25 New York Christmas Movies to Get You in the Holiday Spirit

There's nothing quite like celebrating the holiday season in the Big Apple. There’s the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, the dazzling window displays at Macy’s Herald Square and, of course, the Radio City Rockettes. But even if you’re unable to experience these iconic traditions in person, you don't have to miss out on all the action. You can live vicariously through your favorite characters in the best New York Christmas movies.

Join Buddy the Elf as he travels the busy streets of Manhattan to find his father, or watch Kevin McCallister as he effortlessly cons his way into the famous Plaza Hotel for the holidays. From It Happened on 5th Avenue to Serendipity, each of these movies will practically transport you to the city that never sleeps. So, grab a Christmas snack and holiday drink—like peppermint hot cocoa or a spiced eggnog latte and keep reading for 25 New York Christmas movies, available to stream on Prime Video, Netflix and more.

1. Elf (2003)

• Cast: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Edward Asner
• Rating: PG
• Director: Jon Favreau
• Run time: 97 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 86% | IMDb 7.1/10
• Genre: Comedy

Arguably Will Ferrell’s best movie ever (I said what I said), Elf follows Buddy, a boy who’s raised as one of Santa’s elves after he’s accidentally sent to the North Pole. However, he doesn’t exactly fit in with the rest of the workers. Determined to find his real father, Buddy leaves the North Pole and ventures to NYC to search for him. But when Buddy finally reunites with his dad, chaos ensues. 

"Elf is the best holiday movie of all time and I will not be taking any questions," says PureWow Beauty and Cultures Editor Chelsea Candelario. "I watch this every season (multiple times) and I have it memorized by this point."

2. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) 

• Cast: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard
• Rating: PG
• Director: Chris Columbus
• Run time: 120 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 35% | IMDb 6.9/10
• Genre: Comedy

Kevin McCallister is at it again in this sequel to the classic Home Alone—but this time, he gets separated from his family after boarding a plane headed for New York City. Who knows, you may learn a thing or two from Kevin’s booby traps.

PureWow's Audience Development Strategist Nicole Frazzini says, "As someone who’s always been obsessed with New York at Christmas, Home Alone 2 is the perfect Christmas movie. It’s got all the best parts of the original—hilarious performances by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern plus unbelievable savviness from Kevin McCallister."

3. It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947) 

• Cast: Victor Moore, Ann Harding, Don DeFore, Charles Ruggles
• Rating: NR
• Director: Roy Del Ruth
• Run time: 116 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 80% | IMDb 7.6/10
• Genre: Romantic Comedy

When the O’Connors, one of the richest families on 5th Avenue, head to their mansion in Virginia for the holidays, a homeless man named Aloysius T. McKeever (aka Mac) takes up residence in their luxury New York home. Mac also invites a homeless veteran to live with him—but doesn't reveal that he's been squatting. He gets quite the surprise when one of the O’Connors turns up and keeps her real identity a secret.

4. Miracle on 34th Street (1947) 

• Cast: Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn
• Rating: NR
• Director: George Seaton
• Run time: 96 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 96% | IMDb 7.9/10
• Genre: Comedy

When an old man named Kris Kringle gets hired to play Santa Claus at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, he does such a great job that he gets hired to work at the store, too. He starts to claim that he’s the real Santa, causing others to question his motives and even his mental state. So, he decides to take the matter to court. Will this prove he’s the real deal?

Miracle on 34th Street earned three Academy Awards, including Best Actor in a Supporting Role (for Gwenn), Best Writing, Original Story and Best Writing, Screenplay. 

5. Serendipity (2001) 

• Cast: John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale, Molly Shannon
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Peter Chelsom
• Run time: 91 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 59% | IMDb 6.8/10
• Genre: Romantic Comedy

Jonathan and Sarah have a chance encounter at Bloomingdales in New York, and there’s an instant spark, but Sarah is hesitant to take things further because she wants to leave it up to fate. Fast forward ten years later, and they still can’t stop thinking about each other. Will fate bring them back together? Watching this film will make you feel like you're walking the streets of New York, and I could go on for days about Cusack and Beckinsale's stellar chemistry.

6. New Year’s Eve (2011) 

• Cast: Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Garry Marshall
• Run time: 118 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 7% | IMDb 5.6/10
• Genre: Romantic Comedy

Think Valentine's Day, but during the holidays. The film follows the lives of multiple couples (and singles) in New York City—all of whom are somehow connected. These stories range from a chef having an awkward encounter with her ex to a man going through the final stages of cancer. You’ll take a liking to this if you’re into feel-good, star-studded rom-coms.

7. Scrooged (1988)

• Cast: Bill Murray, Karen Allen, John Forsythe, Bobcat Goldthwait
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Richard Donner
• Run time: 100 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 71% | IMDb 6.9/10
• Genre: Comedy, Fantasy

Inspired by Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, Scrooged revolves around Frank Cross, a selfish and bitter TV executive who gives the Grinch a run for his money. After firing one of his employees on Christmas Eve, Frank gets a surprise visit from the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, causing him to re-evaluate his life.

