Marisa LaScala |
COMING SOON: That Christmas
Look, Santa can get through anything — but some years are easier than others. This Netflix movie shows what happens when a huge snowstorm near the town of Wellington-on-Sea throws everyone’s Christmas plans for a loop — even Santa’s! Brian Cox provides the voice of Santa, and it’ll be on Netflix on December 4.
COMING SOON: Dear Santa
Put the little ones to bed and grab the teens for this one, because it’s rated PG-13. And when you hear the premise, you’ll see why: A kid writes what he thinks is a letter to Santa, only he mixes up the letters and gets Satan instead. Jack Black plays Satan, and it’s created by the Farrelly Brothers, who made Dumb and Dumber and There’s Something About Mary. It’ll go straight to Paramount+ on November 25.
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NEW THIS YEAR: Red One
It’s a Christmas movie meets the Mission:Impossible series when Santa gets kidnapped by a Christmas witch right before his big ride. In order to get him back, an elf (Dwayne Johnson) enlists a mercenary (Chris Evans) — who happens to be on the naughty list. Can the two make nice in order to get the job done? The film — which is rated PG but makes the most of its rough-language allotment — is directed by Jake Kasdan, who also made the Jumanji movies with The Rock. It is currently playing in theaters.
NEW THIS YEAR: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
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NEW THIS YEAR: An Almost Christmas Story
Those who know the films of David Lowery — like Peter Pan and Wendy or the newest Pete’s Dragon — know his poetic, lyrical style. He applies that quiet contemplation to this holiday short, about an owl who accidentally hitches a ride to the city on the Rockefeller Center tree. There, he meets a girl named Luna who offers to help him find his place again.
RELATED: The Best Animated Christmas Movies
A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
Holiday FOMO is one thing, but Christmas melancholy is another. This perennial Peanuts classic leans into the feeling that, sometimes, Christmas just doesn’t feel very merry — though there’s always hope to turn it around. It’s only available on Apple TV+, but they’ve already announced that they will stream it for free on Saturday, December 14, 2024 and Sunday, December 15, 2024, so set a reminder now!
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Genie (2023)
Following in the now-long tradition of casting our best comedians in genie roles, Genie stars Melissa McCarthy as someone who’s been trapped in a jewelry box for thousands of years. She is summoned around Christmastime in the present, however, by a man who lost his job and is in danger of losing his family. Will he be able to use his wishes to put everything right?
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
This animated classic is a meeting of two genius minds: Dr. Seuss, creator of dozens of beloved children’s books, and Chuck Jones, legendary animator. And these are two great tastes that taste great together, since Jones’s animation style really gives life to Dr. Seuss’s creation. Add in the voices of Boris Karloff as the narrator and Thurl Ravenscroft as the one who sings “You’re a Mean One,” and you’ve got a near-perfect holiday treat. Those who want a longer version of the holiday tale can try Dr. Seuss’s The Grinch, made by the same studio that does the Minions movies, or Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas with a swing-for-the-fences performance by Jim Carrey.
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Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
Elf (2003)
Will Ferrell is so funny in this, playing a clueless elf who enters the “real,” world, it’s easy to forget that it’s only rated PG. Ferrell so perfectly embodies an elf-like spirit, from his endless sweet tooth to his relentless optimism, that he’s definitely a harbinger of good cheer.
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Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
This is for all the ones out there who start to doubt Santa’s magic. It’s about a man who proves — legally! — that Santa is real, and also changes the minds of some of the doubters out there.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
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Candy Cane Lane (2023)
Chris (Eddie Murphy) wants nothing more than to win his neighborhood contest for the best Christmas decorations. (Don’t we all?) In order to get a leg up, he enters a bargain with an elf — and doesn’t realize that the price is basically his life. Can he find a way to defeat the elf?
Klaus (2019)
In this movie, Jason Schwartzman stars as Jesper, a spoiled and lazy postman whose performance is so bad, he gets reassigned to the North Pole. There, he meets Klaus, a reclusive woodworker and toy maker. Where do you think this will end up? This Netflix original was nominated for Best Animated Feature. (It lost to Toy Story 4, but won the BAFTA.)
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The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
There are so many A Christmas Carol adaptations, but only one has Kermit the Frog. Unlike other Muppet holiday specials, The Muppet Christmas Carol is feature-length, so it’s better for kids who have longer attention spans. For hardcore Muppet fans, Disney+ started offering a “restored” version of the film, featuring “When Love Is Gone,” a song that was cut from the theatrical version.
Home Alone (1990)
Okay, the best parts of this movie are about how 8-year-old Kevin sets a series of booby traps to stop a pair of robbers from a home invasion, which isn’t exactly in the Christmas spirit. But the experience does teach him to appreciate being with his family during the holidays, which is something we all need to be reminded of once in a while. And if you already watched the reboot and this film and still want more child antics, there’s always the sequels: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Home Alone 3, Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House, Home Alone 5: The Holiday Heist and the reboot, Home Sweet Home Alone., all of which are also on Disney+ right now.
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RELATED: The True Story Behind ‘Angels With Filthy Souls,’ the Gangster Movie in ‘Home Alone’
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Frosty the Snowman (1969)
It’s impossible to watch this one without getting the song stuck in your head, so be prepared to thumpity-thump-thump your way through the rest of the day.
A Christmas Story (1983)
A Christmas Story is simultaneously very nostalgic and completely unromantic about the holidays. It looks like a Norman Rockwell version of Christmas, but Ralphie and his family find as many ways to ruin the holidays as celebrate them — something we can all relate to. In 2022, Ralphie returned as an adult in Max’s A Christmas Story Christmas.
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The Naughty Nine (2023)
Forget Ocean’s 11 — this is The Naughty Nine. When kids on the naughty list don’t receive a present from Santa, they plan a heist to take the gifts for themselves.
The Christmas Chronicles (2018)
This Netflix original movie follows two kids who accidentally crash Santa’s sleigh, and then have to go on an adventure-filled mission to save Christmas. A sequel, The Christmas Chronicles 2, continues the story with the characters as teenagers.
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; she previously wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found dominating the audio round at her local bar trivia night or tweeting about movies.
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