The holidays are a time to enjoy yourself with friends and family; more often than not, that means watching something together. But finding the perfect anime to watch can be a bit challenging. Not all anime carry the right mood, and with most people’s schedules already being hectic, you might not want to binge for twelve hours straight.
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Never fear, however: we’ve got you covered. Most of the anime on this list is Christmas-related, but there are also some with seasonally appropriate vibes. So grab your KFC bucket and strawberry cake because there’s plenty of anime to go around.
1 Yuri On Ice
Make The Yuletide Gay
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Episodes:
12 -
Available On:
Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime Video
For the uninitiated, Yuri on Ice tells the story of figure skater Yuri Katsuki, who’s returned to the rink after a hiatus. When his idol Victor Nikiforov discovers footage of Yuri’s skating on the internet, it kickstarts not only a second wind to Yuri’s career, but the sparks of new romance.
In reality, Yuri on Ice is an excellent choice for any time of the year. But its fixation on winter sports and romantic, feel-good vibes make it uniquely suited to the holiday season. If you’re spending the holidays with a loved one who doesn’t watch much anime, Yuri on Ice is also a great gateway series.
2 Winter Sonata
A Wintry Romance You’ll Cry About All Christmas Long
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Episodes:
26 -
Available On:
Amazon Prime Video
Winter Sonata follows the story of Joon-sang and Yoo-jin, who meet in high school and fall in love. Their romance, sadly, is cut short after a deadly car accident befalls Joon-sang. Years later, Yoo-jin is engaged to a childhood friend, and things get complicated.
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This is a series with almost twenty years of adaptations to its name. While Winter Sonata initially made its debut as a live-action drama, the anime is uniquely beautiful. It’s the perfect winter romance if you’re willing to shed a few tears this holiday season. Once you’ve finished the anime, you should definitely give the live-action series and the manhwa a try.
3 Chocotto Sister
An Underrated Joy
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Episodes:
24 -
Available On:
Physical copies only, it seems.
This is a fairly obscure anime, but we’re glad we discovered it. While the anime debuted in 2006 and was subsequently released on a set of eight DVDs, Chocotto Sister has never reached modern streaming services. Still, it’s worth it to hunt down copies of the physical release if you want to surprise the anime fan in your life.
Chocotto Sister tells the story of Haruma Kawagoe, whose mother suffered an unexpected miscarriage during Haruma’s childhood. Crushed by the loss of a sister he never got to meet, Haruma made a wish to Santa for a baby sister. Santa finally grants Haruma’s wish years later, and hijinks ensue.
4 Itsudatte My Santa
From The Creator Of Love Hina And Mahou Sensei Negima
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Episodes:
2 -
Available On:
You’ll probably have to hunt down physical copies of the OVA for this one.
Itsudatte My Santa is the brainchild of Ken Akamatsu. It first made its debut as a manga, but an animated OVA was released in 2005 before being licensed by Funimation two years later. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to find this series on any streaming service, including Crunchyroll or Funimation’s own in-house streaming service.
If you can find physical copies of the OVA, however, you’re in for a treat. The anime follows Santa, a boy who was born on Christmas Eve. After his parents named him Santa and proceeded to neglect him for his entire childhood, Santa came to despise the holiday. But things take a turn when the Santa Academy sends Santa a companion to teach him the meaning of Christmas. Itsudatte My Santa is genuinely funny, playing with the tropes of both Christmas movies and harem anime.
5 Kanon
Right In The Feels
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Episodes:
24 -
Available On:
Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime Video
Key’s visual novels are indisputable classics. If you’ve already seen Clannad, Kanon will also have you crying, and fans are always debating which work had them shedding more tears. The 2006 anime is widely considered to be one of the best visual novel adaptations out there. It’s also more widely available than the 2002 OVA.
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Kanon’s plot is full of twists and turns, so it’s impossible to give a proper summary here. The anime follows the story of Yuichi Aizawa, a boy who moves to a new school only to discover he’s been there before. What’s more, he’s not the only one with amnesia. You can also give the visual novel a spin after watching the anime, but you might want to bring some tissues.
6 The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya
Everyone’s Favorites Return (Or Do They?)
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Run Time:
2 hours, 44 minutes -
Available On:
Amazon Prime Video
This film takes place after the events of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, which aired as a serialized anime series. By contrast, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya was released as a feature-length film in 2010. If it’s been a while since you checked in on the SOS Brigade and their adventures, then catching up is a great use of your holiday break.
After the events of the anime series, the SOS party make plans to have a hotpot party for Christmas. A week earlier, however, Haruhi and Koizumi are missing, and no one other than Kyon has any memories that Haruhi even existed. That’s not the only change, however, and things only get weirder from there.
7 Tokyo Godfathers
Satoshi Kon’s Christmas Classic
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Run Time:
1 hour, 32 minutes -
Available On:
YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video
You probably knew this was coming. Tokyo Godfathers is a 2003 film by legendary creator Satoshi Kon, creator of Perfect Blue, Paprika, and Paranoia Agent. It’s achieved status as a classic among animated Christmas movies, and it’s not hard to see why. With gorgeous animation and a touching story, there’s something for everyone.
The movie tells the story of three homeless people on the streets of Tokyo. When our heroes find an abandoned baby on Christmas Eve, it kicks off an unlikely series of events that take them all across the city. With more plot twists than you can count, you’ll definitely stay on the edge of your seat. The reworked English dub, released in 2020, is also excellent if you’re not keen on subtitles.
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