For many, the holidays are the only time of year we can all manage to get enough time off to make the trip and spend dedicated time together. What’s the one thing that everyone can agree on after Christmas Eve dinner or after all the presents are opened on Christmas morning? Watching a Christmas movie. That doesn’t mean that every Christmas movie out there is appropriate for the entire family. (Don’t worry, we rounded some of those up for you as well.) So where do you start when Grandma, Grandpa, and the little ones are all ready to gather around the TV and soak in some family time? You start right here with one of these family-friendly holiday movies, that’s where.
9.
THE CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES
YouTube
This new Netflix movie from the people who brought you “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone” and “Home Alone” has already become a favorite for a lot of folks this season. With Kurt Russell’s updated take on Santa Claus being the best we’ve seen in awhile, we’re pretty sure it’s destined to become a holiday classic. Once Santaproclaims his famous “Ho Ho Ho” isn’t something he does, it’s just a myth, we knew he wasn’t going to be the chubby, plump, jolly old elf on the side of the Coca Cola can we’re used to.
8.
MARVEL SUPER HERO ADVENTURES FROST FIGHT
YouTube
It’s amazing what can be a holiday movie these days, and that is certainly true when it comes to this Marvel superhero flick. Captain Marvel, Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, and Thor fight to save Santa Claus and therefore save Christmas. What could be better than that? #GoTeam
7.
PRINCESS SWITCH
YouTube
Get your preteen to start sharing your love of the Hallmark movie genre by adding this to your Christmas queue. In a predictable plot line where the princess and the pauperette trade places because, you know, the grass is always greener, light-hearted hilarity ensues. Cozy up with the kids and listen to some questionable British accents from Vanessa Hudgens, the girl the kids loved in “High School Musical.”
6.
HOME ALONE
YouTube
This is undoubtedly a classic from your childhood that will be fun to watch all over again with your kids. The crass humor and outrageous hijinks are sure to get some belly laughs out of everyone in the family. It doubles as a cautionary tale of what Christmas would be like if you took away all the kids’ screens and they had to rely on fun the way you used to … and oh yeah, and if they got left behind at Christmas, too.
5.
A STORYBOTS CHRISTMAS
YouTube
The StoryBots are the “it” characters right now with the younger set, and the amended length of this movie is great for the little ones with shorter attention spans. From segments with simply drawn characters to CGI and even live action where Santa from the holiday favorite “Elf” (Ed Asner) makes an appearance, this has a little something for all animated tastes. It’s really no wonder it won two Emmys earlier this year for Outstanding Special Class Animated Program and Outstanding Directing in a Preschool Animated Program. Those may not be Best Picture, but hey, it adds a bit of street cred to this animated short.
4.
THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT CHRISTMAS
YouTube
How can you have Christmas and not have Dr. Seuss? Whether it’s green eggs and ham or the future the Lorax is trying to warn us about, there is always a fun and valuable lesson when it comes to Seuss. Why not the ubiquitous Grinch this time of year? Give those kids of yours another Dr. Seuss character to fall in love with this season and give yourself a break from Jim Carry’s somewhat inflated portrayal of the green, mean, anti-Christmas machine.
3.
MICKEY’S ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS
YouTube
Celebrate Christmas and Mickey’s 90th birthday with three charming Christmas stories in one delightful film. All of your family's favorite Disney characters are there lending their likeness to help tell the tales of Donald Duck Stuck On Christmas, A Very Goofy Christmas, and Mickey and Minnie’s Gift of the Magi. With Disney vacations being a popular holiday family destination, this is a great way to start getting everyone excited.
2.
DREAMWORKS HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
YouTube
Netflix brings the weird yet lovable Boov from the successful film “Home” into yours with this animated movie. The heartwarming cartoon makes it good for kids, and the humor of tire snowmen and cats hurling hairballs at Christmas trees makes it tolerable for adults. Plus Kelly Clarkson’s caroling cameo makes it fun for everyone.
1.
BEETHOVEN’S CHRISTMAS ADVENTURE
YouTube
Who doesn’t love dogs at Christmas? The young to the young-at-heart can all get behind some canine chaos at Christmas. In this straight-to-video movie, big, clunky lovable St. Bernarnd Beethoven is out to save the holiday. Sure, it’s cheesy, and Tom Arnold as Beethoven is a little weird at times, but what better time of year to put on a mindless movie that has one mission in mind — to make your Christmas a little funnier.
