You’re sitting on the couch after dinner. Your relatives are talking politics. You need an escape. Time to put on a movie. The good news? Christmas movies to watch in 2025 actually look decent for once. Not the same recycled plot about a baker falling for a prince in a fake European country. Netflix, Disney+, and yeah, even Hallmark dropped a bunch of stuff. Some’s good. Some are predictable. Here’s what’s worth watching.
A Merry Little Ex-Mas
Alicia Silverstone and Oliver Hudson star as a divorced couple struggling to make one last Christmas work. Enter his new girlfriend. It gets messy. Melissa Joan Hart’s in it, which is like somebody raided the ‘90s TV archives and decided to throw everyone in there. Been on Netflix since mid-November. The setup is effective because, well, who hasn’t been trapped in those uncomfortable family shindigs? Watching fictional people deal with it feels therapeutic.
Jingle Bell Heist
Two broke department store workers in London decide to rob their workplace on Christmas Eve. Apparently, minimum wage during the holidays pushes people into crime. Olivia Holt and Connor Swindells play Sophie and Nick. They plan the heist. They fall in love. They probably don’t actually get away with it, but that’s not really the point. It’s Ocean’s Eleven meets a holiday rom-com. Sounds weird. Actually works.
A Very Jonas Christmas Movie
The Jonas Brothers made a Christmas movie. Kevin, Joe, and Nick play themselves, trying to get home for the holidays while everything goes wrong. Will Ferrell pops up. So does Priyanka Chopra. It’s self-aware enough to be funny and wholesome enough that you won’t feel bad watching it with your mom. Available on Disney+ and Hulu since late November. Great for anyone who grew up watching Disney Channel and is feeling nostalgic.
Merv
Zooey Deschanel and Charlie Cox play a separated couple forced to co-parent their depressed dog during a holiday vacation. The dog’s name is Merv. That alone makes it worth watching. They rediscover feelings for each other because every holiday movie needs a reunion romance. But Deschanel’s got enough charm to make the predictable stuff bearable. On Prime Video now.
Oh. What. Fun.
Michelle Pfeiffer stars as Claire Clauster, the mom who brings Christmas magic to all, but whose family barely appreciates her. When they accidentally leave her behind during a family outing, she says screw it and has her own adventure. It’s like Home Alone, but for already overworked moms who are sick of having to do everything on their own. Chloë Grace Moretz and Eva Longoria also star in this movie. Hit Netflix on Christmas Eve.
Champagne Problems
Corporate executive Sydney Price travels to France to buy a champagne company right before Christmas. Falls for the founder’s son. Every best Christmas movie to watch in 2025 needs a romance in Europe with pretty scenery. Minka Kelly stars. It’s predictable, but the locations look nice. Been streaming on Netflix since late November. Perfect background noise while you’re wrapping presents.
My Secret Santa
A single mom disguises herself as a man to get hired as Santa at a luxury ski resort. The money is to pay for her daughter’s snowboard lessons. Alexandra Breckenridge stars. Then she falls for the hotel manager, who is unaware that she’s actually a woman. This premise is totally unrealistic. It shouldn’t work. But if you just momentarily pack your brain away and give in to the chaos, it’s amusing. On Hulu.
Tinsel Town
Kiefer Sutherland plays a washed-up Hollywood action star who gets tricked into joining a small-town Christmas musical. Rebel Wilson’s in it too. It’s British comedy mixed with holiday cheer and many jokes about celebrity culture. Not your typical feel-good Christmas movie. Which is refreshing when everything else is so safe and predictable.
Finding Joy
Tyler Perry produced this one. A fashion designer named Joy gets stuck in a cabin with a stranger while chasing her crush in Colorado. Snowed in with the wrong person, who turns out to be the right person. You’ve seen this plot a hundred times. But Tyler Perry knows how to make these formulaic rom-coms work. Premiered on Prime Video in early November.
Family Guy: Gift of the White Guy
Family Guy does their satirical take on generic holiday films. Lois works for Big Pie and travels to a small town to steal Peter’s secret pie recipe. If you like Family Guy’s humor, you’ll like this. If you hate Family Guy, skip it. Aired on Lifetime in late November. Why Lifetime picked up a Family Guy Christmas movie is anyone’s guess.
