The 17 Best Free Christmas Movies on YouTube in 2022

Ah, Christmas. It's that time of year when it's too dark and cold outside to do anything but curl up with some hot chocolate or eggnog and settle in to watch Christmas movies and specials on the web, for free, if possible. YouTube is a great place to find free Christmas classics and newer holiday gems. Here's a list of the best free Christmas movies on YouTube.

Don't like any of these? Head over to the Hallmark Channel and watch one of our picks for their best Christmas movies.

Crazy for Christmas (2005)

IMDb rating: 6.2/10

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family

Starring: Andrea Roth, Howard Hesseman, Jason Spevack

Director: Eleanore Linow

Motion Picture Rating: TV-PG

Running Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

What would you do if you had a billion dollars? How about giving away all of your money to complete strangers on Christmas?

Watch 'Crazy for Christmas' on YouTube

A Christmas Carol (1984)

IMDb rating: 7.8/10

Genre: Drama, Family, Fantasy

Starring: George C. Scott, Frank Finlay, Angela Pleasance

Director: Clive Donner

Motion Picture Rating: PG

Running Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

This is the entire film from 1984, originally based on the book by Charles Dickens. George C. Scott plays Ebenezer Scrooge, the Noel-hating miser who comes around thanks to the efforts of three ghosts who visit him on Christmas Eve.

Watch 'A Christmas Carol' on YouTube

On the 2nd Day of Christmas (1997)

IMDb rating: 6.1/10

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family

Starring: Mary Stuart Masterson, Mark Ruffalo, Lauren Pratt

Director: James Frawley

Motion Picture Rating: TV-PG

Running Time: 1 hour, 36 minutes

Mary Stuart Masterson and Mark Ruffalo star in this Lifetime movie. Masterson plays Trish, a pickpocket who, along with her niece Patsy (Pratt), target wealthy shoppers at a department store. They get caught and, thanks to holiday closures, myst spend the weekend with security guard Bert (Ruffalo) before returning to the store to face charges.

Watch 'On the 2nd Day of Christmas' on YouTube

The Man in the Santa Claus Suit (1979)

IMDb rating: 6.5/10

Genre: Drama

Starring: Fred Astaire, Gary Burghoff, John Byner

Director: Corey Allen

Motion Picture Rating: TV-G

Running Time: 1 hour, 44 minutes

If you're a fan of older classic movies, you'll love this 1979 holiday drama. It's about a costume shop proprietor (Astaire) who rents Santa suits to three men who need them for different purposes. One hopes to impress a woman, one's hiding from the police, and the third is trying to connect with his son. Astaire reappears throughout the movie to help the men make their lives better.

Watch 'The Man in the Santa Claus Suit' on YouTube

A Mom for Christmas

IMDb rating: 6.5/10

Genre: Comedy, Family, Fantasy

Starring: Olivia Newton-John, Juliet Sorci, Dough Sheehan

Director: George T. Miller

Motion Picture Rating: TV-G

Running Time: 1 hour, 36 minutes

Olivia Newton-John plays Amy Miller, a department-store mannequin with a full name who comes to life in answer to Jessica's (Sorci) Christmas wish for a mother. She will only be human until Christmas Eve, however, so the clock is ticking to make her transformation permanent in time to save the holiday.

Watch 'A Mom for Christmas' on YouTube

Miracle on 34th Street (1973)

IMDb rating: 5.8/10

Genre: Drama, Family, Fantasy

Starring: Sebastian Cabot, Jane Alexander, David Hartman

Director: Fielder Cook

Motion Picture Rating: NR

Running Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Although it's not the original, this movie is still as magical as ever. This is the fourth version of the 1947 classic about a kind old man who becomes a last-minute replacement for Santa in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. He does so well that he becomes the store's official Santa, which makes sense because he's the real guy. When doubters question him, he ends up going on trial to prove that he's the real Father Christmas.

Richie Rich's Christmas Wish (1998)

IMDb rating: 4.0/10

Genre: Comedy, Family

Starring: David Gallagher, Eugene Levy, Keene Curtis

Director: John Murlowski

Motion Picture Rating: G

Running Time: 1 hour, 24 minutes

This direct-to-video, standalone sequel to the 1994 Macaulay Culkin film combines the world's richest kid with It's a Wonderful Life. After his attempt to deliver presents to the town ends in disaster, Richie uses a machine to wish he'd never been born.

