Your Black Holiday Movie Watchlist: The Countdown to Christmas Starts Here
Somehow we blinked and Christmas is officially one week away. The group chats are buzzing, the to do lists are lying, and the holiday cheer is trying its absolute best to fight through the exhaustion we’ve all been carrying. Which is exactly why this is the moment to tap into a tradition that never disappoints — Black holiday movies.
Warm. Familiar. Dramatic in the best way. Anchored in culture, music, and a kind of joy that feels like home.
So if your soul is asking for comfort and your brain is asking for a break, this curated watchlist is your weeklong prescription. Consider it a survival strategy disguised as entertainment.
Let’s get into the classics.
This Christmas
If holiday dysfunction had a soundtrack, it would be this movie. The Whitfield family reunites under one roof, and immediately you realize nothing is simple, everyone has secrets, and Loretta Devine is holding the entire operation together through sheer maternal willpower. Idris Elba plays the brooding musician brother, which is really all you need to know.
This film is warm, chaotic, familiar, and full of heart — basically a mirror for anyone spending Christmas with relatives who don’t believe in boundaries.
The Preacher’s Wife
Whitney Houston in winter whites. Denzel Washington as an angel on assignment who is suspiciously charming. Courtney B. Vance giving us stable husband energy while everything around him spirals. Sprinkle in a gospel choir that goes off, and you have a holiday masterpiece that still hits like it’s the first time.
If you grew up in church, this movie is nostalgic therapy. If you didn’t, it’s a beautiful introduction to Black holiday magic.
Almost Christmas
This one feels like stepping directly into your auntie’s living room. Danny Glover anchors the story as a father trying to hold his family together through grief, while his adult children do what adult children do — fight, reconnect, overshare, and cause a scene in every room of the house.
Gabrielle Union brings the tension, Kimberly Elise brings the quiet depth, and Mo’Nique steals the entire film without even trying. It’s messy, tender, hilarious, and painfully relatable.
Jingle Jangle
A visual feast. A celebration of Black imagination. A cinematic hug for your inner child. Forest Whitaker stars as a once brilliant inventor who’s lost his spark, while the young phenom Madalen Mills brings so much charm you’ll forget you ever doubted the magic of musicals.
Picture Afro Victorian costumes, dazzling set design, original songs, and a storyline that reminds you why hope is worth holding onto. This one is for the dreamers who need a little recharge.
The Best Man Holiday
Bring tissues. No, seriously. Bring them. The full original cast reunites — Taye Diggs, Nia Long, Sanaa Lathan, Morris Chestnut, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard — and the emotional rollercoaster begins immediately.
This film is a celebration of friendship, forgiveness, grief, and the kind of chosen family bonds that carry us through every season. It’s beautiful, it’s heavy, it’s healing, and it delivers a kind of emotional clarity that feels like a holiday reset.
Your One Week Watch Plan
Because the countdown is on and we don’t waste vibes:
Day 1: This Christmas
Day 2: The Preacher’s Wife
Day 3: Almost Christmas
Day 4: Jingle Jangle
Day 5: The Best Man Holiday
Day 6–7: Rewatch your favorite or pull in a bonus film (Friday After Next, Last Holiday, The Kid Who Loved Christmas)
Why This Watchlist Matters
Black holiday films aren’t just entertainment — they’re cultural memory. They’re joy, resilience, humor, and soul. They carry our traditions, reflect our families, and remind us that even in chaos there is connection.
And with Christmas one week away, connection is exactly what most of us are craving.
So pour the cocoa, claim the couch, and let these stories hold you for a minute.