Through the Ages: A Whānau Guide to Christmas Movies
Noam on Dec. 4, 2025
Watching Christmas movies with whānau: From Least to Most Intense
We’ve compiled a list guiding your whānau through our recommendations for some Christmas films this year from least to most intense.
- Good options for early ages
- Primary school ages (5 to 10 year olds)
- Teens and above more intense themes
- Most violent and intense festive season titles
- Final thoughts
- Further reading
Image header: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Creator Archive Photos. Copyright 2013 Getty Images.
Good options for early ages
The Polar Express
G | Suitable for general audiences
Neon
A nostalgic and magical movie likely to bring the whānau together for Christmas. The Polar Express follows a young boy as he embarks on the Polar Express, which takes him on an adventure to the North Pole. Despite its lighthearted feel, some may find the tone eerie at times, with one short scene involving a character walking through a room filled with puppets, before one of them lunges towards him. Some tamariki may be frightened by this scene, or the scene where the train skids across cracking ice, nearly crashing.
The Grinch (2018)
G | Suitable for general audiences
Neon
From the wonderful world of Dr. Seuss, The Grinch reimagines the notorious character as more of a grumpy one than a mean one. Diving into his backstory, it has a positive ending which emphasises friendship, reaching out to those around you, and sharing memories during the holidays, teaching kids what Christmas is meant for. There is mild comedy violence, but it is very low level and unlikely to be impactful, even for tamariki. The film comprises a great and diverse soundtrack, from rap to jazz, with music from artists like Run-DMC, Nat King Cole, and Tyler, The Creator.
Klaus
PG | Violence
Netflix
Klaus follows a new postman as he arrives on a remote island and finds himself caught in a feud that spans generations, between two large families. He and a local toy maker, Klaus, work together to establish a new tradition of kindness and toys on the island. While this film has many wholesome moments, there is some imagery and violence that could frighten younger tamariki. Characters are seen fighting each other with blades and objects, and sometimes throwing things at each other, but no injuries are shown and most of the violence is undetailed and comedic.
Primary school ages (5 to 10 year olds)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
PG | Parental guidance recommended for younger viewers
Prime Video
Ron Howard’s Grinchiest Grinch, performed by the incredible Jim Carrey, is a scarier Grinch portrayal than its newer, animated counterpart. While this film is an absolute classic, there are some scenes that younger tamariki might find a bit scary. Parental guidance is important as this particular Grinch is extra mean. He contorts his body and face, insects crawl between his teeth, he makes freaky noises and he literally eats glass. Before pressing play let your tamariki know that even though he can be a bit disturbing, the ending is positive. Remember, spoilers don’t matter when it comes to things like being scared. The goal is for your whānau to sleep well on Christmas Eve, and not staying awake fearing the Grinch.
Special mention: The Grinch in the 2018 Dr. Seuss' The Grinch animation film is a bit grumpier and a little less freaky so that could be a good place to start for kids who tend to get scared more than others: G | Suitable for general audiences.
Read the full content breakdown for How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Home Alone
PG | Violence
Disney+
The world's favourite cheeky little troublemaker is a classic on the list of must-watch Christmas films but there are some things to take into consideration. Because the idea of being left behind by your parents, and a home invasion, can be a scary idea for little ones, reassure them that your home is safe and set some plans in place for your child if they ever do find themselves alone. And remember, during the film if anyone is really scared, turn it off.
Read the full content breakdown for Home Alone, and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
Red One
PG | Violence and coarse language
Prime Video
Red One flips things upside down in the first few seconds, with a boy in the opening scene confronting his father about how he thinks Santa doesn’t exist. In this festive recent release, a villain snatches Santa Claus from the North Pole, pitching an E.L.F. agent and the world’s top tracker together to bring him back and save Christmas. With a rating of PG, the movie contains a few fight sequences, including high-speed snowmobile chases, a character stabbed by an ice sword, causing them to freeze over, and fighting involving kicking and tasers.
Dark fantasy elements may frighten younger viewers, including a giant, menacing ogre with tentacles, a headless horseman, gargoyles, and giant, violent snowmen. An evil witch possesses ‘naughty’ people and traps them in snow globes as punishment. When characters are possessed, their body starts shaking with crunching sounds and their eyes roll back, turning a glowing blue, which may be unsettling for tamariki. Words like “a**hole” and “sh*t” are also used, and the beginning of the F-word is heard, but the second half is bleeped out.