8. Mistletoe Over Manhattan (2011)

• Cast: Tricia Helfe, Greg Bryk, Tedde Moore 
• Rating: G
• Director: John Bradshaw
• Run time: 88 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes (N/A) | IMDb 6.1/10
• Genre: Romance, Drama

Santa Claus appears to be losing his holiday spirit—and he’s even considering retirement. But Mrs. Claus isn’t letting him give up that easy. Determined to reignite his spark and find the spirit of Christmas, they head back to the place where they first fell in love: New York.

9. A Little Princess (1995)

• Cast: Liesel Matthews, Vanessa Lee Chester, Rusty Schwimmer
• Rating: G
• Director: Alfonso Cuarón
• Run time: 97 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 97% | IMDb 7.6/10
• Genre: Fantasy

A young girl named Sara is sent to a boarding school in New York by her single dad when he gets drafted to fight in World War I. Her world is turned upside down when she gets news that her father was killed in combat. (Fair warning: There are some tear-jerker scenes, so you might want to keep a box of tissues handy.)

10. The Family Man (2002)

• Cast: Nicolas Cage, Téa Leoni, Don Cheadle, Saul Rubinek
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Brett Ratner
• Run time: 125 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 53% | IMDb 6.8/10
• Genre: Fantasy, Comedy, Drama

Jack, a successful Wall Street executive, wakes up on Christmas day and discovers that he’s been transported to an alternate universe. Instead of living as a rich and carefree bachelor, he’s now residing in New Jersey with a wife and two kids. As he struggles to get used to this new normal, he must make an important decision. Should he follow his heart or his career?

11. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

• Cast: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Frank Capra
• Run time: 131 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 94% | IMDb 8.6/10
• Genre: Fantasy

George Bailey is at the end of his rope. Right when he’s nearly had it, he receives a visit from his guardian angel, Clarence, who decides to show George the impact of his good deeds. The Oscar-nominated film touches on deep themes like the importance of community, loyalty, sacrifice and commercialism. 

12. Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)

• Cast: Dudley Moore, David Huddleston, John Lithgow
• Rating: G
• Director: Jeannot Szwarc
• Run time: 108 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 22% | IMDb 6.3/10
• Genre: Adventure

This film taps into the origins of the beloved Santa Claus by following the present-day Santa as he struggles with a massive workload. Things get even more stressful when one of his elves runs away from the workshop and heads to New York to work at a failing toy company. With the fate of Christmas at stake, it’s up to Santa to get his trusty elf back and save the holidays.

13. A New York Christmas Wedding (2020)

• Cast: Chris Noth, Nia Fairweather, Chris Trousdale, Otoja Abit
• Rating: TV-MA
• Director: Otoja Abit
• Run time: 88 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 62% | IMDb 5.4/10
• Genre: Romance

As Jennifer prepares for her Christmas Eve wedding, she gets visited by an angel named Azrael. She starts to reconsider her choices when the angel shows her what life would’ve been like if she pursued a romantic relationship with her best friend and secret crush, Gabby. 

14. The Night Before (2015)

• Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogan, Anthony Mackie
• Rating: R
• Director: Jonathan Levine
• Run time: 101 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 68% | IMDb 6.4/10
• Genre: Comedy Drama

It’s tradition for these three BFFs to celebrate the holidays with a wild party in New York City. But now that one of them is about to become a father, they realize that their upcoming celebration will be their last. Determined to make it the most memorable night ever, the friends embark on a mission to find the exclusive Nutcracker Ball—aka the holy grail of Christmas parties.

15. The Apartment (1960)

• Cast: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, Jack Kruschen
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Billy Wilder
• Run time: 125 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 93% | IMDb 8.3/10
• Genre: Romantic Comedy

It’s not exactly a holiday movie, but most of the drama unfolds during the Christmas season, which earns it a spot on this list. The Apartment, which won five Oscars (including Best Picture), follows a lonely insurance worker named C.C. Baxter. To climb up the corporate ladder, he starts to lend his Upper West Side apartment to company bosses who are having romantic affairs. However, things get complicated when Baxter learns that his own manager is hooking up with the woman he has feelings for.

16. All I Want for Christmas (1991)

• Cast: Harley Jane Kozak, Lauren Bacall, Thora Birch
• Rating: G
• Director: Robert Lieberman
• Run time: 97 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 7% | IMDb 5.9/10
• Genre: Comedy

Sibling duo Ethan and Hallie only want one thing for Christmas: for their divorced parents to get back together. But there's just one problem. Their mother has fallen head-over-heels for a new guy, who quickly becomes her fiancé. As Christmas day approaches, the siblings scheme to reunite their parents for the holidays.

