Our Annual Christmas Viewing List (2025)

Christmas is almost here, but there’s still time to squeeze in as many holiday-themed movies as you can! Here’s a slightly updated Christmas watchlist. Not much has changed since last year, but we’re slowly discovering new holiday traditions.

Before we jump in, two notes:

• Don't forget that your local library is a great resource when looking for these movies!

• Where applicable, I've included links to my DVD Caption Guide so you can see what options you have. You can access the full catalogue here.

Three Disney shorts

-Santa’s Workshop (1932)

-The Night Before Christmas (1933)

-Once Upon a Wintertime (1948)

We’ve watched these every Christmas Eve since I was very small. Our VHS begins with Once Upon a Wintertime and Santa’s Toy Shop. We always ended with The Night Before Christmas; the big finale right before going to bed. Even as an adult, I still feel giddy with excitement as I watch that sleigh disappear into the dark blue sky.

Bonus: When my sister and I were kids, Dad would also read us the companion little golden book “Santa’s Toy Shop,” originally published in 1950. In both iterations of the story, we loved to keep an eye out for the checkerboard paint!

The Nutcracker section of Fantasia (1942)

Free with Disney+

I used to think this is what The Nutcracker was. I was shocked when I discovered for the first time that The Nutcracker was not actually about fairies and dancing mushrooms!

Christmas in Connecticut (1945)

Rent on Amazon Prime for $2.99

DVD Subtitle Options

We only watched this for the first time a few years ago, but every year we lament that we didn’t see it sooner. We ladies of the house call it “the traditional hour and forty-five minute swoon over Dennis Morgan.”

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Available on XUMO Play, PLEX, and The Roku Channel; no subscription necessary. Also free with an Amazon subscription.

DVD Subtitle Options

Jimmy Stewart should have won an Oscar for his role as George Bailey. When I was a child, I thought the movie would make me cry less as I got older. But as it turns out, it’s exactly the opposite. Stewart’s performance, and the movie as a whole, become more powerful as the years go by. Now, I cry during parts I’ve never cried during before.

Miracle on 34th street (1947)

Free on Pluto TV or various subscriptions (including Disney+, Peacock, and AMC+)

DVD Subtitle Options

I don’t know what it is about Christmas movies, but they have some of the most swoon-worthy men in them. (See my post The Men of my Favorite Christmas Movies). It’s difficult to create what I call “real-life fairytales:” stories that are equal parts fantasy and reality, that make you believe such a thing can happen in your own life. But Miracle on 34th Street succeeds in creating that world.

White Christmas (1954)

Free with Amazon Prime subscription

DVD Subtitle Options

This was the first movie I ever saw in a movie theatre, and I got to relive the experience last weekend when it came to the big screen again. Every musical number was even more exhilarating than ever before, and my heart was leaping the entire time.

While it was never the standout for me, I always liked the "Choreography" number. But this time, I enjoyed it more than I usually do! It ended up being the song I was humming as we left the theatre. My parents had never been fans of it, but my mom said “I kept waiting for the part I didn’t like so I could go get more popcorn, but it never came. And then I realized it was because I actually liked it this time!” My dad said the same thing. We have two Choreography converts in the family now!

The Snowman (1982)

Based on the children’s book by Raymond Briggs, this gorgeous animated short is a family favorite. The only words spoken are through a single song, but the story is told so beautifully without the characters needing to utter a single word of dialogue. Throughout the UK, they have screenings of the film with a live orchestra, and a different child is chosen is sing the main song, Walking in the Air. It’s a bucket list item for me!

There are a few different version of the intro. The best one, in my opinion, is the original intro by the author that begins with him walking across a field. Magical.

Father Christmas (1991)

Also based on a Raymond Briggs story! We always pair it with The Snowman and make it a double feature.

Note: There are a couple different versions of this one; we prefer the version that comes with this DVD.

The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017)

Free with Amazon Prime

DVD Subtitle Options

The Man Who Invented Christmas details the struggles and inspirations that led to Charles Dickens’ writing of the classic story. I love that this A Christmas Carol origin story focuses so much on the creative writing process. Authors will no doubt get an extra kick out of certain parts (like the characters following Dickens around, or Dickens’ process of coming up with a character’s name).

Holiday Affair (1949)

Available with Hulu or Philo subscriptions. $3.99 to rent on Amazon Prime.

See DVD Subtitle Options

The newest addition to our Christmas Movie family! Janet Leigh and Robert Mitchum star in this delightful romantic comedy about a war widow (Leigh) who must choose between her boring fiancé and a dashing department store worker (Mitchum). (Can you tell we're a bit biased?) Gordon Gebert is adorable as Janet Leigh's son, Timmy.

Fun Fact: Gebert later went on to earn a Bachelor's Degree in Architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Master's Degree in Architecture from Princeton University.

A Very British Christmas (2019)

Free on Tubi, Pluto TV, Plex, or with an Amazon Prime subscription

English subtitles available on all platforms

Ah, Hallmark movies. While I understand the appeal, they’re personally not my thing. However, I made an exception for this Hallmark-esque Christmas romance, purely because Rachel Shenton of All Creatures Great and Small was the female lead. I watched it on my own a couple weeks ago and actually enjoyed it. When it comes to movies, the question for me isn’t always “is this realistic? Is this believable?” Rather, it’s “regardless of whether this is plausible, does the movie, for one reason or another, make me want to put that aside and just enjoy it for what it is?” And in this case, the answer was “yes.” If, like me, you’re an All Creatures fan, and/or aren’t as on-board with Hallmark-style movies, you might enjoy this one.

What are some of your favorite Christmas movies? Let me know in the comments!