20+ of the Best Christmas Movies & Shows on Disney Plus

Count down to Christmas with Disney+. Here are 25 Disney+ holiday movies and shows to stream every day in December.

As the festive season draws near, our watchlist fills up with Christmas shows — both classic Christmas movies & new ones. Yes, even a few of the cheesy Hallmark-style Christmas shows. As a family, though, Disney+ is the streaming service we most often watch.

From Christmas classic movies to competitions & fairy tales, this list of the best Christmas movies and shows on Disney Plus will make your season better.

Press Play: Your Disney+ Christmas Starter Pack

• My top picks: Noelle, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Decorating Disney: Holiday Magic
• New this year: A Very Jonas Christmas, Prep & Landing: The Snowball Protocol, The Great Christmas Light Fight: Season 13
• Great for little kids: Mickey’s Christmas Carol, The Small One, Mickey’s Christmas Tales

Disney Christmas Movies for Family Movie Night

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Is it a Christmas movie?  Is it a Halloween movie?  Either way, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is a Disney classic.  This stop-motion animated film features Jack Skellington, the king of Halloween Town & his adventures when he stumbles into Christmas Town. 

Jingle All the Way

After promising his young son that Santa will get him the number one item on the boy’s wish list, a well-meaning workaholic father’s Christmas Eve turns into a hilariously nightmarish, madcap scramble across the city to find the much sought-after and therefore virtually impossible-to-find toy

More Family Movie Ideas

• The Ultimate Christmas Present — “When 13-year-old Allie Thompson and her best friend Sam happen upon a weather-making machine discarded by none other than Santa Claus, they use it to cause a snow day in Los Angeles. But when the machine gets out of hand, it threatens to ruin Christmas.”
• Noelle — “Kris Kringle’s daughter is full of Christmas spirit but wishes she could do something important like her brother Nick, who will take over for their father this Christmas. When Nick is about to crumble like a gingerbread cookie from all the pressure, Noelle suggests he take a break and get away…but when he doesn’t return, Noelle must find her brother and bring him back in time to save Christmas.”

• The Christmas Star — “Counterfeiter Horace McNickle escapes prison through his extraordinary likeness to St. Nick. Desperate to recover loot from an earlier caper, McNickle enlists the help of two neighborhood kids who really believe he is Santa.”
• The Small One — “A young boy discovers the true spirit of the Christmas season when he gives his beloved donkey to a very special passenger on a very special night.”
• One Magic Christmas — “A young mother rediscovers the joy and beauty of Christmas thanks to the unshakable faith of her six-year-old daughter, Abbie, and Gideon, her very own guardian angel.”

A Classic: The Nutcracker

Watch it two ways

George Balanchine’s The Nutracker — “A timeless Christmas fantasy ballet movie narrated by Kevin Kline.”

The Nutcracker & the Four Realms — “In Disney’s reimagining of The Nutcracker, a mysterious gift from her mother launches Clara on a journey to four secret realms-where she discovers her greatest strength could change the world.”

Christmas Carol on Disney+

Christmas Carol: Three Ways!

Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim. They’re all synonymous with Christmas, aren’t they? Charles Dickens’ classic story is woven into nearly every aspect of pop culture Christmas. Disney is no fool — they’ve produced three different spins on the Dickens story.

Mickey Mouse vs Kermit, Minnie Mouse vs Miss Piggy. The all-star line up of the Fab Five & the Muppets make both of these versions a must-watch.

• Mickey’s Christmas Carol — “An all-time Christmas classic movie gets a fun Disney twist as greedy Scrooge McDuck learns to embrace the spirit of the season.”
• The Muppet Christmas Carol — “The Muppets’ rendition of Charles Dickens’s classic tale puts a unique twist on that fateful Christmas Eve, when Scrooge is visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Together with kind, humble Bob Cratchit (Kermit the Frog) and his family, the Spirits open Scrooge’s eyes — and his heart — to the true meaning of Christmas.”
• Disney’s A Christmas Carol — “Ebenezer Scrooge begins the Christmas holiday with his usual miserly contempt, but when three ghosts take him on a journey revealing long-buried truths, he must open his heart to undo years of ill will before it’s too late.”

