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5 holiday films that probably aren’t on your watchlist but should be

Left to right: The Bishop's Wife, Christmas in Connecticut, The Holdovers, The Gold Rush and The Apartment.
Left to right: The Bishop's Wife, Christmas in Connecticut, The Holdovers, The Gold Rush and The Apartment.

There’s no better time to cozy up on the couch and throw on a movie than during the holidays. A warm cup of cocoa, a fuzzy blanket and twinkling lights all around — a little slice of yuletide heaven!

With classics like It’s a Wonderful Life, Home Alone, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Elf and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, there’s no shortage of great holiday movies to watch.

But for every Christmas season staple, there's an overlooked gem waiting to be discovered — which is why we've curated a list of some of our favorite holiday films you probably don't have on your watchlist, but absolutely should.

The Bishop’s Wife (1947)

A lot of people might describe their favorite Christmas movie as being about a distraught man who's visited by an angel that tries to help him see the brighter side of life.

For many, that movie would be Frank Capra's 1946 classic It's a Wonderful Life, starring Jimmy Stewart. But it just so happens that the same description applies to The Bishop's Wife.

Starring Cary Grant as the most deliciously charming angel to ever grace the silver screen, this romantic comedy also features an elegant Loretta Young and a fretful David Niven in what may be the ultimate Christmas comfort movie.

It’s funny, tender and filled with memorable characters, from the enchanting Professor Wutheridge to a cabby who dances on ice like Fred Astaire.

If you feel like branching out and trying something new, give this one a go.

Available on Peacock and Amazon Prime Video.

Christmas in Connecticut (1945)

Another delightfully sweet Christmas classic from the 1940s that deserves a spot in your streaming scheduling is Christmas in Connecticut.

The always self-assured and stunning Barbara Stanwyck sheds her cool persona to play a professional writer who finds herself in a pickle on Christmas.

She's assigned to host a war hero, who adores her magazine column about cooking and life on the farm. The only problem — well, one of many — is her ideal life as a wife, mother and exquisite chef is a complete fabrication.

She can’t cook, she’s not married and she certainly doesn’t have a baby of her own. But she does find one (or more) to borrow, along with a husband and a picturesque cottage in the snowy countryside, where she stages the life she doesn't have.

Naturally, hijinks ensue, and what follows is a laugh-a-minute holiday classic that is just as sharp and witty as it was nearly 80 years ago.

Available on Hulu.

The Holdovers (2023)

For the final (actual) Christmas movie on the list, let’s jump ahead in time, all the way from the 1940s to just last year.

You might remember Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers with Paul Giamatti. He plays a curmudgeonly teacher at a New England boarding school, where he's stuck babysitting the students who couldn’t go home for Christmas.

It’s set in the ‘70s and feels like it too. The vintage aesthetic, humor and lovable cast of characters come together and create an instant Christmas classic.

Available on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.

The Gold Rush (1925)

Charlie Chaplin — everyone’s favorite Little Tramp — wrote, directed, produced and starred in The Gold Rush, which turns 100 in the new year.

It's the epitome of silent comedies and features so many iconic scenes, from the Little Tramp dancing with dinner rolls on forks to eating his own shoe! The Gold Rush is charming, clever and will have you falling in love with Chaplin. If you haven’t seen a silent movie before, this one is a solid place to start.

It’s the perfect new year’s movie too, so why not ring in 2025 like it’s 1925?

Available on Hulu, Max and Amazon Prime Video.

The Apartment (1960)

Theatrical release poster for The Apartment.
United Artists
Theatrical release poster for The Apartment.

Capping off this essential holiday list is another New Year’s movie and the Best Picture winner of 1960 — Billy Wilder’s The Apartment.

It stars Jack Lemmon as a lonely and overlooked corporate schmuck alongside Shirley MacLaine, who plays a heartbroken elevator operator in the office building where Lemmon works. The two are a perfect pair for Wilder’s blend of comedy and romance (and a little doom and gloom).

There are far too many brilliant lines to mention, but to offer just a taste of the wit and sentiment served up in this movie, let’s turn to the theatrical poster from the ‘60s:

“Movie-wise, there has never been anything like 'The Apartment' love-wise, laugh-wise or otherwise-wise!”

And if you’ve seen the movie, cookie-wise!

Available on Amazon Prime Video.

Nicole Baxter is a digital producer and writer for Iowa Public Radio. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Northern Iowa. Since 2024, Baxter has worked with IPR's news team to bring news stories to IPR's digital audience, including writing features about Iowa's film scene.