Top 10 Recent Christmas Movies
It’s not uncommon to find ourselves watching the same classic movies during the Christmas season. My goal with this article (& another article coming this week) is to provide you with some alternatives to the movies you may watch every Christmas. In this article we’re going to highlight 10 films that have come out in the 2020s that you can spend some time with this holiday season! Before I get into the list, there are a handful of films (‘Silent Night,’ ‘A Boy Called Christmas,’ ‘Violent Night,’ & others) that I won’t be listing here because they will have their own dedicated reviews here on the blog. So check those out! Also, I will not be touching on any films from this year, as they will also have their own reviews.
That Christmas - A 2024 animated film following a group of children in a small British town that is snowed in over Christmas, this film has a very similar vibe to my all-time Christmas movie, ‘Arthur Christmas.’ Definitely a great watch with the family, this film focuses mostly on the kiddos, but also focuses some vocal performances from well known adult performers like Brian Cox, Fiona Shaw, Jodie Whittaker, & Bill Nighy. You can stream this film on Netflix.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever - One of the better films on this list, this is another great family watch. Following a small town trying to put on the titular Christmas pageant, we see Judy Greer as a mother having to take on the load of the pageant and balancing that with the interest in the pageant from the troubled Herdman children. If you haven’t seen this one, I’d definitely recommend watching it and it may become a new annual watch for you & your family! It brought me to tears when watching it last year and it does a great job of being a faith-based film, but not be over the top with it to where it’s too ‘in your face.’ Rent it on digital.
An Almost Christmas Story - I’ll include a couple animated shorts on here, because I feel as though Christmas shorts are just as synonymous with the season as many films are, if not even more so! Last year, Disney put out this 25-minute animated special about a young owl who is separated from it’s family in the wild and ends up in New York City. It features the vocal talents of Jim Gaffigan, Natasha Lyonne, & John C. Reilly, features some fun songs sung by Reilly, and has a very cool animation style. It’s yet another great one to watch with the family and can be found on Disney+.
Robin Robin - Another animated short, this one 32 minutes long, this stop motion musical comes from Aardman Animations, known for ‘Wallace & Gromit,’ ‘Chicken Run,’ & ‘Shaun the Sheep.’ It received an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Short film & has some great familial themes that are pivotal to a Christmas film. Stream it on Netflix.
Red One - Okay this maybe isn’t the best movie ever, but it is very different from most other Christmas movies. Following Santa’s security guard (Dwayne Johnson) who must team up with a wrongdoing hacker (Chris Evans) to find Santa (J.K. Simmons) after the big man is kidnapped. The film does feel similar to a lot of The Rock’s other films, but may break up some the monotony of less action-packed Christmas films. Stream it on Prime.
Nutcrackers - I hesitated to put this film on here, because it really is just okay. I think it does similar things to ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’ just a lot less effectively, but maybe you’ll enjoy it more than I did! The film stars Ben Stiller as a man who becomes the legal guardian of his 4 peculiar nephews after the death of his sister & brother-in-law. It starts on a sad note, ends on a happier note (of course), & does have some interesting scenes in between. Stream it on Disney+ or Hulu.
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey - A 2020 Christmas musical, this film was actually originally meant to be a stage production before being flipped over to a film. It follows a young girl (Madalen Mills) who inherited a love for inventing from her grandfather (Forest Whitaker) and how she reignites that spark within him during the Christmas season. The film also features Keegan Michael-Key, Hugh Bonneville, Anika Noni Rose, & Ricky Martin and can be streamed on Netflix.
Spirited - Another film that doesn’t have a positive critical reception, this film does perform a nice twist on the classic ‘A Christmas Carol’ story. Starring Will Ferrell as the Ghost of Christmas Present & Ryan Reynolds as the man being visited by the three ghosts, the film has some fun musical numbers, solid jokes, & heartfelt Christmas moments. You can stream it on Apple TV.
The Holdovers - What is hands down the best film on this list & the most acclaimed, this film is best described as ‘Dead Poets Society’ over Christmas break. Starring Paul Giamatti as a cynical teacher forced to spend his holiday break with the students left at their boarding school. The film also stars Da’Vine Joy Randolph as the school’s cafeteria manager & Dominic Sessa as the main student left over the break. The film earned 5 Oscar nominations & 1 win, Giamatti nominated for Best Actor, while also receiving Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, & Best Editing nominations, with Randolph winning for Best Supporting Actress. And I’ll say that Dominic Sessa should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Rent it on digital.
Carry-On - And now finishing strong with what is 100% a Christmas movie, ‘Carry-On.’ A spiritual successor to ‘Die Hard,’ this film follows a TSA agent (Taron Egerton) who is blackmailed into letting a dangerous bag onto a flight on Christmas Eve. The film is extremely well done and was one of my favorite’s of last year. You can stream it on Netflix.
