David Farnor | On 21, Dec 2022

Every year, the number of Christmas films available at our fingertips gets bigger and bigger, but the more stuffed the festive digital stocking gets, the harder it is to sort the naughty from the nice. Sky Cinema is no exception to that rule, with a library that ranges from It’s a Wonderful Life all the way to dubious animated outings. You can see our guide to the whole collection here – but if you’re looking for a quick selection box to sample, look no further than this rundown of the best Christmas films on Sky Cinema and NOW. For more information about Sky Cinema pricing and the latest Sky TV packages, click here.

Elf

“Oh my God! Santa’s coming! I know him!” Santa’s oversized helper Will Ferrell goes to New York to find his real dad, only to discover he’s a mean old grouch in Jon Favreau’s delightful comedy.

This Is Christmas (2022)

Alfred Enoch and Kaya Scodelario have charming chemistry in this earnest story about not being afraid to be kind to strangers.

A Christmas Story Christmas

Ralphie tries to give his own kids the perfect Christmas in this enjoyable sequel to the 1983 Christmas classic.

8-Bit Christmas

Neil Patrick Harris fronts this nostalgic comedy about an adult remembering how his 10-year-old self wanted nothing more than to get a NES for Christmas.

White Christmas

White Christmas returned to the screen with a film named after it in this gorgeously sentiment 1954 outing, which sees Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney charm their way through a Christmas revue being staged in tribute to an old retired army general. Worth watching just for the song “Snow” alone.

Happy Christmas

Joe Swanberg’s drama about an immature sister (Anna Kendrick) crashing on the couch of her brother is awkward, intimate and endearingly sincere.

Krampus (2015)

This sweet, cynical. scary horror-comedy is a dark festive delight.

A Christmas No 1

This unconventional Christmas mixtape of conflicting plots is an uneven but undeniably sweet number.

Almost Christmas

A classy comic cast ensures that this dysfunctional family Christmas comedy is consistently entertaining, if not family-friendly.

Scrooged

Bill Murray plays a horrible TV executive in Richard Donner’s 80s comedy classic. Visited by spirits, will he learn the error of his ways? Whether the answer surprises you or not, Murray has never been so likeably horrid.

Rise of the Guardians

The Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus are together at last in this entertaining animated adventure that might be DreamWorks’ most under-appreciated film.

Dr Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas

Jim Carrey pulls out all the stops for this take on Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch, which manages to be amusing as well as endearing – and boasts one heck of a make-up team.

This Christmas

Idris Elba and Delroy Lindo star in this 2007 comedy about The Whitfields, who celebrate their first family Christmas together for four years. And they’re going to do it in the traditional style: with put-downs and punch-ups.

Trading Places

John Landis’ charming Christmas classic sees a con artist and a rich commodities investor effectively swapped as part of a seasonal bet to prove that lowlives and the upper class aren’t that different after all. Watch out for the moment when Dan Aykroyd briefly becomes one of the best on-screen Santas in cinema history.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Randy Quaid and more strive to gift-wrap the perfect Christmas for the Griswold family.

Last Train to Christmas

Michael Sheen brings first-class gloss to this familiar time-hopping festive drama.

Batman Returns

Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito and Michelle Pfeiffer bring heart, humour and a touch of Gothic horror to this icy superhero sequel.

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