Start prepping for the Christmas season by getting in the holiday spirit with a movie. Christmas movies span multiple genres, from romantic comedies and family classics to horror staples and animated flicks. Some of the best Christmas movies can be streamed on popular services like Netflix, Disney+, and Max.
One streaming service that has increased its selection of Christmas movies is Peacock. Because of its deal with Hallmark, Peacock is the home to some of the best Christmas movies from the Hallmark Channel. Peacock also carries movies from Universal, so there are several well-known films to pair with Hallmark’s rom-coms. Below, we selected the seven best Christmas movies on Peacock, including Genie and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Genie (2023)
Richard Curtis is one of the most prominent romantic comedy screenwriters of the past 30 years. Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Love Actually, About Time, and Yesterday were all written by Curtis. Twenty years after Love Actually, Curtis revisits the Christmas comedy genre with Genie, one of the best new movies to stream.
Workaholic Bernard (Paapa Essiedu) is losing control of his life. Bernard forgot his daughter’s birthday, leading to his wife, Julie (Denée Benton), suggesting a trial separation. To make matters worse, Bernard is fired from his job. Bernard needs some help. Enter Flora, a magical genie that Bernard unleashes after discovering a jewelry box. The energetic and silly Flora aids Bernard in winning his family back by granting him wishes to fix his life. Think of Genie as Aladdin with a Christmas twist, as Bernard slowly realizes that magic won’t help his problems unless he changes within.
Stream Genie on Peacock.
Christmas in Rome (2019)
Who doesn’t love Italy around the holidays? One of Hallmark’s queens, Lacey Chabert, unexpectedly finds love in the Eternal City in Hallmark’s Christmas in Rome. Angela de Luca (Chabert) is a cheerful American tour guide in Rome who loves showing tourists the wonders of the ancient city. However, Angela’s ambition gets her fired. Without a job, Angela runs into Oliver Martin (Sam Page), a New York City businessman working to cut a deal with a high-end ceramics company in Rome.
Because Angela knows the city inside and out, Oliver hires her as his tour guide. In return, Oliver helps Angela form a business plan to start her own tour company. Rome’s beauty and charm win over Oliver. Yet, Oliver wants one thing: Angela. Can a hotshot executive and a small-time tour guide make love work despite their different backgrounds?
Stream Christmas in Rome on Peacock.
Krampus (2015)
Not every Christmas movie has to be happy and cheerful. For those brave moviegoers looking for something scary around the holidays, check out Krampus, the 2015 horror comedy about the horned beast who terrorizes naughty children and those who lose the Christmas spirit.
A few days before Christmas, the Engel family is in shambles. Dysfunction is at an all-time high, causing the youngest son, Max (Emjay Anthony), to denounce his family and Christmas. When he tears up a letter to Santa, Max unknowingly summons Krampus, a demonic monster who wreaks havoc on the neighborhood. To prevent tragedy, the Engel family must band together and fight back against Krampus if they want to survive.
Stream Krampus on Peacock.
Hitched for the Holidays (2012)
Rob Marino (Joey Lawrence) and Julie Greene (Emily Hampshire of Schitt’s Creek) have the same problem: they need a significant other for the holidays. Rob recently broke up with his girlfriend, which doesn’t sit well with his Italian Catholic family. Julie, also single, wants her Jewish mother (Marilu Henner) to stop setting her up with old boyfriends so she can have company around the holidays. Rob and Julie meet after he answers her ad looking for a fake significant other to stand in at holiday events.
Because of their overbearing families, Rob and Julie can’t go through the motions with this fake relationship. They must make this relationship look real with Christmas and Hanukkah rapidly approaching. At some point, the acting stops, and the feelings become real. Is it love, or is it a farce?
Stream Hitched for the Holidays on Peacock.
Casper’s Haunted Christmas (2000)
Even ghosts celebrate Christmas, right? Casper the Friendly Ghost (Brendon Ryan Barrett) faces a major dilemma around the holiday season in the animated family film Casper’s Haunted Christmas. Kibosh (Colin Murdock), the ruler of all ghosts, declares Casper has failed to meet his yearly scare quota. Casper must scare someone before Christmas Eve, or he will be sent to the barren ghost land known as “The Dark.” Casper’s three uncles will join him if he fails to scare someone.
The four ghosts are sent to Kriss, a small town where Christmas is a religion. Casper strays away from his mission when he meets a cheerful girl named Holly Jollimore (Tegan Moss). Meanwhile, the uncles call Casper’s lookalike cousin, Spooky (Samuel Vincent), to fulfill the scare duties. Casper has to make a difficult choice: ruin Christmas with his scares or save the holiday and face banishment.
Stream Casper’s Haunted Christmas on Peacock.
Boyfriends of Christmas Past (2021)
The Hallmark Channel puts its romantic-holiday spin on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in Boyfriends of Christmas Past. Lauren Kim (Catherine Haena Kim) is a marketing executive gearing up to spend Christmas with her divorced father and stepmother. Lauren invites her best friend ,Nate (Raymond Ablack), to spend Christmas with her since they both do not have significant others.
One week before Christmas, Lauren is visited by the ghost of her first boyfriend, teenager Tyler Mirsky (Jordan Kronis). Tyler tells Lauren that she will be visited by three ex-boyfriends in the coming week. These ex-boyfriends will show Lauren what went wrong in her previous relationships and point out the one constant through it all: Nate. If Lauren doesn’t change her ways, she will lose Nate forever.
Stream Boyfriends of Christmas Past on Peacock.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Who better to star in the live-action version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas than Jim Carrey, one of the most physically gifted comedians of his generation? Ron Howard’s adaption of Dr. Seuss’ classic children’s book came to life in 2000 with Carrey playing the Grinch, the green, foul-mouthed creature who lives in a cave on Mount Crumpit overlooking the town of Whoville. The Grinch hates happiness, but he despises Christmas even more. This year, the Grinch is determined to ruin the holiday spirit for the citizens of Whoville.
Dressed as Santa Claus, the Grinch plans to steal every gift, ornament, and decoration in Whoville so the townspeople have nothing to commemorate Christmas. Just as she does in the book, Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen) helps the Grinch understand the true meaning of Christmas, a lesson we all need to remember during the holidays.
Stream How the Grinch Stole Christmas on Peacock starting December 20.
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