Sometimes you just need the kids to sit still for ninety minutes so you can wrap some presents or dress the turkey. Enter the holiday Christmas movie. Whether you’re looking for a Christmas classic or a festive animated film for your kids to watch this holiday season, some of the best Christmas movies for kids are currently available to stream on Netflix. Instead of throwing on A Charlie Brown Christmas and the original How the Grinch Stole Christmas for the thousandth time leading up to Dec. 25, think outside the box with these Christmas movies for kids that can also be fun for the whole family.
From the timeless Disney anthology Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas to the new Netflix original The Christmas Chronicles, Netflix has an expansive collection of good Christmas movies for kids this year.
When you’re logged into Netflix on a web browser, you can also use the streaming site’s genre codes to browse its offerings in specific categories. Simply enter the web address http://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/ followed by a genre code. For instance, the code for Christmas Children & Family Movies is 1474017, meaning you would enter http://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/1474017 into the address bar if you were looking for a movie on Netflix in that genre.
Here are some other codes that may be useful for finding kids’ Christmas movies on Netflix:
- Movies for ages 0 to 2: 6796
- Movies for ages 3 to 4: 6218
- Movies for ages 5 to 7: 5455
- Movies for ages 8 to 10: 561
- Movies for ages 11 to 12: 6962
- Disney: 67673
- Movies based on children’s books: 10056
- Family Features: 51056
See the full list of TIME’s picks for the best Christmas movies for kids on Netflix below.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
When it comes to Christmas movies for kids, How the Grinch Stole Christmas is one of the most tried and true festive flicks out there. While the 1966 animated adaptation of this Dr. Seuss classic isn’t currently available to stream on Netflix, Jim Carrey’s live-action version is a fun alternative that might also coax a laugh out of parents.
Age 6+
Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas (1999)
Disney’s most beloved characters get into some holiday hijinks in one of the best Christmas kid movies on Netflix. With two Disney-themed retellings of classic Christmas tales, “Donald Duck: Stuck on Christmas” and “Mickey and Minnie’s Gift of the Magi,” as well as the original short “A Very Goofy Christmas,” this animated anthology is a nice solo-watch for kids.
Suitable for all ages
The Christmas Chronicles (2018)
Kurt Russell stars as Santa Claus in this new kids’ Christmas movie, which is also a Netflix original. Gather the whole family in the living room for this charmingly cheesy story of a brother and sister who have to save Christmas after accidentally crashing Saint Nick’s sleigh.
Parental guidance suggested
Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas (2009)
What will George and the Man with the Yellow Hat get each other for Christmas? Find out in this animated Christmas movie that helps teach kids about the joy of giving.
Suitable for all ages
White Christmas (1954)
As the highest-grossing movie of its 1954, White Christmas is not only a timeless holiday classic, but also one of the top kids’ Christmas movies on Netflix nearly 65 years later. Journey back to 1950s rural Vermont for a musical extravaganza featuring a performance of the titular best-selling record by Bing Crosby.
Age 8+
The Christmas Project (2016)
The Buckley brothers love their family’s Christmas tradition of “elving” — delivering gifts Secret Santa-style to a less fortunate family each holiday season. But when their mom selects the school bully’s family as their charitable target, the brothers learn that sometimes there’s more to someone than meets the eye.
Parental guidance suggested
The Magic Snowflake (2013)
This festive sequel to the 2010 animated French film Santa’s Apprentice follows a young boy named Nicholas over the course of his first year as acting Santa Claus. But when the stress of the job threatens to destroy Nick’s childlike sense of wonder, he must journey across time to rediscover the true meaning of Christmas.
Age 6+
George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker (1993)
New York City Ballet’s iconic holiday classic comes to life onscreen in this live-action adaptation of Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker.” Macaulay Culkin stars in a Christmas movie for kids that doesn’t involve him outsmarting two adult con men with homemade booby traps.
Age 5+
Angela’s Christmas (2018)
Based on the beloved children’s book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Frank McCourt, Angela’s Christmas is the kids’ animated Christmas movie that will warm the whole family’s heart. The feel-good holiday special set in early 1900s Ireland tells the story of a young girl’s desire to make sure everyone, including the baby Jesus figure she steals from her Church’s nativity scene, is safe and warm during the Christmas season.
Suitable for all ages
The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About Christmas (2012)
The Grinch may be the quintessential Dr. Seuss Christmas character, but that doesn’t mean the Cat in the Hat doesn’t have some yuletide lessons to share, as well. Join Cat, Nick and Sally on a journey around the world as they attempt to help a lost reindeer make it home to Freeze-Your-Knees Snowland.
Suitable for all ages
