Ranking Each Streaming Service’s Yule Log (22 Logs from Best to Worst)
Ranking Each Streaming Service’s Yule Log (22 Logs from Best to Worst)
As the holidays draw near, there’s little more comforting than a roaring fire. Thankfully, most streaming services offer some kind of fireplace video to help strike a cozy mood. While there are wacky fireplace options to be had, we prefer the classics. Read on to see which fireplace is most worth your time, depending on your particular needs. Grab a blanket and a cup of hot cocoa, turn out the lights, and let these excellent options lull you to sleep.
Disney+
Arendelle Castle Yule Log
Animated fire doesn’t have quite the kick of the real thing, even if it does sound appropriate. The fire takes up a disappointing amount of the frame, which is dwarfed by the size of the hearth. It’s nearly as preposterous as the one from “Citizen Kane.” It’s a good thing the people of Arendelle are used to the cold because this fire won’t do much to warm them up. Periodically, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven appear, which ruins the intended relaxing vibe of a fireplace. Grade: D
Arendelle Castle Yule Log - Cut Paper Edition
This one is beautiful, if a little eery. Paper cutout silhouettes of Anna, Elsa, Sven, Kristoff, and Olaf warm themselves by a purple-hued flame. Snow gently falls in the background. Some unfortunate high-pitched windchimes interrupt the sound of the fire. We give it points for the aesthetic attempt, but the barely moving purple flame leaves us colder than Elsa’s handshake. Grade: C
Max
Adult Swim Yule Log
The mind behind “Too Many Cooks” brings us this yule log that starts like any other, then spirals into a full-blown gory horror movie. Things start to go weird at the 2-minute mark. We won’t spoil too much, but it’s a twisted masterpiece that whips from genre to genre. (It’s the only yule log we know of that uses a bloody bra as kindling.) You’ll probably find this the best or worst yule log ever created, depending on your sense of humor. Note: This one is also available as a channel on Sling TV. Grade: Incomplete
Calcifer Yule Log
Calcifer is a Fire Demon from “Howl's Moving Castle.” This yule log is filmed at a downward angle, so its eyes look up at you in an almost pleading way. It’s a bit unnerving, but it is lovely. The art of the fireplace itself is top-notch, as you would expect from the great Hayao Miyazaki. The sound of the fire is deep and authentic. Unfortunately, the sound changes as the camera angle switches, so this may be a difficult one to fall asleep to. Grade: C+
Rick and Morty: Yule Log
The fan-favorite animated characters sit comfortably in recliners while flipping channels on a TV above a fireplace. The impressive mise-en-scène features floor-to-ceiling windows flanking the fireplace as snow falls outside. Two well-trimmed trees frame the edges of the screen. A menorah sits on a mantle adorned with a garland. The fire sounds appropriately crackly with a decent “roar.” You will hear some ambient noise from the TV, which does reduce some of the relaxation factor. Periodically, a character clears his throat or belches, which is definitely a choice. At 34 minutes, this is a short log, as logs go. Grade: B
Super Cute Yule Log
According to the description, “fluffy puppies, cuddly kittens and more frolic to seasonal tunes.” Yule logs should not be cute. They should be comforting and relaxing. Frolicking is the last thing we want out of our yule logs. Grade: D+
Hulu
How to Train Your Dragon: Snoggletog Log
An animated hearth is lit by a flaming arrow while jovial music plays. Various “How to Train Your Dragon” characters come and go. The characters don’t overstay their welcome, and the Scottish-tinged music provides a rollicking vibe for a more upbeat party vibe. You can’t hear the fire that well. It’s not traditional, but as atypical yule logs go, this one is consistent with its theme. Grade: B+
Happiest Season: Holiday Yule Log Scenic
At just 14 minutes, this fire is short-lived. That’s actually fine, since you’re subjected to the utterly forgettable “Think of Christmas” by Anne-Marie or the faux-throwback “Blame It on Christmas” by Bebe Rexha & Shea Diamond. Hulu also loses points for having the words “A Hulu Original Film: Happiest Season” taking up the corner of the screen. Periodically, the pictures on the wall transform as the actors from the film wish you a Merry Christmas. The worst offense, however, is the fact that the fire changes color. You don’t want purple or green fire on Christmas. You can’t even hear the fireplace because of the blasting music. This yule log appears like it was cobbled together from discarded ideas from other terrible yule log productions. Grade: F
Netflix
Fireplace For Your Home (3 episodes)
Directed by the legendary George Ford (king of the fireplace genre), these classics put you right up close with a real fire. The fire takes up the entire screen and you watch real wood turn to cinder before your eyes.
