Movies like The Santa Tapes (1976)
The best movies like The Santa Tapes (1976) are Jingle All the Way (1996), A Christmas Story (1983) and Christmas with the Kranks (2004). If The Santa Tapes hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedWilly Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)7.5/10 from 4,145 votes
- NewestChampagne Problems (2025)Released 2025
Jingle All the Way (1996)
Howard Langston, a salesman for a mattress company, is constantly kept busy at his job, disappointing his son. After he misses his son's karate exposition, Howard vows to make it up to him by buying an action figure of his son's favorite television hero for Christmas. Unfortunately for Howard, it is Christmas Eve, and every store is sold out of Turbo Man. Now, Howard must travel all over town and compete with everybody else to find a Turbo Man action figure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Christmas Story (1983)
The comic mishaps and adventures of a young boy named Ralph, trying to convince his parents, teachers, and Santa that a Red Ryder B.B. gun really is the perfect Christmas gift for the 1940s.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChristmas with the Kranks (2004)
When their only daughter Blair leaves the family nest, Luther and Nora Krank decide to book an island cruise to beat the yuletide blues and just skip the holidays. But their decision to boycott tradition has the whole neighborhood in an uproar, and when Blair calls on Christmas Eve to announce a surprise visit with her new fiancée, the Kranks have just twelve hours to perform a miracle and pull themselves and their neighbors together to throw the best celebration ever!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOn the Twelfth Day of Christmas (2015)
Maggie Chalke is torn between her journalistic integrity and helping her long time crush Mitch O'Grady when her boss orders her to write a story for the paper about the Secret Santa gifts she's been sending Mitch to help him relearn his love for Christmas.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChristmas Angel (2009)
Ashley has been on her own all her life. She feels even more alone this Christmas as she searches fruitlessly for a job. The seasonal cheer around her only rubs salt in her wounds as she scrapes by to support herself and her dog, Dash. But her neighbor, Nick, knows exactly what to do. He offers her a job, to be his assistant in the best work-helping others. There's one catch that Ashley must honor though-she can't tell anyone that her new boss is a sort of Secret Santa, helping others anonymously. Through her new job, Ashley meets Will, a writer for a business magazine who uncovers what Ashley is doing, and more importantly, Nick's involvement. As Ashley and Nick help people in need, Ashley tries to protect Nick's secret, and her own heart, while Will must weigh the consequences of what he does.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisElf (2003)
When young Buddy falls into Santa's gift sack on Christmas Eve, he's transported back to the North Pole and raised as a toy-making elf by Santa's helpers. But as he grows into adulthood, he can't shake the nagging feeling that he doesn't belong. Buddy vows to visit Manhattan and find his real dad, a workaholic.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWith Love, Christmas (2017)
Advertising execs Melanie Welsh and Donovan Goodwin disagree on a cellphone Christmas commercial they’re pitching. He says his sleek design will win over the client but she knows it lacks holiday spirit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse (2001)
When a huge snowstorm leaves everyone stranded, Mickey and all of his guests at the House of Mouse, including Pooh, Belle, Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel and many more of his old and new friends, break out the cookies and hot chocolate to help Donald mend his tattered Christmas spirit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMy Christmas Love (2016)
A hopeless romantic who can’t ever seem to give a guy a real chance begins receiving each of the "12 Days of Christmas” as gifts anonymously at her door. As she tries to figure out who is sending the gifts, she begins to believe that the mystery suitor could finally live up to her expectations.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWilly Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
When eccentric candy man Willy Wonka promises a lifetime supply of sweets and a tour of his chocolate factory to five lucky kids, penniless Charlie Bucket seeks the golden ticket that will make him a winner.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGet Santa (2014)
A father and son must team up to save Christmas when they discover Santa Claus sleeping in their garage, having crashed his sleigh and found himself on the run from the police.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDashing Through the Snow (2023)
Eddie Garrick is a good-hearted man who has lost his belief in the wonder of Christmas. While spending time with his nine-year-old daughter Charlotte on Christmas Eve, he befriends a mysterious man in a red suit named Nick.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBad Santa (2003)
You'd better watch out - Willie T. Soke is coming to town, and he doesn't care if you've been naughty or nice. Willie's favorite holiday tradition is to fill his sacks with loot lifted from shopping malls across the country. But this year his plot gets derailed by a wisecracking store detective, a sexy bartender, and a kid who's convinced Willie is the real Santa Claus.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMarvel Super Hero Adventures: Frost Fight! (2015)
The holiday season gets extra chilly as Loki and the frost giant Ymir plot to conquer the world. Marvel heroes Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor and others must stop the villains from stealing Santa's power – if anyone can actually find the mysterious Mr. Claus. Fortunately, Rocket Raccoon and Groot are also hot on Santa's trail. Heroes, villains, elves and cosmic bounty hunters collide in an epic quest that leaves the fate of the holiday and the world in the balance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOne Royal Holiday (2020)
When Anna offers a stranded mother and son shelter in a blizzard, she learns that they are the Royal Family of Galwick. Anna shows the Prince how they do Christmas in her hometown, encouraging him to open his heart and be true to himself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChristmas in Homestead (2016)
Jessica is one of the most famous actresses in the world, leading a glamorous – if tabloid worthy – life. But all that is thrown for a loop when she goes on location to shoot a holiday themed film in the Christmas-obsessed town of Homestead, Iowa. While a romance brews between her and Matt, a local inn keeper who is a single dad, she also gets a taste of small-town life and rediscovers the true meaning of Christmas.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUnaccompanied Minors (2006)
Five disparate kids snowed in at the airport on Christmas Eve learn some lessons about friendship when they launch a bid to get back to their families and outsmart a disgruntled airport official who wants to keep them grounded.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove You Like Christmas (2016)
Maddie, a high-powered marketing executive, is on her way to a client’s wedding but her plans are derailed by car trouble. When a fork in the road leads her to Christmas Valley, a town in love with Christmas, an unexpected encounter and a group of strangers that start to feel like family will have her questioning what she’s really been missing in life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChampagne Problems (2025)
A driven American exec heads to Paris determined to acquire a champagne brand by Christmas — and accidentally falls for the heir to the bubbly empire.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDear Christmas (2020)
Natalie Morgan is an author and host of a popular podcast, Holiday Love, which shares true stories of holiday romance with its listeners. While to the outside world and her listeners everywhere see Natalie is an expert on romance, she's never truly experienced a romance of her own. As Natalie prepares to embark on a promotional tour for her new book, she stops back home to spend Christmas with her family and to celebrate her parent's 50th anniversary where she unexpectedly begins to experience her own holiday romance as sparks ignite with local firefighter, Jack.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Santa Tapes?
The closest matches to The Santa Tapes are Jingle All the Way (1996), A Christmas Story (1983) and Christmas with the Kranks (2004). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Santa Tapes?
Start with Jingle All the Way (1996), the closest match to The Santa Tapes.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Santa Tapes?
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), rated 7.5/10 by 4,145 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Santa Tapes?
Champagne Problems (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Santa Tapes?
Yes: Jingle All the Way (1996), A Christmas Story (1983) and Christmas with the Kranks (2004).
How are movies similar to The Santa Tapes chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Santa Tapes, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.