Movies like Sherlock Santa (2023)
The best movies like Sherlock Santa (2023) are A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby (2019), A Trash Truck Christmas (2020) and Angel of Christmas (2015). If Sherlock Santa hooked you with its family, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedIt's a Wonderful Life (1946)8.3/10 from 5,158 votes
- NewestTHE SANTAPHOBES and their flatmate (2025)Released 2025
A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby (2019)
Christmas brings the ultimate gift to Aldovia: a royal baby. But first, Queen Amber must help her family and kingdom by finding a missing peace treaty.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Trash Truck Christmas (2020)
When Santa crash-lands in the junkyard on Christmas Eve, Hank, Trash Truck and their animal friends all have a hand in rescuing the holiday for everyone.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAngel of Christmas (2015)
Susan is a newspaper staffer who decides to generate some Christmas spirit by writing an article about her family’s storied 100-year-old, hand-carved, heirloom Christmas angel. This leads her to accidentally meet Brady, a cute, upbeat artist who insists that he and Susan become fast friends (at least). It turns out that this angel also has the spiritual power to bring people together – as it seems to be doing with Susan and Brady. What’s behind this enchanted ornament? As time moves on, more about this captivating artifact is revealed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Nutcracker Prince (1990)
After young Clara receives a wooden nutcracker as a Christmas gift, she dreams about a fantastical battle between her Nutcracker Prince and the evil Mouse King. At stake is the Nutcracker's freedom - and Clara's future happiness.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChristmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa (2018)
Lisa's trip home to Evergreen for the holidays finds her shepherding an effort to save the town's beloved general store, fulfilling the wishes of a Christmas past and finding a romance full of Christmas magic.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLast Chance for Christmas (2015)
When Prancer injures his hoof Santa’s stable hand, John, must find a fill in to ensure Christmas deliveries go off without a hitch. His mission gets complicated when he discovers that Frankie, the perfect substitute reindeer, belongs to a precocious 8-year-old girl and her mother Annie. As he races to get Frankie up to the North Pole, he realizes that he’s actually falling in love with Annie and has to find a way to win her over and save Christmas at the same time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
SnoozefestMovies like thisCandy Cane Lane (2023)
Determined to win the neighborhood's annual Christmas decorating contest, family man Chris makes a pact with an elf to help him out-do the competition. However, the elf casts a spell bringing the twelve days of Christmas to life, unleashing chaos on the small unsuspecting town.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like this12 Gifts of Christmas (2015)
When Anna Parisi, an unemployed fine arts painter, is unable to make ends meet, she is hired to become a personal Christmas shopper for Marc, an uptight corporate exec. As they begin working together, Marc learns that Christmas giving has less to do with the amount of money spent and more to do with the importance of the gift, while Anna discovers she might find success as an artist in a way she never expected. The best gift of all of course is the love they discover with one another.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMagic Stocking (2015)
A young widow finds a tattered old Christmas stocking at a Holiday craft sale, but is skeptical of its magic when it seems to create small trinkets on its own.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChristmas at Grand Valley (2018)
Burned out from the hubbub of the Chicago gallery world, artist Kelly returns home to the picturesque Grand Valley just in time for Christmas. Leo, businessman and all-star dad to his children, struggles to balance his time this holiday season. When he is assigned to review a hotel in Grand Valley for its value, he sees this as the perfect opportunity for a Christmas family vacation. It isn’t long until Kelly and Leo’s worlds collide.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Veteran's Christmas (2018)
Captain Grace Garland, a decorated U.S. veteran, returns home after two tours of Search and Rescue in Afghanistan. After being separated from her beloved K9 partner, Grace must rediscover the magic of Christmas. When she finds herself stranded in the town of River’s Crossing a couple weeks before Christmas, the local judge, Joe Peterson, offers her a place to stay on his property and takes it upon himself to show Grace everything she has been missing; Christmas, family, community, and love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMerry Christmas, Drake & Josh (2008)
Step brothers Drake and Josh must give a foster family the best Christmas ever or face years in jail for a Christmas party gone wrong.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChristmas Joy (2018)
Joy Holbrook, is a corporate market researcher, gunning for a promotion within her firm. Just as her company's CEO is taking notice, Joy finds out her Aunt Ruby has broken her ankle and will be undergoing surgery. Despite the less than opportune timing, Joy makes her way back home to Crystal Falls, NC to be with her Aunt. Stars seem to be aligned as Joy sees her former crush, Ben Andrews, while at the hospital. At first, Joy is focused solely on helping her Aunt heal; even taking over her position as chair of the local Cookie Crawl competition. Eventually, she begins to let Ben in and remembers there's no place like home for the holidays. The pair work together on the Cookie Crawl to make the event a success.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNoelle (2019)
Kris Kringle's daughter, Noelle, sets off on a mission to find and bring back her brother, after he gets cold feet when it's his turn to take over as Santa.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChristmas in the Heartland (2017)
