Christmas is a special time for HBO, mostly because those of us stealing our parents' HBO Go passwords have even more time to marathon movies. Usually, Christmas time is known as a time of year when families come together — aka sit in silence and watch movies in each others' company. Now, that may sound cold, but, really, it's a time honored Christmas tradition, and, hey, at least you'll be using your parents' HBO subscription with them — you know, how the HBO gods intended. To make things easier, here are seven Christmas movies streaming on HBO Go and HBO Now.
HBO has a large selection of movies available to stream on HBO Go or HBO Now, with Christmas movies ranging from classic family films, like Home Alone, to indie romantic comedies, like Two Night Stand. There's a decent number of both kid-friendly Christmas-themed movies and adult dramatic fair. Keep in mind, not all movies listed are specifically about Christmas. Some, like Cold Mountain, just feature Christmas-like themes — most notably that it was released on Christmas day and features a lot of snow. Regardless of whether or not the movies are actually about Christmas, these movies are guaranteed to keep you in a Holiday mood.
1. Black Nativity (2013)
Jennifer Hudson, Angela Bassett, and Forest Whitaker star in this Christmas musical, about a teenage boy who travels to New York City to spend Christmas with his estranged grandparents. This Christmas movie is a bit on the religious side — Whitaker plays a Reverend and it is called Black Nativity — so if you're not into Christmas movies that are more religion oriented, this one might not be for you. Then again, when is Jennifer Hudson singing not a good idea?
2. A Little Princess (1995)
Yes, A Little Princess is a little bit on the sad side — it's also definitely not a movie about Christmas. But the themes of family, and the message that every little girl is a Princess is more than appropriate for Christmas time.
3. Two Night Stand (2014)
Not exactly your typical Christmas movie, this Christmas romantic comedy takes place during an intense blizzard that traps two young adults, played by Analeigh Tipton and Miles Teller, together after they have an awkward one night stand. Who doesn't want some Wintery love this Christmas?
4. Home Alone (1990), Home Alone 2 (1992), Home Alone 3 (1997)
Yep, you read that right. HBO Go has all three Home Alone movies available to stream, perfect for your marathoning needs.
5-7. Cold Mountain (2003)
Cold Mountain is another non-Christmas Christmas movie. The sweeping, Civil War epic stars Jude Law, back when he was everyone's favorite Brit, Nicole Kidman and Renée Zellweger (aka, the most early 2000s cast ever). It's about a wounded soldier's desperate journey to be reunited with his true love. And, yeah, there's a lot of snow involved.
8. Trapped in Paradise (1994)
Nothing is more Christmas than a comedy about three men (Nicolas Cage, Jon Lovitz, and Dana Carvey) who find themselves stuck in the friendliest town in the world, where they plan to rob a bank on Christmas eve.
9. Dreamgirls (2006)
Musicals are perfect Holiday movies because they inherently contain a fantasy aspect. Add to that classic sons and a 1960s setting, and you've got Dreamgirls. I realize this is the second Jennifer Hudson musical on the list, but, really, can you blame me?
If none of these movies work for you, there's also a healthy amount of kids' Christmas movies available to stream on HBO Go, like Snow Day, Unaccompanied Minors and Happy Feet! Have fun vegging out this Christmas, and don't forget to thank your parents for their HBO Go password when you're done!
Images: Fox Searchlight Pictures; Giphy (7)
