20 Best Christmas Movies On Peacock

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The best Christmas movies on Peacock cover a wide variety of genres, including many popular Hallmark films as well as some Christmas classics and lesser-known indies. Peacock is the over-the-top streaming service for NBC that carries the network’s film and TV content in addition to a library of original movies and series. In higher tiers of subscriptions, users can access NBC Sports, WWE, and the Hallmark Channel, which includes their impressive holiday film collection. This agreement between NBC and Hallmark came about in late 2022 (via People) and added that content library to an already substantial pool.

While Peacock boasts many impressive movies and TV shows, its library is smaller than competitors like Netflix or Max. Instead, Peacock focuses on its sports and its selection of popular shows from the NBC network, including The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Modern Family. What it does have, in part thanks to Hallmark, is a wide selection of Christmas-themed films. These heartwarming magical movies run the gambit from adaptations of beloved literature to scary parodies. The best Christmas movies on Peacock can be enjoyed year-round.

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15 Best Christmas Movies Of All Time

Time to get into the Christmas spirit with a run down of the best Christmas movies of all time.

Christmas Rom-Coms

The Family Man (2000)

It’s a Wonderful Life is cemented as one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time for its story of a man who sees an alternate existence where he never existed. The Family Man tells an opposite tale of a man getting a glimpse at the life he might have had if he made different choices in his life. Nicolas Cage stars as a single and rich businessman who wakes up on Christmas morning to find he is married with children and living in the suburbs. Cage makes for a funny and charming lead in this sweet story of lost love and the possibility of a second chance.

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30 Best Christmas Movies On Hulu

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Dear Santa (2011)

Dear Santa on Peacock tells the story of Crystal (Amy Acker), a socialite in New York City who is about to be cut off from her parent’s credit card. She stumbles across a little girl’s note to Santa asking him to help her widower father Derek (David Haydn-Jones) find a new wife. So begins a journey for Crystal to prove herself an adult capable of holding a real relationship. Dear Santa is full of rom-com tropes fans love like a miscommunication that causes a major problem. The movie is full of sincerity and features nuanced, understated performances.

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Hitched For The Holidays (2012)

Hitched for the Holidays on Peacock is a light and breezy Hallmark Christmas movie that never takes itself too seriously. Rob Marino (Joey Lawrence) and Julie (Emily Hampshire) are both incapable of holding a relationship and in order to prove their parents wrong, they agree to pose as a couple over the holidays. It’s a comfortable, easy, and warm film for the holidays and the leads have great chemistry. Hitched for the Holidays boasts all the familiar Hallmark Christmas movie tropes, making it a cozy, feel-good watch.

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One Special Night (1999)

Julie Andrews and James Garner star in One Special Night, a 1999 Christmas movie on Peacock. A construction contractor, Robert Woodward (Garner), and a pediatric cardiologist, Catherine Howard (Andrews), are forced to seek shelter in a small cabin together during a winter storm. Though they don’t get along at first, they eventually begin warming to each other. It’s a completely captivating movie with not only fantastic performances by the veteran leads but by the rest of the ensemble as well. The cabin in the snowstorm is the quintessential setting for a Christmas romance and combined with the warm musical score, One Special Night is an exceptionally friendly Christmas movie.

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Christmas Comedies

Genie (2023)

Based on the 1991 TV movie Bernard and the Genie, Genie is a new Christmas fairy tale with a winning performance from Melissa McCarthy at its center. The movie follows a man who finds a lamp and summons a genie (McCarthy) to help him win back his family before Christmas. However, with the genie being stuck in a lamp for so long, she finds herself more interested in exploring this new world. The charming and funny fish-out-of-water story benefits from McCarthy’s hilarious comedic energy while the script is written by Love Actually‘s Richard Curtis.

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Naughty Or Nice (2011)

In Naughty or Nice, a Christmas movie on Peacock, Krissy Kringle (Hilarie Burton) accidentally receives the real naughty or nice list from Santa Claus due to a delivery error. She uses this list to better her own life, exposing others for their wrongdoings but eventually discovers that perhaps she’s been in the wrong all along. It’s a classic Hallmark movie with some added twists that are a fresh take on beloved tropes. Watching Krissy reveal the misdeeds of people is genuinely funny and Burton is clearly enjoying herself. The movie manages to switch deftly to a melancholy tone when Krissy’s own crimes are laid out, making for a satisfying watch.

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12 Days Of Christmas Eve (2004)

One of the many Christmas movies based on A Christmas Carol on Peacock, 12 Days of Christmas Eve doesn’t follow the original story exactly. In 12 Days of Christmas Eve, Calvin Carter (Steven Weber) is an uptight business executive with no regard for anyone but himself. After a near-death experience, he’s visited by Angie, played by iconic SNL actor Molly Shannon, who gives him 12 days to become a better person. Calvin and Angie’s playfully antagonistic relationship is funny and feels authentic.

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Feast Of The Seven Fishes (2018)

People may be more familiar with the “feat of the seven fishes” from the acclaimed Christmas episode of The Bear in season 2. However, before that, Feast Of The Seven Fishes was a comedy that explored the Italian holiday tradition. The movie is set in 1983 and follows a large family on Christmas Eve with their many humorous misadventures. The movie is a funny and light slice-of-life story with a holiday twist that is further elevated by the likable ensemble, led by Superman: Legacy cast member Skyler Gisondo.

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This Christmas (2007)

Many Christmas movies tell stories of families getting together, and the success of these movies really relies on the cast. Luckily, This Christmas features a terrific ensemble that includes the likes of Regina King, Delroy Lindo, and Idris Elba. The comedy-drama centers around a family who gathers together for the first time in years for the holiday season. Personal issues, secrets, and old grudges all come to the surface as the loving yet complex family fits themselves under one roof. Seeing such great talents share the screen in a Christmas story is a treat with a mix of humor and heart.

