30 Best Family Christmas Movies (Rated by Parents)

This movie may be old, but it's the true definition of a classic that endures. A singing and dancing duo of friends performs with (and ends up falling in love with) a sister act, and the pairs go on to save a Vermont inn of a former friend in this jolly family Christmas movie.

Kelly R. said:  Santa's clumsy son, Arthur, is on an urgent mission to deliver a misplaced present before Christmas morning. A funny and heartwarming Christmas movie for kids with a great cast!

Watch on Prime Video

Carly Follett said:  A young girl finds an injured reindeer in the forest near her house and is convinced it is one of Santa's magical reindeer, Prancer. She secretly nurses the reindeer back to health on her family farm in hopes to return him to Santa on Christmas Eve in order save Christmas. If you're searching for new family favorite Christmas movies for kids, this is definitely a must!!

Chrissy OGorman said:  A discarded magic top hat brings to life the snowman that a group of children made. The owner of the hat, a magician, wants it back. Outside temperatures start to rise and Frosty will melt or no longer be a jolly soul if the kids cannot get him to colder weather.

Chrissy OGorman said:  This Christmas classic is based on the song "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town." If your children ever ask you questions around Christmas: "Why does Santa wear red?" Why does he use the chimney?" "Why would he live at the North Pole?", this fun film will answer all those questions for your child!

Vanessa M. said:  This hilarious Christmas movie for the family is fun to watch together and celebrate the special tradition of sharing the holidays with family and friends. When Luther and Nora Krank decide to skip Christmas and take an expensive cruise instead, there is an outcry in their tightly-knit neighborhood. Their grown daughter announces she is coming home for Christmas...with a new fiance! Can the neighbors help pull a special Christmas together in time?

Kelly R. said:  Follow the elves who work in Santa's elite Prep and Landing unit. Smart dialogue and great animation make this a hit with my whole family. There are 3 short Christmas specials for kids in this Disney series, and they're perfect for when we don't have time to watch a full-length Christmas movie.

Watch on Disney+

Kelly R. said:  One of my family's favorite new Christmas movies for kids, Jingle Jangle is filled with the wonder, spirit and excess of Christmas without being explicitly about the holiday. Told with fantastic Broadway-style dancing and musical numbers, the story is about a brilliant toymaker who gives up on his passion when he is betrayed by his assistant, but the magic sparks again years later when his granddaughter comes for a visit. It's also a beautifully diverse movie.

Watch on Netflix

Kelly R. said:  Santa's son gets cold feet and leaves town when it's his turn to take over the job, and it's up to Santa's daughter to track down her brother and save Christmas. It's totally cheesy at times, filled with Christmas puns and leans in hard to the holiday spirit, but that innocent fun is part of what makes it a perfect family Christmas movie to watch together.

Watch on Disney+

Erin P. said:  Curious George has a tough time figuring out what to get the man in the Yellow Hat for Christmas. This story shares some good lessons on the importance of getting to spend time together and helping each other at Christmas-time.

Chrissy OGorman said:  Your kids may think Santa is just a big jolly man who gives out toys each year. But what about the meaning behind Santa? St. Nick may be hard to explain to preschoolers, but this VeggieTales story does this effortlessly. The group of veggie friends travel to Greece to learn about St. Nick after one of their friends' dads may have no money for presents this year.

Jasmin Sierra said:  I always loved this movie as a child. It seemed to encourage to not lose belief in something even if it might seem childish to others.

Kelly R. said:  A boy goes on a quest to get himself a wildly popular Nintendo system for Christmas in 1980s Chicago. It feels very much like A Christmas Story for children of the 80s, so make sure to watch this one along with your kids. The 80s nostalgia was fun for the adults, and the goofy comedy had us all laughing. Aside from some salty language and an unnecessarily suggestive part (hey, would it really feel like the 80s without those?), we found it to be appropriate and totally fun.

Watch on HBO Max

Michael Farina said:  From Jim Henson's studio, I remember watching this heartwarming story about a mother and son otter who brighten their days with singing. The story is touching, the music is good, and the puppetry is amazing.

Watch on Amazon Prime

Kelly R. said:  This hilarious musical inspired by A Christmas Carol was an instant favorite Christmas movie for my family. There's some iffy stuff in here, so we previewed it first before sharing it with our tween and almost-teen, who both love it as much as we do. All of the usual Christmas movies in our annual rotation are basically on pause while we rewatch this again and again!

Watch on Apple TV