We all have our favorite holiday classics and must-watch Christmas movies, but what do you do if you've already binge-watched all your favs? After all, we didn't have quite as many holiday parties and seasonal events to take up our time this year, which meant there was a lot of time to watch your go-to Christmas movies. So if you're looking for something new to watch, we've put together nine of the best new Christmas movies and holiday specials you can stream right now.
1. Alien Xmas
Director: Stephen Chiodo
Writers: Kealan O’Rourke, Dan Clark, Noah Kloor
Cast: Keythe Farley, Dee Bradley Baker, Kaliayh Rhambo, Michelle Deco, Barbara Goodson, Jessica Gee-George
A kids’ Christmas movie from the filmmakers of Killer Klowns from Outerspace? Say no more, I’m in. Adapting from the 2014 book of the same name, co-written by director Stephen Chiodo, the Chiodo brothers put their stop-motion sorcery to work in a sub-hour Christmas special that updates the charms of the classic Rankin & Bass stop-motion Christmas specials for a new generation. With powerhouse producers like John Favreau and Karen Gilchrist on board, Netflix’s Alien Xmas had all the right WTF factors to ensure I tuned in as soon as it was available, and happy to report, it’s a charming Christmas treat that’s a bit thin, but thanks to the 40-minute runtime, never stretches its charms beyond their payoff.
Imagine The Grinch, except its little kleptomaniac aliens coming to steal your Christmas spirit and you’ve pretty much got the gist of it. If you’re not familiar, the Chiodo Bros are some of the most spectacular stop-motion craftsmen in the biz, having provided the enduringly disturbing puppets for Team America: World Police and the North Pole segments of Elf, and in keeping, Alien Xmas features some pretty stunning animation.
2. Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square
Director: Debbie Allen
Writers: Dolly Parton and Maria S. Schlatter
Cast: Dolly Parton, Christine Baranski, Josh Segarra, Jenifer Lewis, Jeanine Mason, Mary Lane Haskell, Treat Williams, Selah Kimbro Jones
Do ya want to spend Christmas with Dolly Parton? Yeah, of course you do. It’s not that Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square is a good movie. It’s definitely not. But it knows that and it’s okay with it, and so am I because that’s not what either of us showed up for. There are, however, two very good reasons to show up for this one. Obviously, Dolly, who’s singing all original songs she wrote for the film. They’re not her best work, but when Dolly sings, I listen. Second is the wonderful Christine Baranski, who makes a meal of every line delivery as a Scrooge-y owner of a small town that learns to embrace the Christmas spirit with some help from a Dolly Parton angel. It’s all very campy, a Christmas pageant with a Netflix budget – and yes, it’s all very Godly, but when the message of faith and kindness comes from a bonafide samaritan and a track record of good deeds as long as Dolly Parton’s, you know its earnest. And that’s the real trick to Christmas on the Square, it’s such a product of genuine Good Will Towards Men, overflowing with Parton’s pure spirit (and some squee-worthy sequined angel-wear, while we’re at it) that you can’t help but feel a little cheerier when it’s over.
3. Euphoria Special Episode Part 1: Rue
Director/Writer: Sam Levinson
Cast: Zendaya, Coleman Domingo, Hunter Schafer
Don't come to Euphoria looking for a traditional Christmas special. The first part of two inter-season specials for HBO's provocative breakout hit, Euphoria Special Episode Part 1: Rue ditches much of the glittering fashion, fast-talking teenagers, and graphic sexuality that became the stylistic hallmark of the first season in favor of a slower, subtler installment that settles in with Rue after her finale relapse. Set almost entirely in a dingy diner booth, the episode sees Rue have a long, deep chat with Ali (Coleman Domingo) about life, death, addiction, love, and maybe even a bit of hope. It's emotional, understated, and a phenomenal showcase for both actors that probably isn't the feel-good Christmas special you're used to, but might just be the seasonally-themed bit of therapy we could all end after this traumatic year.
4. Godmothered
Director: Sharon Maguire
Writers: Kari Granlund and Melissa Stack
Cast: Jillian Bell, Isla Fisher, June Squibb, Sonia Manzano
Godmothered isn't really a straight-up Christmas movie, it's more like the Disney version of Die Hard, solely in the sense that it's a classic Disney yarn that just so happens to be set during the holidays. Directed by Bridget Jones' Diary helmer Sharon Maguire, the fairytale comedy stars Jillian Bell as an undertrained and overambitious Godmother-in-training who decides to track down a young girl with an unanswered wish and discovers the girl is now a full-grown woman (Isla Fisher) who doesn't have much time to believe in wishes at all. Bell and Fisher make every bit the charming duo you'd expect, and with every bit of the set adorned with trimmed trees, silver bells, and glittering lights, Godmothered is a delightful Enchanted-esque riff on the traditional Disney fairytale with an added dose of Christmas spirit.
