"Carry-On" is essentially "Die Hard" in an airport — don't worry, "Die Hard" also appears on this list. It stars Taron Egerton as a lone TSA worker who is blackmailed into helping a terrorist known only as The Traveler (Jason Bateman) smuggle nerve gas onto a plane, all while his wife, Nora (Sofia Carson), is being held hostage.

What else could you ask for? We ranked this as our favorite of Netflix's six new holiday films this year. It should not be missed.

"Carry-On" is streaming on Netflix.

When Liam, a sixth-grader who has dyslexia, accidentally addresses his letter to "Satan" instead of "Santa," hijinks ensue. Instead of St. Nick, Satan, a low-level demon played by Jack Black, shows up to help Liam gain back some confidence ... for the low price of his soul, of course.

Anyone who loves to see Black going wild should fire this movie up. It will not disappoint.

"Dear Santa" is streaming on Paramount+.

In the world of "Red One," Santa Claus (JK Simmons) is totally ripped and loves to lift weights. He's also protected by a Secret Service-esque agency that knows him by the codename Red One. When Santa is kidnapped, his best agent, Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson), teams up with a talented hacker and bounty hunter, Jack O'Malley (Chris Evans), to get him back.

"Red One" is streaming on Prime Video.

"Violent Night" stars David Harbour as Santa Claus, but not like any Santa you've seen before. When a rich family is targeted by a band of mercenaries at their mansion on Christmas Eve, Santa decides to stick around and take them down.

The mercenaries all have Christmas-themed code names, including their leader Scrooge, played by the always-great John Leguizamo.

If you're looking for some very visceral action and a Santa who used to be a bloodthirsty Viking, turn on your TV now.

"Violent Night" is streaming on Starz.

"Die Hard," released in 1988, stars Bruce Willis as John McClane, an NYPD detective traveling to Los Angeles to attend his estranged wife's holiday party at her building, Nakatomi Plaza. That same night, radical German terrorist Hans Gruber, played by Alan Rickman, decides to execute his plan to take the entire building hostage to steal hundreds of millions of dollars.

There's been much debate over the years whether "Die Hard" is a real Christmas movie, or a movie that just happens to take place on Christmas Eve.

Whichever side you fall on, it works as a thrilling action movie.

"Die Hard" is steaming on Disney+, Hulu, and Tubi.

The sequel to 1989's "Batman," 1992's "Batman Returns" stars Michael Keaton once again as Bruce Wayne, aka Batman. This time, he's joined by Michelle Pfeiffer as Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, Danny DeVito as the Penguin, and Christopher Walken as sleazy businessman Max Shreck.

Director Tim Burton's gothic version of Gotham City is all decked out for the holidays in "Batman Returns," covered in snow, Christmas lights, and a huge tree.

Plus, one of the most famous lines from the movie involves the potentially lethal nature of mistletoe.

This sequel isn't for the faint of heart, with the Penguin's overall disgusting vibe, the multiple attempted murders of Catwoman, and the overall dour vibes of Gotham City.

"Batman Returns" is streaming on Max.

In the 2003 black comedy "Bad Santa," Billy Bob Thornton plays Willie, a small-time crook who secures a gig as a mall Santa every year — and this year, it works out in his favor as he meets Sue (played by Lauren Graham), a woman with a full-blown Santa fetish.

Along the way, Willie meets a young boy, Thurman, who he takes under his wing, gets blackmailed by a mall security guard (played by Bernie Mac), and learns a bit about the meaning of Christmas.

The less we say about 2016's "Bad Santa 2," the better.

"Bad Santa" is streaming on Paramount+ and Pluto TV.

A true '80s classic, "Gremlins" is the tale of Billy Peltzer, played by Zach Galligan, who receives a mogwai for Christmas from his dad, accompanied by three simple rules: Don't expose the mogwai to sunlight; don't let it touch water; and don't let it eat after midnight.

Of course, everything goes wrong, the entire town is invaded by gremlins on Christmas Eve, and more than one person dies at the hands of Stripe, Gizmo, and the rest of them.

"Gremlins" and its sequel "Gremlins 2: The New Batch" are both quintessential anti-Christmas Christmas movies.

"Gremlins"  and "Gremlins 2" are streaming on Max.

Starring Adam Scott and Toni Collette, 2015's "Krampus" follows the Engel family, who are more than a little dysfunctional. When Max, the youngest son and the only true believer in Santa, curses his family and loses his Christmas spirit, he inadvertently summons Krampus, a horned demon that punishes any family that doesn't respect the holidays.

