Merry Not-Christmas Christmas From Netflix Instant And Hulu Plus: Finally, It's Okay To Cross The Streams

By Rob Payne | Lists | December 22, 2011 |

By Rob Payne | Lists | December 22, 2011 |

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m not really for the standard accoutrements of the normal holiday season. I’ve always found decorations to be more gaudy than nice. I don’t like Christmas carols or the pop versions that play in the nation’s malls between November 1st thru January 2nd. I’ve never really cared for the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials (though, I do enjoy claymation parodies of them), nor such holiday classics as Miracle on 34th Street, White Christmas, or It’s A Wonderful Life. I appreciate them, but I’d much rather watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, because supersonic sledding always struck me as much more real than bells signaling an angel just got its wings.

The closest I get to non-ironic holiday cheer is the annual marathon of A Christmas Story on TBS, though now I need a couple shots of adult eggnog to make it through more than two straight viewings. So, I’m always on the lookout for what many people consider to be “non-traditional” Christmas entertainment, and I don’t mean watching a half-naked woman writhe on a candy cane colored stripper pole. (But I wouldn’t be against that, either.) Thankfully, both Netflix Instant and Hulu Plus were thinking of me, and people like me, this holiday season because they’ve got a fairly decent selection of modern Christmas classics. Some may not even be considered “Christmas” movies, and that’s part of what makes them great.

Below I’ve compiled a list of 10 Non-Traditional Christmas TV Shows and Movies Streaming RIGHT NOW On Netflix Instant and Hulu Plus that should help you, my fellow misanthropes, survive the next week and a half. And, hey, you might even enjoy it!

(And, no, the very real title from the header photo is not included, though I have seen it, and it’s not nearly as exciting as it looks. [Also, before you complain that your favorite movie/TV show isn’t listed here, keep in mind that most of things you’ll think of aren’t on Netflix or Hulu. Trust me, I checked. {Oh, and for you “Doctor Who” fans, I’m sorry, but I haven’t started the series, yet, so I can’t put it on here. That’d just be pandering.}])

Die Hard

Where can I see it? Netflix.

Lethal Weapon

Where can I see it? Netflix.

“Community”: “Comparative Religion,” “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas” and “Regional Holiday Music”

Where can I see it? Hulu Plus (here too).

Edward Scissorhands

Where can I see it? Netflix.

“Futurama”: “X-Mas Story,” “A Tale of Two Santas” and “Holiday Spectacular”

Where can I see it? Netflix.

“South Park”: “Merry Christmas, Charlie Manson,” “Red Sleigh Down” and “Woodland Critters Christmas”

Where can I see it? Hulu Plus and Netflix.

“Mythbusters Holiday Special”

Where can I see it? Netflix.

“Mystery Science Theater 3000: Santa Claus”

Where can I see it? Netflix.

“The Office” (U.K.): “Christmas Special”

Where can I see it? Hulu Plus and Netflix.

The Hebrew Hammer

Where can I see it? Netflix.

Rob Payne also writes the indie comic The Unstoppable Force, tweets on the Twitter @RobOfWar, and his ware can be purchased here (if you’re into that sort of thing). He admits to including Hulu Plus purely for the excuse to put “Community” on this list, but what else did you really expect?