1. Crackling Yule Log Fireplace
Ford’s one-hour masterpiece puts you up close, making the fire the true star of the show. Some have criticized the outdated choice to accompany the fireplace with chintzy keyboard instrumentals of Christmas favorites, but fans have rallied to Ford’s defense, calling the songs “well-meaning, if poorly executed.” Grade: B+
2. Crackling Fireplace
Episode 2 in the series is a searing, real-life portrait of fire in its natural habitat. Once again, the camera is incredibly close. But this time, Ford eschews the musical accompaniment for a brutal, raw fireplace experience. Keep your eyes on Log #1, which shocked audiences around the world with its sustained popping and crackling. This cinéma vérité fireplace experience sets the bar for all other fireplace films. The only way to top this is to get an actual log and light it on fire yourself. Grade: A+
3. Crackling Fireplace with Music
Episode 3 is universally reviled as a quick cash-in from the breakout success of “Crackling Fireplace.” A cloying Kenny G-like soprano saxophone pours musical syrup over an otherwise flawless meal. Hollywood insiders report “Crackling Fireplace with Music” was initially slapped with an NC-17 until the studio forced Ford to cut 47 minutes of explicit content. This shameless remake and its try-hard soundtrack are considered non-canon by most Ford-heads, and its bitter disappointment haunted Ford for the rest of his life. Grade: F
Fireplace For Your Home: Birchwood Edition
This film takes the unusual step of starting with just a flicker of flame, a daring and controversial move that has been rarely duplicated since. Although this film reports to have been directed by George Ford, and shares many characteristics of the Ford style, the low-flame opening has been called “too avant-garde” to represent a true Ford effort, and the flames roar much hotter than Ford would ever allow. This is more likely the work of George Ford’s longtime apprentice, a man known to fireplace aficionados only as “Ford’s longtime apprentice.” Still, we applaud the hour-long runtime, the lack of grotesque musical accompaniment, and the unusual wood choice. It’s also available in 4K. Grade: A-
Fireplace For Your Home: Classic Edition (now in 4K)
This fire, shot on the set of Ford’s earlier triumphs (a fireplace), features several stout logs, all of roughly the same dimension. Because of this unusual configuration of equals, without noticeable kindling, this fire has been called the “12 Angry Men” of fireplace films. Directed in 2015 by a man claiming to be George Ford, viewers are treated to an unpredictable, robust inferno. Again, lacking musical accompaniment, this fire is a joy to behold. Critics have noted that the bottom left log takes far too long to engulf, and its flame performance was frequently called “top-heavy” in reviews. It certainly feels like Ford, though we can never be sure. Grade: A
The Witcher: Fireplace
Netflix never lets a good opportunity go to waste, and fireplace season is a great time to promote one of your marquee series. Peer into a creepy cauldron as flames dance and ominous music plays. If you own any pelts or “Lord of the Rings”-era costume pieces, you would be advised to don them before sitting down to brood over this well-crafted blaze. Thanks to the cinematic score, it’s the perfect thing to watch with a friend from your LARP guild as you grimly plot how many Hot Pockets you will have for dinner. As a fireplace, it’s only average. As a backdrop for rolling 20-sided dice, it’s perfect. Grade: B
Peacock
Chucky Yule Log
What’s Christmas without the threat of catastrophic bodily harm? If you like to unwind by feeling terrified, the Chucky Yule Log may be up your alley. The famous homicidal doll sits motionless in a chair with a mug of hot cocoa while a tiny fire crackles nearby. You’ll spend the whole time waiting for Chucky to move, which is either wonderful or awful, depending on your point of view. Grade: C
A Happy & Friends Yule Log
Festive music tinkles away while you watch a dog and cat sitting in front of a fire. It’s not a real fire - there’s clearly some green screen magic at work. The scene is entirely too autumnal with pumpkins and wreathes of orange leaves. There’s also a significant fire hazard here. Who puts dried leaves and hay bales next to a fireplace? This cat and dog will be running for their lives soon. Strangely, the cat and dog disappear at one point. With neither Happy nor his friends present, this yule log becomes even more mediocre. However, just as you’re about to give up, kittens appear! In a Christmas miracle, this thing suddenly becomes very watchable. And then the kittens disappear. Pick a lane, yule log. Grade: C
A Very Happy & Friends Yule Log
Correcting the mistakes of “A Happy & Friends Yule Log,” this one actually features a proper Christmas scene. The dog now has a bow around its neck. As with the original, this thing only really picks up once the kittens arrive. There’s even a pig that shows up to chill by the fire. Another scene features bunnies, which veers dangerously close to making this an Easter log. If you dig animals, this is your best bet. Unfortunately, you can’t really hear the fire at all. Note: This one is also available as a channel on Sling TV. Grade: C+
Paramount+
Paramount Mountain Holiday Campfire
We love this fire’s soundtrack with outdoor mountain sounds and bird calls. You’re liable to fall asleep peacefully even if you listen with your eyes closed. The Paramount mountain sits just off-center on the other side of a mostly-unseen lake. We deduct points because the sun never sets over the course of its hour-long runtime, nor do the sticks in the fire break down. Grade: C+
Prime Video
Relaxing Beach Campfire 8 Hours
In its favor: Relaxing Beach Campfire features actual fire and the soothing sounds of ocean waves. Its 8-hour runtime means you’ll be lulled for a full night’s sleep. However, director Mark Knight doesn’t seem to know how fire works because the image is dimmed so low, you can barely see the thing. Come on, Mark! Fire is a light source! This is an unacceptable artistic choice that completely nullifies the delightful sounds. Grade: F
Yippee Yule Log
If you think most of these yule logs are too secular, you’ll enjoy the Yippee Yule Log, which is significantly more religious than most. It’s your standard living room fireplace, but the decorations include a nativity scene, a framed photo of the VeggieTales characters, two plush VeggieTales creatures, a giant Lego bible sitting on a recliner, and a large wooden sign that says “Backyard Bible” (presumably some words have been cut off). Unfortunately, the fire is very tiny, there’s too much treble in the crackles, and the audio loop doesn’t last very long. Grade: D
Christmas Fireplace - Yule Log with Classic Holiday Films!
