The best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime Video right now

You will likely be spending a lot of time on Amazon during the holidays anyway, so why not find some holiday films to watch on Prime Video as you browse which air fryer would be the best gift for the family member moving into a new apartment?

While the service isn't teeming with holiday classics in the traditional sense, it does offer some out-of-the-box choices for your viewing pleasure, all starring familiar faces in the world of TV Christmas movies, and film in general.

Here are some of the best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime Video we recommend to watch this winter that will help get you in the holiday spirit.

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

Anytime is a good time to watch what many consider one of the quintessential classic films, Christmas or otherwise. The Frank Capra-directed tearjerker tells the story of a man ready to end his life — before a higher power intervenes to show him the devastating impact his loss would have on those who love him. The movie will also have you thinking differently about any time you hear jingle bells.

Where to watch It's a Wonderful Life: Amazon Prime Video

Cast: Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore

The Bishop's Wife (1947)

While it doesn't have the iconic soundtrack of its remake, 1996's The Preacher's Wife, this classic film makes perfect use of its charming star Cary Grant who plays a literal angel sent down from heaven to help a bishop fix his life and his marriage. The only problem is, the titular wife may be more interested in moving on with the angel than with her mortal spouse.

Where to watch The Bishop's Wife: Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Cast: Cary Grant, Loretta Young, David Niven

Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You (2017)

The queen of Christmas music lent three songs and some narration to this animated film about a young version of herself going to great lengths to finally be gifted a puppy. When her peers invite her to walk with her dog in a charity fashion show, she accepts without owning a pet. Mariah takes a job dog-sitting for her uncle, and ends up falling in love with the raucous pup.

Where to watch Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You: Amazon Prime Video

Cast: Mariah Carey, Henry Winkler, Lacey Chabert

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

A department store Santa insists he is, in fact, the real Santa Claus in this perennial Christmas favorite. Edmund Gwenn won an Oscar for his performance as Kris Kringle, cementing him as one of the definitive interpretations of the jolly figure.

Where to watch Miracle on 34th Street: Amazon Prime Video

Cast: Maureen O'Hara, Natalie Wood, Edmund Gwenn

One Special Night (1999)

A lesser-known project in Dame Julie Andrews' oeuvre, this TV movie still packs on the charm with her opposite James Garner as two strangers who take refuge in a cabin during bad winter weather and fall in love.

Where to watch One Special Night: Amazon Prime Video

Cast: Julie Andrews, James Garner, Patricia Charbonneau

12 Days of Christmas Eve (2004)

Steven Weber has played some shady characters over the years on shows like iZombie and 13 Reasons Why, so it's fun to watch him get his comeuppance in this TV movie playing a Scrooge-like man who has to live Christmas Eve over and over again until he finally gets it right.

Where to watch 12 Days of Christmas Eve: Freevee via Amazon Prime Video

Cast: Steven Weber, Molly Shannon, Patricia Velasquez

Related reading: What's your favorite SNL holiday sketch?

Christmas on the Bayou (2013)

In this One Tree Hill reunion, Hilarie Burton plays a successful New York woman coming home with her son to the South for the holidays, and falls in love with Tyler Hilton's character.

Where to watch Christmas on the Bayou: Amazon Prime Video

Talent: Hilarie Burton, Tyler Hilton, Randy Travis

Merry Ex-Mas (2014)

At this point, Dean Cain has become a TV Christmas movie cliché, but there's a reason the folks over at Lifetime, Hallmark, UP, and the like keep using him. Here he plays opposite Kristy Swanson, the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as a man snowed in with his ex-wife, her family, and a wealthy suitor, just trying to make the best of it.

Where to watch Merry Ex-Mas: Freevee via Amazon Prime Video

Cast: Dean Cain, Kristy Swanson, Ernie Hudson

Scrooged (1988)

The timeless story of A Christmas Carol is transported to the cynical world of 1980s New York, in which Bill Murray plays a jaded TV exec who's lost his Christmas spirit, only for him to be visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch Scrooged: Amazon Prime Video

Cast: Bill Murray, Karen Allen, Carol Kane

Violent Night (2022)

This bloody, R-rated action comedy might not be one for the whole family, but its tale of a group of mercenaries who are holding a family hostage and getting their butts handed to them by Santa Claus (David Harbour) is a total crowd-pleaser. —K.J.

Where to watch Violent Night: Amazon Prime Video

Cast: David Harbour, John Leguizamo, Alex Hassell

Holiday Inn (1942)

This classic team-up of Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire follows the pair as musical entertainers in a love triangle with the same woman, resulting in them parting ways and Crosby's character creating the titular Holiday Inn. "White Christmas," now a staple of yuletide playlists, was written for this film. —K.J.

Where to watch Holiday Inn: Amazon Prime Video

Cast: Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Virginia Dale

Related reading: The 25 best Christmas albums of all time

Related content:

ncG1vNJzZmidp2OwsLmOpqavoZWofLW0xGaZnqukYrCpvsisq6aZo2K6sMLInqpmp55irq6t2ailaA%3D%3D

PicoD