Five Christmas Movies To Watch This Weekend (And Where To Watch Them)

Streaming has been an improvement in some ways, but in other ways it has made watching movies harder. It is great for when someone wants something to watch in a more general sense, but not when someone is looking for something specific to watch. That said, this time of year every streaming service boasts having a large catalog of Christmas movies so here is a quick look at some of the films available to watch across the major streaming services.

Jack Frost (Max): What says “fun family Christmas movie” more than one that starts with a father dying in a car accident only to be resurrected as a snowman? The answer is Jack Frost with Michael Keaton. Despite the somewhat odd premise, there are still quite a few heartfelt moments and comedic moments that make the film a hidden gem that is worth revisiting this holiday season. The effects hold up surprisingly well for a movie that came out in 1998, mostly due to the fact that the snowman was created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.

The Santa Clause (Disney+): If one watched The Santa Clauses on Disney+ and wondered where that series started, they should look back at 1994’s The Santa Clause to see just how far off the rails this series has gotten. This movie stars Tim Allen as Scott Calvin, a toy salesman who accidentally kills Santa and has to take over so the presents still get delivered. It is a solid comedic premise that pays off well enough, even on subsequent viewings. Better yet, there is no secret lineage of Santas, no weird convoluted lore, and the effects hold up well enough for a nearly 30-year-old movie. Alternatively Home Alone also fits into this category for many of the same reasons.

Eight Crazy Nights (Hulu): This movie makes the list for one line read in the third act that is so perfectly executed that it makes the whole film worth watching. It has some ham-fisted product placement, is thin on plot, and is another “Adam Sandler plays multiple characters, each with a more annoying voice than the last” movie, but there are enough funny moments that make it an enjoyable watch (after a few drinks).

Scrooged (Paramount+): Unquestionably Scrooged is a classic. It is a fairly straightforward modern retelling of A Christmas Carol with Bill Murray (in his first major film role since Ghostbusters)
in the lead, what more needs to be said because at this point everyone and their mother has seen this film. Whether they watch it on TBS during a rerun or on a streaming service, it is always worth turning on Scrooged because it is one of the greatest holiday comedies of all time.

It’s A Wonderful Life (Amazon Prime): No list would be complete without It’s A Wonderful Life which is arguably less of a Christmas movie than Die Hard or Iron Man 3 (do with that what you will). This movie has become associated with Christmas (beyond the fact that the “present-day aspects” take place around Christmas which never really fully relates to the plot) because it was in the public domain and could be run royalty-free on and around Christmas to fill television schedules but it still is a movie that many will say needs to be watched for it to truly feel like the holidays. It’s not a perfect movie but it is still an enjoyable watch all these years later.