Movies and Mistletoe: Get Access To All Your Favorite Christmas Films, Wherever You Are!
Not everyone wants to trek through a cold winters evening to the cinema, however, which is why a lot of you will be tuning into streaming services this Christmas. Nothing beats curling up in front a festive favorite, with a mince pie and a mug of hot chocolate, so let’s have a look at some of the highlights on HBO, Hallmark Movies Now and Netflix this Christmas.
The Best Streaming Services for Christmas Movies
Hallmark Movies Now
Hallmark Movies Now will be showing loads of Christmas-themed movies and family favorites. Hallmark Movies Now has been introduced to replace the previous online channel, Feeln, and promises more entertainment at an equally affordable price. This Christmas, the channel is embracing the festive spirit with a Countdown to Christmas, giving subscribers access to family favorites like the magical Northpole and the star-studded drama, The Christmas Train.
Disney+
This relatively new streaming service is perfect for fans of Disney-owned shows and movies like the Disney Princess collection, Disney Channel shows, Marvel movies, and tons more. If you’re ready for a Disney holiday, you can find Christmas classics like The Santa Clause, Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas, and A Christmas Carol.
Amazon Prime
Like the recipe for the perfect Christmas cake, Amazon Prime has combined modern offerings like Daddy’s Home 2 with timeless classics such Holiday Inn, with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, and It’s a Wonderful Life. Fans of Robin Williams can enjoy one of his final performances in the Christmassy comedy, A Merry Friggin’ Christmas.
Netflix
Netflix has a range of festive films for you, including the iconic New York Ballet production of The Nutcracker and the long-time favorite romantic comedy, Love Actually. If you’re a fanatically festive film fan, you might want to take advantage of Netflix’s introductory offer of a free month’s subscription just so you can get your fix of Christmas movies with their perfect mix of romance and nostalgia wrapped up in a glittering package.
HBO
Never one to get left behind, HBO is mixing it up with a selection of family fun and adult entertainment. Going hand in hand like mince pies and brandy, HBO’s 2018 Christmas highlights include the cult murder mystery, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, starring Robert Downey Jr., the family favorite, Jack Frost, and the 1984 adaptation of Charles Dickens’ popular Christmas story, A Christmas Carol.
Hulu
Conjuring up a month of festive fun, Hulu has got a few classics you don’t want to miss so take some inspiration from the kooky characters in The Night Before, grab your favorite reindeer sweater and enjoy a great binge-watching session. In addition to the 2015 comedy, The Night Before, Hulu are showing some heart-rending romances, like A Christmas in New York, while including fun for all the family with feel-good films like Christmas in Wonderland and classics, including Miracle on 34th Street.
Accessing Christmas Movies from Outside the USA
The only downside with these streaming services, however, is that you can only access their complete libraries in the USA so, if you’re planning a family trip to Canada this Christmas, or you’re taking the kids to Lapland to meet Santa Claus, you’ll have to miss out on their mistletoe movies… or will you?
Most streaming channels put certain restrictions on who can access their content. Sites like HBO and Netflix use geo-blocking to prevent users from outside the USA entering their restricted content. This is largely due to copyright restrictions on their content concerns but can be frustrating for those of you who are living or traveling overseas during the festive period. Thankfully, there are a few ways to get around regional restrictions, and the best is by using a VPN.
A Virtual Private Network establishes an encrypted tunnel through which you can access whatever content you like, without anyone snooping on you. As a VPN creates a fake IP address if you select a US-based server through which to access a site such as Hallmark Movies Now, your request for access will come from inside the US and the site will give access, just as they would if you were visiting the site from your home PC.
Although not all VPNs are capable of navigating the more complex geographical blocks used by Netflix, for example, those that do, couple that ability with fast speeds so that you get a seamless viewing experience.
Top VPNs for Accessing Christmas Movies
#1 ExpressVPN
Always hard to beat, ExpressVPN has moved even further up in our estimation by embracing transparency and making a serious commitment to becoming a trustworthy service in a notoriously suspect industry. Not only does Express VPN have some of the best speeds around, but they also offer one of the largest server networks in the world, and are the front-runners when it comes to privacy. If you want to get the best out of your Netflix or Hulu subscription, ExpressVPN is definitely the best option.
Highlights:
- Consistently high speeds
- Over 2,000 servers
- Cutting-edge privacy policy
#2 NordVPN
The only reason NordVPN struggles to knock ExpressVPN off the number one slot is speed, although NordBVPN has made some considerable improvements in their speeds over the past year or so. With some of the best encryption in the industry and some competitive offers that make the service affordable as well as secure, NordVPN is a formidable competitor with some of the best customer support services around. With over 5000 servers worldwide, NordVPN is the best when it comes to gaining access to HBO and Hallmark Movies Now.
Highlights:
- 6 simultaneous connections
- High-grade encryption
- Over 5,000 servers worldwide
#3 CyberGhost
This solid VPN provider has stood the test of time and consistently proven itself capable of getting through the most complex geographical blocks. Affordable and compatible across the full range of platforms, CyberGhost is user-friendly and easy to install. This lightweight VPN does sometimes run into problems when it comes to accessing Netflix but has recently bolstered its unblocking technology to give users consistent access to Amazon Prime, as well as European sites such as BBC iPlayer.
Highlights:
- 3,000 global servers
- Consistent speeds
- Strict no-logging policy
What to Look for in a VPN
Obviously, you need a VPN that can actually access the content you wish to stream. While this may seem self-explanatory, you’d be surprised how many VPN services advertise their ability to access a site like Netflix, when, in reality, they can’t. Netflix and other similar sites constantly upgrade their site security, meaning that a VPN that was allowing you to watch the popular drama, Private Life, last month might not enable you to enjoy Love Actually this month.
Having said that, some VPNs manage to stay on top of whatever the streaming sites throw at them, which is why you’ll see them included in our Top VPN section at the end of this article.
In addition to simply getting through the hoops and hurdles placed in their way, a VPN for streaming needs to have a few other features in its artillery, including:
High speeds – you can’t enjoy a movie if its constantly being interrupted which happens if you have a less effective VPN whose slow speeds make it prone to buffering.
Server distribution – as access depends on you using a US IP address, it’s essential that you use a VPN with a good distribution of servers in the US. Of course, if you’re somewhere as remote as Lapland, a wider international server network will serve you better than one with limited distribution.
Privacy and Security – you don’t really want everyone knowing that you’ve been sneaking into Netflix under the guise of a fake IP address, so a VPN that keeps your details private is just as important as finding one that prevents your connection from being intercepted or hacked.
Price – although we don’t recommend using a free VPN service, due to security issues, we also don’t think you get the best simply because you pay more. All the VPNs we recommend offer good value for money without compromising your streaming session or privacy.
Conclusion
Not only can one of our recommended VPN providers give you access to the best Christmas movies streaming this season, but it can also bolster your online security and give you peace of mind as you and your family enjoy a spot of seasonal surfing.
You don’t have to miss out on your favorite Christmas movies simply because you’re overseas for the festive season. A reliable VPN can ensure you get access to all the holiday highlights even if you’re riding a reindeer in Lapland so don’t miss out, get yourself a VPN and enjoy some cozy winter evenings cuddled up with your family in front of an enduring Christmas classic.
VPNs aren’t only there to give you access to blocked content, but also to protect you against the increasing threat of cybercrime so don’t think a VPN is just for Christmas – like a puppy, it should really be for life!
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