Christmas movies have been popular for decades, and it's unlikely that this will change anytime soon. They usually have the power to make the audience feel good because they show the better side of Christmas. Even if bad things happen to the heroes, it's more than possible they will figure it out in the end and everything will be fine.
That's just the right part of Christmas cheer and hope so many people need. HBO realizes this well and includes multiple Christmas movies that the subscribers can stream. From old Christmas classics to newer pieces, the best Christmas movies on HBO have a lot to offer to everyone.
Updated on December 20, 2022, by Layann Basileh: HBO Max has been steadily growing its streaming library, and over the past year has gotten a hold of several Christmas classics. As well as quite a few holiday titles that aren’t the most memorable but are certainly still entertaining and can be just the thing to stream when viewers want something playing in the background that offers a bit of Christmas cheer without requiring too much attention. The streaming platform did unfortunately have to give up a few of its former festive films in the process. With that in mind, here are the best Christmas movies currently streaming on HBO Max.
11 A Christmas Carol (1938)
Other than watching new movies, it's always a good idea to check out some genuine classics during Christmas. Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol is a popular tale that has been filmed multiple times over the decades.
Some of the adaptations are truly scary while others are family-friendly pieces. The 1938 version fits in the second category. It closely follows Dickens' book and Reginald Owen gives an excellent performance as Scrooge.
10 Miracle On 34th Street (1947)
Believing in Santa Claus is something that comes naturally to children but not so much to their parents. Edmund Gwenn plays a man named Kris Kringle who claims to be Santa Claus. A little girl Susan (Natalie Wood) believes him but her tired mom Doris (Maureen O'Hara) doesn't.
The movie will keep the audience invested from start to the finish since they want to know whether Kris speaks the truth or not. The main actors all give excellent performances. As a result, the heart-warming movie will make even adult viewers recall what they once loved about Christmas when they were children.
9 Gremlins (1984)
While not a typical Christmas movie, Gremlins still takes place during the holidays and it has a lot of charm. A young guy gets a Gremlin but soon breaks the rules about how to take care of it. As a result, a lot more Gremlins overtake his city.
Joe Dante directed a lot of horror movies, and this horror-comedy is one of his best. It's both scary and funny at times and has some unforgettable moments, such as when the Gremlins invade a local movie theater and watch the classic Disney piece Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs from 1937.
8 Jack Frost (1998)
Jack Frost works with an unusual premise but it still makes it work, transforming it into a feel-good movie. Michael Keaton plays a man who dies during a car accident and later returns to his family in the form of a snowman.
The movie points out that it's important to spend time with family and loved ones while it's still possible. It's both touching and funny. Michael Keaton gives an excellent performance even as a snowman. Anyone who wants to see an extraordinary Christmas movie should give this one a chance.
7 Elf (2003)
Will Ferrell is known for his comedic roles, and this is one of his best ones. Ferrell stars as Buddy, who's human but was raised by elves in the North Pole. His whole life changes when he travels to New York to find his real dad who leads a perfectly ordinary human life.
The movie uses the conflict between two different societies and lifestyles. Even though poor Buddy doesn't have it easy at times, Elf still ends up being a feel-good movie that shows it's possible to overcome differences if people put their minds to it.
6 The Polar Express (2004)
The Polar Express manages to create a unique atmosphere. The main hero, a young boy, no longer believes in Santa Claus but one night before Christmas, he hops on a train leading to the North Pole.
The movie sends out the message that it's important not to forget the inner child each person has inside. At the same time, it contains a lot of touching and even action-filled scenes, such as when the train rushes forward, seemingly out of control. The movie is ideal for both parents and their children thanks to its topic.
5 Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas
No holiday season is complete without viewing this Christmas classic. Although some may object to the adaption’s deviations from its source material, no one can deny that the film features some of the most elaborate costumes and set designs in the history of holiday media. Its iconic Whoville set stood for twenty years in Universal Studios Hollywood, before finally meeting its demise during the coronavirus pandemic.
For a film about someone who hates Christmas, Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas is brimming with Christmas music, decorations, and the holiday’s signature yuletide spirit.
4 National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
The Griswold family doesn’t venture far from home in their third feature film but their trademark comical chaos still manages to find them. Viewers will have to wait until the kids have been tucked into bed before streaming the raunchy comedy, as the holiday merriment hasn’t waned family patriarch Clark Griswold’s wandering eye nor the franchise’s penchant for physical (and occasionally lethal) comedy.
Christmas Vacation may not be the most wholesome of holiday tales but it recounts the all too relatable madness that is family gatherings. And it reminds us that those same people driving us crazy, are the ones who make Christmas the special day that it is.
3 A Christmas Story Trilogy
Whether viewers have grown up with A Christmas Story, both desiring to rewatch their favorite holiday film and invested in witnessing what life has in store for Ralphie Parker in A Christmas Story Christmas or newcomers to the Parker family’s holiday hijinks, HBO Max boasts all three of the Parker Family Saga’s Christmas installments.
The three films chronicle Ralphie Parker’s life from snowy childhood days spent wishing to unwrap an air rifle on Christmas morning, to raising his own family and coping with his father’s sudden death right before Christmas.
2 Fred Claus
Paul Giamatti and Vince Vaughn headline this Christmas comedy as Nick Claus, and his far less famous older brother, Fred Claus. In contrast to his magnanimous sibling, Fred works as a repossession agent and is even arrested for masquerading as a Salvation Army Santa Claus. In exchange for bail money, Fred reluctantly agrees to work at the North Pole for Nick until his debt is repaid.
Fred’s presence initially seems a detriment to the North Pole’s operations, an interruption noted by efficiency expert Clyde Northcutt who’s oddly invested in Santa’s downfall, but Fred soon begins to reconsider his relationship with his brother and questions if people can really be simplified as “naughty or nice”.
1 Unaccompanied Minors
If viewers have ever dreamed about letting all their inhibitions go, or have some children they need to keep entertained, Unaccompanied Minors is the perfect lighthearted movie to queue up. The plot follows five mischievous preteens who ditch security for a romp around Hoover International Airport after a blizzard grounds their flights.
Unaccompanied Minors can’t be called an indisputable holiday classic but it’s a fun, endearing film that indulges the childhood fantasy of being able to truly run amok in a place dictated by rules and regulations yet full of possibility.