For better or worse (but mostly better!), there’s no time like the holidays for togetherness — of all kinds. Families get together, as do lovers and friends — and maybe sometimes enemies are forced to get together, too. But honestly, couldn’t we all use a bit of connection in these trying times? Yes, even the introverts.

Great! With that in mind, this weekend is the perfect moment to call up a seasonal stream of people gathering at the holidays. You can watch a comedy taking place in a grand international nexus of togetherness — an airport — on Christmas Eve, a thriller in which old friends are thrown together under unique holiday circumstances, or a whole collection of festive love stories. Even for those of you watching alone, it’s kind of like a little viewing party together, isn’t it?  

But first, what’s new on Netflix?

A showstopping aria. Angelina Jolie stars as the legendary opera singer Maria Callas in Maria, the unconventional new biopic by Pablo Larraín that completes his trilogy of films about iconic women of the 20th century (following 2016’s Jackie and 2021’s Spencer). No brava for that? How about a different kind of reimagined classic: Part 1 of Netflix’s new adaptation of Gabriel García Márquez’s 1967 magical realist novel One Hundred Years of Solitude is now here. Not ready to face that firing squad? Face the Fab Five instead. Season 9 of Queer Eye, now featuring Jeremiah Brent as the quintet’s design expert, sees the group hit Vegas for a fresh batch of life-changing transformations. 

If you have just a night … 

Settle in for some wild weather. The Norwegian limited series A Storm for Christmas, created by Per-Olav Sørensen, takes place on Christmas Eve in Oslo Airport, where travelers have become stranded due to canceled flights amid a snowstorm. The show’s wide cast of characters, unable to make it to their destinations, end up spending the holiday with the strangers they’re sharing a terminal with — and find various Christmas surprises in the process.  

If you have a whole day … 

Run for your life. For those of you whose favorite Christmas movie is Die Hard, here’s a brand-new holiday classic for you: Joe Barton’s spy thriller Black Doves, which launched last week, stars Keira Knightley as a spy and Ben Whishaw as her old friend, an assassin. They’re reunited at Christmas (aww!) because she’s become the target of a mysterious threat, and her life is in danger (oh!). An immediate hit among critics, the show has already been renewed for Season 2.   

If you have the entire weekend … 

Get cuffed. It wouldn’t be the holidays without a few wintry love stories, and you can devote the whole weekend to romantic comedies — and maybe a little drama. Start with some tales of meeting the parents: Tucker Cawley’s sitcom Merry Happy Whatever sees a young woman (Bridgit Mendler) take her boyfriend (Brent Morin) home, much to the chagrin of her conservative father (Dennis Quaid). Next, Stephen Herek’s new rom-com Our Little Secret stars Lindsay Lohan as a young woman who tries to hide her romantic history from her boyfriend’s overbearing mother (Kristin Chenoweth) — despite her ex (Ian Harding) spending the holiday under the same roof. While you’re on a Lohan kick, why not follow it up with Janeen Damian’s Falling for Christmas, in which the actor plays an heiress who loses her memory in a skiing accident and recovers with help from a widowed lodge owner (Chord Overstreet)?   

For some classic friends-to-lovers (via fake relationship) stories, pair John Whitesell’s rom-com Holidate, starring Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey as each other’s go-to holiday plus-ones, with Michael Mayer’s sweet Single All the Way, in which Michael Urie and Philemon Chambers play best friends who pose as boyfriends when going home for Christmas. And just for some balance, throw in an enemies-to-lovers tale, too, with Mary Lambert’s A Castle for Christmas, starring Brooke Shields as a novelist who travels to Scotland and meets a curmudgeonly duke (Cary Elwes). 

And to close things out with some moodier vibes, call up Todd Haynes’ exquisite drama Carol, based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Price of Salt. It stars Cate Blanchett as a wealthy 1950s housewife and Rooney Mara as an aspiring photographer who embark on a dangerous forbidden romance — at Christmastime, of course. 

Don’t forget, you have one last chance … 

… for an epic fight. In Simon McQuoid’s 2021 martial-arts fantasy Mortal Kombat, inspired by the video game series of the same name, a group of brilliant fighters takes part in a high-stakes tournament. This weekend will finish it, so get over here! 

Christmas Movies To Stream This Holiday Season