ off-the-wall humor that’s distinctly English, with too-polite protagonists in over their heads. The film’s talented vocal cast breathes life into the story, and its unusual take on the Santa mythos makes it stand out from the rest.

A holiday tradition for many is to travel home to visit family, which is probably why The Family Stone has resonated for all these years. When Everett (Dermot Mulroney) returns to his posh New England home for the holidays, he brings along a guest — fiancée Meredith (Sarah Jessica Parker), a career woman who loves beige and clearing her throat at odd times. When she doesn’t immediately click with his NPR-listening, granola-eating family, Everett must reconsider if Meredith is The One for him after all.

The Family Stone is essentially a comedy of manners, with Meredith trying and failing to impress a brood that is immediately hostile toward her. As the Stone matriarch, the late, great Diane Keaton lends the movie its dramatic heart, especially when she reveals a secret that changes the whole tone of the movie. Spending time with the Stone family is a lot like spending time with your own parents and siblings — they’re annoying, sure, but they have redeemable qualities that make you go back year after year.

Love Actually is the cinematic equivalent of an old friend who hugs you way too long — you’re grateful for the gesture, even if you want it to be over a little sooner. The 2003 sleeper hit depicts the weeks leading up to Christmas in London by weaving 10 separate stories, some of which are connected. Some of the best involve the Prime Minister, David (Hugh Grant), as he realizes he’s falling in love with Natalie (Martine McCutcheon), a new member of his household staff, and Billy Mack (Bill Nighy), a washed-up rock star who will do anything to snag the all-important Christmas No. 1 music single spot.

There are more stories and characters, and the fun of watching Love Actually is seeing how they interact with one another. The movie is soft and sentimental, but it has a big heart, and isn’t that what you want and expect from a holiday movie?

Claire Clauster (Michelle Pfeiffer) does everything she can to make sure her family has the best Christmas every year. But Claire begins to see how underappreciated she’s been made to feel, and so she ditches her family and escapes on a Christmas adventure. In her absence, her family is made to understand just how much they need her.

This charming new Christmas comedy is anchored by a sharp performance from Pfeiffer, with a script that puts a warm and funny spotlight on the mothers who make our Christmases so special. The supporting cast includes Chloë Grace Moretz, Denis Leary, Felicity Jones and Jason Schwartzman. 

This live-action adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ classic story takes the warmth and charm of Chuck Jones’ iconic animated film from 1966 and turns it into a bizarre and unnerving spectacle that has nevertheless become a beloved holiday staple for many Millennials. You know the story: the grouchy, isolated Grinch (Jim Carrey) takes it upon himself to ruin the Christmas spirit for the residents of Whoville, whose festivities greatly displease him.

While much of the cutesy allure of both Seuss’ illustrated story and the ’66 version’s adorable animation are gone, many still hold this live-action adaptation in high esteem, in particular for Carrey’s eccentric turn as the Grinch and the lush, detailed sets that bring Whoville to life. Carrey’s performance ultimately earned the actor a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor and a place in the hearts of a generation of young children.

While visiting his estranged wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), and his daughters on Christmas Eve, New York City policeman John McClane (Bruce Willis) becomes involved in a diabolical plot involving Holly’s office. At her work Christmas party, the festivities are interrupted by a group of terrorists who hold the high-rise building and everyone in it hostage, and it’s up to ordinary working man McClane to save the day.

Perhaps the best non-Christmas movie of all time, Die Hard, which takes place on Christmas Eve in snowless LA, inadvertently cemented its enduring status as a holiday favorite. It can’t be denied that there is ample Christmas spirit imbued in Die Hard, as the ever-charismatic Willis tries to save Nakatomi Plaza from the evil Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), who gives the Grinch a run for his money.

Banker George Bailey (James Stewart) finds that everything in his life is hitting rock bottom on Christmas Eve, and he feels that there’s no other choice but to end his life. However, his suicide attempt is interrupted by a guardian angel named Clarence (Henry Travers), who wants George to reconsider what his life is truly worth to everyone, and Clarence gives George a glimpse of what life might be like if he were gone.

It’s a Wonderful Life may very well just be the definitive Christmas film of all time, but it’s also a fantastic movie in its own right. Despite being over 80 years old, it still holds up to this day. The affecting story, memorable characters and an all-timer performance from Hollywood icon Stewart have all become legendary in pop culture, plus its central message about the importance of all human life is one worth internalizing.

Next to It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street might just be the second-best black-and-white Christmas film of all time: a funny and original story that captures the spirit of the season. In New York City during the holiday season, a Macy’s employee named Doris Walker (Maureen O’Hara) manages to find the store’s best Santa actor ever. Little does she know, she might have found the real Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn)

While jolly and charming, Doris feels genuinely unnerved that Kringle believes he is Santa Claus. And not only that, Kringle has convinced Doris’ young daughter, Susan (Natalie Wood), too. However, Kringle’s insistence lands him in a courtroom over accusations against his sanity. With a stint in a sanitarium on the line, a lawyer is tasked with proving that Santa Claus is real.