10 Best Holidays Shows on Netflix

Let me start with the fact that Netflix does not have any holiday hits on its roster…no It’s a Wonderful Life, Love Actually, Die Hard (yes, it’s considered a holiday movie), Home Alone, Elf, or Christmas Vacation. However, this is a good thing because it forces you to watch some new material instead of those old, staid, outdated shows. Below is a list of the ten best holiday movies Netflix has to offer…

10. Fireplace for Your Home certainly looks like a heart-warming, holiday classic. This popular Netflix holiday classic is for all those who crave a little light and warmth (or, at least the appearance of warmth) this holiday season. This seemingly endless show features enough fire, crackle and sizzle to melt the coldest heart of every Scroogey Scrooge you know. You’ll be amazed how people coming in from the cold attempt to warm their hands in front of the heat this show puts out. And the best part?…the larger your TV, the larger the flames.
11. Falling for Christmas. Ever wonder what happened to Lindsey Lohan, that Disney sweetheart? Well, she ended up in this Netflix holiday movie. She plays a wealthy, self-absorbed socialite (which doesn’t stray too far form reality) that suffers a tragic skiing accident and contracts amnesia. She is then taken in by a folksy inn keeper who also happens to be a single dad…aren’t they all in these Hallmark-type movies? Anyway, I think you can probably figure out the ending from here.
12. Holidate. If you’re looking for a holiday romcom, this might be the show for you but I’m not sure…a ringing endorsement if there ever was one. Sloane and Jackson, fresh from holiday break-ups, spend the next year encountering each other at random holiday events (New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day) and at some point, Jackson loses a finger (you know, that tried and true storyline) which brings them into the dreaded “friend zone.” They eventually end contact with one another and die in a horrible kiln fire…I jest, of course…once again, I think you can discern the ending, you wily coyote, you.
13. A Castle for Christmas. Ever wonder what happened to Brooke Shields and Carey Elwes? Well, they left the Blue Lagoon and Florin and traveled to Scotland to make this holiday classic. Shields plays Sophie, a successful author seeking to escape the media frenzy after her latest novel bombs. She also happens to be the heir to a Scottish castle, like so many people here in America. However, before she can take delivery on the castle, she must spend three months living with its current owner, a curmudgeon named Myles who also happens to be a duke, played by Elwes. However, they both contract long-COVID and suffer miserably until their deaths several years later…I jest, of course…yet another predicable ending awaits you.
14. Dreamworks Holiday Classic. This humorous selection is actually four shorts that star Shrek and Donkey, Hiccup and Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon fame, the zoo-escapees from Madagascar and the Madagascar penguins…Skipper, Rico, Kowalski and Private, in their own, separate adventure. If you grew up on these classics, either as a child, parent or grandparent, then these shorts will hit you right in your holiday cockles.
15. I Believe in Santa. Ok, this is one of those quirky (if that’s the right word) that you either love or hate. Lisa, who hates Christmas with a passion and Tom, who loves Christmas perhaps more than Lisa hates it, have been dating since the summer, blissfully unaware of their divergent Christmas feelings. When the holidays inevitably roll around, Lisa discovers that Tom not only loves Christmas but he truly, with all his heart, believes in Santa Claus. This is when the movie gets a bit…shall we say, weird? I’ll leave it to you to discover how weird.
16. Love Hard. Remember when I said Netflix has few “classic” holiday movies? Well, this is a mash-up of two, Love Actually and Die Hard. However, that’s where the comparisons end. There is no gratuitous violence or an inordinate number of interwoven story lines in this film. What there are, predictably, are two single people, some catfishing (Google it), a bizarre love triangle, a healthy dose of self-reflection and more than a few laughs…an enjoyable and light-hearted holiday romcom.
17. A Storm for Christmas which, in this instance, is much better than a castle. This pick is actually a six-episode series that has become an unexpected hit on Netflix. It follows what happens when a group of strangers gets stranded at the Oslo, Norway airport due to a blizzard over Christmas. The series spends an applaudable amount of time exploring the back stories of this group of disparate holiday refugees which allows us to better understand their idiosyncrasies and foibles. However, while the viewer understands their motivations, they must discover them on their own. This series reveals how strangers can be kind to one another in a manner similar to that group of real strangers who traveled from Orlando to Knoxville, Tennessee via a van rental after their flights were canceled. Read about it here.
18. Bad Moms Christmas. This sequel to Bad Moms follows the holiday exploits of Amy (Mila Kunis), Kiki (Kristen Bell) and Carla (Kathryn Hahn) as they navigate through their individual issues with their moms, played by Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines and Susan Sarandon. Just a quick warning, this is not a family holiday movie unless your family is into a ton of sexual innuendo, raunchy scenarios and drug references. It ends with all three moms disowning their daughters and grandchildren and running off with men half their age…I jest, of course.
19. Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Mystery is my warped pick for the best holiday movie currently on Netflix. Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Maya Rudolph carry this film on their six collective shoulders as they attempt to discover who killed a department store Santa with a candy cane. Referred to as a “police procedural comedy,” what makes this show special is the fact that Bateman and Rudolph, celebrity guests to the MurdervilleNetflix series, are clueless as to what their roles are in this mystery. They arrive literally blind (they’re blindfolded) to the set and have no idea as to the script and plot line…which means there are neither. The mystery ends when the murderer detonates a bomb that kills a group of orphans…I jest, of course…or do I?

Wow, that went a lot longer than intended. Now go and binge these holiday selections…Happy Holidays!