Come for the surprisingly solid cast, stay for the festively gruesome kills and German folklore.

"Krampus" is streaming on Peacock and Max.

"Black Christmas," released in 1974, is a true '70s slasher. It follows three sorority sisters who are targeted by a mysterious caller only known as "The Moaner," who terrorizes them just before they're set to go home for Christmas break.

There won't be anything bloodier and less jolly on this list than "Black Christmas," but it has staying power — the film was remade in 2006 and 2019, though neither is as good as the original.

"Black Christmas" is streaming for free on various websites, including Peacock, Prime Video, Tubi, Crackle, YouTube, and more.

A California Christmas is already an odd combination, as many associate the holidays with cold temperatures, snow, and general coziness, not 85-degree weather, shorts, and sunshine.

Add in a dark criminal conspiracy, a thief played by Robert Downey Jr., a gay detective played by Val Kilmer, and a childhood crush played by Michelle Monaghan, and you have a solid neo-noir on your hands — and yes, it takes place at Christmas.

"Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" is available to rent online.

Starring Ella Hunt as Anna, a student who is planning to take a gap year before university, "Anna and the Apocalypse," released in 2017, is like "High School Musical" meets "Shaun of the Dead" meets Christmas.

Anna and her friends, on the night of their school's Christmas show, discover that their town (and later country) has been infected by a zombie virus ... all while singing about their feelings.

A particularly memorable set piece takes place at a Christmas tree warehouse.

"Anna and the Apocalypse" is streaming on Tubi, Pluto TV, and The Roku Channel.

With a cast of A-listers like Ben Affleck, Charlize Theron, and Gary Sinise, 2000's "Reindeer Games" is filled with action, multiple plot twists, stolen identities, and Affleck dressed up as Santa attempting to rob a casino.

"Ocean's 11" this is not, but "Reindeer Games" provides the laughs and only a little bit of Christmas cheesiness at the end.

"Reindeer Games" is streaming on Paramount+.

Geena Davis plays Samantha Caine, a schoolteacher with amnesia who discovers she has the skills of an expert assassin. To figure out who she really is, she hires a private investigator named Mitch Henessey (Samuel L. Jackson). 

"The Long Kiss Goodnight," released in 1996, also has an iconic action set piece at a Christmas parade where Davis dresses up as Mrs. Claus, if you needed any more convincing to turn this on.

"The Long Kiss Goodnight" is streaming on Pluto TV.

Sin-Dee Rella, played by Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, meets up with her friend Alexandra, played by Mya Taylor, on Christmas Eve, soon after she was released from prison. This 2015 film follows the two friends on their Hollywood escapades over the next few days as they catch up, look for clients, support each other's work, and more.

"Tangerine" is streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

"The Ice Harvest," released in 2005, stars John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton as unlikely allies who team up to steal from their mobster boss, played by Randy Quaid. When the two are stuck in town due to icy roads, they're left to their own devices to entertain themselves in Wichita, Kansas, during the holiday season.

Rounding out the cast is Connie Nielsen as a woman who runs a strip club in town (and is the object of Cusack's affection), Oliver Platt as one of Cusack's friends, and Mike Starr as a mob enforcer.

"The Ice Harvest" is available to rent online.

The 1987 film "Lethal Weapon" is the story of LAPD narcotics sergeant Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and homicide sergeant Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) teaming up to take down a criminal conspiracy. It's also another California Christmas film.

Throughout the film, there are many reminders of the holiday season, including lights, Christmas trees — and frequent shootings, murders, and more. But it can still be considered a holiday classic!

"Lethal Weapon" is streaming on Hulu.

The Belgian city of Bruges has never looked better than in this 2008 film, as it's decorated for the holidays — too bad its charms are wasted on Ray (Farrell), who compares being in Bruges to being in hell.

This is a story of redemption and friendship, as Gleeson's character Ken sticks by his friend, even after Ray accidentally kills a kid.

If you enjoyed "The Banshees of Inisherin," which recently starred Farrell and Gleeson, try watching their first collaboration.

"In Bruges" is available to rent online.

Summary: As Norway's worst postal student, Jesper (Jason Schwartzman) is exiled to Smeerensburg and instructed to deliver 6,000 letters within a year. Through befriending a carpenter named Klaus (J.K. Simmons) and a teacher named Alva (Rashida Jones), Jesper is able to bring joy back to the town.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

Why you should watch it: Critics praised the beautiful animation and hopeful narrative.

