What To Watch
Deck the Halls with These 16 Family-Friendly Holiday Movies and Shows
Get festive with these seasonal streams.
By Clint Edwards and Ananda Dillon
Dec. 11, 2025
16 Best Family and Kids Christmas Movies and Shows to Stream at the Holidays - Netflix Tudum
Is there anything more festive than watching holiday movies with the whole family? Of course, everything about the holidays is fun — the music, the cookies, the tree, the lights. But there’s something about gathering your loved ones and putting on some holiday flicks that makes it the perfect tradition. It’s a special time together, inviting the holiday spirit to enliven the home and solidify Christmas memories.
With so many great family-friendly movie and show options, it’s never too early to start in on the seasonal flicks. Break out the hot cocoa, munch on sugar cookies, and fill the house with holly jolly vibes. For anyone looking for a holiday-themed family movie night this season, here are 16 films that are sure to make everyone feel festive — no matter their age.
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Alien Xmas
Santa has a new story for the kids this Christmas, and this one’s interstellar. He tells of an alien species called the Klepts, who surely got their name from the kleptomania that is central to their society’s behavior. The Klepts love stuff, especially stolen stuff, and their Supreme Leader Z (Barbara Goodson) tells her fellow aliens about Earth, a place full of stuff. X (Dee Bradley Baker), a Klept who is bullied often for his small size, sees an opportunity to prove himself to his fellow Klepts. He lands on Earth in Christmas Town and is initially thrilled at the vast amount of stuff he sees. X is seen by an elf and has to pretend to be a toy to avoid discovery. He gets passed around at various Christmas events, where he sees that humans love to give stuff, not steal it, and he starts to question whether the Klepts have their priorities straight.
Angela's Christmas
While attending Christmas Mass with her family, a little girl named Angela decides baby Jesus in the manger looks cold — so she quietly steals him, takes him home, and places him in her own bed. This animated short, based on a children’s story by Pulitzer Prize–winning Irish author Frank McCourt, is set in Limerick, Ireland, in 1914. A short film perfect for just before bedtime, this one is full of laughs and heartwarming moments in its 30 minutes. The kids will be giggling at Angela and her siblings’ antics, and by the time the credits roll, everyone will have received a heavy dose of Christmas wonder.
A Boy Called Christmas
Three children mourning the recent death of their mother are left in the care of their dreaded Aunt Ruth (Maggie Smith) on Christmas Eve while their father tends to an urgent issue at work. She tells them a Christmas story before bed, about a boy named Nikolas searching for the land of elves to find his father and bring hope to his small town. The story unfolds magically and is ultimately uplifting, making it perfect for a family holiday movie night. Don’t be surprised if this one ends up on repeat throughout the holidays.
Best. Christmas. Ever!
It’s hard not to compare lives at Christmas when families post pictures and send out their annual Christmas letters highlighting all the positive things in their lives. No one has a Christmas letter quite like Jackie Jennings (Brandy Norwood) and her old friend Charlotte Sanders (Heather Graham) can’t help but seethe over the outwardly perfect life Jackie seems to live. When her son puts the wrong address into the GPS as they head out to visit family for the holiday, they end up right at Jackie’s doorstep. Bad weather forces them to stay a few days, so Charlotte takes the chance to snoop around and find evidence that Jackie’s life isn’t as perfect as it seems. What she uncovers will have her rethinking her jealousy and reconnecting with Jackie in new ways.
The Christmas Chronicles
This movie may be your next Christmastime staple, alongside reading A Visit from St. Nicholas and putting cookies out for Santa. Kurt Russell makes a lovable Santa — a little gruff, but still warm in a deeply paternal way. In this adventure, his Santa skills are put to the test when his sleigh breaks down in Chicago, and two kids help him get back to handing out gifts. It’s impossible to watch The Christmas Chronicles during the holiday season and not instantly feel merrier. There’s also a sequel, The Christmas Chronicles 2, that has all the magic of its predecessor, plus the North Pole’s best-known better half, Mrs. Claus (Goldie Hawn).
The Claus Family
This Dutch-Belgian film tells the charming story of young Jules Claus (Mo Bakker), whose family moves closer to his grandfather after the untimely death of Jules’ father, only to discover a tantalizing family secret — his grandfather is, in fact, Santa Claus. However, there’s one problem: Jules absolutely hates Christmas. And with good reason, as his father died during the holidays. But after a few adventures with his grandfather, he begins to rediscover his love for the season. It’s a touching story with an equally heartwarming sequel, where Jules prepares to take over for his grandfather.
Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square
Who better to get you into the holiday spirit than Dolly Parton? She is, without question, a national treasure. When wealthy and coldhearted Regina Fuller (Christine Baranski) returns to her hometown to evict the residents and sell the land to a mall developer, the town needs a Christmas miracle, and Parton (in the form of an angel) delivers. Sparkling with original music written by Parton, it has an abundance of holiday cheer and many wholesome reminders that, especially at the holidays, community is important.
