Best Ways to Watch 25 Days of Christmas

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Bring on the tinsel, eggnog, and mistletoe because the Christmas season is here. If you’re looking for a way to maximize your Christmas spirit, then Freeform’s 25 Days of Christmas is a must.

While there are a lot of ways to access Freeform, we’ve gathered the best. So grab a steaming mug of hot cocoa and keep scrolling to find the best way to watch 25 Days of Christmas this holiday season.

Bottom line

If you’re making a list but don’t want to be checking it twice, here’s the skinny: Hulu + Live TV is our first choice when it comes to overall streaming experience. It’s user friendly, affordable, reliable, and it gives you easy front-page access to the 25 Days of Christmas marathon.

Next up, we recommend Sling TV. It doesn’t have all the (jingle) bells and whistles that Hulu has, but it starts at only $25 a month and has great sports options in addition to Freeform, so it’s worth looking into through the holidays and beyond.

If you want Freeform included along with the most channels possible, DISH is the choice for you. You’ll have over 190 channels, so there’s always something on—even if what you’re looking for is a break from all the Christmas cheer.

There’s the quick list. Keep reading for more details on each of the services and even more ways to watch 25 Days of Christmas.

#1 Hulu + Live TV

Hulu + Live TV is a serious contender in the streaming world. With 65+ channels for roughly $45 a month, it’s not the cheapest service on the market but is still affordable. And the price includes two simultaneous streams and access to a 50-hour cloud DVR. You could even decide to let Christmas come early this year and upgrade to 200 hours of DVR storage and unlimited simultaneous streams for $14.99 more a month.

If the 65 channels weren’t enough, Hulu + Live TV gives you access to the awesome Hulu on-demand library. So in addition to watching Freeform’s 25 days worth of Christmas favorites, you’ll also get access to Hulu originals like The Handmaid’s Tale and popular TV shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Hulu Live is missing a few popular channels when it comes to the other eleven months of the year. Notably, it’s missing the NFL Network, MLB Network, NBA TV, and NHL Network.

Hulu Live does take some getting used to with its unique menu screens and algorithm-based suggestions, but most users take to it pretty easily. There’s a two-week channel guide so you can check out what’s upcoming and a “My Channel” page to help you navigate to channels showing the content you really love.

Try Hulu + Live TV for seven days, and if you don’t like it, you can simply return it with no fuss (unlike going to the store the day after Christmas). Sign up for its free 7-day trial.

#2 Sling TV

With its package prices starting at $25 a month, Sling TV is one of the cheapest streaming options out there. Right now, it’s even offering 40% off your first month. That’s money you can put toward stocking stuffers.

Sling TV can be a little confusing to sign up for, so listen closely. If you want to get Freeform’s 25 Days of Christmas in all its glory, you need to sign up for the Sling Orange package. This $25-a-month package also includes favorites like Disney, ESPN, and HGTV.

Between College Football’s Bowl Season and the NBA’s Christmas Day headliners, we know that no holiday season is complete without sports. And Sling TV is our current top pick for streaming live sports.

With the Orange package, you’ll get access to ESPN, while the Blue plan has FOX and FS1. Or if you want it all, you can choose the Orange & Blue bundle package for $40 a month and the Orange Sports Extra add-on for $10 a month extra. That combination will have you watching MLB Network, NBA TV, Pac-12 Network, and more.

On the flipside, local coverage gets a little tricky with Sling TV. But thankfully, it doesn’t leave you out in the cold. Right now, you can get a free antenna with your subscription that will let you tune in to local affiliates like ABC, CBS, and NBC. Talk about the season of giving, huh?

We should note that Sling TV’s awesome prices do come at a bit of a cost. Sling Orange allows for only one simultaneous stream and the 50-hour DVR costs $5 a month extra, no matter what package you get. You can get three total streams with Sling Blue, but compared to Hulu Live’s offering of unlimited, it’s a little weak.

In all, Sling TV is a bit like a sugar cookie before it’s frosted: Some people love them that way. Others, though, are left craving just a little more sweetness. But you won’t know which type you are until you try.

Speaking of trying, Sling TV offers a no-commitment, 7-day free trial so you can find out for yourself.

#3 DISH

DISH easily snagged a place in our top three for its sheer number of channels. Basically, if you want Freeform plus tons of channels, DISH has you more than covered. We suggest signing up for DISH’s America’s Top 190 package that comes in at $59.99 a month and gets you over 190 additional channels.

All that’s great, but DISH’s real gift is its out-of-this-world DVR. The Hopper 3 is touted as the best DVR on the market, and it’s almost too good to be true.

You can record and stream 16 different shows at the same time and keep 2,000 SD or 500 HD hours with the Hopper 3. That means it’s the only DVR on the market that allows you to record all of Freeform’s 25 Days of Christmas. You heard that right—you’ll have a DVR to keep up with the 24-hours-a-day worth of Christmas movies and save them for all year long. The Hopper 3 costs $15 a month extra, but we think it’s worth it for the hoarders.

So, what’s the downside to DISH? It’s expensive and requires a two-year contract. Plus, DISH offers fewer sports offerings and premium channels than other satellite or cable companies.

In short, DISH is a great option to get you the most channel coverage and DVR extra features, but you should be sure it’s what you really want because you have to make a long-term commitment.

#4 Xfinity

Xfinity’s Digital Starter package begins at $49.99 a month for 140 channels with a one-year contract. It gets you Freeform and so much more. Plus, you get the reliability of cable. While streaming services have come a long way, cable still beats them and satellite TV services when it comes to reliability.

Xfinity looks cheaper than DISH at first glance, but you need to make your list and check the fine print twice. In additional to the monthly fee, you might pay a broadcasting fee, a regional sports fee, an HD fee, and more. These fees vary and can sometimes add up to nearly $30 a month—making the service more expensive than DISH.

One of Xfinity’s biggest draws is its no-contract package options, which are basically unheard of with traditional cable services. You’ll save money if you choose a contract (approximately $10 a month), but we like that you can avoid the commitment if you want.

Adding to the flexibility, Xfinity also has a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can try it out for 30 days and if you don’t love it, get fully refunded.

Ultimately, we like the direction Xfinity is going with no-commitment packages, but we have to rank it lower than DISH for its decent amount of hidden fees.

Final take

Hulu + Live TV is the winner if you’re looking for the best streaming service that lets you watch the 25 Days of Christmas to your jolly heart’s content.

Sling TV gives you Freeform plus sports and a cheap price wrapped up in a simple cord-cutting package. On the other hand, DISH and Xfinity offer reliability and outstanding channel coverage, but they also cost more and involve a long-term commitment in most cases.

In the end, each service has its pluses and minuses, but when it comes down to it, each one will get you the 25 Days of Christmas you need. So on DISH! On Hulu! On Sling Orange & Blue! Merry Christmas to all, and hours of streaming, too!

How to watch 25 Days of Christmas FAQ

What should you do leading up to Christmas?

Leading up to Christmas, you should enjoy gingerbread, hot cocoa, and spending time with family. What better way to do that than snuggling up to an awesome Christmas movie on Freeform? Everyday in December, Freeform shows Christmas movies all day and all night long (called the 25 Days of Christmas marathon). Just cuddle up and start watching.

What does the 25 Days of Christmas mean?

The 25 Days of Christmas refers to Freeform’s amazing Christmas movie schedule. For the 25 days leading up to Christmas, Freeform shows Christmas movies all day, every day. That’s right, you get 600 hours of Christmas movies to get you into the holiday spirit.