5 must-see holiday movies on Netflix Canada

Looking for a little holiday movie cheer this season, but not willing to brave the cold trip to the cinema? Don’t worry -- it’s 2013, and you don’t even have to leave the house, thanks to media streaming services like Netflix. So grab a blanket, a snack, and a loved one: Here are five festive films on Netflix Canada that will warm your heart this holiday season.

“A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas” (2011)

After accidentally burning down a prized Christmas tree, old friends Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) go on a suitably wild and weird quest to find a replacement. Along the way, the hapless pair get a baby high on drugs, shoot Santa Claus in the face, become “claymated,” and, of course, party with their old pal Neil Patrick Harris. The film (which was originally titled “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas”) was shot in 3D and features countless gags which poke fun at the often gimmicky format.

“Kung Fu Panda Holiday” (2010)

One of the few kid-friendly options on the list, this seasonal spin-off of “Kung Fu Panda” (2008) sees Po (Jack Black) torn between hosting a Winter Festival banquet for visiting Kung Fu masters and spending the holidays with his father. It ain’t easy being an anthropomorphic panda with a flair for martial arts. Unlike most movie tie-in TV specials, “Kung Fu Panda Holiday” actually features all of the same voice actors from the big screen outings (Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, etc.).

“Bad Santa” (2003)

It’s the slightly drunk mother of all crass Christmas classics! The hilarious and extremely foul-mouthed “Bad Santa” follows Willie T. Stokes (Billy Bob Thornton), a hard-drinking hustler who gets a job as a department store Santa Claus so that he can rob the mall on Christmas Eve. While many people like their Christmas movies sappy and sentimental, “Bad Santa” offers up the complete opposite. It’s a curse-filled and utterly debauched way to ring in the holidays.

“Elf” (2003)

The tale of man in search of his biological father could easily have been the subject of a serious drama, but in the hands of director Jon Favreau (“Iron Man”) it’s one of the funniest Christmas movies of the past decade. “Elf” follows Buddy (Will Ferrell), a human orphan who was raised as one of Santa's cheerful, toy-making elves. However, Buddy’s enormous size soon becomes a liability for Santa Claus, so he’s sent to New York to find his real father (James Caan) and becomes the ultimate fish out of water.

“Trailer Park Boys: Xmas Special” (2004)

No Canadian holiday season would be complete without a visit from Ricky, Julian, Bubbles, and the rest of the wacky Sunnyvale Trailer Park gang. Officially titled "Dear Santa Claus, Go F--- Yourself,” this Christmas-themed 2004 prequel to the popular Canadian comedy series sees what the boys were up to back in 1997. You know, before their problems with the law were quite so serious and before their arch-nemesis, trailer park supervisor Jim Lahey, was a raging alcoholic.

There are plenty of other holiday-themed movies to stream on Netflix Canada, but these are the most solid bets if you're in the mood for a festive flick. Sadly, the popular streaming service inexplicably removed "Love Actually" (arguably one the greatest Christmas movies of the 21st century) from its library recently, so the list (and our hearts) will have to go without for now.