Tis’ the season to stay indoors with blankets and vegetate in front of the TV as much as you can. As the festivities start to drive you slightly mad, take an evening off to enjoy some of the best Christmas stories on Netflix. I’m not going to lie, the Christmas cheer is pretty thin on Netflix so we thought we’d throw some Amazon Prime suggestions in their too.
NETFLIX
Miracle on 34th Street
A proper staple of Christmas, with the story of a young girl and a lawyer having to prove that a man claiming to be Santa is the real deal. Already streaming on Netflix, the 90s classic It’s such a classic that it should be top of your watch list for the run up to the big day.
The Night Before Christmas
This stoner-comedy from Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a Christmas Hangover-style romp through a final night-out blowout before they call it quits on a 15-year tradition. Break up the classics with this easy watching film.
Black Mirror: White Christmas
Black Mirror’s new season drops on December 29th, but their Christmas special stands out as a truly edgy festive story. Bringing together a three-story strand and an ending that makes you want to rewatch again and again, Jon Hamm fronts one of the best outings for the series and might even make you think twice about some of those tech presents under your tree.
Love Actually
There’s no way you can get through December without seeing Love Actually at least once. Coming on December 14th, you’ll be able to relive the classic while being the shoulder to cry on through the final few scenes without sitting through the ads.
AMAZON PRIME
The Holiday
Love Actually’s slightly younger sister, The Holiday has become a Christmas classic in itself. With a different take on the classic love story, along with some stellar performances, it’s another ITV2 classic that you can watch without the ads.
Elf
Will Ferrell and Christmas were a match made in heaven, and so Elf is a staple for your December watchlist. The story of an orphan baby brought up in the land of Santa, Ferrell brings a new take on the Christmas story for everyone. Plus, it’s just downright funny!
Nativity
A positively British film starring anyone and everyone with a nice Hollywood twist. If you haven’t seen Martin Freeman portray a primary school teacher tasked with directing the nativity, it’s well worth a watch. The sequels are all available too, but the original (like so many others) is the best!
It’s A Wonderful Life
Black & white movies are the best, and no amount of CGI or action can make up for a classic like this. Possibly the original Christmas film – even other films have It’s A Wonderful Life playing in it! It’s a proper sofa-cuddle film in which a man is thinking of ending it all at Christmas. He then sees the life that might have been without him while angels try to convince him his life is worth living. Will he see the same?
Well, that’s our top pick of Christmas films available on both Netflix & Amazon Prime. But it’s not a Christmas film unless you’re tucked up in a festive onesie, eating your body weight in cheese and sat next to your decorative tree so make sure you’re going all out when watching your favourite festive films.
