The second the calendar turns to November, some people break out the Christmas decorations. That seems obscene, doesn’t it? But a few weeks into November, when the Christmas movies start rolling out on the major streaming services, suddenly all those bright lights and elves on shelves don’t seem so crazy.
If you’re a Christmas-loving Amazon Prime Video subscriber, you’re in for a great holiday season. Regardless of what kind of Christmas story you’re looking for, there’s a good chance you’ll find something great in the Amazon library. That said, there’s also just an incredible volume of Christmas content on Amazon Prime Video, so to help you out, we’ve gone through and found the best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime right now.
Looking for more holiday picks? We’ve also assembled guides to the best Christmas movies on Netflix and the best Christmas movies on Hulu.
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
130m
Genre
Drama, Family, Fantasy
Stars
James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore
Directed by
Frank Capra
Of course, it wouldn’t be Christmas without the holiday mainstay It’s a Wonderful Life. The immortal classic stars James Stewart as George Bailey — a man ready to end it all before the intervention of an angel (Henry Travers) reveals to him exactly how the lives of the people of Bedford Falls would have unfolded without him. The vision is a revelation to George, whose second chance at life comes with rare, ecstatic gratitude. Ironically, It’s a Wonderful Life was a commercial bomb upon release, while today it’s as much a mandatory part of our annual traditions as A Christmas Carol.
Jingle All the Way (1996)
89m
Genre
Comedy, Family, Adventure
Stars
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, Phil Hartman
Directed by
Brian Levant
Arnold Schwarzenegger breaks out his comedy chops as workaholic Howard Langston who hopes to use Christmas as a chance to make up for his many absences from family life throughout the year. But work always comes first, so when he promises to get his son, Jamie, the hottest toy of the season, Turbo-Man, he fails to realize it’s Christmas Eve. Of course, the toy is basically gone from all the shelves. On his hunt to find Turbo-Man, Howard joins forces with mailman Myron (Sinbad), who is on the same quest.
The Christmas Candle (2013)
100m
Genre
Drama, Family
Stars
Hans Matheson, Samantha Barks, Lesley Manville
Directed by
John Stephenson
Set in 19th-century England, minister David Richmond (Hans Matheson) tries desperately to modernize his village despite the locals’ intransigent holding onto religious miracles. The minister finds himself in an odd spot, compelled by a sense of purpose to help bring these people into modern times while unable to fully denounce a prevailing belief: That whoever lights the candle that an angel touched will receive a miracle on Christmas Eve. If you’re looking for a Christmas miracle, The Christmas Candle delivers.
Same Time, Next Christmas (2019)
90m
Genre
Romance, TV Movie
Stars
Lea Michele, Bryan Greenberg, Charles Michael Davis
Directed by
Stephen Herek
Lea Michele and Charles Michael Davis star in this network TV movie and steamy holiday rom-com about two childhood friends who reunite at the same Hawaiian resort where they first met years ago. Now both in committed relationships, they’re on a Christmas holiday but soon find that the old sparks have not died.
The Spirit of Christmas (2015)
91m
Genre
TV Movie, Romance, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Stars
Jen Lilley, Thomas Beaudoin, Robert Walsh
Directed by
David Jackson
In the romantic comedy The Spirit of Christmas, junior attorney Kate Jordan (Jen Lilley) learns that some Christmas ghosts don’t haunt people just to scare them into being more compassionate. Hoping it will help her earn a promotion at her firm, Kate agrees to oversee a last-minute appraisal of a house that proves to have an unexpected resident. For almost a century, the handsome Daniel has appeared in the house on the 12 days before Christmas and promptly disappeared at midnight every Christmas Eve. Hoping both to impress her superiors and free Daniel from his haunting, Kate looks into the mystery surrounding his death and finds love along the way.
