Getting tweens in the holiday spirit can be a challenge. It’s a whole new ball game now that the magic of Santa has worn off. They cringe at the thought of sitting on his lap or driving around with their parents to look at lights. And they barely notice when you remember to move their once-beloved Elf on the Shelf.
To be honest, this new phase can be hard on parents during the holidays too now that much of the holiday enchantment is gone for their kids.
But one tried and true tradition holds strong: holiday movie night!
It can be hard to find something everyone will enjoy, but we’ve compiled a list of festive favorites from Amazon Prime to chose from. They’ve got a little something for everyone from classic comedies to action-packed adventures and even predictable, feel-good holiday romances.
So grab their favorite candy, pop some popcorn, or order takeout and enjoy a night settled in with your tweens with one of these movies guaranteed to get them in the spirit, at least for the night.
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Related: Finding the Christmas Spirit in a House Full of Teenagers
20 Awesome Holiday Movies to Watch with Middle Schoolers
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
There is no better way to kick off the holiday season than with this hilarious Thanksgiving classic. It tells the story of an uptight executive and an annoying salesman who become travel companions and embark on a 3-day odyssey of misadventures trying to reach home in time for Thanksgiving dinner.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Parents of middle schoolers can relate to Clark Griswold’s desire for a perfect, old-fashioned family Christmas. But your whole family will laugh along as he desperately tries to maintain his sanity while his family does everything they can to unravel it.
Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story
Your Swifties will love this Taylor and Travis inspired romance. While it doesn’t directly reference the pair, this Hallmark movie delivers the same heartwarming feels they’re known for.
Red One
We thoroughly enjoyed watching this as a family at the theater last year and are excited to rewatch on Prime again soon. The story follows the North Pole Head of Security (Dwayne Johnson) who must team up with a notorious hacker (Chris Evans) to rescue Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons) after he is kidnapped by a villain.
Elf
It’s hard not to get in the spirit watching this silly Will Ferrell classic where he plays Buddy who crawls into Santa’s toy bag as a baby and is whisked off to the North Pole and raised as an elf. A misfit who grows to be three times the size of his elf family, Buddy heads to his birthplace to seek out his roots.
Candy Cane Lane
We love this comedy adventure where Eddie Murphy stars as a man on a mission to win his neighborhood’s annual Christmas home decoration contest and inadvertently makes a deal with a mischievous elf that brings the 12 Days of Christmas to life.
Fred Claus
Of the two Claus brothers, Fred, is a troublemaker and polar opposite of his saintly sibling, Nicholas. When Fred’s criminal ways finally land him in big trouble, Nicholas bails him out and brings him to the North Pole to work off his debt by making toys.
Genie
A despondent man whose life is unraveling accidentally unleashes a genie, the amazing Melissa McCarthy, who may be able to help him fix his life.
The Holiday
This is one of our favorite romantic comedies. The story follows two women, one from Los Angeles and one from England, who swap homes for the Christmas holidays after experiencing heartbreak and find unexpected romance with local men.
Die Hard
This is for your not-so-die-hard holiday fans–yes, Die Hard is a Christmas movie! This action film follows a NYPD detective who must single-handedly stop a group of terrorists from taking over a Los Angeles skyscraper during a Christmas Eve party.
Krampus
This holiday horror movie tells the story of a squabbling family that causes a young boy to lose his festive spirit enough to unleash the wrath of Krampus, the fearsome beast who punishes naughty children at Christmas.
Ernest Save Christmas
Guaranteed to get a few laughs, this film chronicles Ernest’s attempts to find a replacement for an aging Santa Clause. It’s silly but so much fun!
Prancer
This is a heartwarming drama about a girl who finds a wounded reindeer in the woods and believes it to be Prancer, one of Santa’s reindeer.
How The Grinch Stole Christmas
A must-watch during the holidays. The reclusive Grinch decides to ruin Christmas for the cheery citizens of Whoville.
Ex Mas
We love this holiday romance where a man, Graham, returns home to celebrate Christmas and is surprised to discover his family already celebrating with Ali, his ex. This is great for a girls night in!
Dear Santa
I don’t know about your middle schoolers, but Jack Black really appeals to mine. In this movie, a young boy mails his Christmas wish list to Santa and with one crucial spelling error, a devilish Jack Black arrives to wreak havoc on the holidays.
Home Alone
The holidays just aren’t the same without watching Kevin McCallister defend his home from the “Wet Bandits” after being accidentally left behind by his family during their Christmas vacation.
Gremlins
Enjoy another horror-holiday classic with your tweens with this film about a boy who receives a strange creature and inadvertently unleashes a horde of mischievous, destructive gremlins on his town on Christmas Eve.
A Princess for Christmas
This movie is a charming Cinderella tale with a happy ending that’s fun for the whole family to watch.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
The film follows Jack Skellington, the King of Halloween Town, who discovers Christmas Town and becomes obsessed with bringing Christmas to his own spooky home, leading to a chaotic attempt to take over the holiday.
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