It’s that time of year when the school year is ending (kind of), the preschool and daycare closures are just around the corner, and work is just continuing to expect miracles out of you in the face of all of your coworkers taking long vacations but leaving their workload behind. 

You may just want to throw in the towel and do what your teachers did when you were young, and they had a long night the previous evening  – movie day! But you don’t like buying or owning movies you only watch once a year this time of year? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Even if you must sign up for a streaming service or several, they all allow you to cancel to avoid future charges. In many cases, you can cancel the minute you sign up, alleviating the holiday stress of remembering to cancel your subscriptions. 

There are holiday movies for people of all ages, so we’ll give you a treasure map in order of what is deemed appropriate for all ages and end on the movies that probably should only be viewed by the adults after the kids have gone to bed. If you prefer to watch something in between that can be watched by any group, we have a way around that as well, and it will only set you back $6. More on that in a bit. 

And so, without further gilding the lily and with no more ado, we present the fantastic list of holiday (or holiday-ish) movies and where to find them. 

Polar Express (G) – streaming on MAX

An animated classic featuring Tom Hanks voicing nearly every adult character, which may or may not have been what author Chris Van Allsburg intended when he wrote the original story. When you combine trains, snow, Santa, and Tom Hanks, you don’t think twice, just press play and enjoy. 

The Muppet Christmas Carol (G) – streaming on Disney+

Aside from Michael Caine playing Scrooge to too much of a harsh degree, this is a pretty great telling of the classic tale. All of your favorite Muppets play your favorite roles, and the singing is pretty good. What more can you ask for?

Elf (PG) – streaming on MAX

Buddy the Elf cruised his way into the hearts of families everywhere when he first popped on the screen in 2003 and has been a holiday staple for two decades. It’s tough to beat Will Ferrell in a comedy, but a comedy about an oversized elf at Christmas time is tough to beat. It even has some throwbacks to the stop-motion animation classics you watched as a kid. 

Jingle Jangle (PG) – streaming on Netflix

It’s everything you never knew you always wanted. A great backdrop and costumes that could be from the Victorian Era or the 1920s; it’s tough to say. Either way, the movie looks great, has a great story, and is full of fantastic acting and singing. You and your family will be immersed in the holiday magic, that’s for sure. 

Home Alone and Home Alone 2 (PG) – streaming on Disney+

You can’t have the holidays without Kevin McCallister and the Wet Bandits (or are they the Sticky Bandits? Don’t let Marv tell you; decide for yourself). You just can’t. Zany heist movies about the holidays don’t come around often, and when they do, you need to cherish them forever. The laughs, the mischief, the music – these movies have something for the whole family. 

Jingle All The Way (PG) – streaming on Disney+

Arnold, Sinbad, and Phil Hartman team up to bring you a 90s classic about doing everything for your kids to make the holidays magical – even if it means going on a wild chase at the last minute for the ultimate gift (weeks after your significant other already asked you to buy the gift when they were in stock). There’s comedy, drama, and over-the-top action and adventure.

The Family Man (PG13) – streaming on Peacock

Nicolas Cage at Christmas, do you need to hear more? This is a modern take on It’s A Wonderful Life, with Cage’s character choosing wealth and solitude over being rich in love with a family and more limited means. And it takes place during the holidays. He is given a glimpse of the life he could have had and will have to choose which one makes more sense rather than the one that makes more cents.  

Scrooged (PG13) – streaming on Prime

A modern Ebenezer Scrooge named Frank Cross is a TV executive who only cares about his two great loves – money and power. It turns out Frank once cared about many other things, and you will get to go back and forth in time to see what his past was like and what his future holds if he stays on that path. It’s a lot of fun for fans of Bill Murray, who plays Cross with a great cast and lots of laughs, even if the humor is a little more dark than you’re used to this time of year.

Feast of the Seven Fishes (NR) – streaming on Peacock or Prime

Go home for the holidays and all the way back to small-town Pennsylvania in the 80s for this new classic. There is quite a bit of language, so make sure the little ones aren’t in the room for this holiday presentation. It’s essentially a story about a kid making his way into a small town run by his “Are they or aren’t they? Yeah, they definitely are mobbed up” Italian family celebrating Christmas with the feast of the seven fishes. It’s a great cast and a fun story. You won’t regret it. 

Krampus (PG13) – streaming on Peacock 

If you thought Scrooged was dark, wait until you see Krampus, the villain of Christmas. Krampus is a horned monster who preys on bad children, and they get more than a lump of coal for the trouble they cause. Adam Scott, Allison Tolman, Toni Collette, and David Koechner must team up with their kids to save their lives and the holidays. It’s a twisted tale that will leave you wondering what happens if you act out or speak out of turn this holiday season. 

If you want to watch any or all of these with all ages, there’s an app you can add to your streaming device that will enable you to watch any of these movies with filters enabled to change them to the rating of your choosing. And it only costs $6 per month in addition to any streaming services you are already subscribed to. 

Want to make Die Hard into a “PG” movie? Now you can, but since it’s not currently streaming anywhere, you’ll need to own a digital copy already or buy or rent one. That’s the catch. Download the “Enjoy Movies Your Way” app and literally enjoy movies your way. Even PG movies have a lot of language for little kids or even preteens who haven’t quite figured out what is inappropriate for them to repeat once the movie ends. Most movies only have language filters, but in some cases, you can edit out violence, disturbing imagery, and any nudity or adult situations. It’s a great tool to make your holiday favorite movie appropriate for the family, even if it wasn’t made that way. 

Whatever you decide to watch, happy holidays to you and your family!