It’s that time of year again. Time to bust out the fuzzy socks, hot cocoa, and warm blankets to compliment your favorite list of holiday movies you watch year after year. Luckily, nowadays, there are plenty of streaming services to choose from with a wide variety of holiday options to watch including both classics and recently released originals. From yearly must-watch hits like How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Frosty the Snowman to holiday-themed episodes of your favorite shows, there’s no shortage of seasonal media to enjoy. Each streaming platform has its own catalog of holiday movies and shows to explore. These are six of the best holiday movies available on HBO Max.

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6 A Christmas Story (1983)

     Warner Bros. Pictures

A Christmas Story is by far one of the biggest classic holiday movies out there. It’s essentially about a standard middle class family doing their best to make it to Christmas. The kids are obsessed with getting a specific gift under the tree — a Red Ryder air rifle, to be exact — the father is cranky, and the mother is doting on her children; and the kids at school are getting into seasonal shenanigans, like sticking their tongues to frozen poles.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

Premiering in 1983, A Christmas Story is a yearly must-watch, and at this point, you’ve likely seen it a million times, but that certainly won’t stop you from watching it again this season. And if you’re a really big fan and live in the Northeast Ohio area, you can tour the Christmas Story house in Cleveland before it’s sold to a new owner.

5 Jack Frost (1998)

     Warner Bros.

Jack Frost is another big holiday classic and originally premiered in 1998. It’s about a guy named Jack Frost (Michael Keaton) who dies in a car accident and is resurrected as a snowman thanks to the power of a magical harmonica.

Watching the movie today, it’s clear the visuals have become pretty dated; however that’s not really the point of the movie. Despite Keaton having little screentime — it’s primarily just voice work — he delivers a really believable, fatherly performance. And the movie overall is so heartwarming, you’re definitely likely to shed a tear or two. But it’s just the kind of movie that can warm you up inside and make you remember all the things and people around you that you have to be thankful for, which is ultimately the point of the holidays in the first place.

4 Fred Claus (2007)

     Warner Bros. Pictures/FilmFlex

Fred Claus is a unique holiday comedy about Santa’s brother Fred (Vince Vaughn) who has to travel to the North Pole to help Santa and the elves get ready for Christmas. It’s such a fun movie with a great cast, and it really is pretty hilarious. It’s definitely goofy and a tad bit corny, but then again, almost all holiday movies are. But with all the well-placed jokes and humor, comes a really heartwarming story that’s perfect for getting you in the holiday spirit. In all reality, Fred Claus is a very underrated holiday flick, and if you haven’t seen it yet, now is the time.

3 Scooby Doo: Haunted Holidays (2012)

     Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

Scooby-Doo! Haunted Holidays is hardly a movie as it’s just barely over 20 minutes long. Rather, it’s a direct-to-DVD special, and it was released in October 2012 and premiered on Cartoon Network that December. It’s about an evil snowman that comes to life and threatens to shut down a local town’s toy store right before the holidays, so of course Scooby and the gang jump in to solve the mystery.

This special certainly isn’t Scooby’s best, but it’s still fairly entertaining for Scooby-Doo fans to enjoy during the holidays. It features vibrant animation, great voice acting, and all the classic pieces and parts that make up a Scooby-Doo movie. The story is good and well-paced, even if it’s a bit predictable. Really, the main complaint is that it’s too short.

2 Elf (2003)

     New Line Cinema

Who doesn’t love Elf? Since it premiered in 2003, it’s likely been a must-watch installment on your annual holiday movie list. It’s about Buddy (Will Ferrell) a guy who is accidentally transported to the North Pole and raised by Santa’s elves. His whole life, Buddy can’t shake the feeling that he doesn’t fit in among the other elves; he travels to NYC to find his dad. Elf is full of hilarious, iconic moments from start to finish — from his sugar-filled spaghetti breakfast to his mall makeover for Santa’s appearance. Elf is funny, heartwarming, and a modern classic that’s fun to watch year after year.

1 Four Christmases

Four Christmases is a holiday rom-com that premiered in 2008, starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon. It follows Vaughn and Witherspoon as a couple that has to drive around to visit all four of their divorced parents’ homes on Christmas Day. Along with Vaughn and Witherspoon, this movie features an impressive cast including Jon Favreau, Robert Duvall, Mary Steenburgen, Kristin Chenoweth, Tim McGraw and Sissy Spacek.

It’s a goofy comedy that seems a little cliché at times, but in all honesty that’s part of what makes it so enjoyable. It’s that type of movie that — despite it revolving around Christmas — you can only watch during the holidays because it’s just a tad too corny. That said though, it’s genuinely funny at points and the great cast is a large part of what makes this movie so fun to watch. It’s a great watch for those who like a focus on dysfunctional families navigating the holidays, like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.