Watch 'Richie Rich's Christmas Wish' on YouTube

Finding John Christmas (2003)

IMDb rating: 6.3/10

Genre: Drama, Family, Fantasy

Starring: Valerie Bertinelli, William Russ, Peter Falk

Director: Andy Wolk

Motion Picture Rating: PG

Running Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

This movie is part two of a Peter Falk trilogy that's well-loved by movie buffs. Falk plays Max, an angel who works to improve people's lives around the holidays. In this case, his goals are to reunite a family and save an emergency room.

Watch 'Finding John Christmas' on YouTube

When Angels Come to Town (2004)

IMDb rating: 6.7/10

Genre: Fantasy, Family, Drama

Starring: Tammy Blanchard, Seann Gallagher, Peter Falk

Director: Andy Wolk

Motion Picture Rating: TV-PG

Running Time: 1 hour, 27 minutes

This film is the third centering around Peter Falk's helpful angel, Max. The other two are Finding John Christmas and A Town Without Christmas. In this one, Max accidentally helps the wrong family and has to move quickly to get back on track.

Watch 'When Angels Come to Town' on YouTube

The Christmas Tree (1996)

IMDb rating: 6.9/10

Genre: Adventure, Family, Drama

Starring: Julie Harris, Trini Alvarado, Andrew McCarthy

Director: Sally Field

Motion Picture Rating: NR

Running Time: 1 hour, 33 minutes

A rare TV Christmas movie from 1996 with a beautiful story that could make you tear up a bit. Sally Field directs this movie about a nun (Harris) who has been growing a tree for decades and the guy (McCarthy) in charge of finding the centerpiece of the Rockefeller Center holiday decorations.

Watch 'The Christmas Tree' on YouTube

Karroll's Christmas (2004)

IMDb rating: 6.0/10

Genre: Comedy

Starring: Tom Everett Scott, Wallace Shawn, Verne Troyer

Director: Dennis Dugan

Motion Picture Rating: TV-PG

Running Time: 1 hour, 27 minutes

Allen Karroll (Scott) is a greeting-card writer who hates Christmas thanks to a previous embarrassment from an ex. Will he ever get his holiday spirit back? Find out in this 2004 comedy.

Watch 'Karroll's Christmas' on YouTube

Christmas Caper (2006)

IMDb rating: 5.6/10

Genre: Comedy, Family, Fantasy

Starring: Shannen Doherty, Ty Olsson, Conrad Coates

Director: David Winkler

Motion Picture Rating: PG

Running Time: 1 hour, 28 minutes

Christmas tends to bring out the best of people, even when they're at their most wicked. In this comedy, Shannen Doherty plays a crook who goes home for the holidays to hide out after a job goes bad.

Watch 'Christmas Caper' on YouTube

Golden Winter (2012)

IMDb rating: 3.9/10

Genre: Comedy, Family

Starring: Andrew Beckham, Shannon Elizabeth, Jason Brooks

Director: Tom Seidman

Motion Picture Rating: TV-G

Running Time: 1 hour, 29 minutes

Puppies make everything better, and Christmas movies are no exception. In this one, a boy makes some new friends: a litter of homeless Golden Retrievers who can talk to each other via special-effects wizardry. The new pals work together to thwart a holiday bank robbery. We're pretty sure Shannen Doherty's character from Christmas Caper isn't the mastermind, but that would be an amazing crossover.

Watch 'Golden Winter' on YouTube

A Smoky Mountain Christmas (1986)

IMDb rating: 6.9/10

Genre: Fantasy, Musical

Starring: Dolly Parton, Lee Majors, Bo Hopkins

Director: Henry Winkler

Motion Picture Rating: TV-PG

Running Time: 1 hour, 34 minutes

Dolly Parton charms us all in this feel-good Christmas movie. She plays country star Lorna Davis, who heads east to get away from Los Angeles. When she arrives at her friend's cabin in Tennessee, she discovers that seven orphans are squatting there. And that's not the only connection to Snow White, since there's also a witch trying to kill Lorna with a poisoned apple because she caught her boyfriend's eye. And we understand her anger, but it's really not fair because everyone loves Dolly Parton.

Watch 'A Smoky Mountain Christmas' on YouTube