The Christmas Toy (1986)
50m
Genre
Family, Fantasy, Music, TV Movie
Stars
Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Kathryn Mullen
Directed by
Eric Till
You can’t go wrong with a family-friendly flick about toys coming to life — particularly not when the Jim Henson Company is involved. Originally airing on ABC in 1986, The Christmas Toy chronicles the adventures of a group of toys causing trouble on Christmas Eve. Rugby the Tiger was Jamie’s favorite toy last Christmas, and he’s not about to be replaced by some new guy. Rugby sneaks out to hide among the new toys, hoping to once again be the favorite, but he doesn’t realize that as a toy, if he’s found out of place, he’ll be frozen forever. Apple the Doll leads a group of toys into the house to rescue Rugby. Funny and as wholesome as you’d expect from a Jim Henson Company production, The Christmas Toy is perfect viewing for the kids (even if “the kids” are fairly grown-up).
Surviving Christmas (2004)
91m
Genre
Comedy, Romance
Stars
Ben Affleck, James Gandolfini, Christina Applegate
Directed by
Mike Mitchell
What happens if you don’t have a family to go home to for Christmas? Well, if you’re wealthy ad exec Drew Latham (Ben Affleck) in the romantic comedy Surviving Christmas, you buy one. Fresh from a breakup, Drew meets the Valco family during a therapeutic trip to his childhood home. In spite of taking a shovel to the head from Tom Valco (James Gandolfini), Drew offers the Valcos a mountain of money to let him spend Christmas with them as part of their family. He goes so far as to write scripts for the family and hire a local actor to play his grandfather. Sparks fly between Drew and Tom’s daughter Alicia (Christina Applegate), but things are destined to get more hilariously muddled when Drew’s ex-girlfriend shows up, wanting to get back together.
Christmas in Mississippi (2017)
93m
Genre
Romance, TV Movie
Stars
Jana Kramer, Wes Brown, Faith Ford
Directed by
Emily Moss Wilson
They say you can never go home again, but in Christmas in Mississippi, Holly (Jana Kramer) learns differently. A hurricane struck Gulfport five years ago, and that was the last time the town put on their popular Christmas light show. Holly wants to help make sure it happens this year, but so does her high school sweetheart Mike (Wes Brown). Considering how poorly he treated her heart last time, Holly doesn’t want a repeat performance. But with her mother (Faith Ford) pushing her in one direction and Mr. Kriss (Barry Bostwick) joining in for good measure, it won’t be long before these two old lovebirds start flying together once more
A Bride for Christmas (2012)
90m
Genre
Comedy, Romance, TV Movie
Stars
Arielle Kebbel, Sage Brocklebank, Peter Benson
Directed by
Gary Yates
Jessie (Arielle Kebbel) has just broken up with her third — that’s right her third — fiancé. Commitment, she decides, just isn’t for her. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s Aiden (Andrew W. Walker), who hardly ever gets to the “going steady” phase before moving on to the next woman. Indignant when his friend Matt (Peter Benson) claims women can tell that he’s unwilling to commit, Aiden agrees to a strange bet — that he can get a woman to agree to marry him before Christmas. Matt already knows about Jessie’s recent ban on long-term relationships, so he steers Aiden in her direction. Matt thinks he’s got things sewn up, but he’s in for a surprise in this Christmassy romantic comedy.
Christmas on the Bayou (2013)
86m
Genre
Romance, Drama, TV Movie
Stars
Hilarie Burton, Tyler Hilton, Randy Travis
Directed by
Leslie Hope
Sometimes life comes at us with impossible choices, and Katherine (Hilarie Burton) has some to face in the romantic comedy Christmas on the Bayou. Katherine has worked hard to become a successful marketing executive, but she starts to think all of the time she spends at work is having a negative impact on her son Zack (Brody Rose). She decides that bringing Zack with her back to her hometown for the holidays would be a welcome change for them both. While she’s there, she runs into her old childhood love Caleb (Tyler Hilton), who does everything he can to convince her to leave the big city behind and come back home. Shot dead center by Cupid and seduced by a less hectic way of life, Katherine will need the guidance of her mother (Markie Post) and the wise Papa Noel (Ed Asner) to figure out what path to take.
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