Disney’s The Santa Clause Movies

Santa Clause: Four Ways

Nearly 30 years ago, Tim Allen first hit the big screen as Scott Calvin. Through a rather unfortunate event, Scott Calvin soon discovers that he is Santa Claus. Through the Santa Clause trilogy, we see his young son grow up, and Scott turns doubters into true Santa believers.

If you still have believers in your home, you may want to preview it first. While my kiddos all watched them and continued to believe in Santa, every kiddo is different.

• The Santa Clause — “On Christmas Eve, divorced dad Scott Calvin and his son discover that Santa Claus has fallen off their roof. When Scott takes the reins of the magical sleigh, he finds he is now the new Santa, and must convince a world of disbelievers, including himself.”
• The Santa Clause 2 — “Tim Allen returns in this heartwarming holiday sequel as Scott Calvin, who has been a very successful and happy Santa for eight years. But now he faces a new challenge: If he doesn’t get married by Christmas Eve, he’ll stop being Santa forever.”
• The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause — “Scott Calvin invites his in-laws to his yuletide festivities, but the holidays take a chaotic turn when Jack Frost puts the big freeze on Christmas. Now, unless Scott can get his job back, it’s going to be a very glacial “Frostmas” all around the world.”
• The Santa Clauses (TV series) — “The beloved franchise returns! Scott Calvin, after twenty-eight years, reigns true as Santa Claus, leader of the North Pole and Christmas. With his family – Carol, Sandra, and Cal – by his side, and his elves at the reins, Scott Calvin contends with a changing world to keep the spirit of Christmas alive for a new generation.”

Home Alone Movies on Disney+: Who’s watching Kevin?

Home Alone: Six Ways

We all know the story of this holiday classic.  Eight-year-old Kevin McCallister is left behind on the family Christmas trip to Paris.  Initially excited about being an empty house, two conmen (played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Sterm) are planning to rob their home.  Kevin, played by Macaulay Culkin, is the only thing that stands between the robbers and the goods they want to steal.  

Of the six movies in the Home Alone franchise, only the first two star Macaulay Culkin.

• Home Alone — “When Kevin McCallister is left behind while his family dashes off on a Christmas trip, he is left to defend his family’s home from two bumbling burglars until the relatives return.”
• Home Alone 2: Lost in New York — “Kevin McCallister is home alone in New York City, but he won’t be alone for long because the notorious Wet Bandits, Harry and Marv, are also in the Big Apple.”
• Home Alone 3 — “When a gang of criminals steals a top-secret computer chip that they hide inside a toy car, they come up against eight-year-old Alex Pruitt, who is home alone with the chicken pox.”

• Home Alone 4 — “It’s tough being nine. Tougher still is spending Christmas with Dad at his new girlfriend Natalie’s mansion, even though it’s loaded with all the techno-gadgets any kid could hope for!”
• Home Alone: Holiday Heist — “Finn must protect his pad from bumbling thieves when they’re left home alone for the holidays.”
• Home Sweet Home Alone — “Ten-year-old Max Mercer has been accidentally left behind while his family is in Japan for the holidays. So when a married couple attempting to retrieve a priceless heirloom set their sights on his family’s home, it is up to Max to protect it from the trespassers…and he will do whatever it takes to keep them out.”

(Semi-) Educational Christmas Shows

I’m definitely stretching the definition of educational here, I admit. But if you’re an avowed Disney family like we are, it counts for a bit of ‘Disney school‘. 

• Christmas with Walt Disney
• Decorating Disney: Holiday Magic

Just for Fun Christmas Shows

• The Great Christmas Light Fight is a friendly competition for the best front-yard Christmas decorations. It’s fun to see all the different types of light displays and the creativity of the families. With several episodes in each season, it’s a great after-dinner choice.

• If you’ve never seen a Disney Fairytale Wedding, you’re in for a treat with the Disney Fairytale Weddings: Holiday Magic. It’s a typical Disney wedding amped up for TV and then sprinkled with some serious Christmas Pixie Dust!

• Holiday Magic Quest — “A holiday competition special with Disney Channel stars competing overnight with challenges on attractions at Walt Disney World in an incredible adventure for the 50th anniversary!”

Disney+ has something for every kind of holiday watcher. Classic lovers, lovers, little kids, nostalgic 90s fans, and everyone in between. I hope this list gives you a few new favorites to add to your watchlist. Pick one, press play, and happy streaming!