Already broke from the holidays? There are plenty of free Christmas movies you can stream that will help you get back into the spirit of the season. Whether you’re looking for Hallmark Christmas movies or a particular family favorite like Elf, here’s everything you need to know to watch free Christmas movies this season.
Free Christmas movies 2018: How to watch online
1) Hallmark Movies
No one does Christmas quite like Hallmark. While the channel is already deep into its annual Countdown to Christmas, there are plenty more original holiday films still to be rolled out. In fact, the fun continues until Dec. 29, with the premiere of A Midnight Kiss. There are a number of streaming services that carry the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, but your cheapest option is Philo, which costs just $16 per month (after a seven-day free trial). If you’re looking for a more robust streaming service, you’ll also want to consider FuboTV (previewed above).
2) Freeform
This often-overlooked movie-streaming channel is doing 25 days of Christmas movies, with classics like Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and The Santa Clause (while sneaking in other great movies like The Incredibles and Eight Crazy Nights). You can find the complete Freeform schedule below. Freeform is available on YouTube TV, DirecTV Now, or Hulu with Live TV, but your cheapest option is Sling TV, which carries the channel on both its Sling Orange package ($25 per month) and Sling Orange + Blue ($40 per month). Either way, you’ll start with a seven-day free trial. Sling TV also carries AMC, which is streaming holiday favorites like Elf and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
3) Netflix
Netflix is looking to challenge Hallmark, rolling out a number of original Christmas movies this year, and so far, the results have been impressive (see: A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding). Of course, Netflix also has a strong collection of classic holiday movies, including Love Actually, White Christmas, Bad Santa, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Netflix costs $7.99-$13.99 per month, but new subscribers are eligible for a one-week free trial.
4) Hulu
Hulu’s Christmas movie selection may not be as robust as Netflix’s, but there are a few standards you can count on, including The Nightmare Before Christmas. But if you upgrade to Hulu with Live TV, you’ll get Freeform, Hallmark Channel, and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, not to mention Turner Classic Movies, Lifetime, and more. Hulu with Live TV costs $39.99 per month, but it comes with a free seven-day trial and complimentary access to Hulu’s full catalog of on-demand movies and TV shows. (You can learn more about Hulu with Live TV here.)
5) Amazon Prime
If you’re looking for something specific and have trouble finding it elsewhere on this list, chances are you’ll find it on Amazon Prime. While Amazon Prime comes with a steep upfront commitment (it’s $119 per year), like everything else on this list, it offers a free trial with a valid credit card (details here). Amazon Prime is the exclusive streaming home of It’s a Wonderful Life, and it offers other classics like The Miracle on 34th Street and Night of the Comet.
Christmas movies on Amazon Prime: A complete list for 2018
- A Christmas Wedding Tail
- A Hobo’s Christmas
- A Nanny for Christmas
- A Very Wompkee Christmas
- Arthur’s Perfect Christmas
- Christmas Bunny
- Christmas That Almost Wasn’t
- Holiday Inn
- Let There Be Light
- Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You
- Pete the Cat: A Groovy New Year
- Santa and the Three Bears
- Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
- The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas
- The Dog Who Saved Christmas
- The Dow Who Saved Christmas Vacation
- The Littlest Angel
- The Man Who Invented Christmas
- The Showy Day
- The Tangerine Bear: Home in Time for Christmas!
- We Wish You a Merry Christmas
- Christmas With the Kranks
- Mr. Bean’s Holiday
- The Adventures of Tintin
- Creative Galaxy: Arty’s Holiday Masterpiece
- Pete the Cat: A Very Groovy Christmas
Christmas movies on Amazon: Available to rent or purchase
- A Charlie Brown Christmas
- A Christmas Story (1983)
- Die Hard
- Elf
- Four Christmases
- Home Alone
- Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The Ultimate Edition
- National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
- Polar Express
- The Santa Clause
6) Pluto TV
Last but not least, there’s Pluto TV, the completely free live TV streaming service with more than 100 curated channels. While Pluto TV is definitely a grab bag, there are always some gems if you put the effort into finding it. On Christmas Day, Pluto TV is having a “One Punch Christmas,” which is—you guessed it—an all-day marathon of the hit anime One Punch Man (channel 322) in addition to two different holiday-themed movie marathons, both of which are well-suited for the children in your family. A Betty White Christmas is airing daily on the BUZZR channel from Dec. 17-24, and Pluto TV offers a whole slew of holiday-themed channels: Pluto TV Christmas (channel 80), Holiday Lights (channel 82), and Fireplace (channel 81).
