The best Netflix Christmas movies and shows

This is a beautiful animation about a postman who finds himself in a frosty part of the world where someone who looks remarkably like Santa Claus is hiding out. Directed by Disney vetern Sergio Pablos, and with the voice talent of JK Simmons, this is Netflix getting into the animated business and it’s a lot of Festive fun.

Well, these are a lot more fun than we were expecting. Kurt Russell is Santa Claus - who doesn’t ‘ho ho ho’ - is brilliant casting and bringing in Goldie Hawn and Mrs Claus for the sequel is equally inspired. In both movies, In the first movie for the most part it takes place in modern-day America. For the second, the action shifts to the North Pole

Office Christmas Party is a lot of fun. Jennifer Aniston plays a nasty boss who decides to shut down the office that her brother (TJ Miller) runs. The only way to save the branch is to throw the mother of all Christmas parties and invite a potential investor to woo them. What ensues is everything you expect from the makers of Blades Of Glory and some of the funniest comedians around. It's not perfect, but it's a refreshing, easy festive watch.

Watching a deranged Charlie Kelly bite off Santa’s ear in an act of revenge for having sex with his mother every December 25 might not give you the warm, fuzzy feeling that It’s a Wonderful Life does, but it will give you a belly full of laughs with its look back at childhood Christmases that weren’t as special as they once thought.

It’s a rare thing when the Christmas special of a beloved TV show turns out to be one of the better episodes in the entire series, but that’s precisely what White Christmas is to Black Mirror. Jon Hamm and Rafe Spall play an odd pair holed up in a remote cabin on Christmas Day. To say any more would be akin to us opening all your presents.

If you’re a Jim Carrey hater, then nothing we say can make you want to watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Ron Howard’s live action take on the beloved Dr Seuss kids’ book sees the rubber faced comic in full gurning, prancing mode. To be fair, it’s the perfect casting for this misanthropic ball of energy, who sets out on a mission to prevent Christmas.

The best thing on Netflix about Christmas, bar none. Seriously, this Norwegian show is fantastic, focusing on Johanne who lies to her family about having a boyfriend and decides to go on the dating scene to actually find a suitor. It's a heartwarming show set in the snowy confines of Norway and there are two great seasons of the thing to watch

If you’re like us, the news that Robin Robin is Aardman Entertainment’s first musical production will come as a surprise. Aren’t they all this bursting with joyful musicality? Robin Robin is a delightfully delicate stop-motion yarn about a small bird raised as a mouse. What’s more, at only 30 minutes long, it doesn’t make a song and dance about its song and dance numbers.

Oh Bill. Are you OK mate? You’ve had a weird life, and this musical Netflix original just makes it even weirder. Miley Cyrus, George Clooney and niche French band Phoenix all guest star in this festive special directed by Sofia Coppola about Bill Murray just being Bill Murray, but at Christmas. Sure it might border on the downright wacky and indulgent, but the Ghostbuster’s Christmas cheer is properly authentic, and you don’t often get to see that these days.

David Harbour stars as Santa Claus. The real deal, albeit a particularly grumpy iteration of Saint Nick. However, the house he ends up at is under siege by mercenaries who want to pillage the place. This is not one to watch with the family. It's violent, its Santa is as jaded as they come. But it sure is good fun for the grown-ups in the room.

Looking for a Christmas film that doesn't feel too much like a Christmas film? Carry-On comes highly recommended. This thriller stars Taron Egerton as a TSA agent who is blackmailed by a terrorist into letting a dangerous package onto a plane, on a Christmas Day flight. There's more than a whiff of Die Hard to this particular Christmas film, and shades of those Liam Neeson thrillers so many folks enjoy. There's no guilt in this pleasure either, it's a solid movie.

Is it Cake? became a bit of a viral hit in 2022. In case you missed the craze, contestants are tasked with replicating real-world items or scenes, but in cake form. And they have to try to fool the judges (at a distance) into thinking the cake version is real. This 4-part holiday special sees the teams make turkey dinners, festive wreaths and more. An engaging watch for when you want to just let your brain simmer.

We weren’t expecting much from Falling For Christmas, but the movie which marks a return of Lindsey Lohan to family-based movie fun is more-than watchable. The plot has all the hallmarks of a Hallmark movie: Lohan Sierra Belmont (Lohan) is a self-obsessed heiress who, after a bump to the head, forgets her old life and is ‘saved’ by single dad Jake Russell, played by the amazingly named Chord Overstreet. Much of the action takes place in a ski lodge, which adds to the Christmas appeal and while it gets a little too soppy in places, it mostly works.

One of the newer Christmas movies and, if you are in the UK the movie title has rather dark connotations, this is a great, strange movie about a toy maker who makes the ultimate toy - a sentient matador doll. This one is a huge amount of fun and packed with heart.

As you have probably guessed, the best Christmas movies aren’t on Netflix. BUT, The Holiday Movies that Made Us is a brilliant look at Elf and The Nightmare Before Christmas, through behind-the-scenes footage and talking head. This is a really great series and there’s a standard Movies That Made Us series as well which is equally great.

With a title so good we can't believe it hasn't been used before, Single All The Way is everything you want in a Christmas movie. It a feel-good film about Peter (Michael Urie) who takes his roommate back to his family for Christmas, asking him to pretend to be his boyfriend so he doesn't look like he's terrible at relationships. What ensues is heat-warming festive fun and it also stars Jennifer Coolidge which automatically gives it an extra star from us.