Netflix vs. Amazon Prime vs. HBO: A Christmas TV Streaming Guide For The Cord-Cutter In Your Life

Stockings hang by the fireplace in the hopes that St. Nicholas will soon be there to fill them up. Except he might not be, because you waited until the last second to get your holiday shopping done and you have no idea what to get anyone who shares your DNA. No matter! You can just give your loved ones a subscription to a TV streaming service. But which one? There’s Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Showtime, HBO Now and dozens of others crying for your cash. Here’s some guidance on what to get whom.

The Punk Little Brother

You discovered this kid still hasn’t seen any of “The Sopranos” after you made an ace Steve Van Zandt/Silvio Dante joke and he looked at you like you’d grown a third head. You also suspect he torrents “Game of Thrones” on a regular basis. You can rectify this situation by giving him a couple months of HBO Now in addition to the 30-day free trial HBO gives anybody with an email address. One stumbling block: As of right now, there isn't really a way to give HBO Now as a gift. You can subscribe to it yourself and give him the password, or just get him an iTunes gift card. Cost: $14.99/mo

The Baby Boomer Dad

A year or two ago, Netflix might not have appealed much to your old man beyond “House of Cards.” But Netflix’s $9.4 billion investment in original content resulted in some great viewing choices for just about everyone, including dad. Did he love “Scarface” a little too much? Well, Netflix’s original Pablo Escobar drama “Narcos” should keep him busy for a few weeks. Or maybe he’ll appreciate the oddly perfect mix of middle-aged sadness and crackling humor in “BoJack Horseman.” Or maybe he just wants to watch “Reservoir Dogs” for the hundredth time. Cost: $9.99/mo

The Mom Who Is Really Behind on ‘Homeland’

“No spoilers!” She got really into the CIA thriller when her cable company included a three-month free trial subscription to Showtime, but then the channel disappeared and, well, that was that. Allow her to get get caught up to speed with a few months’ worth of Showtime’s internet-only offering. There are enough movies and extant series like “Masters of Sex” to keep her happy and you can gently prod her into starting “The Affair.” Cost: $10.99/mo

The Sibling With Kids Under 3

The greatest gift you could possibly give this person is half an hour of peace. Nothing shuts kids up quite like quality “edu-tainment,” so whichever service you choose needs to have lots of kid-friendly programming that is both informative and fun. In fact, there are actually whole services devoted to children’s programming, but the parents need something too. Amazon Prime has shows like “Bubble Guppies” and “Wishenpoof!” and “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “Dora the Explorer,” plus a good amount of old HBO programming. For adults, it also has the Amazon original “Transparent,” and free two-day shipping. And if you want, you can add on Showtime or Starz as part of a new bundled package. Cost: $99/year

The Cousin Who ‘Likes’ Everything You Do on Facebook

You thought you could use Facebook as a guide to find out what this cousin actually likes. But, it turns out, she “likes” everything the algorithm chucks in front of her expressionless, glazed eyes. It's like a shark being chummed. However, you know she hate ads but loves shows like “The Mindy Project” and movies like “The Hunger Games: Part Whatever.” An ad-free subscription to Hulu is your best bet. Cost: $11.99/mo

Grandma

Assuming she does not suffer reindeer-related calamity like the poor old dear in the famous Christmas parody song, grandma is going to expect at least a small token of your love and affection. While there is no doubt she’d enjoy some of the programming on more mainstream services, remember she once loved that one British show that isn’t “Downton Abbey." Either way, if British period dramas are her thing, the British streaming service Acorn TV has you covered. Cost: $49.99/year