Quick Answer
The best Christmas films depend on who is watching, but this editorial short list starts with It’s a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street for classics, Elf for comedy, and Klaus and Arthur Christmas for families. They are our picks, backed by Rotten Tomatoes scores. Streaming changes weekly: Love Actually reaches Netflix UK on 3 December 2026, and free options appeared on ITVX and Channel 4 last year.
Key Takeaways
- This is an opinion list. The scores and streaming details come from dated sources, but the picks and the verdicts are editorial judgement, and we have not run a reader poll.
- Critics and audiences split on Home Alone: 66% from critics and 81% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, against 84% to 85% for Elf from critics.
- We could not check current UK catalogues on the streaming services themselves. Treat every availability line as a pointer, and check the service before you plan an evening.
Top 10 best Christmas movies of all time list
There is no official ranking, so this is our short list for rewatching, ordered by our own preference, not by score. The scores are Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer figures (the percentage of critic reviews that are positive) from the sources named below.
| Our order | Film | Year | Critics’ score |
| 1 | It’s a Wonderful Life | 1946 | 94% |
| 2 | Miracle on 34th Street | 1947 | 96% |
| 3 | Elf | 2003 | 85% (84% on the film’s own page) |
| 4 | Die Hard | 1988 | 94% |
| 5 | The Nightmare Before Christmas | 1993 | 95% |
| 6 | Home Alone | 1990 | 66% |
| 7 | Klaus | 2019 | 95% |
| 8 | Arthur Christmas | 2011 | 93% |
| 9 | Love Actually | 2003 | Not found |
| 10 | The Muppet Christmas Carol | 1992 | Not found |
Rotten Tomatoes highest rated Christmas films
Rotten Tomatoes’ own list, “The 100 Best Christmas Movies of All Time” (updated 6 January 2026), puts The Shop Around the Corner (1940) and Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) joint first at 99%. The Holdovers (2023) follows at 97%, then Tangerine (2015) and Miracle on 34th Street (1947) at 96%. The page says it ranks by Tomatometer score with Certified Fresh films first, though a few entries sit out of strict score order.
IMDb top 100 holiday movies ranked
We did not retrieve IMDb’s full list, so we do not reproduce it. SlashFilm reported on 15 December 2024 that IMDb’s best-rated Christmas film is It’s a Wonderful Life, at 8.6 out of 10 and 21st among the site’s top movies of all time. Check IMDb itself for the current order.
Classics
Classic Christmas movies everyone needs to watch
“Everyone needs to watch” is an opinion, and ours is short. Watch It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) and Miracle on 34th Street (1947) first, because they are the two oldest films on our list and both score above 90% with critics. Add Meet Me in St. Louis if you want something older and quieter: it is joint top on Rotten Tomatoes at 99%.
It’s a Wonderful Life vs Miracle on 34th Street classic debate
On Rotten Tomatoes’ January 2026 list, Miracle on 34th Street scores 96% and It’s a Wonderful Life 94%. Rotten Tomatoes’ older 2020 guide, which weighted score, review count and release year, named It’s a Wonderful Life the number one Christmas movie. We did not find an IMDb score for Miracle on 34th Street.
Our pick, as opinion: It’s a Wonderful Life, for its reputation and its place on IMDb’s overall chart. Choose Miracle on 34th Street if the critics’ score decides it for you.
Comedies
Home Alone vs Elf which is the best Christmas film
Critics prefer Elf. Rotten Tomatoes lists Elf at 84% on its film page and 85% on its Christmas list, with the consensus that it is “a spirited, good-natured family comedy”. Home Alone has 66% from 116 critic reviews, with the consensus “uneven but frequently funny premise, stretched unreasonably thin, is buoyed by Macaulay Culkin’s cute performance”. Audiences are kinder: its audience score is 81% from more than 250,000 ratings. We did not find an audience score for Elf.
Our pick, as opinion: Elf for a mixed-age rewatch, and Home Alone when you want slapstick and nostalgia, scores aside.
Amazon Prime video top rated Christmas comedies
We cannot rank these. UK listings from Empire (undated) and Tech Advisor (12 December 2024) have named Elf, The Holiday, Scrooged, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Gremlins and Lethal Weapon on Prime Video UK, but only Elf has a critic score in our sources. Prime’s catalogue also differs from month to month, and Digital Spy (24 December 2025) said Elf was on Sky Cinema and NOW with Cinema membership, so check before you rely on any of them.
For families
Klaus (2019) and Arthur Christmas (2011) are our family picks, at 95% and 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. Empire listed Arthur Christmas on Netflix UK in an undated page. We did not confirm that it is there now.
Nightmare Before Christmas Halloween or Christmas movie
Both, according to the person who directed it. Henry Selick told one interviewer it is “a mashup” and “a perfect collision between those two holidays”, adding “It is both, and it’s its own thing” (reported by The Digital Fix, undated). Rotten Tomatoes puts it seventh on its list at 95%, so critics took it seriously whichever shelf it sits on. It is a fair family choice for children who like their festive films a little spooky. We did not check age ratings.
