Christmas is so close you can almost hear the sleigh bells ringing. You can smell those cookies everyone is leaving out for Santa. And what better way is there to fill your heart with Christmas cheer than with some wonderfully joyous holiday movies.
Whether you want funny Christmas movies, heartfelt Christmas movies, or Christmas films with plots that are a little more out there, there's something on this list for you. And with there being 12 days of Christmas and all, it only made sense to dig in and find a dozen of the best Christmas movies on Netflix.
1. Let It Snow
Do you like your holiday movies to come with a heavy dose of romance and feel-good themes? Then you're sure to love Let It Snow. It tells the story of a group of high seniors and the situations they face when a snowstorm rolls into town. It'll have you laughing and smiling the whole way through, which is exactly what we all want from a Christmas movie.
2. Holiday in the Wild
The overall plot of Holiday in the Wild is far from original—a freshly-single woman goes on a solo second honeymoon and finds a potential love interest (in co-star Rob Lowe). What makes it interesting is the way it ties the setting in with the romance story while sprinkling in bits of Christmas cheer.
3. The Knight Before Christmas
While Holiday in the Wild features a pretty basic plot, this movie is completely out of left field. The Knight Before Christmas is about a 14th-century knight who finds himself in modern-day Ohio. Of course, everything is thrown for a loop when he falls in love with a science teacher (played by Vanessa Hudgens).
4. Christmas in the Heartland
For whatever reason, Christmas movies seem to attract the trading places sort of plots. In this one, two women from completely different backgrounds are off to visit grandparents they've never met. As such, they decide to switch places and see how the other lives. It's not original, but it's packed with heartfelt moments and feel-good Christmas cheer.
5. White Christmas
This is one of the few older Christmas movies that's currently streaming on Netflix. And while the streaming platform might lack throwback movies, it certainly managed to get one of the best, because White Christmas is an absolute classic featuring legends like Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney.
6. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
I'm a huge Jim Carrey fan from back in the Ace Ventura days, and while this isn't my favorite movie he's ever been in, it's still one of the more enjoyable Christmas movies you'll find, and Carrey knocks it out of the park in terms of his performance as the beloved and also maligned Grinch.
7. Christmas Inheritance
Do you like the sort of Christmas movie where someone who's focused on one thing needs to learn to find the value of helping others (along the lines of A Christmas Carol)? Christmas Inheritance is sort of like that, but with plenty of modern sensibilities.
8. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is an interesting take on the beloved Nutcracker story. It has an Alice in Wonderland vibe, and it's definitely one of the more out there Christmas movies you'll see. But it's a solid film that's definitely worth watching, especially if you like seeing the classics redone for a new generation.
9. The Christmas Chronicles
This is a Christmas movie starring Kurt Russell as St. Nick! Do I really need to say anymore? Well, just in case you answered yes, the movie sees two and Santa attempting to save Christmas after an unfortunate sleigh mishap. After all, you can't have all those presents go undelivered.
10. The Princess Switch
The Princess Switch is yet another Christmas movie where two people who look remarkably alike decide to trade places and see what happens. It's been done to death, but it's still worthy of your time because it's a well-written and solidly-acted movie.
11. Get Santa
Get Santa is a movie from 2014 where the beloved red-suited present dispenser gets arrested, and a father-son duo needs to come together to save Christmas. Like so many Christmas movies, it's not exactly an original plot, but other than Tim Allen's classic The Santa Clause, it's one of the best films of this type.
12. Christmas With The Kranks
Speaking of Tim Allen, Christmas with the Kranks is a funny movie about a family who decides to skip Christmas. It has a loaded cast featuring the aforementioned Tim Allen, Jaime Lee Curtis, and Dan Aykroyd. It's not as good as The Santa Clause, but sadly, that's not available on Netflix, so this is a perfectly enjoyable stand-in.