The holiday season is hurtling towards us, and already, streaming services are getting ready. Netflix’s Christmas and holiday content is on full display, and upcoming releases are being teased as well. There are some new specials and old classics to keep an eye on this year.
The holiday season is a great time for movies, as the whole family is typically inside, holed up against the cold and enjoying some much-deserved time off. These days, families can turn to platforms like Netflix to pick their holiday favorites, rather than catching the usual TV edits of Christmas movies when they air.
Netflix has not been shy about capitalizing on the demand for holiday material — particularly Christmas. In the last few years, the streaming service has given us big-budget Santa Claus movies, heart-warming family stories and even cheerful holiday rom-coms.
This year is no different, and seasonal fanatics will love what Netflix has coming. The service has more movies than ever on the way, including some drawn from the holiday experts at Lifetime and Hallmark.
Here is a look at what will be in the queue for the holidays this year.
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Netflix already got a jump-start on the season with Holiday in the Wild, which premiered on Friday. The movie stars Kristin Davis of Sex an 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.
Holiday in the Wild is streaming now.
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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.
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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.
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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.
The movie premieres on Nov. 21 on Netflix.
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.
Holiday Rush premieres on Nov. 28 on Netflix.
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It may not be a movie, but Merry Happy Whatever will be an interesting watch this Christmas season. The new series features eight episodes of about 30 minutes each, telling the story of a crazy family getting ready for the holidays. According to a report by Deadline, the show may end up being an anthology series, with future seasons exploring other holidays besides Christmas.
Merry Happy Whatever premieres on Nov. 28 on Netflix.
Another year, another installment of A Christmas Prince. This year, Queen Amber and King Richard prepare for the birth of their first child, which, coincidentally falls right around Christmas. The movie promises personal growth, political intrigue and holiday cheer, in spite of everything.
It premieres on Dec. 5 on Netflix.
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That’s it for the new movies coming to Netflix this holiday season, leaving plenty of time to revisit old classics on Netflix as well. This year, do not skip How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the live-action remake starring Jim Carey. As strange as this pick may seem, it actually seems to get better with age — prosthetics, green fur and all. The movie is available to stream now.
Many viewers will undoubtedly be revisiting last year’s 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. This is the year to decide whether this new entry fits into your family traditions or not.
Finally, it may not be a movie, but now is a good time to watch every Christmas episode of Friends before it leaves Netflix. The streaming service is losing Friends starting in the New Year, as NBC and its parent company call the sitcom back for their own streaming services. Friends will be available on HBO Max in May, and likely on the NBC streaming service Peacock as well. Until then, enjoy one last year of Christmas with Monica, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe, Rachel and Ross on Netflix.
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