Movies like Secret Santa (2015)
The best movies like Secret Santa (2015) are My Christmas Love (2016), Christmas Angel (2009) and 12 Days of Giving (2017). If Secret Santa hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedViolent Night (2022)7.2/10 from 2,704 votes
- NewestMy Secret Santa (2025)Released 2025
My 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 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 this12 Days of Giving (2017)
A photographer uses his cash prize to anonymously give gifts, sparking a change in the community.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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
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: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDear Santa (2024)
Likeable 6th grader Liam writes to Santa asking him to prove that he's real. But Liam is dyslexic and accidentally sends his letter to Satan instead, who shows up at Liam's house, excited to have his first fanboy letter and wanting a little of Liam's soul.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Christmas Chronicles: Part Two (2020)
Kate Pierce is reluctantly spending Christmas with her mom’s new boyfriend and his son Jack. But when the North Pole and Christmas are threatened to be destroyed, Kate and Jack are unexpectedly pulled into a new adventure with Santa Claus.
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 thisI'll Be Home for Christmas (1998)
Estranged from his father, college student Jake is lured home to New York for Christmas with the promise of receiving a classic Porsche as a gift. When the bullying football team dumps him in the desert in a Santa suit, Jake is left without identification or money to help him make the journey. Meanwhile, his girlfriend, Allie, does not know where he is, and accepts a cross-country ride from Jake's rival, Eddie.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFred Claus (2007)
Fred Claus and Santa Claus have been estranged brothers for many years. Now Fred must reconcile his differences with his brother whom he believes overshadows him. When an efficiency expert assesses the workings at the North Pole and threatens to shut Santa down, Fred must help his brother to save Christmas.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies 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 thisViolent Night (2022)
When a team of mercenaries breaks into a wealthy family compound on Christmas Eve, taking everyone inside hostage, the team isn’t prepared for a surprise combatant: Santa Claus is on the grounds, and he’s about to show why this Nick is no saint.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFamily Switch (2023)
When the Walker family members switch bodies with each other during a rare planetary alignment, their hilarious journey to find their way back to normal will bring them closer together than they ever thought possible.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Santa Clause 2 (2002)
Better watch out! The big guy in red is coming to town once again. This time, Scott Calvin -- also known as Santa Claus -- finds out there's an obscure clause in his contract requiring him to take on a wife. He has to leave the North Pole to fulfill his obligations, or else he'll be forced to give up his Yuletide gig.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJust Friends (2005)
While visiting his hometown during Christmas, a man comes face-to-face with his old high school crush whom he was best friends with – a woman whose rejection of him turned him into a ferocious womanizer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Christmas Calendar (2017)
When Emily, a struggling baker in a small town, receives a handmade Christmas Calendar from a secret admirer, the local residents become obsessed with finding out the identity of the sender.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Secret Santa (2025)
A single mom needs a job. A ski resort needs a Santa. Disguised as a St. Nick lookalike, can Taylor fool a charming hotel heir into ho-ho-hiring her?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYour Christmas or Mine 2 (2023)
They've swapped Christmas – again. Can Hayley and James' relationship survive another turbulent family Christmas or has their future together gone off-piste?!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJingle 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 thisBeethoven's Christmas Adventure (2011)
A Christmas elf accidentally takes off in Santa's sleigh, crash lands in a small town, and loses the magic toy bag. Beethoven must rescue the elf, recover the bag from greedy crooks, and return the sleigh to Santa in time to save Christmas.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Secret Santa?
The closest matches to Secret Santa are My Christmas Love (2016), Christmas Angel (2009) and 12 Days of Giving (2017). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Secret Santa?
Start with My Christmas Love (2016), the closest match to Secret Santa.
What is the highest-rated movie like Secret Santa?
Violent Night (2022), rated 7.2/10 by 2,704 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Secret Santa?
My Secret Santa (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Secret Santa chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Secret Santa, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.