Freeform’s 25 Days of Christmas schedule
All times ET
Thursday, Dec. 20
7am, Pop Up Santa Holiday Special
8:30am, Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas
10am, Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas
11:30am, Life-Size
1:30pm, Life-Size 2: A Christmas Eve
3:30pm, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
5:35pm, Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town
6:40pm, Disney Pixar’s The Incredibles
9:20pm, Ice Age: Continental Drift
11:25pm, Life-Size 2: A Christmas Eve
1:30am, Mickey’s Christmas Carol
Friday, Dec. 21
7am, Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas
8:30am, Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas
10am, The Doc McStuffins Christmas Special (Freeform Premiere)
10:30am, Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too
11am, Mickey’s Christmas Carol
11:30am, Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town
12:30pm, Love the Coopers
3pm, Ice Age: Continental Drift
5:05pm, The Santa Clause
7:10pm, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
9:15pm, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas
11:55pm, No Sleep ’Til Christmas
Saturday, Dec. 22
7am, A Miracle on Christmas Lake
9:40am, The Santa Clause
11:50am, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
1:55pm, Disney Pixar’s Toy Story That Time Forgot
2:25pm, Disney’s Prep & Landing
2:55pm, Disney’s Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice
3:25pm, The Nightmare Before Christmas
5:05pm, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas
7:45pm, The Santa Clause
9:50pm, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
11:55pm, Christmas With the Kranks
Sunday, Dec. 23
7am, The Little Drummer Boy (1968)
7:30am, Beethoven’s Christmas Adventure
9:40am, Richie Rich’s Christmas Wish
11:45am, Disney Pixar’s Toy Story That Time Forgot
12:15pm, Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town
1:20pm, The Nightmare Before Christmas
3pm, Christmas with the Kranks
5:05pm, The Santa Clause
7:10pm, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
9:15pm, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas
11:55pm, Life-Size 2: A Christmas Eve
Monday, Dec. 24
7:30am, Richie Rich’s Christmas Wish
11am, Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas
12:30pm, The Nightmare Before Christmas
2:05pm, Jingle All the Way 2
4:10pm, Disney’s A Christmas Carol
6:15pm, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas
8:55pm, The Santa Clause
12am, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
Tuesday, Dec. 25
7am, Disney’s Prep & Landing
7:30am, Disney’s Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice
8am, Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas
11am, The Nightmare Before Christmas
12:40pm, Disney’s A Christmas Carol
2:40pm, Christmas With the Kranks
4:45pm, The Santa Clause
6:50pm, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
8:55pm, Disney’s The Lion King (1994)
12am, Disney’s The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride
New to cord-cutting? Here are our picks for the best movie streaming sites of 2018 and free live TV apps and channels. If you’re looking for a specific channel, here’s how to watch HBO, Showtime, Starz, Sundance TV, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU, AMC, FX, Fox News, Freeform, MSNBC, CNN, CNBC, FS1, TBS, TNT, Golf Channel, Syfy, HGTV, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, Bravo, Lifetime, Discovery, PBS, the CW, BBC, CSPAN, NBA TV, MTV, Comedy Central, Food Network, TLC, HLN, A&E, Animal Planet, National Geographic, the Weather Channel, the History Channel, and NFL RedZone without cable, as well as free movies on YouTube. If you’re on the move, here’s how to watch Fox Sports Go and live stream NBC Sports.
The Daily Dot may receive a payment in connection with purchases of products or services featured in this article. Click here to learn more.