It’s important to be aware of content that could be a bit much for younger viewers, so for more information, read our blog about Red One here. And you can read our full content breakdown for Red One here.
Teens and above: More intense themes
Love Actually
M | Offensive language & nudity
Netflix
Known as one of the top contenders for the best Christmas movie ever (but it’s complicated), Love Actually is the movie that really showed us that Christmas is all about love. While the M recommendation means technically anyone can watch this, it is recommended for ages 16 years and older. Love Actually isn’t the best film to throw on with younger tamariki in the room and it is more suitable for mature audiences.
Along with different sex scenes, frank nudity pops up randomly on-screen, so maybe watch with whānau members who you are ready to have the ‘sex talk’ with.
A Very Jonas Christmas Movie
M | Dangerous Behaviour
Disney+
A cheeky film with American pop rock band the Jonas Brothers starring in it together? This unexpected new holiday release leans hard into festive chaos and family vibes. While its M rating means most ages can technically watch, this isn’t the ideal pick for the younger tamariki.
Romantic tension and cheeky humor are baked into the plot, with plenty of flirty banter and suggestive jokes that older viewers will understand. So maybe save this one for the mature side of the whānau.
Read our full content breakdown for A Very Jonas Christmas Movie.
The Holiday
M | Offensive language & sexual references
Disney+
Known widely as a cozy and comfort watch, especially for rom-com lovers, The Holiday has an M rating due to its frequent sexual references and offensive language. There are a few occasions where characters cheat on each other, and engage in affairs or “meaningless” sex, as well as words that can offend, such as “b*tch” and “f**k.”
Despite its warm feel, it still isn’t a good choice for younger tamariki and is more suitable for mature audiences who already have solid understandings of sex and romance.
Most violent and intense Festive season titles
Die Hard
M | Violence & offensive language
Disney+
We know what some of you might think: Die Hard is not a Christmas movie. Even though Bruce Willis himself said that it isn’t, we’ve still included it in this blog because it’s set during Christmas and remains a film that many Kiwis watch during the holiday season. It focuses on a man doing everything he can to save his wife from terrorists who are holding her hostage. Action film lovers will appreciate the frequent fight scenes.
Destruction and explosions occur a few times throughout, and alcohol and cocaine are consumed by characters several times. This content, and offensive language, like “f**k,” “motherf**ker,” and “sh*t,” render this movie best watched by older teens and above, due to the maturity needed for such content.
Violent Night
R16 | Violence and offensive language
For those of you who are less about the love and here for the action and violence, this one's for you. This Christmas-themed dark comedy is a cross between Die Hard and Home Alone, with double the intensity of violence, and frequent use of the F-word.
Before hitting the play button, consider that this one is age-restricted and includes some scenes with gore and bloody violence. Everyone in the room needs to be over 16 and comfortable with this type of content. It’s important to consider that just because it might float your boat, doesn’t mean others will vibe it the way you do.
Bad Santa
R16 | Violence, offensive language & sex scenes
For those who prefer their holiday movies with a little mischief and laughs, this one is for you. Bad Santa flips the usual Christmas cheer on its head, serving up a dark comedy full of outrageous antics and unexpected heart. It’s not your typical feel-good festive flick—think sex, chaos, and a Santa who’s anything but jolly. Perfect for adult viewers (or some teens above 16) who like their holiday stories with a rebellious twist and a side of sarcasm.
Content involves aggressive sex between a man and a woman in a car and a hot tub, with no nudity, and sexual references. A character is also left with blood dripping from his mouth after being hit by a van. There is also an attempted suicide scene, which renders this film much more graphic and with darker themes suitable only for older viewers.
Final thoughts
There are all sorts of festive season movies out there, for all sorts of people and ages, meaning they can vary widely in intensity, with a range of ratings in Aotearoa. If your younger child is keen to join in on Christmas movie night, The Polar Express or Klaus are good starting points. But for darker entries like Red One and Violent Night, a bit more maturity is needed.
Our ratings aim to give parents and whānau the tools to make informed choices about what their tamariki watch. We hope this guide helps you decide which holiday content might be right for your whānau.
Further readings
Those Christmas movie feels (blog)
Home Invasion on Christmas Eve (blog)
Disney’s A Christmas Carol (case study). Read about how the rating was changed from PG to an M for this retelling of a classic Christmas story.
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