The 10 Best New Christmas Movies Of 2025: Your Essential Streaming Watchlist

The 2025 holiday season has delivered an unprecedented sleigh-load of original movies, cementing the trend that the best new Christmas content now lives on streaming platforms and niche cable channels. This year, the focus has shifted from predictable, snowy meet-cutes to more diverse plots, higher production values, and major star power, ensuring there is a perfect festive film for every taste as of December 2025.

The battle for your holiday viewing hours is fiercer than ever, with Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video dropping their biggest slates to date. The clear winner for audiences this year? The holiday rom-com, which now features more creative twists—from mistaken identity to European business deals gone wrong—proving the genre is still the heart of the "Countdown to Christmas" and "Joy to the World" programming blocks.

The Streamer Showdown: Netflix’s Must-Watch Holiday Rom-Coms

Netflix remains the undisputed heavyweight champion of new Christmas movies, leveraging its massive subscriber base with a focus on star-driven, high-concept romantic comedies. The 2025 lineup is dominated by familiar faces tackling fresh, if still highly festive, dilemmas. The genre trend this year is moving away from purely small-town settings and into more cosmopolitan, high-stakes environments.

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1. My Secret Santa (Netflix)

This film has quickly become one of the most-streamed movies of the season, thanks to its charming lead performances by Alexandra Breckenridge (of *Virgin River* fame) and Ryan Eggold (*New Amsterdam*). The plot centers on Taylor, a vivacious single mom desperate for a job to send her daughter to an elite snowboarding camp. Her solution? Disguising herself as a man to get hired as the seasonal Santa at a luxury ski resort. The mistaken identity plot provides ample comedic moments, leading to a heartwarming and entirely unexpected holiday romance.

2. A Merry Little Ex-Mas (Netflix)

Arguably the most star-studded of the year's offerings, *A Merry Little Ex-Mas* brings together a nostalgic cast including Alicia Silverstone, Oliver Hudson, Jameela Jamil, and Melissa Joan Hart. The story revolves around a central breakup that gets dramatically complicated when two ex-lovers are forced to spend the holidays together in a charming, snowy locale. Critics have praised the film for its nostalgic casting and its ability to find new, original plot devices within the well-worn "ex-lovers reunited" trope.

3. Champagne Problems (Netflix)

Starring Minka Kelly and Tom Wozniczka, *Champagne Problems* transports the classic holiday romance to the chic setting of Paris. Kelly plays Sydney Price, a high-powered marketing executive who flies to France right before Christmas to close a crucial business deal. While the setup suggests a straightforward work-to-love story, the film leans into a deeper emotional territory, exploring themes of career sacrifice, family expectations, and finding connection in an unfamiliar European manor house. It's a bubbly, yet surprisingly poignant, addition to the holiday romance sub-genre.

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Genre-Bending and Unexpected Twists: Thrills and Family Secrets

Beyond the traditional rom-com, 2025 saw a notable trend toward genre mashups, injecting elements of crime, melodrama, and high-stakes comedy into the Christmas framework. These films offer a welcome change of pace for viewers looking for something a little different from their festive viewing.

4. Jingle Bell Heist (Netflix)

This entry sparked a major debate: Can a film about a robbery truly be a Christmas movie? *Jingle Bell Heist* answers with a resounding "yes." Starring Olivia Holt, the film follows Sophia, a petty thief who plots a major robbery at a notorious London department store on Christmas Eve. However, the attempted heist quickly uncovers a web of family secrets and workplace corruption, transforming the movie from a simple crime caper into a complex story about accountability and redemption, all set against a sparkling, snow-dusted backdrop.

5. Joy to the World (Hulu & Disney+)

Hulu and Disney+ delivered a sharp, satirical comedy with *Joy to the World*, starring Emmanuelle Chriqui. The film focuses on Joy Edwards, a renowned lifestyle guru and cookbook author whose entire perfect home life and family image—featured in her bestsellers—is a complete fabrication. Her world spirals into chaos when a major TV network decides to film her “perfect” Christmas at her performatively plush house, Goose Lane, forcing her to confront the mountain of lies her career is built upon. It’s a hilarious take on the pressures of holiday perfection and social media facades.

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6. Tyler Perry’s Finding Joy (Prime Video)

Tyler Perry returns to the holiday genre with a warm, faith-based story that focuses on emotional depth. *Finding Joy* stars Shannon Thornton as Joy, a talented New York fashion designer whose potential is constantly overshadowed by her demanding boss. The film explores Joy's journey to find her own happiness and professional success, which becomes intertwined with a sweet, magical holiday romance. Co-starring Tosin Morohunfola and Brittany S. Hall, the film is a cozy, uplifting melodrama that feels distinct from the streamer's rom-com focus, offering a welcome dose of holiday heart.

Beyond the Big Streamers: Cable’s Continued Holiday Dominance

While Netflix and its rivals captured the headlines, the traditional powerhouses of holiday programming—Hallmark Channel and Great American Family (GAF)—continue to deliver a massive volume of new content, ensuring the market for feel-good, small-town romance is fully saturated. These channels are essential entities for any comprehensive discussion of the best new Christmas movies, as they provide the reliable, cozy comfort viewers crave.

Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas 2025 Highlights

Hallmark's "Countdown to Christmas" event for 2025 featured over two dozen new movies, doubling down on the royal and small-town themes that are their signature. Key titles that stood out in the lineup include:

• A Royal Montana Christmas: Combining the popular "royal" trope with a rugged, American setting.
• A Christmas Angel Match: A classic matchmaker scenario with a festive twist.
• Mistletoe Murders, Season 2: The return of the successful mystery-meets-holiday series, premiering in mid-November.
• A Grand Ole Opry Christmas: A music-themed romance set against the iconic Nashville backdrop.
• The Christmas Cup: Starring Rhiannon Fish and Ben Rosenbaum, a sports-themed holiday romance.
• Christmas Above the Clouds: A highly anticipated film set in a remote, snowy resort.

Great American Family’s 2025 Gems

Great American Family (GAF) continued its push to be a dominant force in the holiday space, focusing on family-friendly, traditional values and feel-good stories. Their lineup included several top-rated films by audience metrics:

• Christmas Under the Northern Lights: A romance about a big-city author discovering her small-town family roots.
• A Christmas Prayer: Ranked highly for its strong emotional core and traditional narrative.
• Timeless Tidings of Joy: A film praised for its nostalgic and heartfelt storyline.
• A Wisconsin Christmas Pie: A food-themed romance, tapping into the popular culinary sub-genre of Christmas films.

The 2025 Christmas Movie Trends: Star Power and Genre Diversity

What makes the 2025 slate of new Christmas movies so compelling is the sheer breadth of content. While holiday romances are still the prevailing genre, accounting for a significant portion of the releases, the definition of a "Christmas movie" is expanding.

We are seeing more genre experimentation, with films like *Jingle Bell Heist* introducing crime elements and *Joy to the World* offering sharp satire. The rise of sequels, such as *The Family Plan 2* on Apple TV and *The Night My Dad Saved Christmas 2* on Netflix, shows streamers are investing in building their own holiday franchises.

Furthermore, the increased involvement of major stars like Alicia Silverstone, Alexandra Breckenridge, and Minka Kelly highlights the new strategy: using established television and film talent to draw in broad audiences. Whether you prefer the cozy comfort of a Hallmark classic like *A Keller Christmas* or the edgy humor of a Netflix original, the 2025 holiday season offers an unparalleled selection of festive cinema.