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For me, the holiday season is all about traditions and good vibes only, which is why when November hits, I’m in full holiday movie mode. Bring on the cheesy Hallmark-esque romances, the chaotic family comedies, and the heartfelt redemption stories. Whether you’re looking to return to some classic holiday movies or curious about some new releases this year, StarShine has you covered. I’ve compiled a list of both old and new holiday films and asked some of our StarShine Stars to share their picks as well!

The Holiday (2006)
⭐Star Pick: Jagger Moon, Full Circle Boys
💜Staff Pick
Dumped and depressed, English rose Iris agrees to swap homes with similarly unlucky-in-love Californian Amanda for a much-needed break. Iris finds herself in a palatial Hollywood mansion while Amanda navigates the lanes of a picture-perfect English village. Soon enough, both lovelorn ladies bump into local lads perfect for a romantic pick-me-up.
Starring Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and Jack Black

 

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
💜Staff Pick
As the holidays approach, Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) wants to have a perfect family Christmas, so he pesters his wife, Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo), and children, as he tries to make sure everything is in line, including the tree and house decorations. However, things go awry quickly. His hick cousin, Eddie (Randy Quaid), and his family show up unplanned and start living in their camper on the Griswold property. Even worse, Clark’s employers renege on the holiday bonus he needs.
Starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Johnny Galecki, Juliette Lewis, and Randy Quaid

 

The Santa Clause (1994)
⭐Star Pick: Ashlee Keating
Divorced dad Scott (Tim Allen) has custody of his son (Eric Lloyd) on Christmas Eve. After he accidentally kills a man in a Santa suit, they are magically transported to the North Pole, where an elf explains that Scott must take Santa’s place before the next Christmas arrives. Scott thinks he’s dreaming, but over the next several months he gains weight and grows an inexplicably white beard. Maybe that night at the North Pole wasn’t a dream after all — and maybe Scott has a lot of work to do.
Starring Tim Allen, Eric Lloyd, David Krumholtz, and Judge Reinhold

 

Look Who’s Talking Now (1993)
💜Staff Pick — Sandy’s Note: I love John Travolta so I’m biased here, but this really is a cute holiday movie even if you haven’t seen the first 2 movies. I watched it every year with my mom, and I continue to watch it now every year without her.
James (John Travolta) and Mollie Ubriacco (Kirstie Alley) are expanding the family again, this time with Rocks the mutt (Danny DeVito) and Daphne the poodle (Diane Keaton), a mismatched pair who spend their time trading insults the humans can’t hear. Meanwhile, James gets a big break working as a private pilot for cosmetic tycoon Samantha (Lysette Anthony), but his employer is determined to pry him away from his wife, his children and, of course, his dogs.
Starring John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Danny DeVito, Diane Keaton, and David Gallagher

 

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Four Christmases (2008)
⭐Star Pick: Jagger Moon, Full Circle Boys
When their plans for an exotic vacation fall apart, unmarried couple Brad (Vince Vaughn) and Kate (Reese Witherspoon) must spend Christmas Day trudging around to a quartet of family get-togethers. While Brad counts the hours till he can escape the onslaught of crazy relatives, Kate begins to wonder about her own choices and ponders whether her family members are so crazy after all.
Starring Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon, Tim McGraw, and Kristin Chenoweth

 

Scrooged (1988)
💜Staff Pick
In this modern take on Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” Frank Cross (Bill Murray) is a wildly successful television executive whose cold ambition and curmudgeonly nature has driven away the love of his life, Claire Phillips (Karen Allen). But after firing a staff member, Eliot Loudermilk (Bobcat Goldthwait), on Christmas Eve, Frank is visited by a series of ghosts who give him a chance to re-evaluate his actions and right the wrongs of his past.
Starring Bill Murray, Karen Allen, Carol Kane, Bobcat Goldthwait, and David Johansen

 

Love Actually (2003)
⭐Star Pick: Sean Garrity, Full Circle Boys / Lily Lane
Nine intertwined journeys examine the complexities of the one emotion that connects all individuals, love. Among these individuals is David, the handsome, newly elected British prime minister who falls for a junior staffer. Sarah is a graphic designer whose devotion to her mentally ill brother complicates her love life. Harry, a married man, is tempted by his attractive new secretary.
Starring Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Keira Knightley, Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy, and Alan Rickman

 

The Mistle-tones (2012)
💜Staff Pick
Holly is all set to audition for the newly vacated spot in a local Christmas group founded by her late mother. When the slot goes to the best friend of the group’s leader, Marci, Holly sets out to create her own musical group – The Mistle-Tones.
Starring Tia Mowry, Jonathan Patrick Moore, and Tori Spelling

 

 

How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
⭐Star Pick: Camryn Levert
In this live-action adaptation of the beloved children’s tale by Dr. Seuss, the reclusive green Grinch (Jim Carrey) decides to ruin Christmas for the cheery citizens of Whoville. Reluctantly joined by his hapless dog, Max, the Grinch comes down from his mountaintop home and sneaks into town to swipe everything holiday-related from the Whos. However, the bitter grump finds a hitch in his plans when he encounters the endearing Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen).
Starring Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, Christine Baranski, Josh Ryan Evans, Molly Shannon, and Jeffrey Tambor

