With Christmas right around the corner, it’s time to start planning your holiday viewing. To help you out, we’ve got our top 10 Christmas movies on Amazon Prime Video.
What kind of Christmas movies are on Amazon Prime Video?
Amazon Prime Video offers a wider selection than Hulu’s Christmas movies and even the Christmas collection on Disney+. But it's those old holiday classics where Prime Video really shines.
10 Christmas movies to watch on Prime Video this year
We break down Prime Video’s Christmas movies into 3 categories – Children’s, Classics, and Comedies.
Children’s Christmas movies on Prime Video
Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (1977)
A dirt-poor young otter and his mom risk it all to win a talent contest so they can buy each other Christmas presents. But they’ve got the Riverbottom Nightmare Band standing in their way at every turn.
Ages 4 and up – and all fans of The Muppets – will want to check out Jim Henson’s TV musical that became a Canadian holiday classic. And don’t just take our word for it, over 4,000 voters give it 8.2/10 on IMDb.
The Snowman (1982)
A young boy’s snowman comes to life on Christmas Eve and takes him on a journey to the North Pole to meet Santa.
A moving classical score accompanies gorgeous traditional animation. And at just 26 minutes, this dialogue-free classic can capture the attention of even the youngest viewers. Like the otters above, The Snowman also has 8.2/10 on IMDb.
Stick Man (2015)
Like The Snowman, this is a short animated TV special based on an award-winning children’s book. A happy-go-lucky stick gets snatched up and carried away by a playful dog, launching him onto a perilous journey right before Christmas. He must overcome a series of obstacles as he makes his way back home for the holiday.
Like the 2 above, Stick Man is short, simple and fun enough to keep young kids around 4+ engaged and entertained. And it’s got 7.1/10 on IMDb.
Christmas classics on Prime Video
It's A Wonderful Life (1946)
A distraught man thinking about ending his life on Christmas Eve gets a visit from his guardian angel. And he eventually finds a reason to live. Loosely based on A Christmas Carol, Frank Capra’s Christmas classic was nominated for 5 Oscars and is considered one of the best films of all time.
This heartwarming film is a great choice for families, but at over 75 years old, it might not capture the attention of younger viewers.
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
A young Natalie Wood stars as a little girl who doesn’t believe in Santa Claus. But is the department store Santa at Macy’s real enough to change her mind?
This is another Christmas classic the whole family can watch, but parents shouldn’t be surprised when they’re grilled on whether Santa is real or not.
While the 1994 remake is only streaming on Disney+, the original is only streaming on Prime Video.
The Bishop's Wife (1947)
With 5 Oscar nominations and 1 win, they sure knew how to make Christmas films in the 1940s. Cary Grant stars as a charming angel sent to help an ambitious bishop rediscover his faith and what’s important in life.
With positive messages throughout, this is one for the whole family to enjoy – but the same old classic caveats apply.
A Christmas Carol (1984)
This TV adaptation of the most retold Christmas story ever is one of the best. Arguably a bit bleaker than most others, George C. Scott’s interpretation is right up there with Alastair Sim’s gold-standard Ebenezer Scrooge.
Everyone knows the story, but this slightly darker version is probably best for kids around 6 or 7 and older.
Christmas comedies on Prime Video
Scrooged (1988)
This modern take on A Christmas Carol stars Bill Murray as Scrooge-like TV network president Frank Cross – who schedules a live-to-air TV special on Christmas Eve. And in a somewhat meta way, people either love Scrooged or hate it.
But it’s firmly in our top 10 for good reason.
It’s got a lot of gunfire for A Christmas Carol, and a bit of sex talk and blue humor, so it’s best suited for older tweens and up.
Surviving Christmas (2004)
With his girlfriend demanding to meet his family, a wealthy ad exec pays the family living in his childhood home a quarter-million dollars to pretend they’re his family for the holidays.
Another “wealthy exec hates Christmas” movie, this Ben Affleck rom-com also has its lovers and haters. And admittedly, there are more of the latter. But if you like Bad Santa and Scrooged, you should get a few jolly laughs from this.
With some strong language and not many positive messages, this one’s suitable for young teens and older.
A Sunburnt Christmas (2020)
A recently widowed single mom with 3 kids is struggling to make ends meet in the Australian outback. And when a criminal on the run dressed as Santa crashes the family farm, he not only brings trouble but hope as well.
Think of it as an award-winning, non-vulgar “Bad Santa Down Under”. With some mild language and a few guns, this heartfelt comedy is fine for kids around 9 and older.
Our takeaway: subscribe to Prime Video for Christmas classics
Amazon Prime Video offers a wide selection of holiday movies, but it’s lineup of Christmas classics is hard to beat. However, if you’re looking for a streamer just for the kids, check out our Disney+ Christmas movies. And for Mom & Dad, check out our favorite Christmas movies on Hulu.
Lastly, if you don’t see your faves above, check out our 25 Best Christmas Movies to Stream across all platforms.
Douglas Wright
Douglas Wright is a freelance writer based in Japan. A former web designer and technical writer, he left beautiful Vancouver for bustling Tokyo, where he spent a decade recruiting for software and high-tech firms. No longer commuting through the world’s busiest train station, he writes fiction and a wide range of formats for clients around the world. When he gets AFK, he’s either outdoors with his two boys, streaming a show with his wife, or reading a book over a French-pressed, hand-ground coffee.