3 best Christmas movies you can stream for free right now

Chevy Chase in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

(Image credit: Alamy)

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With the holidays right around the corner, you're no doubt looking for the very best festive movies and shows to watch with the family.

But it's one of the most expensive times to subscribe to a streaming service or go out to see a movie, what with holiday end-of-year sales, gifts that need buying, and time away from work.

And it's not like they're bottom-of-the-barrel discount bin picks, either. There's some great stuff to choose from, and you can save money by skipping digital rentals, premium channels, and other nickel-and-dime streaming pitfalls.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

The holiday season brings out the best – and the most chaotic – in Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) during his quest for the perfect family Christmas. Clark's plan to create a holiday wonderland for his wife Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo) and their kids is nothing short of a comedy of errors. The unexpected arrival of his eccentric cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) and his family, who set up camp in their RV on the Griswold premises throws a wrench in Clark's plan, but that's just the beginning of the downfall of the Griswolds' holiday celebrations.

Watch on Sling Freestream

It's a Wonderful Life

This must-watch Christmas classic is a staple for most viewers of the holiday, and it's available for free. The downtrodden George Bailey (James Stewart) is thinking about ending his life one snowy Christmas. As he contemplates his potentially tragic end, the angels above discuss his life and reveal what his hometown could have been like had he never been born. George's numerous acts of kindness have transformed life around him in ways that help him to see his own worth and begin to understand his necessary place in the world once more.

Watch on The Roku Channel

Hotel for the Holidays

Manager Georgia (Madelaine Petsch) handles business at New York's Hotel Fontaine, where the hustle and bustle of the holidays collides with unexpected romance. Georgia finds herself in a love triangle between the hotel chef (Mena Massoud) and an enigmatic prince (Max Lloyd-Jones) who shows up to stay over the holidays. Georgia navigates plenty of Christmas-centric silliness while dealing with the romantic advances of both men as well as her obligations to the city's most popular lodging locale.

Watch on Freevee

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Brittany Vincent has been covering video games and tech for over 13 years for publications including Tom's Guide, MTV, Rolling Stone, CNN, Popular Science, Playboy, IGN, GamesRadar, Polygon, Kotaku, Maxim, and more. She's also appeared as a panelist at video game conventions like PAX East and PAX West and has coordinated social media for companies like CNET. When she's not writing or gaming, she's looking for the next great visual novel in the vein of Saya no Uta. You can follow her on Twitter @MolotovCupcake.

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