16 Christmas Movies on Amazon Prime, Sorted by Age
These are the 16 Christmas movies on Amazon Prime worth your evening, sorted by who they actually suit rather than dumped into one long list.
One thing to know up front: Amazon moves titles between Included with Prime and rent-or-buy all through December, so check the badge on the page before you promise anybody anything. The rest of our Christmas posts are here, and the links below are affiliate links.
Quick Picks
- Under half an hour: A Charlie Brown Christmas
- Best for a mixed-age room: The Muppet Christmas Carol
- The one nobody has seen: Arthur Christmas
- Christmas Eve with the grown-ups: It’s a Wonderful Life
- Older kids: Home Alone
All 16 Christmas Movies on Amazon Prime
Four groups: the short specials, the family films, the classics, and the ones aimed at older kids.
Short Christmas Specials on Prime
1
A Charlie Brown Christmas
The one to put on when you have half an hour and a restless child. Charlie Brown gets handed the school play, buys the worst tree available, and Linus explains the point of the whole thing. I especially like that it is short enough to finish before bedtime goes wrong.Best for: the shortest attention span
Where to watch: Prime Video
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Where to watch: Prime Video
2
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
The 1966 animated special, not the live-action remake. The Grinch takes every present in Whoville and Christmas turns up anyway. Boris Karloff narrating is most of why this one still works sixty years on.Best for: the original, not the remake
Where to watch: Prime Video
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Where to watch: Prime Video
3
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
The stop-motion one the grandparents grew up on. Rudolph and a dentist-elf run off, meet an abominable snowman and come back when they are needed. It looks its age and small children do not seem to mind.Best for: a first Christmas special
Where to watch: Prime Video
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Where to watch: Prime Video
Family Christmas Movies on Prime
4
The Polar Express
The big one for a child who is starting to wonder. A boy gets on a train to the North Pole on Christmas Eve and the whole thing hangs on whether he can still hear the bell. The animation puts some children off, so it is worth knowing that before you start.Best for: a child on the edge of not believing
Where to watch: Prime Video
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Where to watch: Prime Video
5
Arthur Christmas
The most underrated film on this list. It explains how Santa actually covers every house in one night, treats the operation like a logistics company, and then one child gets missed. I especially like that the whole plot turns on nobody being willing to write that child off.Best for: something they have not seen
Where to watch: Prime Video
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Where to watch: Prime Video
6
The Muppet Christmas Carol
My pick for the best family version of the Dickens story. Michael Caine plays Scrooge entirely straight while Muppets happen around him, which is exactly why it lands. It is faithful to the book and still funny enough for small children.Best for: a wide age spread in one room
Where to watch: Prime Video
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Where to watch: Prime Video
7
Elf
The reliable one once they are seven or so. A human raised by elves comes to New York to find his father and behaves exactly as badly as you would expect. I especially like how much of it works on the adults, which matters by the fourth viewing.Best for: seven and up
Where to watch: Prime Video
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Where to watch: Prime Video
8
The Santa Clause
Good for elementary age. A man accidentally knocks Santa off his roof, puts on the suit, and finds out that is binding. The transformation gags carry it and the silliness is pitched about right for six to ten.Best for: elementary age
Where to watch: Prime Video
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Where to watch: Prime Video
9
Jack Frost
A sadder one than the poster suggests. A father dies and comes back as the snowman his son built, and the film is really about a boy getting a second goodbye. Worth previewing if your child is sensitive about that subject.Best for: a child who likes a real story
Where to watch: Prime Video
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Where to watch: Prime Video
10
I’ll Be Home for Christmas
A lighter teen-era pick. A self-absorbed college student has to get across the country in a Santa suit to make it home for Christmas. It is slight, it is from 1998, and it fills an evening without demanding much.Best for: an easy evening
Where to watch: Prime Video
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Where to watch: Prime Video
Christmas Classics on Prime
11
White Christmas
The one most people already half know. Two army friends turned performers follow a sister act to a failing Vermont inn and stage a show to save their old general. The songs are the draw, but the loyalty plot is what gives it weight.Best for: a crowd of mixed ages
Where to watch: Prime Video
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Where to watch: Prime Video
12
It’s a Wonderful Life
The one worth saving for Christmas Eve. A man who has spent his life putting everyone else first is shown what the town would be without him. This Prime listing is the colorized version, so pick the black and white elsewhere if that matters to you.Best for: Christmas Eve, adults and older kids
Where to watch: Prime Video
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Where to watch: Prime Video
13
Miracle on 34th Street
The quiet one, and the one that surprises people. A department store Santa insists he is the real thing and it ends in a courtroom. I especially like that it takes a child’s doubt seriously instead of laughing at it.Best for: a thoughtful child
Where to watch: Prime Video
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Where to watch: Prime Video
14
A Christmas Story
The nostalgia pick, with a caveat. Ralphie wants one specific BB gun and the film is a chain of small disasters on the way there. There is more mild language than people remember and the leg lamp surprises some parents.Best for: older kids and parents
Where to watch: Prime Video
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Where to watch: Prime Video
For Older Kids and Teenagers
15
Home Alone
The one every child eventually asks for. A boy left behind defends the house with improvised traps that are harder than the reputation suggests. Better for eight and up than for little ones.Best for: eight and up
Where to watch: Prime Video
WATCH NOW
Where to watch: Prime Video
16
The Nightmare Before Christmas
The one that covers Halloween and Christmas at once. The Pumpkin King discovers Christmas Town and decides to run it, alarming everybody. I especially like it for a child who finds most Christmas films too sweet, though it is genuinely spooky in places.Best for: a child who likes it a bit dark
Where to watch: Prime Video
WATCH NOW
Where to watch: Prime Video
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A Few Things Worth Knowing About Prime
Download anything you want for a car journey the day before, not in the car. Rented titles expire, usually 30 days to start and 48 hours once you press play, so do not rent on the first of December for a film you plan to watch on Christmas Eve. And if a film you expected to be included has moved to rent-only, it is often on one of the free channels you already have rather than worth paying for twice.
None of this helps without a membership, of course. If you do not have Prime, the free trial runs thirty days, which is plenty of time to get through most of this list before Christmas. Start a free 30 day Prime trial.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What people usually want to know before settling in with a Christmas film on Prime.
Visiting from Create Link Inspire. I love Christmas movies! Thanks for sharing this list.