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Where you can catch your favorite Christmas movies in the air

Caroline Tanner
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Caroline Tanner covers news and travel for TPG. She is a journalism graduate of Mizzou and Northwestern.
Dec. 20, 2021
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4 min read
Rear View Of People Sitting In Airplane
Where you can catch your favorite Christmas movies in the air
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One of the absolute best things about the holidays for me is the Christmas movies. From "The Holiday" (my personal favorite) to "Love Actually" (overrated — not a hot take, I know), holiday-themed content will undoubtedly occupy hours upon hours of my time leading up to Christmas this year.

For those of us traveling home or elsewhere for the holidays, don't fret: Your holiday movie and TV consumption won't need to be interrupted, as airlines are offering a variety of holiday films to choose from — all from the comfort of your airplane seat.

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Holiday movies on American Airlines. (Photo by Clint Henderson/The Points Guy)

A number of airlines — including American, Alaska, JetBlue, United and Southwest — shared their 2021 holiday entertainment lineups with TPG. Here's a taste of what titles you may find on your flight:

  • "A Christmas Carol"
  • "A Christmas Story"
  • "A Christmas Tree Grows in Colorado" (Hallmark)
  • "Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights"
  • "A Dennis the Menace Christmas"
  • "An American Tail"
  • "A Nashville Christmas Carol" (Hallmark)
  • "Black Nativity"
  • "Christmas in Belfast"
  • "Christmas in Connecticut"
  • "Christmas in Vienna" (Hallmark)
  • "Christmas Town" (Hallmark)
  • "Christmas Waltz" (Hallmark)
  • "Dear Santa" (new this year)
  • "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas"
  • "Elf"
  • "Four Christmases" ( I just watched this for the first time and would highly recommend it)
  • "Frozen" and "Frozen 2" (controversial take: I've never seen these)
  • "Fred Claus"
  • "Frosty's Winter Wonderland" (classic TV movie)
  • "Home Alone" and "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York"
  • "It's a Wonderful Life"
  • "Jack Frost"
  • "Last Christmas"
Holiday movies on American Airlines. (Photo by Clint Henderson/The Points Guy)
  • "Little Fockers"
  • "Love Actually" (as I said — meh)
  • "Love, Lights, Hanukkah!" (Hallmark)
  • "Meet Me in St. Louis"
  • "Miracle on 34th Street"
  • "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation"
  • "Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July" (a classic TV movie)
  • "Scrooged"
  • "The Best Man Holiday"
  • "The Christmas House" (Hallmark)
  • "The Family Stone" (does anyone else think Dermot Mulroney is so dreamy?)
  • "The Grinch"
  • "The Holiday" (chef's kiss)
  • "The Nightmare Before Christmas"
  • "The Night Before"
  • "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms"
  • "The Polar Express"
  • "The Preacher's Wife"
  • "The Santa Clause"
  • "The Shop Around the Corner"
  • "The Year Without a Santa Claus" (another classic TV movie)
  • "Too Close for Christmas"
  • "When Harry Met Sally" (appropriate year-round, IMHO)
  • "White Christmas"
Holiday movies on American Airlines. (Photo by Clint Henderson/The Points Guy)

Related: Finally reunited: How 100,000 Southwest points are taking me home for the holidays

Beyond those movies, airlines are offering holiday-themed TV episodes, including:

  • "Chopped" Season 44, Episode 4: "Holiday Sweethearts"
  • "Christmas Cookie Challenge" Season 4, Episode 1: "Christmas Games and Music"
  • "Christmas in New York: Inside the Plaza"
  • "Gavin and Stacey: Christmas Special"
  • "Giada's Holiday Handbook" Season 5, Episode 6: "Italian Christmas Brunch"
  • "Girl Meets Farm" Season 6, Episode 11: "Chinese Food Christmas"
  • "Holiday Baking Championship" Season 7, Episode 3: "Holiday Goodie Games"
  • "Holiday Wars" Season 2, Episode 1: "Surprise Holiday Parade"
  • Episodes from "The Office," "Friends," "King of the Hill," "Bob's Burgers," "Modern Family," "Biggest Little Christmas Showdown," "Buddy vs. Christmas," "The Pioneer Woman," "Outrageous Holiday Houses" and more.

Delta flyers can expect a special treat thanks to the airline's partnership with Spotify. The airline's new "Holiday Mixtape" playlist features a variety of Christmas classics, including:

  • "Christmas Is" (featuring Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus​, a dynamic duo)
  • "Hallelujah" (Carrie Underwood)​
  • "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" (by everyone's favorite, Michael Bublé)
  • "Jingle Bell Rock" (Bobby Helms)
  • "Last Christmas" (Taylor Swift​)
  • "Santa Tell Me" (Ariana Grande​)
  • "Sleigh Ride" (The Carpenters)​
  • "The Chanukah Song" (Adam Sandler​)
  • "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" (Weezer)
  • "Where Are You Christmas" (Faith Hill​)
Holiday movies on American Airlines. (Photo by Clint Henderson/The Points Guy)

Southwest fliers can expect to see Abominable,' 'Elf,' 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation' and 'The Best Man Holiday,' some of which were selected by SWA crews to be added to the Inflight Entertainment Portal.

And who knows, maybe next year we'll see a joint project from United and Hallmark.

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Related: 10 tips to best protect your holiday flights from getting derailed

Featured image by Getty Images/EyeEm
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.