I love Christmas movies. I watch them when I’m sad. I watch them as a treat when I’m happy. And since it is December, it has been zero days since my last Christmas watch. I’m watching one WHILE I type this. I might as well be writing, “All Christmas movies and nothing else makes Allison a happy girl,” over and over. Yeah — it’s like The Shining up in here, but with holiday joy instead of all the murder.
The only problem I have during Christmas movie season is picking the really good ones to watch because there’s not enough time in the month to get to all of them. Which is why I’m providing a list of the very best Christmas movies on Hulu. Look, I’ve done the work — the hard, hard work that I was absolutely going to do either way — of watching a whole lot of Christmas movies because I want you to spend your time watching only the very best.
11. The Truth About Christmas (2018)
A political spin doctor lies to a little girl on Christmas, and so, Santa curses her with the inability to lie — right when she’s about to meet her boyfriend’s family. Let the hijinks ensue. This is a fun one — very watchable. There’s the classic brother-brother love triangle which, in real life, will get you on Maury, but which is a wholesome thing in Christmas movies. And it has my favorite trope: A mysterious, witch Santa who can alter reality to teach adults lessons. In these movies, Santa’s a messy bitch who loves drama, and I am here for it.
10. Christmas Cupid (2010)
You can’t have a list of great Christmas movies without one in which someone dies a horrible death and can’t be an angel until they help someone find love. This Christmas Carol take has a great cast and Chad Michael Murray is super sexy.
9. Second Chance Christmas (2017)
Even though this is a tale about an entire family gaslighting an amnesiac on Christmas to trick her into falling back in love with her lazy husband, what can I say, I enjoy it! As these movies tell us again and again. It’s okay to lie as long as it’s for Christmas love! Love is love is lies.
8. Christmas Perfection (2018)
I love alternate reality Christmases. Whether it’s waking up with a family you never remembered having or in a snow globe. And in this excellent offering to the genre, a woman meets a Christmas witch (and small business owner) who traps her in a never-ending Christmas village.
Pausing to get serious to say: In Christmas movies, nearly all women who own an ornament or Christmas decor store are witches. They say shop local, but you shouldn’t if you’re a business lady who needs to learn about love. Stick with the online cart, Susan.
7. A Christmas Movie Christmas (2019)
It’s the Christmas Pleasantville with another witch Santa who makes two sisters wake up in a Christmas movie and fall in love (not with each other). Very fun ride. But I AM concerned about their future because the fictional men follow them back into the real world. What’s going to happen there? How is the baker going to get a small business loan with no social security card? And does he have genitals or is he just a Ken doll down there. THE PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW.
6. Holidaze (2013)
Another alt-reality — where Jennie Garth is a corporate meanie who loves putting shopping malls on orphanages. Someone who drinks martinis and yells, “I chose a career over marriage!” Until she hits her head and wakes up in a world where she married her childhood sweetheart. It’s got everything you want in a Christmas movie offering. Charm. Magic. Head trauma. 5 stars.
5. Elf (2003)
Genuinely, who doesn’t love Elf? You’d have to be a monster. It’s hilarious, heartfelt, and has Will Ferrell in classic Will Ferrell mode. It’s more of a holiday tradition than hanging stockings at this point. Bring on the candy spaghetti.
4. Happiest Season (2020)
Kristen Stewart plays a woman who goes home with her girlfriend for Christmas — only to find out she’s in the closet with her family. This is such a solid offering. Funny. Filled with Chemistry. AMAZING cast. And I’d rank it higher but the ending…I think Kristen Stewart deserved better. I get that every Christmas movie involves lying to learn lessons, but it’s very hard to not want to die to protect KStew in this one. So definitely watch it — but then join me in writing fanfic alt endings.
3. The Holiday (2006)
This is a classic “Christmas switch” movie without a witch Santa doing anything at all. Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz simply trade houses and fall in love with men in the nearby vicinity. The chemistry between all the leads is sizzling and there’s a sweet old man and small children with British accents. It will warm the heart of even the grinchiest of grinches.
2. Holiday in Handcuffs (2007)
Look, this movie is bananas in all the best ways. Like it saw all the movies about couples lying to family, and then said, hold my beer. Melissa Joan Hart actually kidnaps Mario Lopez at gunpoint and then forces him to be her fake fiancé at Christmas. It’s hilarious, implausible, and the kind of insane Christmas movie I’m always chasing. Few can live up to it.
1. Second Act (2018)
I know, bold to put as “number one Christmas movie” when it’s not technically a Christmas movie. But I think it counts! Quite a bit of this movie takes place at Christmas time. And there’s a woman finding herself and family and…I think this IS a Christmas movie. Am I the only one? Was I thrust into a reality where no one else thinks this is a Christmas movie so I have to learn the true meaning of JLO. I already know it, okay! She WAS ROBBED OF THE OSCAR FOR HUSTLERS. I’VE LEARNED MY LESSON. This has all the feelings of a great Christmas movie and it’s a joy to watch everyone on the screen — I sobbed at the end. Sobbed. Did you hear that, Witch Santa? Why won’t you release me?!?
