Christmas is the season of giving. Few things feel better than gifting a present to a loved one. However, presents are not cheap. Buy enough of them, and the money adds up, cutting into your daily expenses. Assuming you like to watch movies, streaming services are probably a priority within your budget. Like holiday presents, streaming services are rather expensive.
To save money, take advantage of a FAST service, which stands for “free ad-supported television.” These services are free at sign-up. A few ads will run during your feature presentation, but that’s not a big deal, considering the movies are free. Plus, these services have a wide variety of holiday movies. Try streaming one of these movies below.
Need more recommendations? We also have guides for the 10 best TV shows to watch on Christmas, the 10 best movies to watch on Christmas, the best Christmas movies on Netflix, the best Christmas movies on Disney+, the best Christmas movies on Hulu, the best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best Christmas movies on Max, and the best Christmas movies on Hallmark Channel.
Eight Crazy Nights (2002)
If you are Jewish, Adam Sandler has not forgotten about you. The comedian has made it his personal mission to make Hanukkah content, most notably his songs from SNL about the Festival of Lights. In 2002, Sandler starred in Eight Crazy Nights, his first voice-acting role. Davey Stone (Sandler) is an alcoholic man-child who makes Billy Madison look like a saint. Davey’s criminal record has increased so much that he faces prison time.
On the first night of Hanukkah, Davey is about to be sentenced when Whitey Duvall (also Sandler) convinces the judge to let him perform community service as punishment. The judge agrees, and Davey becomes an assistant referee to Whitey for the youth basketball league. Perhaps spending time with one of the community’s nicest individuals will help Davey turn his life around.
Stream Eight Crazy Nights for free on Tubi.
Christmas with the Kranks (2023)
Christmas with the Kranks should really be called Christmas with the Grinches. Luther (Tim Allen) and Nora Krank (Jamie Lee Curtis) are not in the Christmas spirit. When their daughter Blair (Julie Gonzalo) plans to spend the holiday in Peru, Luther and Nora decide to abandon Christmas in favor of a Caribbean cruise.
This decision to forgo Christmas does not sit well with their neighbors, Vic Frohmeyer (Dan Aykroyd) and Walt Scheel (M. Emmet Walsh). Fast forward to Christmas Eve: The Kranks are packing for their vacation when Blair informs them that she will return for Christmas after all. Now, Luther and Nora must somehow decorate and prepare for a holiday party one day before their daughter gets home.
Stream Christmas with the Kranks for free on Prime Video.
Scrooged (1988)
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has been adapted so many times that we’ve lost count. In Scrooged, Richard Donner sets his version of A Christmas Carol in the modern day and casts Bill Murray as the titular Scrooge. Frank Cross, a ruthless television executive, is Murray’s stand-in for Ebenezer Scrooge. Ironically, Frank is preparing for a live broadcast of A Christmas Carol and fires executive Eliot Loudermilk (Bobcat Goldthwait) days before the show.
The night before Christmas Eve, Frank is visited by the ghost of his old mentor, Lew Heyward (John Forsythe), who says he must live a fulfilling life.
Lew tells Frank that he will be visited by three ghosts — the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Future — that will make him reevaluate his actions. Scrooged might include different characters, but the message about redemption remains the same.
Stream Scrooged for free on Pluto TV.
EXmas (2023)
Nothing puts people in the Christmas spirit more than a rom-com. EXmas is like a Hallmark movie with a bigger budget, better actors, and fewer G-rated storylines. Graham Stoop (Robbie Amell) is a tech employee living in Los Angeles. For Christmas, Graham is supposed to work, but instead, he decides to fly home to Minnesota and surprise his family.
Upon arrival, Graham learns that his family invited Graham’s ex-fiancée, Ali (Leighton Meester), to their Christmas. Even though Graham is related by blood, the family still loves Ali and feels like she’s part of the family. The holiday now becomes a game of one-upmanship as Graham and Ali battle for the right to spend the holiday with Graham’s family. Despite the nonsensical premise, Amell and Meester have enough great chemistry to make EXmas an effective rom-com.
Stream EXmas for free on Prime Video.
Bad Santa (2003)
Make sure the kids go to sleep before watching Bad Santa. As the name says, this Santa is not in the Christmas spirit. Willie T. Stokes (Billy Bob Thornton) and his partner, Marcus Skidmore (Tony Cox), are professional criminals who specialize in thievery around the holidays. Every year, Willie gets a job in a mall as Santa and hires Marcus as his elf.
On Christmas Eve, the duo steals from the stores inside the mall. This year, Willie is off his game as alcoholism and a sex addiction take over his life. To make matters worse, a young boy named Thurman Merman (Brett Kelly) causes Willie to reevaluate his life. Is this bad Santa about to grow a heart, or is the alcoholic buzz starting to wear off?
Stream Bad Santa for free on Pluto TV.
We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.