20 Holiday Movies to Watch This Christmas and New Year

The best holiday movies to watch this Christmas and New Year include family classics like Home Alone, Elf and The Grinch, romantic picks like The Holiday and Serendipity, and newer titles like Merry Christmas, Red One and Carry-On. The list below mixes comedy, romance, animation and a thriller, with something for most moods.

Holiday films are often set between Christmas and New Year, when families get together and people take time off. Many Indian viewers now watch them on streaming platforms during the winter break. We have refreshed this list for 2026 and added three newer films.

Quick picks by mood

Mood	Watch
Family laughs	Home Alone, Elf, The Grinch
Romance	The Holiday, Serendipity, The Princess Switch
Adult comedy	The Night Before, Office Christmas Party
Thrills	Merry Christmas, Carry-On

Classic family holiday movies

1. Home Alone (1990)

Eight-year-old Kevin, played by Macaulay Culkin, is accidentally left behind when his family flies to Paris for Christmas. He defends the house from two clumsy burglars with homemade traps. Directed by Chris Columbus, it is still the most rewatched holiday film for many families.

Also read10 Best Treasure Hunting Movies of All Time to Watch Now

2. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

This time Kevin boards the wrong flight and lands in New York, where he runs into the same two burglars. The sequel repeats the formula on a bigger scale, with the city’s Christmas sights as a backdrop.

3. Elf (2003)

Will Ferrell plays Buddy, a human raised by elves at the North Pole, who travels to New York to find his real father. Directed by Jon Favreau, it is a gentle comedy that works for children and adults.

4. The Grinch (2018)

This animated film from Illumination retells the Dr Seuss story of a grumpy creature who plans to steal Christmas from the town of Whoville. Benedict Cumberbatch voices the Grinch. It is short and bright, which suits younger children.

5. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

A stop-motion musical produced by Tim Burton and directed by Henry Selick. Jack Skellington, the king of Halloween Town, discovers Christmas and tries to take it over. Its dark look makes it a favourite for both Halloween and Christmas.

6. A Christmas Carol (2009)

Robert Zemeckis’s animated version of the Charles Dickens story stars Jim Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge and the three ghosts. Some scenes are scary, so it suits older children more than toddlers.

Romantic holiday movies

7. The Holiday (2006)

Two women, played by Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet, swap homes in Los Angeles and Surrey for the Christmas break and both find new romance. Jude Law and Jack Black co-star in this Nancy Meyers film.

8. Serendipity (2001)

John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale meet while Christmas shopping in New York and leave their future to fate. Years later, both try to find each other again.

9. A Christmas Prince (2017)

A young journalist goes undercover as a tutor in a European royal palace and falls for the prince she is meant to investigate. This Netflix film was popular enough to get two sequels.

10. The Princess Switch (2018)

Vanessa Hudgens plays both a Chicago baker and a duchess who look alike and swap places before Christmas. The Netflix film was followed by two sequels in 2020 and 2021.

11. The Knight Before Christmas (2019)

Also starring Vanessa Hudgens, this Netflix romance follows a medieval knight who is transported to present-day America and falls for a science teacher.

Comedies for adults

12. A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas (2011)

The stoner comedy pair accidentally burn down a prized Christmas tree and set off across New York to replace it. It is a rude, adults-only comedy.

13. The Night Before (2015)

Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anthony Mackie play three friends who hold one last wild Christmas Eve night out before adult responsibilities take over.

14. Office Christmas Party (2016)

A branch manager throws a huge party to save his office from closure, and things quickly get out of hand. Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman lead the cast.

15. Just Friends (2005)

Ryan Reynolds plays a man who was mocked in school and returns home for Christmas as a successful music executive, hoping to win over his old crush.

16. The Christmas Chronicles (2018)

Two siblings try to catch Santa Claus on camera and end up helping him save Christmas. Kurt Russell plays Santa in this Netflix film, and a sequel with Goldie Hawn followed in 2020.

17. New Year’s Eve (2011)

Garry Marshall’s film links several stories of couples and singles in New York on the last night of the year. It has a large ensemble cast and is a light pick for 31 December.

Newer additions for 2026

18. Merry Christmas (2024)

Sriram Raghavan’s thriller stars Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi. On Christmas Eve in 1980s Bombay, two strangers spend an evening together, until a death turns the night dark. It was made in Hindi and Tamil and premiered on Netflix in March 2024.

19. Red One (2024)

Dwayne Johnson plays the head of North Pole security, who teams up with a hacker played by Chris Evans to rescue a kidnapped Santa Claus. It began streaming on Prime Video in December 2024.

20. Carry-On (2024)

Taron Egerton plays an airport security officer blackmailed into letting a dangerous package onto a Christmas Eve flight. The Netflix thriller became one of the platform’s most watched English-language films, according to Netflix data.

Where to watch in India

Netflix originals on this list, such as The Christmas Chronicles, A Christmas Prince and The Princess Switch, stay on Netflix. Other titles move between platforms because of licensing, so check the apps you subscribe to before you settle in. For more film lists, visit our entertainment section, and for festive ideas see our lifestyle section.

Further reading: Telegram.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: Merry Christmas (Wikipedia), Red One (Wikipedia), Carry-On (Wikipedia).