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Christmas Classics

The Christmas Carol (1949)

Of all the Christmas movies on Peacock, The Christmas Carol is one of the oldest. It is one of the oldest TV adaptations of the text ever, in fact. The 25-minute made-for-TV movie stars Taylor Holmes as Scrooge and is one of the first appearances of Jill St. John (Tiffany Case in Diamonds are Forever), as one of Bob Cratchit’s daughters. Iconic horror actor Vincent Price is also cast in the movie as the narrator. The Christmas Carol is quite primitive by modern standards, but it’s an early indicator of just how popular television adaptations of A Christmas Carol would go on to be.

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The Bishop’s Wife (1947)

Another one of the great black-and-white Christmas movies on Peacock is The Bishop’s Wife. Starring Old Hollywood legends Cary Grant and David Niven, it is a charming holiday comedy with a magical twist. Niven plays a bishop stressed with the building of a new cathedral who gets help from a dapper angel (Grant). However, the bishop soon begins to worry when he feels the charming angel is paying more attention to his wife. Grant makes for a perfect leading man while the magical Christmas spirit of the movie is heartwarming and fun.

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10 Best Horror Christmas Movies

Not every Christmas movie is a cheery, family-friendly affair, as some of the best horror movies set within the holiday season can attest to.

Christmas Horror Movies

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is a horror-comedy from Finland that tells a different story of the legend of Santa Claus. In this version, Santa is a great horned beast, and the old men who most people imagine as Kris Kringle are actually his elves; and neither they nor their boss are very jolly. It’s a dark and humorous movie that offers a twisted version of the Santa Claus mythos and gave St. Nicholas horns before Krampus ever thought to. The movie consists of mostly unknown actors on a limited budget, but everyone puts in a fantastic effort which makes the terror much more palpable despite the ridiculous premise.

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Black Christmas (1974)

Black Christmas is a perfect film for horror fans who love Christmas. The ’70s movie is a slasher about a home invader who sneaks into a sorority house. Over the course of the holiday, the unseen intruder calls the girls to give them increasingly unhinged messages and kills them one by one. The movie is often regarded as one of the first slasher movies, years before John Carpenter’s Halloween, and led to two Black Christmas remakes. The original is well-shot, expertly acted, and has a tight story. It also contains an iconically frightening scene of an eye looking through a doorway that has been copied multiple times over.

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Krampus (2015)

The legend of Krampus is a real and dark bit of Christmas lore in some cultures and it was wonderfully brought to the mainstream in this horror comedy. The movie follows a dysfunctional family over the Christmas season where their bad behavior and loss of what Christmas is all about leads to them being targeted by the monstrous Krampus who punishes the naughty. The movie wisely doesn’t take its wild premise too seriously with cast members like Adam Scott, David Koechner, and Toni Collette leaning into the silliness. However, the humor is never at the expense of some genuine thrills and creepiness.

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Better Watch Out (2017)

Better Watch Out is an underrated and very clever Christmas horror-comedy that feels like a twisted homage to Home Alone. The movie follows a babysitter who is looking after a young boy during the holidays when intruders threaten them. However, as she attempts to defend the young child, she discovers that things are not quite as they seem. Better Watch Out is filled with brilliant twists that take the movie in interesting and bold new directions making it an ideal movie to go into with as little information as possible.

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10 Best Alternative Christmas Movies

While classic Christmas movies uphold traditional values, these unconventional films are the perfect alternative for those looking for a change.

Christmas Action Movies

Fatman (2020)

There have been a lot of acclaimed actors who have taken on the role of Santa Claus, but Mel Gibson is certainly one of the most unexpected. Fatman uses that strange bit of casting to great effect in the wild and inventive action-comedy. The movie follows a spoiled and sadistic young boy who hires an assassin (Walton Goggins) to find and kill Santa Claus after getting a lump of coal. What makes the movie work so well is its earnest worldbuilding of its own Christmas lore. Goggins is also hilarious as the killer with a personal motivation.

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Family Christmas Movies

The Grinch (2018)

One of the most famous Christmas figures in pop culture got a big-budget animated retelling from Illumination Studios. The Grinch finds Benedict Cumberbatch voicing the grumpy green villain who hates Christmas and decides to steal the holiday from the Whos down in Whoville. Like the live-action version starring Jim Carrey, the movie extends the story and gives The Grinch a backstory. However, this version presents the protagonist in a much more sympathetic light. It is a stunning-looking holiday adventure with a lot of big laughs and heart that makes it a worthy adaptation.

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Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (1977)

While The Muppet Christmas Carol is a beloved holiday favorite, Emmett Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas is another lesser-known gem from Jim Henson and his team. The Canadian special is based on the beloved children’s story which is also inspired by the classic tale “The Gift of the Magi.” It follows young Emmett who enters his jug-band in a music competition in the hopes of winning money for his mother’s Christmas present. The puppetry work is as brilliant and charming as fans have come to expect from Henson. Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas may not be a classic many people know about, but it is one well worth seeking out.

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How The Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is the original animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ famous children’s book. It tells the well-known story of the misanthropic Grinch, who hates happiness and Christmas and conspires to ruin the day for the Whos of Whoville. The film was directed by legendary Looney Tunes animator Chuck Jones. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is a classic of both Christmas films and animated movies. The art, heartwarming story, unforgettable characters, and of course, the iconic music including “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” sung by Thurl Ravenscroft, combine to make this the best Christmas movie on Peacock.

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