Netflix users have plenty of options when looking for something to watch this holiday season, from laugh-out-loud comedies to heartwarming family films. Between decking the halls, baking cookies, and getting in those last-minute gift purchases, plopping down on the couch with a good Netflix Christmas movie can really take the edge off the season's hustle and bustle.
Once the undisputed king of streaming video, Netflix is still at the top of the heap, but it has a lot more competition than it did in the past. That means finding one particular movie to watch sometimes means needing a lot of different subscriptions. While Netflix hosts a wide variety of Christmas movies for adults, kids, and families, including some original programming, they're not all built the same, and this list should help movie fans find the perfect one to plop down in front of with a nice mug of cocoa and some cookies.
5 Fatman (2020)
This one ain't for the kids! Mel Gibson plays Chris Cringle, who runs a struggling Christmas present workshop in Alaska along with his wife, Ruth, played by Marianne Jean-Baptiste. After one particularly vicious child declares a vendetta against the couple, he hires hitman Jonathan Miller to assassinate Santa Claus. Anyone who's a fan of the bloody-soaked stylings of Walton Goggins as The Ghoul in Fallout will recognize his trademark style here, as his character has his own grudge to settle with the Fat Man.
Professional critics gave this R-rated flick a mixed reception, but it earns its place on this list due to high praise from viewers on sites like Rotten Tomatoes. It's going to be leaving Netflix soon, so anyone who wants to celebrate Christmas with a little dark humor should watch it before it's gone. But be forewarned; it's going to be a violent night.
4 A Boy Called Christmas (2021)
An epic fantasy retelling of the origins of Santa Claus, A Boy Called Christmas follows 13-year-old Nikolas as he leaves his shabby cabin and sets off through the frozen wastes to find his woodcutter father, who has gone missing in search of the magical land of Elfhelm. But even once he arrives there, Nikolas finds things aren't as cheery as he hoped, as prejudice between humans and elves has put Elfhelm into an authoritarian police state, and he must work with the resistance to bring back the magic of Christmas.
Borrowing a page out of The Princess Bride's playbook, the main action takes place as a great aunt reads the story to her precocious scamps, who are having trouble getting in the Christmas spirit after losing their mother. Dipping out of the action to go back to a modern-day child's bedroom could easily kill the momentum in an epic adventure like this, but Maggie Smith handles it flawlessly, and her trademark brand of stern sensitivity makes these scenes shine just as bright as the fantastical tale her character is telling.
3 The Christmas Chronicles (2018)
There have been a lot of unconventional movie Santas over the past couple of decades, from Tim Allen in The Santa Clause series to Paul Giamatti in Fred Claus, but Kurt Russell may take the cake (and milk, and cookies). Showing Santa to be a little bit more of a bad boy than most Christmas movies, Russell's character gets in a high-speed car chase, is arrested by the cops, and thrown in a holding cell before leading his cellmates in a magical, bluesy rock-and-roll number, all in the name of raising holiday cheer.
Santa's not the only character in this movie, as teenage car thief Teddy and his innocent little sister Kate's rocky relationship provides a reason for the not-so-jolly old elf to take an unexpected break from delivering toys on Christmas Eve, and the growing bond built between them over the movie's run is handled in a touching way that avoids falling face-first in the schmaltz. Still, Russell's Santa is easily the star of the show and the main reason for sitting down for this one. There's also a sequel available on Netflix, which stars Goldie Hawn as Mrs. Claus, but we're going with the first film as the superior choice.
2 Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020)
Who doesn't love a good Christmas musical? While Wicked: For Good's stellar cast is still ticking up those December box office numbers, Netflix viewers can get their holiday musical fix through Jingle Jangle, the tale of a grumpy, former genius toy maker turned struggling tinkerer, whose estranged granddaughter, Journey, is sent to stay with him at his old toy store for Christmas as the bank prepares to shut him down. It's a depressing premise, to be sure, but the high-energy, soulful song-and-dance numbers keep it merry and bright.
The kid-friendly plot can get a little zig-zaggy at times, especially once Buddy the robot comes into play, but the highlights of this movie are in its musical scenes. Forrest Whitaker's starring role as Jeronicus Jangle keeps things grounded, while Madalen Mills's Journey provides a real uplifting earworm with her young character's title song, and Lisa Davina Phillip as Ms. Johnston brings appropriately scene-stealing energy every time she pops up in the plot. Additionally, the zany antics of Keegan-Michael Key as Gustafson during his song "Magic Man G" are a real highlight, making me wonder why he mainly became famous for sketch comedy and not musical performances, and Ricky Martin as a sentient toy matador is definitely something to see as well.
1 Klaus (2019)
Topping the list is an animated Netflix original film that was produced by SPA Studios but carries some big Disney energy with it. First debuting in 2019, Klaus tells the tale of a spoiled postmaster's son, Jesper, who is sent to the proverbial school of hard knocks in the impoverished, remote, frozen island town of Smeerensburg, which is plagued by a terrible Hatfields vs. McCoys-like feud between its two major clans. Only able to reclaim his lavish life by getting its residents to send 6,000 letters in a year, Jesper finds an unlikely and unwitting ally in the title character, a hulking old hermit and woodsman with an unlikely hobby of building toys.
Creative Santa origin stories aren't exactly uncommon, but Klaus tells his tale with a heavy dose of laugh-out-loud comedy and just the right sprinkling of sadness. The comedy will land easily for fans of Disney's The Emperor's New Groove, as Jesper and Klaus' interactions are sometimes almost indistinguishable from Kuzco and Pacha's, and supporting characters played by brilliant actors like Norm McDonald and Joan Cusack keep the laughs coming even when the two main characters aren't paired together. It's tear-jerking, brilliantly funny, and still the best Christmas movie on Netflix six years after its release.