‘Tis the holiday season. A time to spend with family, get gifts for the ones you love, and light up the fireplace so you can cozy up with some hot cocoa. But if you'd prefer to be streaming — rather than dreaming of — a white Christmas this year, you'd be forgiven. There are plenty of holiday classics available on platforms that are just a click away. And how long can you really spend talking to your family anyway? So tell Aunt Shelly to flip on the TV and start binging on our list of the best Christmas films on streaming.

Full list of the best Christmas films available on streaming

10) Elf

Who can resist the story of Will Ferrell as a giant elf away from the North Pole for the first time? It sounds like an SNL sketch — and did represent Ferrell's big breakout from that show as a bona fide film star — but somehow he pulls this off with some genuine heart and pretty great laughs that never get too syrup-y (except the lines about Ferrell's actual fixation with syrup). Stream it on Max and Hulu with a big oaf-y elf in your life.

9) Miracle on 34th Street

There are some great legal movies that hinge on a memorable scene of courtroom drama — 12 Angry Men, A Few Good Men, My Cousin Vinny, The Verdict — but few involve Kris Kringle on the witness stand having to plea his case to be the real living embodiment of Santa Clause himself. This feel good tale does just that, while pulling at a few heart strings along the way. Consider it an early stocking stuffer that you can stream it on both Hulu and Disney+.

8) Home Alone

What Christmas movie list would be complete without this 1990 classic that made Macaulay Culkin a household name, and made the post-aftershave face slap the signature movie moment of the year? Sure it was John Hughes' gateway film from classic 80s teen comedy/dramas into his descent of deplorable kids' movies (remember Baby's Day Out?), but even still, if you didn't grow up with a well-worn copy of this film on VHS and pop it into your VCR regularly around the holiday season, you might not be a true American — or perhaps you just weren't born in the early 80s. Either way, now you have the more appealing option of watching Home Alone on Disney+.

7) Home for the Holidays

If you like your Christmas movies a little quirkier and more dysfunctional, check out this twisted 1995 family comedy starring Holly Hunter and a young Robert Downey Jr. as a lovable brother-sister tandem. The tagline at the time promised “On the fourth Thursday in November, 84 million American families will gather together… and wonder why.” Yes, the majority of the film took place around a Thanksgiving weekend in the Larson house, but the holiday spirit is in full swing and many Christmas lessons are imbued along the way. Plus I said this was a dysfunctional choice so… it fits. Check it out on Showtime and Hulu.

6) Edward Scissorhands

Also hailing from the non-traditional takes on the holiday genre, Edward Scissorhands arguably remains Tim Burton's best film — a darkly comedic tale of non-conformity in suburbia that still holds up quite well today (although it might be hard to sympathize quite as strongly with a character played by Johnny Depp these days). Even still, listen for those doorbell because Avon's calling and has just the right concealer for you to wear while watching Edward Scissorhands on Max, Hulu and Prime.

5) The Santa Clause

If you have inexplicable weight gain and unwanted hair growth, you could be entering middle age, or you could be Tim Allen in the 1994 Disney franchise-starter, The Santa Clause. Allen resisted the urge to grunt like a caveman the entire movie, even though he was in the height of his Home Improvement Tim “the Toolman” Taylor phase. That might not be reason enough to watch this Christmas movie, but he also memorably took on the everyman wish-fulfillment role of an average Joe getting to play Santa Clause. And with a new Disney+ series and various sequels, the timing is right to check out the flick that started it all (also on Disney+, of course).

4) Love Actually

Imagine an MCU-like cinematic universe but instead of assembling Avengers you're compiling an ensemble of chick flick fan favorite storylines linked not by infinity gems but by a shared love of Christmas. Now script it and cast a lovable variety of top stars of the early 200s and you've got Love Actually, an endearing British romantic comedy that led to a slew of other ensemble, holiday-centered entries in the genre. It also made declaring your feelings on poster board the romantic move of choice for those with an unavailable soulmate. Check it out for yourself on Netflix.

3) Die Hard

It's too controversial of a choice as a “Christmas movie” to put any higher on the list, but just as a chick flick was included on the list, so we must also include a dude flick. Where you stand on whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie or not (the country seems split 50/50 as a recent poll suggests) probably depends on how you define “Christmas film” — is it a movie that literally takes place on or around Christmas with a Christmas-related backstory that prompts the entire plot, or is it a film that gives you all the feels of Christmas because it's warm and fuzzy and sweet? This recommendation is for the group of literalists that comprise the former, and/or those who just like shouting yippee ki-yay around the holidays! Available to stream on Sling TV.

2) A Christmas Story

You may not need to stream this one with its ever-presence on television around this season, but if you've cut the cord, rest assured that you can still get your fill of Ralphie and company on Max. This Christmas classic holds up so well in some respects, not as much in others, but the comedic sensibility is timeless and remains fresh no matter how many times you've watched it. This episodic masterpiece nails every aspect of Jean Shepherd's humor writings and brings Ralphie Parker's holiday struggles to vivid life for all those who view it. With a recent sequel available on Max too, there's no time like the present to turn on a fragilé leg lamp and start streaming.

1) It's A Wonderful Life

Many of today's kids who have grown up without network television due to cord-cutting don't even realize that this is a holiday staple. But for the rest of us, the airing and re-airing of It's A Wonderful Life on network television ad nauseam during the weeks leading up to, during and after Christmas was a reminder that you couldn't — and shouldn't — avoid it, no matter how hard you tried. When you finally succumbed for the first time and sat down to watch It's A Wonderful Life to see what all the fuss was about, you were treated to the inventive and empathy-driving Frank Capra masterpiece that gave Jimmy Stewart arguably his most famous role as George Bailey. A tale of revisionist redemption that blends heart, humor and gratefulness so seemlessly, you'd think an angel was involved in its production. It's A Wonderful Life should be a mandatory option on all streamers this entire month to re-create the feel of its omnipresence on television, but we'll settle for watching it on The Roku Channel, Sling TV and Hulu.