Holiday Movies for Every Age: A Parent’s Guide to Festive Family Favorites

Finding the perfect holiday movie can be harder than finding matching pajamas for three kids. Whether you’ve got toddlers bouncing off sugar cookies or tweens too cool for carols, this guide has you covered. We’ve grouped our favorite holiday movies by age with run times included so you can snuggle up with confidence (and maybe even a cup of hot cocoa while you’re at it).

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Ages 2–4: Cozy & Calm for Little Ones

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(Short & sweet, under 60 minutes)

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• Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas – 66 min (Disney+)
• Gentle stories with familiar characters and a soft, cozy pace.
• The Snowman – 26 min (YouTube/Prime Video)
• A wordless, beautifully animated winter tale with stunning music.
• Elmo Saves Christmas – 60 min (Max)
• If it’s got Elmo in it, toddlers are in.
• Puffin Rock: Snow Day – 39 min (Netflix)
• Quiet, educational, and adorable - narrated by Chris O’Dowd.

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Ages 5–7: Magic, Music & Mayhem

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(Generally under 90 min)

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• The Polar Express – 100 min (Max)
• A magical ride that feels like a dream (though a bit uncanny-looking).
• Olaf’s Frozen Adventure – 22 min (Disney+)
• Short, sweet, and packed with Frozen charm.
• Arthur Christmas – 97 min (Netflix)
• A hilarious behind-the-scenes look at Santa’s operations.
• Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch (2018) – 86 min (Netflix)
• A modern, colorful take on the classic with Pharrell as the narrator.

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Ages 8–11: Big Laughs & Heartwarming Messages

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(90–105 min range)

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• Home Alone – 103 min (Disney+)
• Chaos, comedy, and booby traps — an absolute classic.
• Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey – 122 min (Netflix)
• A beautiful, musical fantasy with incredible costumes and heart.
• Klaus – 96 min (Netflix)
• Visually stunning with an original take on the Santa origin story.
• The Santa Clause – 97 min (Disney+)
• Tim Allen as a reluctant Santa - funny and nostalgic.

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Ages 12+ and Tweens: Cool Enough for Them

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(90–110+ min)

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• A Boy Called Christmas – 106 min (Netflix)
• Darker, magical, and emotional — think Harry Potter meets the North Pole.
• Gremlins – 106 min (Prime Video)
• A little spooky, a lot chaotic - not technically a Christmas movie, but legendary.
• The Christmas Chronicles – 104 min (Netflix)
• Kurt Russell as Santa? Surprisingly cool. Lots of energy and action.
• Elf – 97 min (Max)
• Still universally hilarious. “Santa! I know him!”

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Whole Family Favorites: Everyone’s Happy - Even You

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(All-ages crowd-pleasers)

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• The Muppet Christmas Carol – 85 min (Disney+)
• One of the best versions of the classic — and the most entertaining.
• Paddington – 95 min & Paddington 2 – 103 min (Prime Video)
• Not strictly holiday films, but cozy, kind, and winter-perfect.
• Frozen – 102 min (Disney+)
• Still a hit - bonus points if you all sing along.
• A Charlie Brown Christmas – 25 min (Apple TV+)
• Slow, sweet, and timeless - with music that instantly relaxes you.

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☃️ Wrap-Up:

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Need help remembering which movie you promised to watch on Friday?

📲 Use Parentr to set movie nights in your calendar and even let kids vote on the next pick. Add it as a class or family event, and never miss a cocoa-and-blanket moment again.

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