 

Falling For Christmas (2022)
💜Staff Pick
A young, newly engaged heiress has a skiing accident in the days before Christmas. After she is diagnosed with amnesia, she finds herself in the care of the handsome cabin owner and his daughter.
Starring Lindsay Lohan, Chord Overstreet, Jack Wagner, and Aliana Lohan

 

 

It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
⭐Star Pick: Twinnie
George Bailey has so many problems he is thinking about ending it all – and it’s Christmas! As the angels discuss George, we see his life in flashback. As George is about to jump from a bridge, he ends up rescuing his guardian angel, Clarence – who then shows George what his town would have looked like if it hadn’t been for all his good deeds over the years.
Starring James Stewart, Donna Reed, and Lionel Barrymore

 

The Christmas Chronicles (2018)
💜Staff Pick
Siblings Kate and Teddy Pierce hatch a scheme to capture Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. When the plan goes awry, the kids join forces with a somewhat jolly Saint Nick and his loyal elves to save the holiday before it’s too late.
Starring Kurt Russell, Darby Camp, Judah Lewis, and Kimberly Williams-Paisley

 

 

Home Alone (1990)
⭐Star Pick: Ashlee Keating
💜Staff Pick
When bratty 8-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) acts out the night before a family trip to Paris, his mother (Catherine O’Hara) makes him sleep in the attic. After the McCallisters mistakenly leave for the airport without Kevin, he awakens to an empty house and assumes his wish to have no family has come true. But his excitement sours when he realizes that two con men (Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern) plan to rob the McCallister residence, and that he alone must protect the family home.
Starring Macaulay Culkin, Catherine O’Hara, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, and John Heard

 

Elf (2003)
⭐Star Pick: Xoë Miles
💜Staff Pick
Buddy (Will Ferrell) was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised to adulthood among Santa’s elves. Unable to shake the feeling that he doesn’t fit in, the adult Buddy travels to New York, in full elf uniform, in search of his real father. As it happens, this is Walter Hobbs (James Caan), a cynical businessman. After a DNA test proves this, Walter reluctantly attempts to start a relationship with the childlike Buddy with increasingly chaotic results.
Starring Will Ferrell, James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Bob Newhart, and Peter Dinklage

 

Noelle (2019)
💜Staff Pick
In Disney+’s holiday comedy “Noelle,” Kris Kringle’s daughter is full of Christmas spirit and holiday fun, but wishes she could do something “important” like her beloved brother Nick, who will take over for their father this Christmas. When Nick is about to crumble like a gingerbread cookie from all the pressure, Noelle suggests he take a break and get away…but when he doesn’t return, Noelle must find her brother and bring him back in time to save Christmas.
Starring Anna Kendrick, Bill Hader, Kingsley Ben-Adir, and Shirley MacLaine

 

Let It Snow (2019)
💜Staff Pick
A snowstorm hits a small midwestern town on Christmas Eve, bringing together a group of highschool students. They soon find their friendships and love lives colliding, and Christmas morning, nothing will be the same.
Starring Mitchell Hope, Kiernan Shipka, Isabela Merced, Odeya Rush, and Jacob Batalon

 

 

The Holiday Calendar (2018)
💜Staff Pick
A photographer discovers that the antique Advent calendar she inherited seems to predict her future, including a budding romance.
Starring Kat Graham, Quincy Brown, and Ron Cephas Jones

New Must-Watch Holiday Films For 2025

A Merry Little Ex-Mas (Netflix)
All Kate and Everett want for Christmas is an amicable divorce and one last holiday as a family, but new flames and old feelings complicate their plans.
Starring Alicia Silverstone, Oliver Hudson, Melissa Joan Hart, and Pierson Fodé
Available Now!

 

 

My Secret Santa (Netflix)
A single mom needs a job. A ski resort needs a Santa. Disguised as a St. Nick lookalike, can Taylor fool a charming hotel heir into ho-ho-hiring her?
Starring Alexandra Breckenridge, Ryan Eggold, and Tia Mowry
Available December 3rd!

 

 

Oh. What. Fun. (Prime Video) — Watch the trailer here!
Claire Clauster is the glue that holds her chaotic, lovable family together every holiday season. From perfectly frosted cookies to meticulously wrapped gifts, no one decks the halls quite like Claire. But this year, after planning a special outing for her family, they make a crucial mistake and leave her home alone. Fed up and feeling underappreciated, she sets off on an impromptu adventure of her own. As her family scrambles to find her, Claire discovers the unexpected magic of a Christmas gone off-script. Oh. What. Fun. is a spirited holiday comedy that honors and celebrates every overworked holiday host.
Starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Felicity Jones, Chloë Grace Moretz, Denis Leary, Danielle Brooks, Maude Apatow, Jason Schwartzman, and Eva Longoria
Available December 3rd!

 

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