Holiday Movies and Shows to Watch with Kids

When there’s tinsel everywhere, the smell of gingerbread in the air, and the wisps of leftover wrapping paper hanging around, you know it’s that time of year: Time to start planning the annual holiday movie marathon.

FYI, I’m just basing the little kids vs bigger kids’ choices on the rating. Every kid is different! These are my choices for the best Christmas movies for kids to watch with the whole family in 2022. You can also check out my ultimate Christmas movie list here!

These are all streaming on platforms like Youtube, Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+.

I will say that Spirited with Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds and A Christmas Story Christmas with Ralphie all grown up are being released later this week, so stay tuned for those!

For Little Kids – 5 and Under

Frosty the Snowman

I owned this as a kid and looked forward to it being on TV, so nostalgic!

A Charlie Brown Christmas

It’s obviously a classic!

The Snowy Day

If you are a fan of the book, this show is great and Boys 2 Men are the soundtrack.

A Trash Truck Christmas

We watched this last year and Rowan just loved it!

If you Give a Mouse a Cookie Christmas Special

If it’s holiday time in Mouse’s house, then that means Christmas cookies (including a special one for Santa, of course, duh), caroling . . . and one nearly-destroyed holiday pageant.

Bluey – Veranda Santa Episode

Besides that Bluey is one of the best cartoons, (actually legit funny), and their Christmas episode is fantastic.

Stickman

Based on the book and by the same writer as the Gruffalo– 30 minutes!

For Bigger Kids – 6 and Up

Klaus

We love this movie, might be a bit too old for Rowan, but definitely, older kids will like it. A gorgeous animated feature about a postal worker who befriends a lonely toymaker.

Home Alone

A classic, enough said.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

We actually recently watched this one with Rowan, she was glued to it the whole time haha but another classic.

The Grinch

The other versions are great, but the new animated one from 2018 was really good! We watched it last year.

Arthur Christmas

Also another great film, we watched last year and it’s pretty good! This version of the North Pole uses a highly trained team of elves to take care of Christmas business, but when one gift is left behind it’s up to Santa’s hapless son, Arthur, to make sure no kid goes without a present.

Elf

OK, I couldn’t leave this one out, I guess it’s a classic now, which makes me feel so old saying that.

Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas

For their holiday adventure, they have to save the smallest sheep from accidentally becoming a Christmas present. It’s only 30 minutes, so it’s good for the littlest ones on your list.

Robin Robin

Nominated for an Oscar short last year, this cute 30-minute film follows a bird who was raised by mice and believes she’s more of a mouse than she is, which gets her in trouble on a winter day.

A Boy Called Christmas

Based on the best-selling novel by Matt Haig, this starts off before Santa Claus even exists. I thought it was pretty good, suggest it for the older kids though.

The Polar Express

The North Pole has never looked so beautiful!

The Santa Claus

This movie, about a divorced dad who unexpectedly has to become the next Santa, is great for those with questions about the inner workings of the North Pole.

A Christmas Story

A Christmas Story is simultaneously very nostalgic and completely unromantic about the holidays.

The Preacher’s Wife

A neglected preacher’s wife gets spiritual guidance from the most charming guardian angel of all time.