15 Adult Christmas Movies to Watch After Your Kids Go to Bed

When you’re a parent, there is enormous pressure to make the holidays magical for the whole family the entire season. But when the kids are nestled all snug in their beds, take some time for yourself and turn on some holiday cheer from this just-for-you list of Christmas movies that features nary a Rankin/Bass title.

From horrifying films about a snowman going on a murderous rampage to those about folkloric Christmas demons who terrorize naughty families, there are plenty of grown-ups-only holiday movies that will make for an exciting kid-free movie night.

Curl up with a seasonal spirit and enjoy these films that aren’t afraid to take on the holiday from an adult perspective.

Did someone say, Frosty the … Killer Snowman? This campy, cult-classic Christmas horror flick tells the story of Jack Frost, a convicted serial killer who dies in a freak accident only to be reincarnated as a homicidal snowman bent on revenge. Packed with gore and dark humor, Jack Frost (1997) is one you’ll want to put the kids to bed first before watching — unless you want them to fear snowmen forever!

Watch Jack Frost on Tubi

There’s nothing more romantic than popping the question to your partner during the holidays, right? Well, unless you’re Abby (Kristen Stewart), whose plan to propose to her girlfriend, Harper (Mackenzie Davis), at a family holiday party takes an awkward turn when she discovers Harper isn't out to her conservative parents. With themes of love, acceptance and the fear of embracing your true self, Happiest Season (2020) puts a grown-up and heartfelt twist on the holiday rom-com.

Watch Happiest Season on Hulu

Set in 1970s New England, The Holdovers (2023) follows a cranky prep school teacher (Paul Giamatti) who reluctantly supervises students stuck on campus over Christmas break. Unexpectedly, he forms deep friendships with a compassionate school cook (Da’Vine Joy Randolph in an Oscar-winning performance) and a mischievous student (Dominic Sessa). Against the isolated backdrop of a snowy winter, the unlikely trio strikes an unimaginable connection over their personal struggles and shared humanity.

Watch The Holdovers on Amazon Prime Video

A predilection for rude humor is a must in this Billy Bob Thornton-led 2003 dark comedy. Bad Santa follows an alcoholic scammer named Willie (Thornton) who poses as a mall Santa and plots to rob the stores on Christmas Eve with his sidekick, Marcus (Tony Cox). However, Willie's plans are foiled when he encounters Sue (Lauren Graham) and "the Kid" (Brett Kelly) with the advent calendar. It's the perfect refresher when your inner cynic is fed up with artificial holiday cheer. After you've enjoyed Willie's first adventure, you'll definitely want to catch him again in the 2016 sequel.

Watch Bad Santa on Paramount+

Missing Halloween? Relive the gory days with this still-seasonally appropriate slasher flick. The dread-fueling 1974 horror classic follows a group of sorority girls who become victims of grisly murders over Christmas break after receiving a series of disturbing phone calls. The original has a special place in our black hearts, but its remakes have just as many jump scares. So, for more Christmas carnage, check out the 2006 adaptation on Amazon Prime Video and the 2019 version on Max.

Watch Black Christmas on Peacock

Everyone's favorite stoner besties, Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn), attempt to mitigate holiday disaster in their third big-screen adventure, which sees them reunite after years of estrangement. The 2011 cult Christmas flick is filled with all the outrageous, irreverent humor fans have come to expect from the duo — with a side of touching friendship moments. (If you're looking to binge on the buds' other wacky a -

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dventures, you're in luck: 2004's Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, and 2008's Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008) is available to stream on The Roku Channel.)

Watch A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas on Tubi

Gleefully watch as a herd of little monsters wreak havoc on an idyllic small town at Christmas time. Gremlins (1984) subverts the holiday clichés you're tired of watching on repeat every year and includes possibly the most upsetting "How I learned that Santa isn't real" story of all time.

Watch Gremlins on Max

Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anthony Mackie star as a trio of lifelong friends seeking an epic final night of debauchery before committing to grown-up holiday traditions. Hilarious cameos by everyone from Miley Cyrus to Ilana Glazer will keep you on your toes during the shenanigans in this 2015 comedy.

Watch The Night Before on Starz

John McClane's (Bruce Willis) heroism in the face of a terrorist threat takes place on Christmas Eve. For that reason alone, and despite what the naysayers would have you believe, Die Hard (1988) is an appropriate addition here — and one that requires yearly viewing at that.

Watch Die Hard on Amazon Prime Video

A slew of comic powerhouses, including Kate McKinnon, Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman, join forces in this 2016 workplace comedy. Clay (T.J. Miller) and his fellow co-workers at a computing tech firm embark on a more naughty than nice quest to throw an unforgettable office Christmas bash to impress a potentially job-saving client.

Watch Office Christmas Party on Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

When snooty executive Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd) and savvy street conman Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) find their lives reversed as part of an expensive bet, hijinks ensue — though not without dashes of controversial humor. It's Murphy, Aykroyd and a holiday-time switcheroo in this 1983 classic that's definitely worth putting the kids to bed early for.

Watch Trading Places on Paramount+

Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn and Kristen Bell reprise their roles as a rebellious trio of moms who receive the not-so-exciting surprise of their mothers visiting for Christmas. Chock-full of laugh-out-loud quips and wisecracks, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski and Cheryl Hines also join in on the fun in the boisterous 2017 sequel to Bad Moms (2016).

Watch A Bad Moms Christmas on Netflix

A group of mercenaries will probably rue the day they ever decided to take a wealthy family hostage on Christmas Eve. In 2022's Violent Night, making the naughty list this way has deadly consequences as Santa Claus (David Harbour) arrives to save the holidays with butt-kicking action and a less-than-saintly cheer like you've never seen him before.

Watch Violent Night on Starz

You'd better not lose your Christmas spirit — or else! Sarah (Toni Collette) and Tom (Adam Scott) learn this lesson the hard way when their clashing at Christmastime conjures the folkloric demon Krampus to their dysfunctional household, bringing doom and destruction in its wrath in the 2015 horror movie.

Watch Krampus on Peacock

A happy holiday turns cold when two children are snowed in during Christmas at a remote winter cabin with their soon-to-be stepmother (Riley Keough), whose visions of her cultist past trigger terrifying behavior for the three in this 2019 horror thriller. Even worse, their father's return home seems unlikely with each sleepless night.

Watch The Lodge on Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

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