Best Movies on Netflix to Watch with Your Family This Thanksgiving

Best Movies on Netflix to Watch with Your Family This Thanksgiving Credit: Netflix
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Turkey Day is almost here, which means that it won’t be long before you’ll be relaxing with that last piece of pumpkin pie and looking for something to watch with the family while you wait for the turkey coma to kick in.

Naturally, Netflix has you covered, and whether your tastes lean toward animated holiday features for the young ones, lighthearted comedic fare, or romantic tear-jerkers, there’s something here for everyone. Read on for what’s new on Netflix this holiday season along with a few of our own favourites that are still around from prior years.

New Netflix Originals

A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish (2019)

Cinderella fairytale stories have been around for as long as the original Disney movie, but for some reason studios just can’t stop offering new spins on them. This one features Laura Marano in the title role, and looks like it’s going to follow the usual formula, with Marano playing an aspiring singer held down by an overbearing stepmother and stepsisters. There may not be too many surprises, but there’s a reason Cinderella stories keep coming back, and this one looks like fun for the whole family.

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby (2019)

The 2017 Netflix original A Christmas Prince is one of the few to actually spark not only a sequel, but now a trilogy, letting us see the couple get married in last year’s A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding, and now continuing the story into the arrival of a royal baby. Being Netflix Originals, the first two titles are still available too.

Holiday Rush (2019)

Popular radio DJ Rashon “Rush” Williams (Romany Malco) is forced to move in with his aunt after he gets fired right before Christmas, along with his four spoiled kids, who have a big list of gifts for Santa. As he works to get back on his feet with the help of his producer and his aunt, he’s forced to reevaluate what’s really important.

Klaus (2019)

This Netflix animated original is about a postman who is exiled to a frozen island near the North Pole, only to find Santa in hiding, and it’s got a remarkable cast of voice actors that include J.K. Simmons, Rashida Jones, Joan Cusack, and Jason Schwartzman.

Let It Snow (2019)

Based on the New York Times bestseller of the same name, this charming tale brings together a group of young people whose Christmas Eve plans are curtailed by a snowstorm in their small town.

The Knight Before Christmas (2019)

This romantic fish-out-of-water comedy sees a medieval English knight (Josh Whitehouse) magically transported to present-day Ohio where he befriends kind but cynical high school science teacher Brooke (Vanessa Hudgens) who has to help him navigate the modern world and figure out how to return home to his own time.

Fun For The Whole Family

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)

This Peanuts classic is second only to the 1965 A Charlie Brown Christmas as one of the most beloved holiday classics of all time, and whether you’ve got young kids or you’re just a big kid at heart, no post-Thanksgiving celebration is really complete without it.

An American Tail (1986)

While it’s not a Thanksgiving tale per se, this story of a young Russian mouse immigrating to the United States is a great story that will inspire patriotic gratitude, plus it’s a nice film to put on for the kids while you settle in for the post-Thanksgiving dinner nap.

Bedtime Stories (2008)

Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler) is a hotel handyman who suddenly finds that the fantastic bedtime stories he tells his niece and nephew are actually starting to magically come true. It’s a fun holiday movie for those who don’t want too much of a Christmas spin just yet.

The Princess Switch (2018)

This reimagined version of The Prince & The Pauper has a Chicago baker (Vanessa Hudgens) switching places with the fiancée of the Prince of Belgravia while she’s in the country for a Christmas baking competition.

Getting Ready for Christmas

White Christmas (1954)

Sadly, with original content owners like Disney setting up their own streaming services, many classics like Miracle on 34th Street (1947) are disappearing from Netflix, but fortunately there’s at least one that remains: The venerable 1954 Bing Crosby musical comedy White Christmas. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a great way to kick off the Christmas season. Watch it while you’re trimming the tree.

The Grinch (2018)

While the original 1966 classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, is getting harder to find online, this remade version retains the spirit of the original with modern animation that will appeal to a whole new generation of viewers.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

While nothing quite compares to the original animated version — or even the newer remake — Jim Carrey’s live action take on the classic Grinch story is still great fun.

The Christmas Candle (2013)

Inspired by a novel by Max Lucado, this is a heartwarming tale of a minister who finds himself at odds with his community, which believes in a miraculous candle.

The Christmas Chronicles (2018)

Two siblings, Kate and Teddy Pierce, hatch a plan to try and catch Santa Claus (Kurt Russell) on camera on Christmas Eve, but instead get pulled into an adventure beyond their imagination.

Christmas with the Kranks (2004)

Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis are two empty-nesters looking for a simple Christmas vacation away, until their neighbours and daughter find out and decide to change their plans for them.

48 Christmas Wishes (2017)

Two junior elves get banished from the North Pole after losing the letters to Santa from an entire town, where they’re forced to take up residence and attempt to find every missing wish before Christmas Eve.

For the Romantics

Dear Santa (2011)

Privileged party girl Crystal (Amy Acker) loves spending her parents’ money, but is brought down to earth when she discovers a letter to Santa written by seven-year-old Olivia (Emma Duke), asking St. Nick to find a new wife for her widowed father Derek (David Haydn-Jones), who owns a small construction business and runs a local soup kitchen.

A Holiday Engagement (2011)

After being dumped by her fiancé right before Thanksgiving, Hillary (Bonnie Somerville) can’t bear to break the news to her overbearing family, so she hires an actor to step into the role.

A Dogwalker’s Christmas Tale (2015)

Spoiled college student Luce (Lexi Giovagnoli) is forced to take a job walking a rich developer’s dog over the holidays, and while she’s initially thrilled to discover his plans to build a salon and spa over the local dog park, she slowly begins to change her mind after meeting handsome dogwalker Dean (Jonathan Bennett) who is trying to preserve the park for his canine friends.

The Holiday Calendar (2018)

Struggling but talented photographer Abby (Kat Graham) inherits an antique advent calendar that seems to be able to predict the future, taking her on a whimsical journey as she follows what it reveals.

Holiday in the Wild (2018)

Rob Lowe and Kristin Davis meet up in this romantic Christmas comedy where a jilted wife (Davis) goes on an African safari alone and ends up meeting an elephant conservationist (Lowe).

Christmas in the Heartland (a.k.a. The Christmas Trap) (2017)

Two girls from completely different worlds end up meeting on a plane while travelling home, sparking an unlikely friendship that inspires them to trade places for the holidays in this homage to the Disney classic, The Parent Trap.

Christmas Crush (2012)

When Georgia (Rachel Boston) learns of her high school reunion, she’s ecstatic about the opportunity to reunite with her old flame, but as events unfold, she realizes that her past friendships may not be quite the same as she remembers them.

How Sarah Got Her Wings (a.k.a. Heaven Sent) (2015)

After suffering a fatal accident right before Christmas, good samaritan Sarah Fitzpatrick (Lindsey Gort) is forced to return to earth as an angel trainee to help a soul in need (Derek Theler) find his Christmas spirit.

Rumor Has It… (2005)

If you’ve become an avid viewer of The Morning Show on Apple TV+, or are just a fan of Jennifer Aniston from her days as Rachel Green on Friends, you’ll enjoy this fun holiday movie where Aniston returns home for Thanksgiving only to discover that she might be the product of a scandalous family secret. The all-star cast also includes Kevin Costner, Shirley Maclaine, and Mark Ruffalo.

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