Underrated
These are less obvious picks with strong critic scores. Whether they are truly underrated is our opinion, as we have no viewing data to compare.
- The Holdovers (2023): 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, third on its list.
- Tangerine (2015): 96%.
- Carol (2015): 94%.
- Klaus (2019): 95%, a good non-cheesy family option.
Is Die Hard officially a Christmas movie
No body decides this, so “officially” has no answer. What exists is a long argument. Headlines in our search results report opposing positions: Far Out Magazine reported Bruce Willis saying “It’s not a Christmas movie”, while Audacy’s headline said the director confirmed it is. We did not open either, so we do not quote them. Fox News (19 December 2018) said Willis gave the “final answer” in his Comedy Central Roast monologue, without quoting it. Rotten Tomatoes scores it 94%, 11th on its list.
Our pick, as opinion: it counts, because the story only works on that one night of the year.
Non-cheesy Christmas movies on Hulu and HBO Max
Hulu is a US service, and we found no UK listing for it. HBO Max launched in the UK and Ireland on 26 March 2026, with plans from £4.99 a month, according to The Viewer’s Guide. We did not find a UK Christmas catalogue for it, so we cannot say which of the films above stream there.
Where to watch
Every line here is a dated report, not a live check. Streaming rights change often, and this article was due on 13 November 2026, so check each service when you read it.
| Film | Where it was reported in the UK | Source and date |
| Love Actually | Netflix UK from 3 December 2026 | What’s on Netflix, 30 October 2026 |
| The Holiday | Netflix UK from 2 December 2026 | What’s on Netflix, 30 October 2026 |
| Home Alone | Disney+ | Trusted Reviews (undated); NME, 24 December 2023; Tech Advisor, 12 December 2024 |
| The Muppet Christmas Carol | Disney+ | Tech Advisor, 12 December 2024 |
| It’s a Wonderful Life | Prime Video; ITVX (free) | Tech Advisor, 12 December 2024; Digital Spy, 24 December 2025 |
| Elf | Prime Video; or Sky Cinema and NOW | Empire (undated); Digital Spy, 24 December 2025 |
| Die Hard, Miracle on 34th Street | Channel 4’s streaming service (free) | Digital Spy, 24 December 2025 |
Best Christmas movies currently on Netflix 2026
What’s on Netflix listed these licensed titles for the UK on 30 October 2026, with arrival dates: A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (1 November), Christmas at the Palace (5 November), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (10 November), Fred Claus (12 November), Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch (15 November), A Very English Christmas and Christmas in Scotland (25 November), The Holiday (2 December), Love Actually (3 December), Last Christmas (11 December) and The Polar Express (14 December). Nativity! was already streaming. Licensed films can leave without much notice.
Classic holiday films on Disney Plus right now
We could not verify the current UK Disney+ catalogue. Earlier reports put Home Alone and Home Alone 2 there (NME, 24 December 2023), The Muppet Christmas Carol (Tech Advisor, 12 December 2024) and The Nightmare Before Christmas (Stylist, 24 November 2022, which did not specify the UK). Trusted Reviews said the first Home Alone is available on Disney+ all year, but gave no date, so do not rely on it.
Where to stream Home Alone free this Christmas
Last Christmas, Digital Spy (24 December 2025) said Home Alone was on Channel 4’s streaming service, and aired on Channel 4 at 5.30pm on 24 December with a repeat on 4seven at 3.15pm on 25 December. The 2026 schedule had not been published when we checked, so that is a pattern, not a promise. Disney+ is a paid service. Rentals on Amazon started from £3.49 in the undated Trusted Reviews guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Die Hard officially a Christmas movie?
There is no official ruling. Reports conflict on what Bruce Willis and the director said, and Rotten Tomatoes lists it among its best Christmas movies at 94%. We treat it as a Christmas film, but that is our opinion, not a fact.
Where can you watch Home Alone for free in the UK?
In 2025, Channel 4 aired it on 24 December and had it on its streaming service, per Digital Spy. Disney+ also has it but is paid. We do not know the 2026 schedule yet, so check Channel 4’s listings.
Which Christmas films have the highest Rotten Tomatoes scores?
On the January 2026 list, The Shop Around the Corner and Meet Me in St. Louis are joint first at 99%, then The Holdovers at 97%. Of the better-known titles, Miracle on 34th Street has 96% and The Nightmare Before Christmas 95%.
Is The Nightmare Before Christmas a Halloween or Christmas movie?
Its director, Henry Selick, says it is both: “a perfect collision between those two holidays”. Rotten Tomatoes includes it on its Christmas list at 95%, so there is no single answer, and both viewings are reasonable.
Is Home Alone or Elf the better film?
On critic scores, Elf wins at 84% to 85%, against 66% for Home Alone. Home Alone’s audience score is higher at 81%, and we found no audience figure for Elf. The better film is a matter of taste.
