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Everyone loves a Christmas movie — but there are only so many times you can rewatch classics like Home Alone and Elf. Luckily, there’s a fresh batch of holiday films to choose from this year, from cozy small-town romances to action-packed adventures.
Some familiar faces are getting into the festive spirit. Arnold Schwarzenegger is playing Santa Claus and Johnny Depp is taking on Ebenezer Scrooge, while Gossip Girl‘s Leighton Meester and Gilmore Girls‘ Jared Padalecki are teaming up for a rom-com.
For fans of made-for-TV Christmas movies, Hallmark and Lifetime have a combined 45 new films in their holiday lineups. Younger viewers aren’t being left out, either, with new specials featuring Mickey Mouse, Snoopy and the Fraggle Rock gang.
The tricky part might be figuring out where to watch everything. With new releases spread across Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV and more, here’s a guide to this year’s Christmas movies, including when they premiere and where to find them.
In theaters
Stranger Things‘ David Harbour stars alongside Kristen Bell in Violent Night 2.
(Universal Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection)
Christmas at the Kringles (Out now): A dad (Ron Livingston) teams up with a rogue Santa (Rob Riggle) to rescue his family from neighbors who celebrate Christmas all year.
Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol (Nov. 13): Johnny Depp stars as Scrooge in a new take on Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, alongside Ian McKellen, Rupert Grint and Daisy Ridley.
LAX: Holiday in New York (Nov. 20): In the final film of a trilogy, a divorcing couple (Carl Jackson and Andrea McClew) attempts one last family Christmas, until buried secrets come out.
Bitter Christmas (Nov. 25): This Spanish drama follows a filmmaker (Leonardo Sbaraglia) who turns a woman’s grief over the Christmas holidays into a screenplay, blurring the lines between fiction and reality.
Violent Night 2 (Dec. 4): Santa (David Harbour) is back in this action comedy sequel, but he’s lost his magic and must face a ruthless gangster terrorizing a shopping mall.
Netflix
A Dog’s Perfect Christmas (Out now): A grieving grandfather (Dennis Quaid) and his granddaughter (Brooke Lena Johnson) are brought together over Christmas by a basset hound and a corgi puppy.
Tyler Perry’s The Gospel of Christmas (Nov. 11): A struggling pastor (Tank) inherits his family’s church in a troubled neighborhood and must rediscover his faith before Christmas.
The Christmas Switch (Nov. 12): In this Swedish rom-com, twin sisters (Felice and Happy Jankell) with very different lives swap places in the weeks before Christmas.
Guarding Stars (Nov. 18): A bodyguard (Leighton Meester) assigned to protect a movie star (Jared Padalecki) over the holidays finds herself falling for him.
In a Holidaze (Dec. 2): After a romantic mistake, a young woman (Maddie Ziegler) gets trapped reliving Christmas at her family’s cabin until she figures out what she really wants.
Prime Video
The Man with the Bag is Schwarzenegger’s first Christmas movie since 1996.
(Prime Video)
Clashing Through the Snow (Nov. 23): Two rival book editors (Christopher Briney and Michelle Randolph) share a rental car to New York after a snowstorm disrupts their travel plans.
The Man with the Bag (Dec. 2): Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Santa in this action comedy about a stolen sack of presents and a petty criminal (Alan Ritchson) recruited to help get it back.
Disney+
A Proud Family Wizmas (Nov. 14): In this stop-motion special, a young girl (Kyla Pratt) must take over Santa’s duties after he quits on Christmas Eve, with help from his unruly elves.
Mickey’s Home Alone (Nov. 27): Disney’s Mickey Mouse and his dog Pluto must fend off two animals trying to steal their Christmas dinner after they’re accidentally left home alone.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: The Getaway (Dec. 4): A family Christmas vacation turns into a tropical disaster in this animated comedy based on Jeff Kinney’s book series.
Apple TV
Snoopy Presents: 12 Days of Snoopy (Nov. 13): Santa puts Snoopy on the naughty list, giving the beloved beagle 12 days to prove he deserves Christmas presents.
Fraggle Rock: A Holiday Gift (Dec. 4): The colorful puppets of Fraggle Rock reunite for a musical celebration of friendship and the joy of giving.
Roku
The Holiday Spark (Out now): Former Bachelor star Joey Graziadei plays a firefighter who recruits a children’s book illustrator (Jamie Chung) to help plan a Christmas party.
Second Chance Holiday (Out Nov. 5): A dating expert (Ayesha Curry) who keeps getting dumped during the holidays reconnects with her high school sweetheart (Matthew Daddario).
Hallmark and Lifetime
Hallmark and Lifetime are releasing dozens of new holiday movies, with 34 in Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas lineup and 11 in Lifetime’s It’s a Wonderful Lifetime.
Hallmark’s movies premiere most Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 20, with each streaming on Hallmark+ the following day.
Highlights include My Christmas Cowboy (Nov. 13), Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True (Nov. 28), starring Mean Girls‘ Lacey Chabert, and Eight Nights for Love (Nov. 29), a Hanukkah romance.
Lifetime’s lineup begins Thanksgiving weekend, with highlights including Christmas Everyday: Married and Bright (Nov. 28), starring Brandy; A Firefighter’s Christmas Calendar (Nov. 29); Christmas from the Heart (Dec. 5), starring Tia Mowry; and Mistletoe in Mexico (Dec. 12).