Summary: In this magical musical, toymaker Jeronicus Jangle (Forest Whitaker) teams up with his granddaughter Journey (Madalen Mills) to recover an invention stolen from him long ago and restore his legacy.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

Why you should watch it: Critics said the film is creative and fun for adults and kids alike. If you love musicals and the magic of Christmas, "Jingle Jangle" is fun to watch.

Summary: "Let It Snow" is a holiday rom-com about a group of young people in a small town in Illinois who are forced together by a snowstorm.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

Why you should watch it: "Let It Snow" is more diverse than the typical Christmas rom-com, and critics praised the charming young cast.

Summary: The 1954 musical follows two former soldiers-turned-performers as they meet a beautiful sister singing duo. The two groups must work together to save the lodge owned by the soldiers' former commander.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77%

Why you should watch it: Critics said "White Christmas" is warm and cozy. Perfect for a winter afternoon.

Summary: Lacey Chabert stars as Kathy, a grieving widow who accidentally brings a snowman to life with a magic scarf. When she takes the responsibility of looking after the living snowman (Dustin Milligan), she gains a new perspective on life.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%

Why you should watch it: On the surface, "Hot Frosty" seems like a silly film about a hot snowman, but it's also the perfect self-aware cozy movie to watch during the holidays.

Summary: Taron Egerton stars as a young, apathetic TSA agent who is blackmailed by a mysterious traveler (Jason Bateman) into allowing a mysterious package through security checks. The agent instead tries to stop the package from reaching its destination while protecting his loved ones.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%

Why you should watch it: This is the closest thing to "Die Hard" on Netflix's catalog. A fun, electrifying thriller set on Christmas Eve, where one man takes on a team of highly trained terrorists.

Summary: In the "Princess Switch" franchise, Vanessa Hudgens plays numerous lookalikes who bump into each other during the Christmas season in the kingdom of Belgravia. Chaos ensues.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 53% - 56%

Why you should skip it: While the first "Princess Switch" was received reasonably well, the sequels — "The Princess Switch: Switched Again" and "The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star" — overdid it with the switching.

Summary: This franchise stars Rose McIver as a magazine journalist who falls for a prince while trying to write an exposé about him.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 36% - 50%

Why you should skip it: "A Christmas Prince" was fun, but sequels "A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding" and "A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby" made this royal love story outstay its welcome.

Summary: Sloane (Emma Roberts) and Jackson (Luke Bracey) are sick of bad dates and meddling family members. When they have a chance encounter, they decide to pretend to be a couple for the holidays. The arrangement works until they start to grow feelings for each other.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 45%

Why you should skip it: Roberts and Bracey have great chemistry, but critics thought the film was mediocre.

Summary: In the Christmassy sequel to "Bad Moms," Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, and Kathryn Hahn return as three mothers living life to the fullest, defying social expectations. This time, they are rebelling against their mothers, who are making the holidays difficult.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 32%

Why you should skip it: Critics said the sequel was not as funny or charming as the original "Bad Moms." "A Bad Moms Christmas" is fun to watch once, but it won't become a Christmas classic.

Summary: Ian Harding and Lindsay Lohan team up as two exes forced to be nice to each other at a family Christmas gathering when they discover their new lovers are siblings.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 38%

Why you should skip it: Lindsay Lohan's Netflix holiday movies are divisive: you either love how bad they are or are completely bored by them. Critics said "Our Little Secret" is better than Lohan's other two movies but still formulaic, and the two lead stars have poor chemistry.

Summary: Charlotte (Heather Graham) is envious of her old college friend Jackie (Brandy Norwood), who sends a Christmas letter every year about her family's accomplishments. When Charlotte and her family get stuck at Jackie's house for Christmas, Charlotte attempts to expose Jackie for lying about her perfect life.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 40%

Why you should skip it: Critics were not enthused by this film, with most saying that the story was poor and did not make much sense.

As a fan of "One Tree Hill," "A Cinderella Story," "Freaky Friday," and even "Agent Carter," it pains me to say this Chad Michael Murray-led holiday rom-com is just bad.

Murray's love interest is played by Britt Robertson, and yet they just don't have chemistry. The plot is nonsensical — three inexperienced male dancers somehow bring in $30,000 for a struggling bar in a tiny town in less than a month — and it doesn't seem as if Murray's or Roberston's characters get a happy ending.

Robertson plays Ashley, who turns down a 25% raise and a three-year contract at her dream job and gives up her New York City apartment to become a choreographer for the male strippers and to date a man she barely knows. Why couldn't Luke (Murray) take his handyman skills to the Big Apple?

Spend your 87 minutes watching two "One Tree Hill" holiday episodes instead.