This is a strange one. You can’t hear the fire at all. The audio is overtaken by the “classic holiday films” that play on the tiny TV. The first film you watch is “Santa Claus Story,” where Santa regales children with black-and-white nature films of monkeys and offers such wisdom as, “There are good monkeys and bad monkeys,” and “If sick monkeys do what they’re told, they get well quickly.” Then Santa tells us that monkeys love to dress up on Halloween, and we’re treated to a video of a man assaulting a chimp by trying to strap a mask to its face. Santa, why?!?
This awful video almost distracts you from the yule log you’re supposed to be watching. Also, the TV and the old radio would melt if they were that close to the fire. Since this plays as part of Amazon’s Freevee service, you also have to sit through commercials. Hard pass on all of this. Grade: F-
Christmas Cartoon Fireplace - A Yule Log of Fun!
Another Freevee title means more ads. This is the exact same setup as the fireplace above - you can’t hear the fire, and the cartoons are shoved in that tiny TV. It’s a weird way to watch a cartoon, but at least there’s no monkey torture in this version. Grade: D
Sling Freestream (Free)
Sling Freestream is your best bet for free yule logs. Each is 30-60 minutes long. Just be aware you may need to search for the titles below since “yule log” only brings up films with that specific phrase. This is also a good introduction to the interface if you want to try their great live TV streaming service.
- Classic Yule Log (available with music)
- Cozy Christmas Fireplace (available with music)
- Modern Yule Log (available with music)
- Modern Yule Log - Director’s Cut (includes Santa and puppies)
- Cats and Dogs Yule Log
- DOGTV Holiday Yule Log (6 hours!)
- MST3K: Yule Log
- A Dog’s Christmas
- A Cat’s Christmas
- Christmas Cookie Tradition
- Peaceful Wintertime
- Christmas Sling scape 2020
- Santa’s Workshop
- Wonderful Winter Village
- Merriest Christmas Search
- Merriest Month Sling Sneak Peek
- Country Christmas Sling
- Christmas Village
- Cowboy Christmas
- Cozy Christmas Village
- Merry and Bright Christmas Village
- Nostalgic Toy Store
- A Toy Train Christmas
- Snow Globe Christmas
- A Natural Christmas
- A Jazzy Christmas
- Christmas Skiing
- Winter Holiday
- Cats and Dogs Yule Log
Final Rankings
- Crackling Fireplace (Netflix)
- Fireplace For Your Home: Classic Edition (Netflix)
- Fireplace For Your Home: Birchwood Edition (Netflix)
- Crackling Yule Log Fireplace (Netflix)
- How to Train Your Dragon: Snoggletog Log (Hulu)
- The Witcher: Fireplace (Netflix)
- Rick and Morty: Yule Log (HBO Max)
- Calcifer Yule Log (HBO Max)
- Paramount Mountain Holiday Campfire (Paramount+)
- A Very Happy & Friends Yule Log (Peacock)
- Chucky Yule Log (Peacock)
- Arendelle Castle Yule Log - Cut Paper Edition (Disney+)
- A Happy & Friends Yule Log (Peacock)
- Arendelle Castle Yule Log (Disney+)
- Puss in Boots’ Yule Log (Peacock)
- Christmas Cartoon Fireplace - A Yule Log of Fun! (Prime Video)
- Yippee Yule Log (Prime Video)
- Crackling Fireplace with Music (Netflix)
- Super Cute Yule Log (Max)
- Relaxing Beach Campfire 8 Hours (Prime Video)
- Happiest Season: Holiday Yule Log Scenic (Hulu)
- Christmas Fireplace - Yule Log with Classic Holiday Films! (Prime Video)
For weirdos only: Adult Swim Yule Log (HBO Max)