‘Tis the season to drown our sorrows in corny Christmas romantic comedies. Then again, if you’re like me, it’s always the season.
Netflix really started making a name for itself in the Christmas space with movies like “A Christmas Prince,” but there are plenty of lesser-known Christmas rom-coms on the streaming platform that you need to add to your holiday watch list.
There’s something comforting about Christmas movies that even eclipses the predictable format of generic rom-coms. It’s oddly soothing to be able to guess the entire plot of a movie in 10 seconds. And while we all love the classic Lifetime and Hallmark Christmas movies where the jaded city slicker goes to the flannel-loving town with 17 hot cocoa shops to save the town’s [insert cliché here], Netflix often puts a spin on the genre that keeps the staples but shakes things up snowglobe style.
Between quirky movies like “Lovehard” and classics like “A Christmas Prince,” here are the five best Christmas rom-coms to stream on Netflix.
'Operation Christmas Drop'
It wouldn’t be a Christmas movie list without including a "jaded Scrooge learns the meaning of Christmas through some kind of charity endeavor" plotline. Enter “Operation Christmas Drop.” Kat Graham plays congressional aide Erica who’s tasked with finding a reason to shut down an Air Force base. This base’s tradition of airlifting gifts to Guam is an actual Air Force tradition by the same name, grounding the movie in a reality that we don’t often see in these kinds of films.
As you might expect, Erica has to push aside her cynical outlook to discover the joy of helping people (it’s a cliché for a reason). In the process, she falls for the kindhearted Captain Andrew Jantz (Alexander Ludwig). Who’s surprised?
Watch on Netflix
'A Christmas Prince'
There’s something to be said about streaming services like Netflix giving a typically low-budget genre a bit of a, shall we say, spruce (not to be confused with the last name of dozens of Christmas movie families). In 2017, “A Christmas Prince” helped launch Netflix’s status as a Christmas movie hub. Budding writer Amber (Rose McIver) puts on her investigative journalist hat by going undercover as a tutor for a royal family in the fictional country Aldovia.
Her mission? Get the scoop on alleged playboy Prince Richard (Ben Lamb), who has a tight timeline to decide whether or not he wants to be king. Cue romance and the betrayal that comes along with pretending to be someone you’re not to expose the guy you’re falling for. Awkward. Given that there are three movies in the series, you can probably figure out the rest.
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'Single All the Way'
We are sorely lacking in the LGBTQ+ Christmas movie department. We’ve only really started seeing these kinds of films pop up in the past few years, but there are still barely enough of these films to have a single movie marathon.
Luckily, that seems to be changing, and “Single All the Way” was one of the first mainstream attempts to give Christmas movie fans what they’ve always wanted: a charming gay friends-to-lovers Christmas rom-com that isn’t tinged with doom and gloom.
“Single All the Way” has all of the tropes. Best friends Peter (Michael Urie) and Nick (Philemon Chambers) enter into a fake relationship to stave off the annual holiday judgment from Peter’s family for being perpetually single. Given that everyone was already shipping them, it’s not exactly difficult to pull off. They just have to decide if there’s something to the assumption that they’ve been in love for years.
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'Love Hard'
Catfish isn't usually served for Christmas, but welcome to the wonderful world of online dating. Not that anyone should be condoning lying about your identity, but there is something to be said about setting aside appearances to give a chance to someone you may not normally look twice at. Then again, if “Love is Blind” has taught us anything, it’s that most people are extremely shallow even when they’re actively trying not to be. But that’s the magic of Hollywood — realism isn’t a prerequisite.
Should I feel offended by the fact that a hefty number of hot mess Christmas movie protagonists are journalists? Probably, since I’m also a commitment-phobic hot mess journalist. Maybe they’re onto something here. In the case of Nina Dobrev’s “Love Hard” character Natalie, she’s ready to settle down — so much so that the L.A.-based writer surprises the East Coast guy (Jimmy O. Yang) she’s been talking to online for the holidays. Welcome to a lot of drama and self-exploration when she realizes her love interest isn’t who he said he is.
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'Holidate'
What’s better than a movie focusing on one holiday? Centering a film on every holiday. “Holidate” kicks off with the classic conundrum of being single at Christmas when your family can’t help but pry and comment on your love life. Who hasn’t been there?
Emma Roberts’ character Sloane has a solution to everyone’s worst holiday nightmare: a friends-without-benefits arrangement with Luke Bracey’s Jackson. They strike up a deal to be each other’s “holidate” (holiday date) for everything from New Year's Eve parties, weddings and insufferable Christmas dinners. Obviously, the platonic aspect of their friendship gets majorly tested. Of course, the best part of the movie is Kristen Chenoweth’s chaotically hilarious performance as Sloane’s hot mess Aunt Susan.
Watch on Netflix
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