You’ll be having a very Happy Huludays indeed this Christmas thanks to some of the spectacular seasonal content that’s currently available on Hulu.
Whether you’re looking for old black-and-white Christmas classics like Miracle on 34th Street, timeless tales like Elf, amazing animation like The Polar Express, or newer Hulu Original titles like Happiest Season, the platform truly has something for everyone to love.
And bonus: Hulu’s color is already green, so add a little red in there and you’ve got your Christmas colors good to go! All you need are some blinking lights, and that’s basically what movies are, right? A series of blinking lights? And presents for your eyeballs? We can all definitely agree with that statement, with no notes needed or clarification at all. Yessiree bob. Merry Christmas.
So what are you waiting for? Grab your hot cocoa, get cozy, and settle in for one (or all) of the following incredible Christmas movies streaming on Hulu for the 2024 holiday season.
Description: Or you could just watch Dickens’ classic itself. This recent BBC adaptation of the classic tale throws Guy Pearce into Ebenezer Scrooge’s slippers, and follows all the familiar notes as the miserly old man is visited by three ghosts in the night. (Extra points for one of those ghosts being the chameleon to end all chameleons, character actor Andy Serkis of Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and Marvel Cinematic Universe fame.) The three-episode miniseries was repackaged into a brisk one-hour special for American audiences by FX, and it’s the perfect way to round out your holiday viewing. And if you don’t believe me, maybe a few ghosts can show up to convince you otherwise?-Scott Hines
Cast: Carmel Laniado, Guy Pearce, Billy Barratt, Charlotte Riley, Andy Serkis
Rated: PG
Description: “You can’t spend the entire month of December in front of the TV!”, says one unlucky-in-love sister to another in the early moments of this meta-magical movie, which came out in 2019. It’s 2020, and we know darn well that you can (and honestly, probably should) spend the entire month in front of the TV, but this is fiction, so we’ll hear them out.
Our sibling protagonists are, like so many of the others featured here, frustrated and lonely, having run through a series of unfulfilling relationships. They just wish things could be simple like they are in the Christmas movies—and then, magically (there’s a lot of magic in these), they wake up one morning inside a Christmas movie! They’ll have to discover their “plot line” if they’re going to make it back to the real world—that is, if they even want to get back.-Scott Hines
Cast: Kimberly Daugherty, Lana McKissack, Brant Daugherty, Ryan Merriman, Randy Wayne
Rated: G
Description: If you loved Freaky Friday, then you’ll have a ball watching this Christmas movie about two strangers working in the music industry who are forced to live each other’s lives after accidentally colliding at their local mall. Audrey and Julia will need to help each other successfully get through their daily lives, all while trying to change back into their own bodies before Christmas hits. The drama! The intrigue! The whimsy! What more could you want from a Christmas movie, folks?!-Maddy Casale
Cast: Jackie Seiden, Ashley Wood, Houston Rhines, John Patrick Jordan, Oana Gregory
Rated: NR
Elf (2003)
Description: It’s nearly impossible to think about Christmas movies without this hit 2003 Christmas comedy starring Will Ferrell coming to mind. Elf follows the life and misadventures of Buddy (Ferrell), who accidentally ended up at the North Pole as an orphaned baby and was then adopted by Papa Elf (the late Bob Newhart), who raised Buddy as if he was an elf like everyone else. It isn’t until he’s older that people spill the beans to Buddy that he’s different, inspiring him to go on a soul-searching journey to New York City in hopes of meeting his biological father, cynical children’s book publishing executive Walter Hobbs (James Caan), who doesn’t know he exists. What ensues is a story of awkward situations, found families, New York City shenanigans, budding romance, and Christmas cheer that you can enjoy on Hulu as many times as you want to this holiday season.-Maddy Casale
Cast: Will Ferrell, Bob Newhart, James Caan
Rated: PG
Description: Do you like yelling at your TV? Then this movie is our Christmas gift to you (also, it isn’t really a holiday movie if the characters aren’t making you yell or groan a few times throughout, right?). Abby Holland isn’t a fan of Christmas due to the childhood trauma she associates with it, so her girlfriend Harper Caldwell thinks she could help Abby have a fun and festive holiday for once if they spend the holidays together back home with Harper’s family. Abby is thrilled—she finally gets to meet Harper’s family and hopes to be able to propose to her on Christmas day, around all Harper’s loved ones. All those plans go to Hell when it turns out Harper’s conservative family doesn’t know their daughter is gay, and Harper has Abby pretend to be her straight roommate to keep up the charade which, you know, is NOT COOL! So Harper and her family kind of suck and both Abby and Riley (Harper’s very cool ex) deserve better, but hey, it’s still a compelling watch with plenty of Christmasy content. Get your gang together to celebrate what the holidays are really about: yelling with people you care about. Now that’s what I called the happiest season!-Maddy Casale
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Dan Levy, Mary Holland, Victor Garber, Mary Steenburgen, Ana Gasteyer
