Some spoilers for A Dog’s Perfect Christmas can be found in this pieceChristmas movies have officially hit the 2026 TV Schedule and taken over my life. Between Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas, Netflix, and even Hulu, the new Christmas movie options are endless. It can be hard to decide what to watch, and when I saw the trailer for Netflix’s A Dog’s Perfect Christmas, I knew it had to be moved to the top of my list, even if I was sure it was going to make me cry. The book-to-screen adaptation centered on the Goss family during a difficult holiday season when Juliana (Kathleen Rose Perkins) fell ill, leaving her workaholic husband (Milo Ventimiglia) and depressed father-in-law (Dennis Quaid) in charge of their teenage daughter (Brooke Lena Johnson), rambunctious twins, and beloved basset hound. The film was largely narrated by Winstead the beloved basset hound, and also included an adorable corgi puppy that Ello, the teenage daughter, rescued from the streets. A Dog’s Perfect Christmas had something for everyone: adorable dogs, family drama, and even romance. I knew it was going to be an emotional watch from the start, but I couldn’t have imagined what led me to reach for the tissues over and over again. Why I Thought I Would Cry I don’t think I’m the only one who immediately worries for a dog’s safety when they’re in a movie. Hollywood has a long history of killing beloved family dogs, so much so that there are entire websites dedicated to finding out if a movie contains a pet death. I’m someone who doesn’t like spoilers, though, so I’ve always refrained from checking it out, which is why I spent a large chunk of A Dog’s Perfect Christmas terrified for Winstead. The odds were stacked against Winstead from the start. He was old, his human was already depressed about losing his wife, and the teenage daughter had brought a new puppy into the home. Plus, Winstead made it clear that his goal was to make his human (Quaid) find happiness again. The closer he got to that goal, the more I started to worry for his fate.Thankfully, Winstead was spared from a tragic Hollywood ending, and so was Ruby, the adorable corgi puppy who officially becomes a member of the family by the end.What Actually Made Me Cry Netflix spared me from sobbing over a dead dog, but I still shed several tears while watching A Dog’s Perfect Christmas. Watching the family have to deal with Juliana’s illness was heartbreaking, especially knowing that they had already gone through a huge loss a couple of years prior. I couldn’t help but get teary-eyed when Hunter and Sander had to sit Ello down and explain how sick her mom really was. While there were plenty of sad tears shed over the course of the film, there were also several times I found myself crying because I was laughing so hard. That was all thanks to Winstead. Even though the dog didn’t die, I still ended up shedding a few years about him anyway. As the trailer suggested, Winstead was the pseudo-narrator of the film, introducing audiences to the Goss family and keeping us up to date. Of course, he did all this from his dog perspective, which led to some hilarious and touching moments. For example, he referred to Juliana as Juliana-Mom since that’s what he heard everyone calling her, and Christmas became “Merry Christmastime.” The moments that made me cry from laughter, though, were anytime Winstead intervened to try and bring the family together, but ended up making a mess instead. He yanked a tablecloth off to get Sander and Ello to help each other clean up, and he regularly got the twins hyper in the hopes of making Sander smile.Any dog owner will recognize the look of a dog who thinks they’re helping but is actually making things worse, and that’s exactly what Winstead did time and time again. I also couldn’t help but get teary-eyed from laughter every time Winstead judged Ruby for making a puppy mistake. Before you return to the classics and watch one of the best Christmas movies of all time, check out A Dog’s Perfect Christmas, streaming now for everyone with a Netflix subscription. And don’t forget to check out all the upcoming Christmas movies still coming this holiday season.