There's something about a holiday film that turns our hearts to mush. Netflix's Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is a brilliant combination of yuletide cheer, magic [1], and a fantastic soundtrack that will lift any spirit [2]! We wouldn't be mad if you chose to rewatch it a few times throughout the holidays, but we have a few other films that could also do the job if you're looking to switch things up. From similar holiday musicals to family-centreed films, you're guaranteed a good night watching any of the movies on this list.
Almost Christmas (2016)
Almost Christmas follows Walter Meyer (Danny Glover), a retired mechanic who lost the love of his life one year earlier. With the holiday season drawing near, he invites his kids, Rachel (Gabrielle Union [4]), Cheryl (Kimberly Elise), Christian (Romany Malco), and Evan (Jessie T. Usher), to the family home for a traditional celebration. Having everyone, as well as his sister-in-law May, together under one roof quickly shows Walter that keeping the peace will take a Christmas miracle.
Watch Almost Christmas on Amazon Prime Video [5].
The Best Man Holiday (2013)
Nearly 15 years after they were last together as a group, college friends Lance (Morris Chestnut), Harper (Taye Diggs [6]), Candace (Regina Hall), Quentin (Terrence Howard), Robyn (Sanaa Lathan), Jordan (Nia Long), Murch (Harold Perrineau), and Mia (Monica Calhoun) finally reunite over the Christmas holidays. Though much has changed in their lives, the friends discover just how easy it is for long-forgotten rivalries and passionate romances to be reignited.
Watch The Best Man Holiday on Amazon Prime Video [7].
The Perfect Holiday (2007)
The holidays can be an especially lonely time for single parents, much like Gabrielle Union [8]'s character in this film. Nancy Taylor, a divorced mother of three, just wants to meet a nice man. Determined to see that her mother is happy, Nancy's daughter Emily asks a department-store Santa to help make her mother's wish come true.
Underneath the Santa suit is aspiring songwriter Benjamin, played by Morris Chestnut, who lies about what he really does for a living. Filled with lots of laughs from Queen Latifah [9], Terrence Howard, Katt Williams, Charlie Murphy, and more, this predictable yet charming holiday flick is definitely one to keep on the list.
Watch The Perfect Holiday on Amazon Prime Video [10].
Last Holiday (2006)
Georgia Byrd is a clerk at a New Orleans department store. After a hospital visit reveals the disturbing news that she has only three weeks to live, she cashes out her savings and heads to her dream destination to live out the rest of her days in Europe's Grandhotel Pupp.
Byrd's diagnosis gives her a new attitude where eating, drinking, and being merry take precedent. With a bold approach to life, she learns to laugh more, love more, and live fearlessly. Starring Queen Latifah [11] and LL Cool J, this rom-com will inspire you to make the most out of the rest of your year.
Watch Last Holiday on Amazon Prime Video [12].
The Preacher's Wife (1996)
Denzel Washington [13], Whitney Houston, and Courtney B. Vance are magical in this '90s remake. When Reverend Biggs starts to doubt himself and loses sight of what's important, he's visited by Dudley, an angel on a mission to get him back on track who starts to get a little too close for comfort to the reverend's wife, Julia.
With an original soundtrack performed by the late Houston, this movie will have you leaping for joy as if you were in the congregation yourself. Can I get an amen?
Watch The Preacher's Wife on Amazon Prime Video [14].
Black Nativity (2013)
Black Nativity follows Langston (Jacob Latimore), a Baltimore teen raised by his single mother (Jennifer Hudson [15]), who travels to New York City to spend the holiday with his estranged relatives, the Rev. Cornell Cobbs (Forest Whitaker) and his wife, Aretha (Angela Bassett). But when Langston realises how strict the Cobbs are, he sets out on a journey to return to his mother and finds the value of faith, healing, and family along the way.
Watch Black Nativity on Amazon Prime Video [16].
This Christmas (2007)
Family matriarch Ma'Dere Whitfield (Loretta Devine) gathers her family around for their first reunion in four years. But when family secrets start being revealed, their tight-knit bonds begin unraveling. It'll take a Christmas miracle to bring them all back together again.
Watch This Christmas on Hulu [17].
The Holiday Calendar (2018)
In this Netflix original movie, a photographer working a dead-end job receives a holiday Advent calendar as a gift from her grandfather. At first, she just thinks it's a sweet present. However, after her life completely takes a turn for the better whenever she uses the calendar, she realises it may have magical powers.
Watch The Holiday Calendar on Netflix. [18]
A Diva's Christmas Carol (2000)
Inspired by Charles Dickens's classic A Christmas Carol, the film follows an ego-driven superstar, Ebony Scrooge (Vanessa L. Williams), who loses her holiday spirit. Three Christmas spirits, the ghosts of Past, Present, and Future (played by Kathy Griffin, John Taylor, and a television set), visit Ebony to show her how to change her ways before it's too late. If you watched this film when it first came out, you know you still know all the words to "Heartquake"!
Watch A Diva's Christmas Carol on YouTube. [19]
The Mistle-Tones (2012)
The premise of this movie is Pitch Perfect, but at Christmas. And yes, it is just as much fun as it sounds, thanks to Tia Mowry and Tori Spelling [20] playing the heads of dueling Christmas groups.
Watch The Mistle-Tones on Disney+. [21]