17. Spirited (2022)

• Cast: Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, Octavia Spencer, Sunita Mani
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Sean Anders
• Run time: 127 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 70% | IMDb 6.6/10
• Genre: Musical Comedy

Ferrell has been promoted from Buddy the Elf to Scrooge, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and he's taking his job very seriously. In Spirited, Scrooge embarks on one last mission before he retires, and it involves helping an "unredeemable" media consultant named Clint. Watch for the epic chemistry between Ferrell and Reynolds.

18. Rent (2005)

• Cast: Rosario Dawson, Taye Diggs, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Jesse L. Martin
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Chris Columbus
• Run time: 135 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 47% | IMDb 6.8/10
• Genre: Musical Drama

OK, so it's not technically a Christmas movie, but I can at least acknowledge the fact that it kicks off on Christmas Eve and ends with some holiday cheer. This classic musical revolves around a group of New Yorkers as they navigate love and their careers while dealing with poverty and the AIDS epidemic during the late '80s. It's also based on Henri Murger's 1851 novel, Scenes of Bohemian Life.

19. A Very Murray Christmas (2015)

• Cast: Bill Murray, George Clooney, Paul Shaffer, Amy Poehler
• Rating: TV-14
• Director: Sofia Coppola
• Run time: 56 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 68% | IMDb 5.5/10
• Genre: Musical Comedy

When a snowstorm hits on the same day as his holiday special, Bill gets nervous as he receives several cancellations from his guests. Worse yet, he can't afford to scrap the show, so he decides to go on with the presentation. Unfortunately for him, it's not at all what he planned.

20. Eloise at Christmas Time (2003)

• Cast: Julie Andrews, Sofia Vassilieva, Kenneth Welsh, Debra Monk
• Rating: G
• Director: Kevin Lima
• Run time: 89 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 73% | IMDb 6.9/10
• Genre: Comedy

Follow the shenanigans of Eloise, a charming six-year-old girl who lives in New York's Plaza Hotel. When the daughter of the hotel's owner prepares to get married during the holidays, Eloise tries to intervene and play matchmaker, but will she be successful?

• Cast: Zoey Deutch, Kendrick Sampson, Ray Nicholson, Shay Mitchell, Leah Jefferies
• Rating: PG
• Director: Daryl Wein
• Run time: 87 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 72% | IMDb 6.2/10
• Genre: Romantic Comedy

Meet Rachel, a New Yorker whose life is turned upside-down when she stumbles upon a gorgeous engagement ring that was meant for someone else. The film is based on Melissa Hil's novel of the same name and directed by Daryl Wein. Also, the rom-com was produced by Reese Witherspoon's media company, Hello Sunshine.

• Cast: Ross McCall, Jaime Ray Newman, Jamie Bamber
• Rating: TV-MA
• Director: Nathan Ives
• Run time: 89 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes (N/A) | IMDb 4.7/10
• Genre: Romance, Drama

Set during the week that leads up to Christmas day, this movie follows several guests at a Manhattan hotel as they navigate the ups and downs of being in love. The film features a few glimpses of the New York skyline at night, and you'll appreciate Nathan Ives's honest approach to the complicated side of romance. Don't expect your run-of-the-mill rom-com.

• Cast: Olivia Washington, Will Adams, Tina Lifford
• Rating: G
• Director: Keith Powell
• Run time: 84 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes (N/A) | IMDb 5.5/10
• Genre: Romantic Comedy

After years of avoiding her childhood home during the holidays, Jazmin Carter, a successful businesswoman, returns home to celebrate with her family. While discussing her inspiration for the film, screenwriter Monique Matthews told Script magazine, "Harlem has such unique history in America, the architecture is amazing and, I was like, ‘Wow, this is a Christmas movie, but I've never seen one here.’ And that's really why I wrote it. We write what we see but seemingly no one else has seen and that's really how it started."

• Cast: Nina Dobrev, Jimmy O. Yang, Darren Barnet
• Rating: R
• Director: Hernán Jiménez
• Run time: 105 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 53% | IMDb 6.3/10
• Genre: Romantic Comedy

Natalie is so determined to find love that she uses a dating app. When she falls head over heels for an attractive guy from New York, she decides to surprise him with an in-person visit. The only problem? She realizes that she’s been catfished.

Dobrev told Tudum, "The theme of the movie is to try to get people to not look at exteriors and look at the human inside. That can come in all kinds of different shapes, sizes, cultures [and] ethnicities."

• Cast: Ryan Paevey, Bruce Davison, Julia Duffy, Elizabeth Henstridge
• Rating: PG-13
• Director: Ron Oliver
• Run time: 83 minutes
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 53% | IMDb 6.5/10
• Genre: Romance, Drama

Jessica, a historian, teams up with Nick, a handsome decorator, to work on an exhibition about the history of Christmas at The Plaza Hotel in New York. Although she’s already in a relationship, Jessica finds herself falling for Nick. Will she choose to stop this budding romance in its tracks? Or will she leave her boyfriend for Christmas?