Christmas movies have become the lifeblood of the holiday season over the years. Is there any better way to get into the holiday spirit than forcing your family and friends to watch a cheesy or classic Christmas movie that’ll leave you wishing for a white Christmas? Let’s take a look at some of the best Netflix Christmas movies.
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Romantic Comedies
1. Falling for Christmas (2022)
Lindsay Lohan finally returns to acting after almost a decade in this latest Christmas romantic comedy that reminds us just how talented she is.
Netflix‘s Falling for Christmas follows Sierra Belmont (Lindsay Lohan), a spoiled, newly engaged heiress whose father has recently made her “vice president of atmosphere”, and Jake Russell (Chord Overstreet), the owner of a struggling hotel in a small town and a widowed father. After a skiing accident, Sierra loses her memory and gets taken in by Jake.
Over the course of the Film, she bonds with Jake and his family and does her part to help get the struggling hotel back on its feet. Meanwhile, her father and fiance begin a desperate search for her. It’s a sweet Netflix Christmas movie with all the typical characteristics of a romantic comedy.
2. A Christmas Prince (2017)
A Christmas Prince is the first film in a trilogy of Netflix Christmas movies. It follows the story of Amber Moore (Rose Mclver), a young journalist who is sent to Aldovia so she can report on Prince Richard (Ben Lamb), who is about to be declared king after the recent death of his father. In an effort to get the full story, Amber sneaks into the palace and assumes the role of the young princess’s new tutor.
Over the course of the film, Amber bonds with both the prince and the princess and learns a couple of things about the prince that she can’t bring herself to reveal, though, as is the nature of most romances, these secrets do find a way of making themselves known.
The film did so well that the streaming service filmed two sequels: A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding (2018) and A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby (2019).
3. The Holiday Calendar (2018)
This Netflix original Christmas movie follows the story of Abby Sutton (played by Kat Graham), a struggling photographer who receives an antique Advent calendar from her grandfather that she believes is magic because of the things it reveals to her, including a pair of boots which she ends up receiving from her best friend Josh (played by Quincy Brown), who has returned home after travelling around the world as a photographer, and a Christmas tree which leads to her meeting Ty Walker who had a tree fall on his car.
Throughout the film, Abby tries to make her way as a photographer. Still, she keeps failing due to a couple of unfortunate circumstances, including Josh accidentally erasing photo’s from an event off of her camera.
It’s a very sweet film with an ending that may or may not leave you squealing at your screen from happiness.
4. The Princess Switch (2018)
In this romantic comedy, Vanessa Hudgens plays both of the main characters: Stacy De Novo and Lady Margaret Delacourt, the Duchess of Montenaro. This film follows Stacy and Lady Margaret, who decide to switch palaces so Margaret can live a normal life for a bit. At the same time, Stacy can earn Olivia (her assistant’s daughter, played by Alexa Adeosun) a spot in a prestigious ballet programme.
All goes about as well as you might expect. Olivia figures out what’s happening almost immediately (but helps keep the secret), and Margaret falls for Stacy’s assistant and best friend, Kevin (played by Nick Sagar). At the same time, Stacy begins to fall for Margaret’s fiance Prince Edward ( Played by Sam Palladio).
This adorable film was later followed by two equally adorable sequels: The Princess Switch: Switched Again (2020) and The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star (2021). If you’re looking for one of the best Christmas movies on Netflix, look no further.
5. Love Hard (2021)
Love Hard follows the story of Natalie Bauer (played by Nina Dobrev), a writer who records her disastrous dates and documents them in her dating column. Her most recent match with a guy named Josh (played by Jimmy O. Yang) leads her to travel to his home town so she can surprise him for Christmas, but she quickly learns that she has been catfished.
Over the course of the film, Natalie and Josh begin to bond, and she encourages him to be more confident and chase his dreams. However, she also spends a lot of her time pretending to be someone she’s not to win the affection of Josh’s childhood friend Tag Abbott (played by Darren Barnet).
6. Holidate (2020)
Holidate begins with a chance encounter between Sloane Benson (played by Emma Roberts), a young woman who can’t stand the holidays because of the judgement she receives as being the only single person in the family, and Jackson (played by Luke Bracey), a man spending Christmas with a woman he has zero interest in.
