Classic Christmas Movies Guide: Where to Watch It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, Elf, Die Hard and Others
It was just two years ago that those looking to curl up next to the fire with the OG Miracle on 34th Street instead got left a lump of coal, when the Christmas classic was nowhere to be seen.
Let’s avoid such Yuletide trauma this holiday season, shall we?
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Already, TVLine has gift-wrapped for you a joyfully thorough guide to the 150 (!) new and original holiday movies that will be coming at you via Hallmark, Lifetime, Netflix and other outlets.
But what is Christmas without Charlie Brown’s sad little tree, the fear of shooting your eye with a Red Ryder carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle, or thinking about George Bailey making violent love to Mary Hatch in the living room? (Wait, what?)
Here is our annual “Where to Watch” guide to some holiday classics, based on currently available data (which is always subject to change). We will update this handy list if additional broadcast/cable airings come to our attention. And as always, TVLine is an interactive experience, so if there’s a legit classic you’d like to see added, maybe you won’t catch us in a Grinchy mood and we will oblige!
All streaming options are those available with subscription; all times Eastern.
Courtesy of Lee Mendelson Film Productions
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
STREAM: Apple TV+ (streams free Nov. 23 through Nov. 27)
TUNE IN: N/A
A Charlie Brown Christmas
STREAM: Apple TV+ (streams free Dec. 22 through Dec. 25)
TUNE IN: N/A
A Christmas Story
STREAM: HBO Max (sign up), truTV
TUNE IN: TBS (Dec. 3 at 7 pm and 9 pm, Dec. 11 at 9 pm), TNT (Dec. 9 at 9 pm and 11 pm, Dec. 15 at 5:30 pm), and many more!
Die Hard (Don’t fight us on this one!)
STREAM: Starz (sign up)
TUNE IN: Nov. 27 on Starz Encore
Everett Collection
Elf
STREAM: HBO Max (sign up)
TUNE IN: TNT (Nov. 24 at 4 pm, Nov. 25 at 2 pm), TBS (Nov. 26 marathon)
Frosty the Snowman
STREAM: N/A
TUNE IN: CBS (Nov. 25 at 8 pm, followed by Frosty Returns)
Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
STREAM: N/A
TUNE IN: The CW (Nov. 25 at 8 pm)
Home Alone
STREAM: Disney+ (sign up)
TUNE IN: Freeform (Nov. 24 at 6 pm, Nov. 25 at 4 pm), FX (Nov. 26 at 3 pm and 8 pm)
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)
STREAM: HBO Max (sign up), Peacock Premium (sign up), truTV
TUNE IN: NBC (Nov. 25 at 8 pm)
It’s a Wonderful Life
STREAM: Prime Video (sign up), fuboTV, FilmBox, TVision
TUNE IN: E! (Nov. 25 marathon)
The Little Drummer Boy
STREAM:Peacock Premium (sign up)
TUNE IN: N/A
Love, Actually
STREAM: Peacock Premium (sign up)
TUNE IN: AMC (Nov. 27 at 6 pm and 11 pm)
Meet Me in St. Louis
STREAM: TVision
TUNE IN: N/A
Courtesy of 20th Century Fox
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
STREAM: Prime Video (sign up), Disney+ (sign up)
TUNE IN: N/A
The Muppet Christmas Carol
STREAM: Disney+ (sign up)
TUNE IN: N/A
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
STREAM: HBO Max (sign up), TVision
TUNE IN: TNT (Nov. 24 at 6 pm, Nov. 25 at noon, Nov. 27 marathon), and others; it’s pretty much always on somewhere for the next few weeks. (“If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn’t be more surprised!”)
The Nightmare Before Christmas
STREAM: Disney+ (sign up)
TUNE IN: Freeform (Nov. 21 at 7:30 pm)
Planes, Trains & Automobiles
STREAM: Paramount+ (sign up), AMC+, fuboTV, Philo, PlutoTV
TUNE IN: N/A
Courtesy of CBS
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
STREAM: N/A
TUNE IN: CBS (Nov. 29 at 8 pm)
Rudolph’s Shiny New Year
STREAM: AMC+ (Nov. 28)
TUNE IN: AMC (Nov. 28 at 8:45 pm)
The Santa Clause
STREAM: Disney+ (sign up)
TUNE IN: Freeform (Nov. 27 at 5:10 pm)
Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (1970)
STREAM: N/A
TUNE IN: N/A
Only available for purchase/rental via iTunes, Prime Video, etc.
Scrooged
STREAM: Prime Video (sign up), Paramount+ (sign up), YouTube
TUNE IN: VH1 (Nov. 26 at 1 am!)
The Shop Around the Corner
STREAM: HBO Max (sign up)
TUNE IN: TCM (Nov. 25 at 11 am)
20th Century Fox
The Sound of Music
STREAM: Disney+
TUNE IN: ABC (Dec. 18 at 7 pm)
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
STREAM: N/A
TUNE IN: AMC (Dec. 2 at 6:30 pm)
White Christmas
STREAM: Netflix, AMC+ (Dec. 3-4, Dec. 24-25)
TUNE IN: AMC (Nov. 28 at 10 pm, Nov. 29 at 9:15 am)
The Year Without a Santa Claus
STREAM: AMC+ (Dec. 11)
TUNE IN: N/A
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Launch Gallery: Christmas Time Is Here! A Must-Have Guide to 150 Original Holiday Movies on Netflix, Hallmark, Lifetime and More
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