Christina Milian is one of Netflix's romance queens, and it's easy to see why. She's charming as Layla, our hero, who breaks up with her boyfriend after finding out he's cheating on her and decides to find the man she had a meet-cute with at an airport lounge the year prior.

Yet, that's not what the movie is about. Instead, it's the story of Layla actually falling in love with her personal concierge, Teddy (Devale Ellis).

But … why does she need a personal concierge? And why is the main driving force of this film Layla's desperate need to get tickets to a Pentatonix concert?

Yes, the a cappella sensation Pentatonix plays a huge role in this movie, which unfortunately dates it a bit. There's no denying that the members of Pentatonix are talented (and they're pretty funny in the film), but it's hard to believe anyone cares about them this much in 2024.

Maybe if this movie was made a decade ago when they were at the height of their virality and the a cappella craze led by "Pitch Perfect" and "Glee" was still all the rage, but not now.

I also found it hard to tell whether Layla lived in New York City or was just visiting — I think we're meant to believe she lives in NYC, but she acts like she's never left the suburbs. She unquestioningly trusts a ticket broker who's clearly scamming her, and she doesn't know her way around the city.

This film had its fun (if not a bit misplaced) moments — see: the drag show that happens mid-movie — but the romance ultimately left me a bit bored.

There's a lot happening in "Our Little Secret." Our story begins 10 years after Avery (Lindsay Lohan) and Logan (Ian Harding) have dramatically broken up after a failed proposal from Logan.

They reunite, only to find out that their current significant others, Cameron (Jon Rudnitsky) and Cassie (Katie Baker), are siblings. To avoid any awkwardness, they decide not to tell anyone they're exes — while this doesn't make any sense, it gives ample opportunities for hijinks.

This film lives and dies by its cast, which also includes Kristin Chenoweth and Dan Bucatinsky as Cameron and Cassie's parents and Tim Meadows and Judy Reyes as their family friends; yes, that makes this movie a "Mean Girls" reunion.

Harding and Lohan are both charming in this film, even if their chemistry isn't the strongest we've seen. But Chenoweth is truly off the wall in this film, bringing a "Monster-in-Law" quality to the proceedings.

This is easily the best of Lohan's three Netflix films, and one scene in which she has to act high while reading at a church proves her comedic chops are as strong as ever.

In "Hot Frosty," after Kathy (Lacey Chabert, another holiday-romance queen) is gifted a scarf by her kindly neighbors, she gives it to a strangely jacked snowman.

And wouldn't you know it, the very next day, the juiced-up snowman comes to life and is now a human man named Jack (Dustin Milligan, aka Ted from "Schitt's Creek").

He has the mind of a toddler but somehow speaks perfect English and can learn anything from YouTube except what cancer is. He essentially imprints on Kathy, who's still grieving the loss of her husband.

Does this movie make any sense? Of course not. But under the overwhelming thirstiness for Jack the Hot Snowman, there's a sweet message about learning to paddle your own canoe.

This movie is also elevated by supporting performances from Joe Lo Truglio, Craig Robinson, and Katy Mixon.

Of course, one of Netflix's best holiday films is the one written by the same person who wrote "Love Actually" and features the voice of Logan Roy (Brian Cox) as Santa Claus. Was it even a question?

"That Christmas" owes a lot to "Love Actually," actually, since it has a similar structure of separate yet overlapping stories. One follows a group of parents who have been stranded in a snowbank, another follows Santa as he's caught in a blizzard, and yet another is about a group of kids whose parents cannot get home for Christmas.

The sweet tale features an all-star cast. In addition to Cox, there's Fiona Shaw, Bill Nighy, Jodie Whittaker, and Lolly Adefope.

Plus, it's only 92 minutes, which makes it the perfect runtime for anyone with kids.

"Carry-On" is the exact type of action movie that we love to watch with the whole family during the holidays — it's a little dumb, but highly entertaining.

Taron Egerton (an actual movie star) plays Ethan, a TSA agent who wants nothing more than to become a police officer to support his girlfriend, Nora (Sofia Carson), and their unborn child.

Instead, he gets rejected from the police academy and is forced to work on Christmas Eve — which is when he meets the mysterious Traveler, played by the always-compelling Jason Bateman.

When the Traveler demands Ethan let a suspicious package through security or he'll murder Nora, all hell breaks loose. It's basically "Die Hard" in the airport. Sure, that might already exist as "Die Hard 2," but it doesn't mean it's not exceedingly fun to watch.

If you're part of a family who would rather chug expired egg nog than watch a rom-com, queue up "Carry-On." You won't regret it.