5. Happiest Season
Director: Clea DuVall
Writers: Clea DuVall and Mary Holland
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Aubrey Plaza, Dan Levy, Alison Brie, Mary Holland, Victor Garber, Mary Steenburgen
Fair warning, Happiest Season is a bit heavier and a lot more emotional than a lot of folks were expecting when they hit play, but that’s part of what makes Clea DuVall’s Christmas dramedy worth watching. Kristen Stewart stars as Abby, a gay woman who wants to propose to her girlfriend Harper (Mackenzie Davis) at her family’s big Christmas gathering. There’s just one problem – Harper’s family doesn’t know she’s gay, leading to a classic rom-com set-up of farcical false identities and secret trysts. Except they play a bit different here, because Happiest Season marks a long-overdue chapter in queer representation as the first gay Christmas rom-com.
That meant that Happiest Season had a lot of weight on its shoulders that your average holiday romp doesn’t have to carry, and the conversations the film sparked only proved how hungry people are for that representation. (And the film’s conspicuous absence in Hulu’s presentation at the 2020 Disney Investor Day, despite the fact that it reportedly shattered Hulu’s viewership records for Hulu originals, only shows have far we still have left to go.) But whether you're Team Harper or Team Riley (Aubrey Plaza in a film-stealing supporting role), Happiest Season is a heartfelt romantic dramedy with a fantastic comedic cast. Now I just need a spinoff sequel that’s all about Mary Holland and Dan Levy’s characters being the best. – Haleigh Foutch
6. Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
Director/Writer: David E. Talbert
Cast: Forest Whitaker, Anika Noni Rose, Keegan-Michael Key, Phylicia Rashad, Hugh Bonneville, Madalen Mills, Ricky Martin, Justin Cornwell, Sharon Rose
In this year’s lineup of new Netflix Christmas movies, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey easily comes out on top of the pack. Starring the great Forest Whitaker as Jeronicus Jangle, a famed toymaker reeling from heartbreak after an apprentice (Keegan-Michael Key) stole his most prized design, the film follows Jeronicus on his journey back to the joy of creation after his grandaughter (Madale Mills) shows up and turns his life back around. This movie is just stuffed with cheer, stacking musical sequences on animated scenes on vibrant set and costume design that makes for a buzzing, kaleidoscopic celebration of festivity, innovation, and family.
7. Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special
Directors: Roman Coppola and Hamish Hamilton
Writer: Caroline Fox
Cast: Mariah Carey, Tiffany Hadish, Billy Eichner
Mariah Carey has long been a legendary pop star/diva/pop culture icon, but over the last decade or so, she's also become a bonafide Queen of Christmas thanks to the enduring success of her 1994 holiday banger "All I Want for Christmas Is You", which found new life in the beloved holiday movie Love, Actually and again in several beloved holiday memes. Carey's always been game to embrace her role as the most luminous angel atop our collective Christmas trees, especially in recent years, and she goes all-in with her musical special Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special on Apple TV+. It's every bit as glittering, over-the-top, and downright dazzling as you could hope for from Miss Mariah, especially the fabulously festive costumes and fantasy land production design.
8. The Christmas Chronicles 2
Director: Chris Columbus
Writers: Matt Lieberman and Chris Columbus
Cast: Kurt Russell, Goldie Hawn, Julian Dennison, Darby Camp, Jahzir, Bruno, Tyrese Gibson, Sunny Suljic, Darlene Love, Judah Lewis
Are you ready for more Hot Santa? Kurt Russell’s surprisingly sexy St. Nick is back in The Christmas Chronicles 2, and this time, he brought along Goldie Hawn as a similarly smokin’ Mrs. Clause. It’s always nice to see America’s mom and dad thriving, and while the sequel to Netflix’s 2018 Christmas hit doesn’t quite recapture the charm of the original, the Chris Columbus-helmed followup packs a whole lot of cheer into its romp through the North Pole. Of course, Russell and Hawn are a reliable delight, but there’s also a lot of fun to be had with Hunt for the Wilderpeople breakout Julian Dennison, who channels his signature sense of humor as an angsty elf determined to end Christmas for good. Like most of Netflix’s Christmas content, you know what you’re gonna get with The Christmas Chronicles 2, and while it may not be a new Christmas classic (when was the last time we got one of those?), its a solid pick if you’re looking for something to watch with the whole family.
9. The Princess Switch: Switched Again
Director: Mike Rohl
Writers: Robin Bernheim and Megan Metzger
Cast: Vanessa Hudgens (and Vanessa Hudgens and Vanessa Hudgens), Sam Paladio, Nick Sagar, Mark Fleischmann, Suanne Braun
If you saw Netflix’s deliciously breezy and confidently silly Christmas Comedy confection The Princess Switch, you pretty much know what to expect from the sequel. Mistaken identities! Romance! Hijinks! Because, as the title tells you, they’re Switched Again. This time, however, star Vanessa Hudgens is doing triple duty, with the introduction of a swanky, sneaky royal cousin who sets her sights on the throne via a, you guessed it, identity swap. Switched Again is twice as silly as the original (and yes, that is saying something) and not quite as endearing, but it’s Christmas comfort food that absolutely delivers on the empty-calories appeal of what it’s selling. Netflix has pretty much cornered the market on better-than-average-but-still-very-dumb holiday romances since 2017’s A Christmas Prince because they give the people what they want. And there’s no shame in wanting a little extra cheese during the holiday season.