The best Christmas movies to watch this holiday season on Amazon Prime Video

A stonewall classic that everyone knows the story to and ending of. It’s not the most care-free and jovial of festive flicks as we make our way towards a joyous conclusion, but it has a lot of heart and an important message our protagonist, George Bailly (James Stewart), learns, when he’s visited by an angel to show him what the world would be like if he'd never existed.

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This animated version is the most recent big-screen incarnation of the classic Dr Seuss story is family-friendly and an all-round fun adventure, acted by the unmistakable voice of Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange, Sherlock), as the miserably iconic Grinch goes out of his way to spoil Christmas for the village of Whoville.

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Set around the festive period but with a story that’s anything but, the ‘90s version of the famed book by Louisa May Alcott is a bit of a cult classic in terms of Christmas films. Alcott's semi-autobiographical story is set around the four March sisters. It sees Jo (Winona Ryder) maturing beside her sisters and mother during important and profound moments of her young life. 

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A John Hughes classic that stars two of the 20th century’s top comedy talents in Steve Martin and the late, great John Candy. The story follows Martin’s Neal, a highly strung advertiser, as he attempts to get home for Thanksgiving. Only, he finds himself stuck with the most unlikeliest of companions, in the shape of Candy’s shower-curtain-ring salesman, Del.

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Christmas movies don’t always have to be about Christmas, and Oliver! is the perfect example of a film you absolutely should watch over the festive season. There are few stories out there that need no introduction - and this is certainly one of them. You'll be familiar with the beats of the story about the young orphan but, just like A Christmas Carol, you'll revisit it regardless.

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This Bing Crosby classic is now 70 years old but still holds up as a title to watch this Christmas, mainly because this comedy-musical about a popular song-and-dance double act (Crosby teaming up with Danny Kaye) really brings it to life, as they fall for a sister act, before joining together to help a Vermont inn owner who is on the verge of bankruptcy.

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You don’t often get modern Christmas movies that become annual staples in your must-watch list, but The Holiday surprisingly achieves that status. Mild-mannered British journalist Iris (Kate Winslet) switches homes with Hollywood movie trailers editor Amanda (Cameron Diaz), in a bid to escape each other’s own lives, but inevitably get emotionally entangled in each other's. 

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The sequel to the hit comedy starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg is not only superior to its predecessor, with better jokes and a structurally sturdier and enticing storyline, it’s also set around the holidays. Therefore, the setting makes for a more interesting dynamic when each's respective fathers (Mel Gibson and John Lithgow) pay the unconventional family a visit over Christmas.

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This one boasts a pretty stellar cast with Ben Affleck’s self-centred, repugnant millionaire who, in an attempt to involve himself into the holiday spirit and alleviate his own loneliness, hires a family to spend Christmas with him. It features the late James Gandolfini as the willing father, Katherine O’Hara as his wife, and Christina Applegate as the disapproving daughter.

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There are lots of films about jolly, old Saint Nick, but only a few make the grade when it comes to establishing themselves as true Christmas classics worthy of a rewatch. It’s a story about corporate greed that places the job of Santa Claus in peril, leaving Dudley Moore’s Patch the Elf to save the day and, in turn, Christmas for everybody on Earth.

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Retelling the story of the Grinch's life after directing heavyweight movies like Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind, Ron Howard's version is a trippy mixture of zany costumes, over-the-top physical humour and mild terror, as an energetic and eccentric Jim Carrey dons an impressive weight of prosthetics to transform into the grumpy live-action incarnation of the green meanie.

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The legendary Bill Murray taking on the role of a modern-day Ebenezer Scrooge is a stroke of genius that works well in this dark comedy about - you’ve guessed it - more corporate greed and unscrupulous behaviour at Christmastime. On-screen sourness is perpetuated by hard-faced TV exec Frank Cross (Murray), who is visited by three spirits to teach him a valuable life lesson.

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Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick compete as two egotistical dads, as each tries to outdo the other when it comes to making their homes the most eye-catching on the block. Broderick’s Steve is established in the neighbourhood as ‘Mr Christmas’, so when DeVito’s Buddy and his family move in across the street, it’s all-out war to see who can light up their homes in the most spectacular ways.

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This was one of Dolly Parton’s many movie roles in her illustrious career, as she plays the role of Ruby Diamond, a country music singer who is taken before her time. To set her soul to rest, she must perform one final good deed on Earth before she’s accepted into Heaven. Her task: to reunite a work-obsessed widower with his children in time for the holidays.

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Emilia Clarke's Kate and Henry Golding’s Tom meet by what appears to be pure chance, in this fluffy romcom in a very British setting. The two strike up a connection while Kate is working as an elf at a cutesy Christmas store in bustling London. Directed by Paul Feig, her life begins to take a very different turn once serious feelings for Henry start to develop.

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This version of the beloved Margery Williams tale is a mix of live-action and hand-drawn animation, as a young boy named Toby attempts to win over his distant dad and incredibly strict grandmother. This is all via the help of a cutesy stuffed rabbit who wishes to become real through the love of its owner, after Toby receives the cuddly toy as a Christmas gift. 

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A festive romantic comedy about believing in the spirit of Christmas, Riley applies for a role as a personal assistant but after a CV blunder, she is inadvertently recruited to save one of the boss’s toy factories. However, she must act quickly in restoring Christmas cheer to her superior, William, in order to prevent this factory from permanent closure.

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Starring Eddie Murphy, this sees the comedy actor as an insecure man that makes it his mission to emerge the victor when it comes to the neighbourhood’s annual Christmas decorations contest. Making a pact with a suspiciously helpful elf (Jillian Bell) to help him win the battle, he inadvertently signs away far more than he bargained for, as utter chaos ensues.

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This one, despite being dubbed as a family comedy, begins rather morbidly. Two kids discover Santa, seemingly unconscious at a dockyard, after his sleigh is shot down. It'll take the duo of sceptical youngsters to not only save Christmas after his accident but, even more of a challenge, to believe in the existence of Santa Claus once again.

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An old-school retelling of the Charles Dickens story, Scrooge is played by none other than Albert Finney and one of the Marley brothers is Star Wars legend Sir Alec Guinness. This film, now over half-a-century old, tells the fabled story of when Ebenezer is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future on one fateful Christmas Eve.

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