The two singles agree to be each other’s dates for different holidays to appease their families, and hilarity ensues. They slowly begin to develop a friendship the longer they spend time with each other, and a couple of different situations lead them both to realise that they might care for each other more than they initially thought.
It’s an entertaining Netflix Christmas movie with a sweet ending.
Musicals
7. Spirited (2022)
This Christmas musical is based on A Christmas Carol. It follows the story of Clint Briggs (played by Ryan Reynolds), a media consultant who has gotten into the habit of stirring up controversy for his own gain.
He is visited by the ghost of Jacob Marley (Patrick Page), the Ghost of Christmas Past (played by Sunita Mani), the Ghost of Christmas Present (played by Will Ferrell) and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (played by Loren G. Woods and voiced by Tracy Morgan), but it doesn’t quite go the way the ghosts were hoping it would. Clint refuses to be redeemed and actively foils attempts made to help him.
There are plenty of funny moments throughout the film, and Ferrell and Reynolds are brilliant together. Even viewers who aren’t the biggest fan of musicals will find something to enjoy about this film.
Okay, so Spirited isn’t actually Netflix movie. It’s actually on Apple TV+. But that could change in the future, right?
8. Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020)
This musical Christmas Fantasy follows the story of Jeronicus Jangle (played by Forest Whitaker), an inventor and toymaker who gets robbed by his apprentice Gustafson (played by Keegan-Michael Key) and begins to fall into the hardship that leads him to grow distant from his daughter. Years later, he is visited by his granddaughter Journey; an aspiring inventor determined to have a relationship with her grandfather.
Over the course of the film, the two slowly being to form a bond, and Jeronicus allows himself to remember his daughter and late wife and the memories he used to share with them. It’s a very sweet film that ends happily, with justice served, and the bond between father and daughter restored.
If you’re looking for a classical Christmas movie on Netflix, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey might be your best option.
9. The Christmas Chronicles (2018)
This Christmas comedy film follows siblings Kate (Darby Camp) and Teddy (Judah Lewis) as they go on an unexpected adventure with Santa Claus (Kurt Russell) on the night of Christmas Eve. The night takes a couple of interesting turns, including Santa getting arrested (which becomes a musical number), Kate taking a trip to the North Pole to retrieve the elves and save Santa, and the two siblings helping Santa finish his deliveries in time for Christmas.
One Christmas morning, we watch Teddy’s faith in Christmas restored in a very sweet moment and see Santa reunite with Mrs Claus (Goldie Hawn).
Considered one of the best Santa Claus movies, everyone is currently begging Netflix to make another Christmas Chronicles movie.
Animated Movies
10. A Christmas Carol (2009)
This classic Christmas film is based on the book of the same name written by Charles Dickens. Despite the film’s critical response, it was nominated for several awards, including Best Animated Feature.
The film follows the story of Ebenezer Scrooge (played by Jim Carrey), a wealthy businessman who refuses to celebrate Christmas. He is then visited by several ghosts, including his old business partner Jacob Marley, the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, all of whom managed to convince Scrooge to change his ways.
11. The Grinch (2018)
This animated film retells the classic tale How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr Seuss and became one of the highest-grossing Christmas films and Dr’s Seuss film adaptations of all time.
The film is narrated by Pharrel Williams, who tells the story of the Grinch (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch), a green-furred, grumpy individual who hates Christmas because his heart is “Two-sizes too small”. While he and his dog Max are scheming different ways they can make everyone feel as miserable as he does on Christmas, the film turns to Cindy Lou Who (voiced by Cameron Seely), a young Who girl who wants to try and make life easier for her overworked mother Donna (voiced by Rashida Jones).
It’s a very sweet story with hilarity and gravity, true to all of Seuss’s works. If you enjoyed the original film and haven’t yet managed to watch this one, I highly recommend it. The characters are all very charming, especially Max, and the design of the film and animation style are fantastic.
If you’re looking for something that the entire family can enjoy, this is the perfect Christmas movie to watch on Netflix.
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What are your favourite Netflix Christmas movies?
The 11 Best Christmas Movies on Netflix Written by Hannah Lieberum for Fortress of Solitude