Kara and Jessie are two teenage girls from very different worlds, but with a little Christmas magic, they find they have much more in common than they ever imagined.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAngels in the Snow (2015)
The affluent, yet troubled Montgomery family hits the road for a special Christmas in the mountains.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Christmas Note (2015)
Having just moved back to her hometown without her serviceman husband but with her young son, Gretchen Daniels finds her life in disarray as Christmas approaches. But she discovers new purpose when she helps to deliver a message to her neighbor, Melissa, which makes her an ally in the quest to find the neighbor's sibling she never knew she had. The women become bonded not only by the search, but by the understanding that being there for each other means they're no longer alone. This friendship becomes the greatest Christmas gift of their lives. Based on a bestselling novel by Donna VanLiere.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Christmas in Tennessee (2018)
Allison Bennet, along with her daughter Olivia and mother Martha, run a bakery in the small mountain town of White Pines, Tennessee. When Matthew, a charming real estate developer, tries to buy the town for a corporate ski resort, Allison and the townspeople must work together to prevent that from happening. And just when the Bennet ladies seem out of luck, an unexpected visitor – with a well-known sweet tooth for cookies and milk – comes to the bakery and may in fact be the key to solving everything.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisProject Christmas Wish (2020)
For years Lucy has played Santa to her small town’s community by making their holiday wishes come true. But when Lucy grants a little girl’s wish for a Christmas like she used to have with her mom, she unexpectedly finds her own wishes coming true in life and love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Christmas Carol (1997)
Miser Ebenezer Scrooge is awakened on Christmas Eve by spirits who reveal to him his own miserable existence, what opportunities he wasted in his youth, his current cruelties, and the dire fate that awaits him if he does not change his ways. Scrooge is faced with his own story of growing bitterness and meanness, and must decide what his own future will hold: death or redemption.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIt's a Wonderful Life (1946)
George Bailey has spent his entire life giving to the people of Bedford Falls. All that prevents rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town is George's modest building and loan company. But on Christmas Eve the business's $8,000 is lost and George's troubles begin.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisFalling in Love at Christmas (2021)
Miranda and Paul, two business rivals who playfully despise each other, work together on a holiday gift-giving app, and unexpected feelings develop for one another.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Super Monsters Save Christmas (2019)
On Christmas Eve, the Super Monsters get together to make decorations, but end up having to find Santa's missing reindeer in order to save their holiday.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
The Princess Switch: Switched Again (2020)
When Duchess Margaret unexpectedly inherits the throne & hits a rough patch with Kevin, it’s up to Stacy to save the day before a new lookalike — party girl Fiona — foils their plans.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies 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: Similar story and style · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Great Nickmas Tree Sliming (2022)
Lay Lay zaps Santa's sleigh, but it is up to her best friends to bring back Christmas.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
THE SANTAPHOBES and their flatmate (2025)
Two flatmates are preparing to commence a Christmas revolution like no other! Are you ready?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Tired of scaring humans every October 31 with the same old bag of tricks, Jack Skellington, the spindly Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, kidnaps Santa Claus and plans to deliver shrunken heads and other ghoulish gifts to children on Christmas morning in his place. But, as the holiday approaches, Jack's rag-doll girlfriend Sally tries to foil his well-meaning yet misguided plans.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Boss Baby: Christmas Bonus (2022)
Christmas Eve takes a twisty turn when the Boss Baby accidentally swaps places with one of Santa's elves and gets stranded at the North Pole.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChristmas Every Day (1986)
When little Lucy wishes it were Christmas every day, "forever and ever", her dad tells the cautionary tale of her grandmother Tilly, who, as a little girl, made the very same wish, and the dire consequences that occurred after her wish was granted.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family
Like Sherlock Santa and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Sherlock Santa?
The closest matches to Sherlock Santa are A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby (2019), A Trash Truck Christmas (2020) and Angel of Christmas (2015). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Sherlock Santa?
Start with A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby (2019), the closest match to Sherlock Santa.
What is the highest-rated movie like Sherlock Santa?
It's a Wonderful Life (1946), rated 8.3/10 by 5,158 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Sherlock Santa?
THE SANTAPHOBES and their flatmate (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Italian movies like Sherlock Santa?
The closest matches are in other languages.
How are movies similar to Sherlock Santa chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Sherlock Santa, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.