In addition to the Top 10 Holiday Movies, we have info on why these titles top the holiday comfort films list, what’s the European favorite, and the most popular new Christmas movies of 2025. 

As families gather for celebration, cheer, and tradition, many Americans are also returning to their most beloved holiday comfort films. Sitting around, sipping coco (or something stronger) while wrapping presents or snuggling with loved ones has become a happy holiday tradition.

Based on data collected by our friends a JustWatch, demand across the last three holiday periods (2022–2024), shows a clear trend has emerged: nostalgic, family-friendly titles dominate at home holiday movie watching habits, while a few modern mysteries and musicals have carved out a surprising place in the rotation.

This year’s Top 10 Holiday Movies list shows that audiences continue to seek out humor, warmth, and nostalgia—proving that the holiday spirit extends well beyond the dinner table.

The list includes all the classics that first come to mind. Feel free to let us know in the comments section how many you’ve seen, what you think should be added, and what’s your #1 pick:

Top 10 Holiday Movies

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Why These Titles Top the List of Holiday Comfort Films

Elf (2003): Elf has cemented itself as the definitive modern Christmas comedy. Its mix of heart, slapstick humor, and Will Ferrell’s universally appealing performance makes it a multi-generational favorite. Its frequent availability on major streaming platforms keeps it top-of-mind and highly watchable.

Die Hard (1988): Whether or not it’s “officially” a Christmas movie, Die Hard has become an unshakeable part of the holiday canon. Its placement reflects the strong annual appetite for alternative Christmas viewing— especially action audiences looking for something festive but not sentimental.

Home Alone (1990): A staple of holiday nostalgia, Home Alone benefits from millennial childhood familiarity and constant seasonal rediscovery from younger audiences. Its simple, high-energy premise and strong rewatch value keep it consistently popular on streaming.

A few more insights:

Romance is Key: The inclusion of romantic comedies Love Actually (#8) and The Holiday (#9) shows a strong concurrent demand for romantic, feel-good cinema during the holiday period.

Single Golden Age Classic: Only one film from the Golden Age of Hollywood, It’s aWonderful Life (#10), makes the list, showing that while respected, its streaming performance is outpaced by newer, more widely available classics.

Modern Classics Dominate: The list is heavily skewed toward movies released between the 1980s and early 2000s, suggesting that millennial and Gen X nostalgia for “modern classics” like Elf (#1), Home Alone (#3),  National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (#5) and A Christmas Story is the primary driver of rewatches.

It’s also interesting to see which movies are most popular Christmas movies in Europe and Canada. Check out this chart:

2025’s Most Popular New Christmas Movies

There are a lot of new Christmas films every year on the major streamers. Here’s a list of the most popular 2025 Christmas films so far, based on U.S. streaming popularity on JustWatch—which does not include Hallmark or Lifetime (they are cable networks, not streamers).

Jingle Bell Heist (Netflix) – A festive caper that blends holiday cheer with high-stakes adventure.

Oh. What. Fun (Prime Video) – A comedy-driven crowd-pleaser capturing the chaos and joy of the season.

A Merry Little Ex-Mas (Netflix) – A heartfelt romantic dramedy about love, second chances, and holiday magic.

A Very Jonas Christmas (Disney+) – A star-powered seasonal spectacle featuring music, family, and festive charm.

Just in case you were wondering about how JustWatch came up with these numbers, here’s a little information on the methodology:

Insights are based on the streaming and cinema clickout behavior of millions of JustWatch users. Rankings are powered by the JustWatch proprietary streaming popularity score, which combines key engagement signals—including Clickouts, Trailer Views, Watchlist Adds, Likelist Adds, Page Views, and Total Interactions—across all title types.

Three distinct rankings were produced:

Most Rewatched US

This ranking highlights the Christmas titles that saw the largest holiday-season rewatch spikes among U.S. users. JustWatch analyzed engagement from December 20 to January 2 across three consecutive seasons (2022, 2023, and 2024), comparing each title’s holiday activity to its normal baseline.

Most Rewatched International

Using the same methodology, this ranking captures rewatch behavior across seven major markets: US, UK, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, and Spain. Engagement spikes were measured during the December 20 –January 2 holiday window over the same three-year period.

Most popular new Christmas movies of 2025 

This ranking identifies the top-performing Christmas movies released in 2025 based on streaming popularity throughout the year. JustWatch analyzed interactions from January 1 to December 2, 2025. The analysis window ends on December 2 to reflect the dataset collected on December 3, 2025.

In addition to the Top 10 Holiday Movies, we have info on why these titles top the holiday comfort films list, what’s the European favorite, and the most popular new Christmas movies of 2025.