Movies like The Year Without a Santa Claus (2006)
The best movies like The Year Without a Santa Claus (2006) are Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh (2008), Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square (2020) and To Grandmother's House We Go (1992). If The Year Without a Santa Claus hooked you with its comedy and family, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Apartment (1960)8.2/10 from 2,848 votes
- NewestDrink and Be Merry (2025)Released 2025
Merry 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 comedy & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDolly Parton's Christmas on the Square (2020)
A rich and nasty woman returns to her hometown to evict everyone but discovers the true meaning of Christmas thanks to the local townsfolk – and an actual angel. Features 14 original songs with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisTo Grandmother's House We Go (1992)
When precocious twins Sarah and Julie feel like Mom is tired of them, they take off on an exciting adventure to their grandmother's house and encounter a pair of villains along the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKristin's Christmas Past (2013)
Kristin, a cynical 34-year-old, drinks a mysterious champagne on Christmas Eve and wakes up seventeen years in the past, sharing a room with her 17-year-old self. Given the chance to change the worst Christmas of her life, she attempts to fix past mistakes, only to discover surprising truths about her family that may help her mend her present-day relationships.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
SnoozefestMovies like thisOlive, the Other Reindeer (1999)
After mis-hearing a radio broadcast about Santa canceling his Christmas trip due to an injured reindeer, Olive the dog decides to travel to the North Pole and volunteer to be a replacement. Unfortunately, Olive must deal with an evil postman who's tired of handling all the extra Christmas mail. Will Martini the penguin be able to help Olive realize her dream?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
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 · both family & comedy
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 & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Christmas Story Christmas (2022)
Follows Ralphie, now adult, who returns to the house on Cleveland Street to give his kids a magical Christmas like the one he had as a child, reconnecting with childhood friends, and reconciling the passing of his Old Man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe 12 Days of Christmas Eve (2022)
When Brian Conway, a successful businessman whose family relationships have suffered, gets in a car accident on Christmas Eve, Santa gives him twelve chances to redo the day and repair the relationships in his life, including with his daughter Michelle.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlizzard (2003)
A young girl's aunt tells her the tale of a young ice skater and an enchanted reindeer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 comedy & 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
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 · both family & comedy
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 · both comedy & family
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 · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHow the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
The Grinch decides to rob Whoville of Christmas - but a dash of kindness from little Cindy Lou Who and her family may be enough to melt his heart...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family & comedy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)
Feeling forgotten by the children of the world, old St. Nick decides to skip his gift-giving journey and take a vacation. Mrs. Claus and two spunky little elves, Jingle and Jangle, set out to see to where all the season's cheer has disappeared. Aided by a magical snowfall, they reawaken the spirit of Christmas in children's hearts and put Santa back in action.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisClick & Collect (2018)
To save his daughter's Christmas, Andrew goes on a road trip with Dev, his neighbour from hell, to buy an elusive Sparklehoof the Unicorn Princess.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy
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 · both family & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThat Christmas (2024)
It's an unforgettable Christmas for the townsfolk of Wellington-on-Sea when the worst snowstorm in history alters everyone's plans — including Santa's.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both comedy & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMickey Saves Christmas (2022)
Mickey, Minnie and their pals attempt to celebrate the perfect Christmas at their snowy cabin. However, when Pluto causes Santa to lose all the presents on his sleigh, the friends travel to the North Pole on a quest to save Christmas.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAll I Didn't Want for Christmas (2022)
Emily Harris is not doing great. In a desperate attempt to improve her life and make this Christmas not totally suck, Emily writes a letter to Santa. Fortunately, and unfortunately, her wine-soaked wishes start coming true.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Elfette Saves Christmas (2019)
Elfette has to save the day when Santa Claus is kidnapped by the mafia, who try to take over Christmas.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy & family
Silent Night, Lonely Night (1969)
Over the Christmas holidays in a small New England college town, a man and a woman share a brief interlude. He is there to visit his wife, who is a mental patient at the university, and she is there visiting her son, who is a student, after discovering her husband's infidelity.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Christmas Telethon (2024)
Local TV channel news anchors Nick Roberts and Kelly Snow host the absolute worst holiday telethon to save the network from bankruptcy. The worst talent, the worst acts, a doofus crew, a narcissist weatherman, and its over-the-top station owner, Jon Sampson, create a perfect holiday storm in this Christmas Eve cavalcade comedy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
The Apartment (1960)
Bud Baxter is a minor clerk in a huge New York insurance company, until he discovers a quick way to climb the corporate ladder. He lends out his apartment to the executives as a place to take their mistresses. Although he often has to deal with the aftermath of their visits, one night he's left with a major problem to solve.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisLove Actually (2003)
Eight very different couples deal with their love lives in various loosely interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLooking for Her (2022)
Taylor is headed home for the holidays and her family is finally ready to meet her girlfriend "Jess". The only problem is, Jess isn't really her girlfriend. Taylor holds open auditions for someone to play the part for the holidays.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Drink and Be Merry (2025)
At a struggling New York dive bar in the days leading up to Christmas 2019, Chet, a beleaguered bartender in a state of extended arrested development, must balance caring for his misanthropic, aging regulars — who have nowhere else to go, and rely on him for far more than pouring drinks — with his naive desires to muster some Christmas spirit.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both comedy
Holiday in Your Heart (1997)
LeAnn Rimes plays herself from her childhood in Nashville to her performing around the country as a country-western singer, until she has to make a choice: Does she perform at the Grand Ole Opry, following her dreams? Or does she not go to the concert, and stay at her dying grandmother's bedside? The made-for-tv film is based in part on LeAnn's autobiographical novel.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Year Without a Santa Claus?
The closest matches to The Year Without a Santa Claus are Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh (2008), Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square (2020) and To Grandmother's House We Go (1992). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Year Without a Santa Claus?
Start with Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh (2008), the closest match to The Year Without a Santa Claus.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Year Without a Santa Claus?
The Apartment (1960), rated 8.2/10 by 2,848 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Year Without a Santa Claus?
Drink and Be Merry (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Year Without a Santa Claus?
Yes: Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh (2008), Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square (2020) and To Grandmother's House We Go (1992).
How are movies similar to The Year Without a Santa Claus chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Year Without a Santa Claus, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.