The holidays are here again, and as always Netflix has a growing catalog of movies and shows to help your family celebrate. The streamer has steered into the Christmas spirit hard over the last few years with instant classics and guilty pleasures – not to mention licensed content. Read on for some of this year’s best holiday offerings on Netflix.
Whether you’re looking for your family’s new favorite holiday feature or a seasonal melodrama to watch on your own, Netflix is probably your best bet. Although there are other streamers established on the market now, Netflix is still the most ubiquitous for most people, and it serves the broadest audience. It’s no wonder, then, that the streamer has found huge success with holiday movies and specials. Some have even grown in popularity quickly enough to be called classics in a genre that typically favors older productions.
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The drawback, of course, is that the Netflix catalog shifts constantly and even some Netflix original films have been dropped from time to time. Here, you’ll find the streamer’s best offering for December of 2023. Read on for a look at what will be in the queue for the holidays this year.
‘Holiday in the Wild’
Holiday in the Wild stars Kristin Davis of Sex and the City and Rob Lowe of Parks and Rec. The two team up to try and rescue a baby elephant, working out the differences in their personalities along the way.
‘Let It Snow’
Netflix’s next big seasonal push comes this Friday with Let It Snow. The movie follows high school students coming together with community spirit when their town is buried in a snowstorm on Christmas Eve. It has a strong ensemble cast made of up-and-coming actors, with established stars like Joan Cusack and Kiernan Shipka thrown in for good measure.
‘Klaus’
Next week, Netflix is adding a new animated holiday feature titled simply Klaus. The movie stars Joan Cusack once again, along with the voices of J.K. Simmons, Rashida Jones, Jason Schwarzman and others. The movie is a simple, sweet tale about a postal worker who teams up with a toy maker to fulfill children’s holiday wishes, giving rise to the myth of Santa.
‘The Knight Before Christmas’
It is no surprise that Netflix is bring Vanessa Hudgens back after her success this time last year with The Princess Switch. This time around, she stars in a holiday-themed romantic fantasy called The Knight Before Christmas. She plays a scientist whisked away by a time-travelling knight, exploring the timeless nature of the Christmas spirit.
‘Holiday Rush’
Holiday Rush explores the pressure on parents in the holiday season when a radio DJ loses his job just before Christmas. He scrambles to fulfill the wishes on his kids’ Christmas lists.
‘Merry Happy Whatever’
It may not be a movie, but Merry Happy Whatever makes for an interesting watch during the Christmas season. The series features eight episodes of about 30 minutes each, telling the story of a crazy family getting ready for the holidays. It premiered in 2019, and while there were rumors of more seasons to come, the series ended there. It still stands on its own as a fun watch.
The ‘A Christmas Prince’ Series
Netflix had such a hit with A Christmas Prince in 2017 that the company expanded the story into a trilogy. Since it was completed in 2019, you can binge-watch the whole saga any time.
‘The Christmas Chronicles’
Many viewers will undoubtedly be revisiting the recent hit The Christmas Chronicles sometime between now and Dec. 25. The movie stars Kurt Russell as Santa Claus, and may be Netflix’s biggest blockbuster Christmas movie ever. As new as it is, you’ll need to decide for yourself whether it fits into your family traditions or not.
