9 Christmas movies to watch that aren't Love Actually or The Grinch.

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Yes, we all love rewatching The Holiday. It's a truth universally acknowledged that Jude Law in a chunky knit is peak holiday viewing.

And don't even get me started on the incomparable amount of joy (and sadness) Emma Thompson crying to Joni Mitchell in Love Actually brings to me every single year. 

But hear me out — we deserve more than just the classics.

After all, the holiday season is a marathon, not a sprint, and you need a fresh list of Christmas movies to get you through the entire month of December.

Watch: The trailer for Netflix's Love Hard. Article continues after video.

From the surprisingly dark and hilarious to the rom-coms that deserve a spot next to Nancy Meyers' best work, we've rounded up the truly underrated Christmas gems that have been criminally overlooked. 

Love Hard. 

Image: Netflix.

The rom-com that asks the big question: Is falling for a personality worth the catfish? 

Natalie (Nina Dobrev) is an LA dating columnist who falls for a gorgeous man she meets online. She flies across the country to surprise him for Christmas — which is unhinged, honestly – only to discover she's been majorly catfished by the super sweet but physically different Josh (Jimmy O. Yang). 

It's got all the hallmark (pun intended) rom-com beats — a gorgeous co-star she thinks she wants, an awkward family and a ticking clock — but it handles the concept of online dating and true connection with surprising depth. 

Plus, the 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' duet? ICONIC.

You can stream Love Hard on Netflix.

Something from Tiffany's.

Image: Prime Video.

Pure, unadulterated, old-school New York Christmas magic. 

This is a fluffy, feel-good gem starring Zoey Deutch. It kicks off with a classic mix-up: an engagement ring, meant for one woman, ends up accidentally being gifted to another after two guys' shopping bags literally get swapped in front of Tiffany's. 

The mix-up forces the two people the ring should have connected to meet, and sparks fly.

I will watch every single thing that Zoey Deutch is in because this woman is charm personified. But if you loved the cosy, snowy, big-city charm of Sleepless in Seattle, this is your new favourite.

You can stream Something From Tiffany's on Prime Video.

Dash and Lily.

Image: Netflix.

The Netflix series that will make you believe in fate (and the power of a good stationery store). Yes, I know it's technically a series which is cheating a bit, but with eight tight episodes, it's the perfect Christmas Eve/Christmas Day binge. 

Cynical Dash finds a mysterious red notebook in a bookstore, left by the ultra-festive Lily. They trade dares and secrets through the notebook, passing it back and forth across iconic, Christmassy NYC locations, all while falling for each other without ever meeting face-to-face. 

It's the perfect, wholesome content you need around the holidays. 

You can stream Dash and Lily on Netflix.

Violent Night. 

Image: Prime Video.

Bad Santa meets Home Alone. With a sledgehammer. 

You want a Christmas movie with a punch? This is it. David Harbour plays a jaded, hard-drinking Santa Claus who is ready to hang up his sack — until he crashes a wealthy family's home only to find them taken hostage by a team of mercenaries. Stranded, Santa goes full Viking warrior to save the day. 

It's hilariously dark, surprisingly action-packed and has some of the most outrageous Christmas-themed kills you'll ever see.

You can buy or rent Violent Night on Prime Video and Apple TV+.

Klaus. 

Image: Netflix.

I may be biased because I watch this movie every single Christmas with my family, but it's honestly that good. The stunningly beautiful origin story of Santa Claus you never knew you needed. 

This visually magnificent animated film (yes, it looks like a painting come to life) reinvents the Santa Claus myth. A selfish postman, Jesper, is exiled to a frozen, feuding town above the Arctic Circle and tasked with posting 6,000 letters. He reluctantly teams up with a reclusive, gentle toymaker named Klaus, and through their secret toy-delivery venture, they thaw the icy hearts of the villagers. 

It's sweet, funny, and honestly, one of the best-looking animated films of the decade.

You can stream Klaus on Netflix.

While You Were Sleeping.

Image: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Sandra Bullock at her most charming, caught in a deeply implausible but delightful holiday deception. Before Miss Congeniality sealed her rom-com queen status, there was Lucy. 

She's a lonely transit worker who saves her crush, Peter, from an oncoming train. At the hospital, a slip of the tongue leads his eccentric, loving family to believe she's his fiancée. She spends Christmas with them, falls for Peter's handsome brother Jack (Bill Pullman), and must navigate a ridiculous web of lies. 

It's an absolute classic that somehow gets forgotten in the modern Christmas rotation. It's warm, funny, and utterly swoon-worthy.

You can stream While You Were Sleeping on Disney+.

A Bad Moms Christmas.

Image: KX Entertainment.

Because sometimes, Christmas cheer requires a lot of wine and a 'Sexy Santa' competition. The second Bad Moms movie is often overlooked, but it's arguably more relatable than the first, particularly around Christmas. 

Amy, Kiki, and Carla are already stressed out trying to create the "perfect" Christmas, and then their own mothers (played by comedy legends Christine Baranski, Susan Sarandon, and Cheryl Hines) show up to crank the pressure up to a thousand. 

It's the raunchy and much-needed cathartic scream for any woman who has ever felt suffocated by holiday expectations.

Gremlins.

Image: Warner Bros.

Ah, Gremlins. A true cult classic that's a lot weirder and darker than you remember. 

Billy is given an adorable, fuzzy pet called a Mogwai, with three simple rules: 1) No bright lights. 2) No water. 3) Never feed him after midnight. Naturally, all three rules are broken, and the cute Mogwai spawns destructive, murderous little monsters who proceed to terrorise the town on Christmas Eve. 

It's a black-comedy horror wrapped up in tinsel — the perfect palate cleanser when you've had enough of saccharine sweetness.

You can stream Gremlins on Prime Video.

The Holdovers.

Image: Focus Features.

A surprisingly tender, deeply humanist film about three lonely people stranded for the holidays. Set in 1970, this movie follows a highly unlikeable, curmudgeonly prep school teacher (Paul Giamatti) who is forced to babysit a "holdover" group of students with nowhere to go for Christmas break. 

When it comes down to just the teacher, a brilliant but troubled student, and the school's grieving head cook, they form an unexpected and very real family unit. It's honestly such a witty and beautifully authentic portrayal of finding connection in the quietest, loneliest corners of the season. 

You can stream The Holdovers on Paramount+.

Feature Image: Prime Video.