The best family Christmas movies streaming right now

Ready to get into the Christmas spirit? 

With so many Christmas movies streaming right now, it can be hard to keep up with the best family Christmas movies available to stream. And it’s even harder to find Christmas movies that the whole family will want to watch.

Don’t worry. We’ve got your back. These are the best family holiday movies streaming right now—that everyone will love.

These best family Christmas movies on streaming

1. Klaus

Streaming: Netflix

Rated: PG

Ready for an original twist on the classic Santa Claus origin story? Look no further than Klaus. 

Jesper Johansen (Jason Schwartzman), the worst and laziest postman in the Royal Postman Academy, is sent to the distant, cold town of Smeerenburg to post 6,000 letters in a single year.

While in Smeerenburg, Jesper meets Klaus (J.K. Simmons), a reclusive toymaker, who helps Jesper deliver toys to the local children and show how a little kindness can make a big change.

2. The Polar Express

Streaming: Hulu

Rated: G

Based on the children’s book of the same name, The Polar Express follows a young boy (Josh Hutcherson) who begins to wonder if Santa Claus is real. 

One night, a mysterious and magical train stops in front of his house—and takes him on a wondrous adventure to the North Pole.

3. A Boy Called Christmas

Streaming: Netflix

Rated: PG

After the death of their mother, three children are left with their Aunt Ruth (Maggie Smith) on Christmas Eve, while their father has to work.

Before bed, Aunt Ruth tells the children the story of Nikolas (Henry Lawfull), a young boy who journeys to the North Pole to find his father.

4. Disney’s A Christmas Carol

Streaming: Disney+

Rated: PG

Your kids will love this animated version of A Christmas Carol. 

Watch as the curmudgeonly Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come on Christmas Eve—and is forced to confront his past, and how his actions impact the people around him.

The film has a stacked cast, with Jim Carrey as Scrooge, plus Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Cary Elwes, and more.

5. A Charlie Brown Christmas

Streaming: Apple TV+

Rated: G

A Charlie Brown Christmas is an absolute must-watch for any family during the Christmas season. 

Charlie Brown, lamenting the commercialization of Christmas, sets out to find the true meaning of the season. 

Lucy tasks him with directing the annual Christmas play, which proves more difficult than Charlie Brown thought.

6. How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Streaming: Peacock

Rated: G

Based on Dr. Seuss’s children’s book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! follows the titular Grinch, a grumpy, furry green creature whose heart is “two sizes too small.” 

The Grinch hates everything, but he especially hates Christmas—which the town of Whoville, residing right below his cavetop mountain, loves. 

On Christmas Eve, the Grinch finally decides to put a stop to Christmas… but things don’t quite go as he planned.

7. Miracle on 34th Street

Streaming: Disney+

Rated: PG

When Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) fills in last-minute for an intoxicated Santa Claus in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, he’s an immediate hit. 

As he begins to make more appearances at the department store, Kris begins to claim that he is the real Santa Claus. This results in a court case that questions his mental health—and whether or not Santa Claus is real.

8. Family Switch

Streaming: Netflix

Rated: PG

One morning, a family at odds wakes up to find that they’ve switched bodies: parents Jess (Jennifer Garner) and Bill (Ed Helms) with their kids CC and Wyatt.

With Christmas fast approaching, the family tries to figure out how to switch back. And, of course, they gain a new understanding of each other along the way.

9. Home Alone

Streaming: Hulu

Rated: PG

During the hustle and bustle of a hectic travel morning, the McCallisters accidentally leave their eight-year-old son, Kevin (Macaulay Culkin), home during their family Christmas trip to Paris.

Kevin awakes to an empty house, believing that his wish to have no family has come true. At first, Kevin enjoys his freedom. Until, that is, two bumbling burglars (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) try to rob his home.

10. The Santa Clause

Streaming: Disney+

Rated: PG

Divorced dad Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) is spending Christmas Eve with his son Charlie. After accidentally causing  Santa Claus to fall off the roof, Scott and Charlie are transported to the North Pole, where Scott is told that he must take Santa’s place before next Christmas.

Scott awakens to find himself in his own bed, and assumes that he was dreaming. But as he gains weight and grows a white beard over the next few months, Scott begins to wonder if it wasn’t a dream after all. 

11. Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey

Streaming: Netflix

Rated: PG

In this whimsical and musical movie, the talented toymaker Jeronicus (Forest Whitaker) is betrayed by his apprentice Gustafson (Keegan-Michael Key) when he steals his book of ideas and his greatest invention. 

Jeronicus’ toy store is on the brink of going bankrupt. Until, that is, his creative and inquisitive granddaughter arrives.

12. White Christmas

Streaming: Prime Video

Rated: Not Rated

Army buddies Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby) and Phil Davis (Danny Kaye) team up to become a popular musical-comedy group after World War II. 

While on tour, the pair stop in Florida and become entranced by a singing sister act, Betty (Rosemary Clooney) and Judy (Vera-Ellen). 

Bob and Phil decide to accompany the sisters on their tour—and the four team up to save a bankrupt Vermont inn owned by their old general, General Waverly.

13. While You Were Sleeping

Streaming: Disney+

Rated: PG

If your kids are in the mood for a Christmas romantic comedy, While You Were Sleeping is the perfect choice. 

Lucy (Sandra Bullock), a lonely transit worker, has been entranced by a handsome man named Peter (Peter Gallagher), whom she sees on his morning commute. 

On Christmas Day, Lucy heroically pulls Peter out of the path of an oncoming train and is mistakenly identified as his fiancee at the hospital. 

Peter’s family immediately accepts Lucy as one of their own. But she soon finds herself falling for Peter’s brother, Jack (Bill Pullman).

14. Noelle

Streaming: Disney+

Rated: G

Noelle Kringle (Anna Kendrick) loves Christmas. But her brother, Nick (Bill Hader) is taking over the family business from their father, Kris Kringle.

It turns out to be too much for Nick to handle. So when Nick goes missing, it’s up to Noelle to find her brother and save Christmas.

15. The Muppet Christmas Carol

Streaming: Disney+

Rated: G

Charles Dickens’ classic novel gets a fun, Muppet-y twist. The Muppet Christmas Carol is the story you know and love, but with the Muppets playing the main characters.

Gonzo plays Charles Dickens, Kermit is Bob Cratchit, and more, with Michael Caine playing Ebenezer Scrooge. The movie is a hilarious spin on the classic tale—with some great original music, too.

Watch movies that the whole family will love

Watching Christmas movies as a family is a great way to bond—and keep your kids away from their phone screens during the holidays. 

What are your favorite family Christmas movies? Let us know in the comments.