Family Switch
Every parent wishes their teenage children could spend a little time in their shoes to understand better how exhausting it is, well, to raise teenagers. And many teenagers likely long for the same thing, wishing their parents would recall the pains of being a teen. In Family Switch, a hilarious Freaky Friday-style adventure, members of the Walker family swap bodies after an ill-timed trip to an astrological reader. The film is great family fun, with a stacked cast that includes Jennifer Garner (Yes Day), Ed Helms (The Office), and Emma Myers (Wednesday). Full of relatable parent-child scenarios, just flipped around, this movie may get you and your teens to look at each other with a little more understanding, which is in itself a great holiday gift.
Holiday Home Makeover with Mr. Christmas
In this four-episode series, interior designer Benjamin Bradley, aka Mr. Christmas, overhauls homes to get them ready for the holidays. It’s filled with wonderfully festive decorating ideas, fun family backstories, and Mr. Christmas’ charming helpers, known as his elves. The whole family will be inspired to decorate together, though beware, they may drag you to the store for more seasonal regalia.
Holiday Rush
Radio DJ Rush Williams (Romany Malco) lives a privileged life. He hosts a hit hip-hop show, lives in a large house with his four children, and though he is a single father, he has the support of his Aunt Jo (Darlene Love) and the aid of his go-getter producer Roxy (Sonequa Martin-Green). Rush and Roxy have big dreams of brokering a deal that will set them up for possible co-ownership of the station they helped build. But on the day of the deal, they are told the station was purchased by a major communications company, whose leaders immediately cancel Rush’s show. With Christmas around the corner, Rush has to convince his children to practice frugality despite their spoiled upbringing and help them adjust to leaving their lush life and moving in with Aunt Jo. It’s certain to be a Christmas filled with life lessons.
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
This imaginative holiday movie is full of quirky visuals and inspiring family messages. Toy maker Jeronicus (Forest Whitaker) is excellent at what he does. Then he’s betrayed by his apprentice Gustafson (Keegan-Michael Key), who steals his greatest invention and his book of ideas, and Jeronicus’ life falls apart. His successful toy store, Jangles and Things, is at risk of going bankrupt. Things start to turn around, however, with the help of his inquisitive granddaughter. The costumes and toys of the movie are in a steampunk style that kids will find fascinating, and its theme around the importance of family above all else is a reminder everyone can use at this time of year.
Klaus
There are few roles that J.K. Simmons can’t tackle with ease, and his turn as the voice of Santa in this charming origin story is a surefire win for family viewing. This Oscar-nominated animated film tells the story of how Santa went from lonely toy maker to the giver of gifts we all know and love. It’s told through the lens of Jesper, the lazy, spoiled, self-centered son of the Royal Postmaster General. Out of frustration over his laziness, his father sends him to the distant, northern island town of Smeerenburg with the task of posting 6,000 letters within a year. There, he meets Klaus and the story of Santa slowly unfolds, as Jesper learns to give back to his community. The animation in Klaus is beautifully done, and it’s a new, creative spin on the story of the world’s most famous gift-giver.
Nailed It! Holiday!
This seasonal twist on the baking series Nailed It! follows the same format as the original series — amateur bakers compete to make complicated confections, with hilarious and sometimes disastrous results — but this time, the hosts and contestants sprinkle in a healthy dose of holiday cheer. Not only will the family enjoy watching the bakers’ attempts to “nail it” (whether or not they succeed), but it may also inspire some seasonal baking of your own. Whether or not you “nail” your efforts is less important than the memories they inspire.
The Princess Switch
Stacy (Vanessa Hudgens), a baker from Chicago, attends a prestigious baking competition in the Kingdom of Belgravia. It’s there that she crosses paths with Lady Margaret Delacourt, Duchess of Montenaro (also Hudgens), who looks exactly like her. Margaret is desperate for time out of the spotlight, so — you guessed it! — Margaret and Stacy switch places and wind up on a holiday-themed adventure. The story is loosely based on Mark Twain’s 1881 novel The Prince and the Pauper and shares the same heartfelt message: take the time to appreciate what you have and view life from different perspectives. Brimming with holiday vibes and yummy baked goods, it’s almost impossible not to continue to The Princess Switch Part 2: Switched Again and The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star.
Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas
This one’s perfect for families with younger kids who can’t sit still the length of a full movie. Shaun the Sheep returns and is ready to have a great Christmas. The only problem is he thinks his stocking is a bit too small. He enlists his cousin Timmy’s help to steal a bigger one from the farmer. After a series of mishaps, Timmy ends up on a wild adventure through a Christmas market and into the home of an energetic child who thinks Timmy is her Christmas gift. Shaun assembles the family to stage a daring rescue.
That Christmas
Two decades after Richard Curtis delivered a Christmas classic in Love Actually, he’s gifting us another holiday delight that the whole family can enjoy. That Christmas is based on Curtis’ own trilogy of children’s books and follows a series of entwined tales about family and friends, love and loneliness, and a massive snowstorm that alters everyone’s plans — including Santa’s. Brian Cox provides the voice of Santa Claus as part of a stacked ensemble that also includes Fiona Shaw, Jodie Whittaker, Lolly Adefope, Bill Nighy, and Rhys Darby. There’s also an original song in the film from Ed Sheeran that’s sure to keep you humming all through the holidays.
Additional reporting by Jessica Derschowitz
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