Rated: PG-13
Description: Despite its title, there’s nothing overtly untoward or illegal about this film, well, unless you consider adult-kidnapping a crime, because then yes, there IS some illegal action going on, but it’s a quirky holiday rom-com so we’re cool with it. Trudie is an aspiring painter, who for now is working as a waitress and getting stressed in the lead-up to the holidays, which is exacerbated by her boyfriend dumping her. So, naturally, her next move is to handcuff herself to random restaurant customer David Martin and force him to pretend to be her boyfriend for the holidays. I’m laughing just typing this, the premise is insane which is what makes it an awesome Christmas movie, and a must-watch for anyone looking for a fun time and good laugh this holiday season (just don’t get any ideas, people. The real-life end to this story will always be prison).-Maddy Casale
Cast: Melissa Joan Hart, Mario Lopez, Markie Post, Timothy Bottoms, June Lockhart, Vanessa Lee Evigan, Kyle Howard
Rated: NR
Description: You’re in luck because Hulu has both the original Academy Award-winning 1947 version of Miracle on 34th Street as well as the 1994 remake. The original film is a black-and-white Christmas comedy-drama that takes place in New York City between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It follows the exploits of Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn), whose claim to be the real Santa Claus leads to a court case and many skeptics, including Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade director Doris Walker (Maureen O’Hara) and her six-year-old daughter, Susan (Natalie Wood). Kick off your seasonal streaming with this longtime Christmas classic!-Maddy Casale
Cast: Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O’Hara, Natalie Wood
Rated: PG
Description: Another longtime holiday classic is this 1989 Christmas comedy that is based on John Hughes’ National Lampoon short story “Christmas ’59” and acts as the third installment of the National Lampoon’s Vacation film series. Christmas Vacation picks up with Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) as he tries to rope his wife Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo) and children Audrey (Juliette Lewis) and Rusty (Johnny Galecki) into trying to have the perfect family Christmas celebration. Of course, things don’t go according to plan, as Clark’s cousin, Eddie (Randy Quaid), and his family show up expectedly, plus other unforeseen problems arise that threaten to totally ruin the Griswolds’ Christmas.-Maddy Casale
Cast: Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Juliette Lewis, Johnny Galecki, Randy Quaid
Rated: PG-13
Description: This star-studded 2005 comedy-drama takes place during Christmastime in a small New England town, where the tight-knit and eccentric Stone family resides. Eldest son Everett Stone (Dermot Mulroney) brings his uptight career woman girlfriend, Meredith Morton (Sarah Jessica Parker), home to meet his family and spend the holidays with them, only for her to receive a largely cold welcome. With every attempt to win over Everett’s parents Sybil (Diane Keaton) and Kelly (Craig T. Nelson), Meredith only further alienates them, thereby threatening the future of a romantic relationship with Everett.-Maddy Casale
Cast: Dermot Mulroney, Sarah Jessica Parker, Diane Keaton, Craig T. Nelson
Rated: PG-13
Description: If all this ghost talk has got you in the mood for something even scarier this Christmas season, then look to this psychological horror-thriller that revolves around a Christmastime family vacation. Things are already off to a rocky start, as this retreat is more of a forced-bonding experience for Richard Hall’s two kids Aidan and Mia to get to know his new fiancé Grace Marshall, the lone survivor of an extremist Christian cult’s mass suicide. Then Richard suddenly has to go back to the city for work, leaving Grace and the kids, who already don’t like this apparent replacement for the deceased mom they love and miss dearly, to get snowed in at the family’s isolated Massachusetts lodge. Somehow, this bad situation gets worse as Grace’s culty past comes back to haunt her, putting her and the kids through a hellish holiday that will give your heart a good jolt this Christmas.-Maddy Casale
Cast: Riley Keough, Jaeden Martell, Lia McHugh, Richard Armitage, Alicia Silverstone
Rated: R
Description: The Polar Express has pretty much everything one could hope for in a filmgoing experience: catchy tunes, a memorable story, and lots and lots of Tom Hanks. The 2004 adventure fantasy movie takes place in the 1950s on Christmas Eve, when a doubtful young boy (Daryl Sabara) is taken on an unforgettable journey full of friendship, magic, and self-discovery by a train headed to the North Pole.-Maddy Casale
Cast: Daryl Sabara, Tom Hanks, Eddie Deezen, Josh Hutcherson, Michael Jeter
Rated: G
DESCRIPTION: Why, oh, why didn’t Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad make another wonderfully zany Christmas movie together? This unlikely comedy duo star as a pair of warring fathers who both are desperate to get the most sought after holiday toy (a Turbo Man!) for their sons on Christmas Eve. As the two men pull out all stops to get the action figure —including sabotage, thievery, and dealing with a shady Santa counterfeit ring and a ferocious pet reindeer—they eventually come to the Grinch-like realization that love and family are the most precious Christmas gifts of all.
CAST: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, Phil Hartman
RATING: PG