Candy Cane Lane
Eddie Murphy plays a man on a mission to win his neighborhood’s annual Christmas decorating competition. He makes a deal with an elf. The 12 days of Christmas spring to riotous life in ways no one could have anticipated. Chaos follows. It’s Eddie Murphy being Eddie Murphy with a holiday spin. Tracee Ellis Ross co-stars. It should be fun if you’re into Murphy’s comedy style.
The Great Christmas Snow-In
Joey Lawrence plays a guy who retreats to a cabin after his engagement falls apart. Gets snowed in with his ex-fiancée’s cousin. Sparks fly. Then his ex shows up with her new boyfriend. This cabin has the worst timing possible. It’s messy and melodramatic in exactly the way you’d expect. But that’s kind of the appeal.
Hallmark Dropped 24 Movies This Year
Hallmark Christmas movies to watch in 2025 total 24. That’s almost one per day of December. They’re all basically the same movie with different actors and locations. Romance at a cat café. Reunited exes at Christmas markets. Bakers who fall in love through gingerbread competitions. One movie is set in the world of the Buffalo Bills, which is oddly specific. Lacey Chabert, Tyler Hynes, and Erin Krakow all returned for multiple movies. For anyone who’s into the Hallmark formula, they delivered. If you’re not, avoid.
Stuff You Can Watch With Your Whole Family
Looking for family Christmas movies to watch in 2025 that won’t bore adults or traumatize kids? The Jonas Brothers movie works for all ages. So does “Oh. What. Fun.” with Michelle Pfeiffer. “Candy Cane Lane” with Eddie Murphy is fine for older kids and teens. Some slapstick comedy, but nothing too intense. Hallmark’s entire lineup is squeaky clean. Predictable but safe when your judgmental relatives are visiting.
What Actually Made It to Theaters
New Christmas movies in cinemas in 2025 got overshadowed by streaming. “Avatar: Fire and Ash” hit theaters on December 19th. Not Christmas-themed, but it’s what families are seeing because James Cameron knows when to release a movie. There’s also “David”, a faith-based film about David and Goliath, opening December 19th.
Angel Studios made it so expect religious themes. Most actual Christmas content went straight to streaming. Theaters are showing regular blockbusters that happen to release during the holidays rather than specific holiday films.
What’s On Regular TV
Christmas films 2025 on TV are everywhere. Hallmark Channel has been running its “Countdown to Christmas” marathon since October. Way too early but apparently people watch it. Lifetime ran its “It’s a Wonderful Lifetime” event with 13 new movies. Rom-coms, thrillers, everything. One is about a stalker who plants creepy holiday decorations for his victim. Sounds terrifying.
Great American Family produced 19 faith-based movies. Candace Cameron-Bure is everywhere on their schedule. ABC, NBC and CBS pretty much stuck to the classics Christmas specials and a few made-for-TV movies.
Also Read: Kristin Cabot: The Kiss Cam That Ended Everything
What’s Actually Good
“Jingle Bell Heist” brings something different with the heist angle. “Oh. What. Fun.” gives Michelle Pfeiffer a role every exhausted mom will relate to. The Jonas Brothers movie is surprisingly wholesome and self-aware. Traditional rom-com fans will like “Champagne Problems” and “Merv.” Nothing groundbreaking, but they’re well-made. Hallmark stuff is Hallmark stuff. Two strangers meet, there’s a misunderstanding, they fall in love, and everything works out. Same formula every time. It’s fine if that’s your comfort zone.
The Weird Ones
“My Secret Santa” wins for most ridiculous premise. A woman pretending to be a man to work as Santa shouldn’t work, but does through sheer audacity. “Family Guy: Gift of the White Guy” is either hilarious or offensive, depending on your sense of humor. “Finding Joy” has Tyler Perry written all over it. Either you’re into his style or you’re not.
Here’s The Thing
Most Christmas movies follow the same beats. Small town. A big city person visits. They meet someone charming. They rediscover the meaning of Christmas. They kiss in the snow. Credits roll. This year’s batch at least tries mixing it up occasionally. Heists. Depressed dogs named Merv. Single mums disguised as male Santas. The Jonas Brothers are poking fun at themselves.
None of these will be classics that people watch for decades. But they’ll fill the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s while you avoid actual work. They’ll give you something pleasant to watch that doesn’t require full attention. That’s all you really need from a Christmas movie. Something that makes you feel mildly festive without being too sweet.
Something that passes the time while you’re ignoring relatives or wrapping gifts. The holiday movie industry did its job this year. Churned out enough content to keep everyone occupied. Some of it’s actually watchable. That’s a win in my book.
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