10 Great Netflix Holiday Movies to Watch

By: Maria Garcia Manzano, AEIC of the Quill

With final exams and winter break right around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to start suggesting activities to do during the winter break. Personally, I like to unwind from a stressful semester during winter break and as a result I spend quite a bit of time binge-watching Netflix. With the holidays approaching I thought it would be a good time to start making holiday movies to watch lists and share them with you. While holiday classics like “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “A Christmas Carol” are must-see movies during this time of year, you don’t need to stop the Christmas/holiday fun there. Netflix has everything you need to create a Christmas movie marathon. All you need to do is grab some snacks and hot drinks and you are set to go! I have compiled a list of the ten best holiday Netflix movies below with short summaries to help all of you plan a holiday movie marathon. Please feel free to suggest other holiday movies by emailing eic.thequill.com!

There are no spoilers!

1. Single All The Way

This new holiday movie rom-com stars a slew of comedy favorites (Michael Urie, Jennifer Coolidge, Jennifer Robertson, Kathy Najimy, and Barry Bostwick) as Urie’s character convinces his best friend to pretend they’re in a relationship together for the holidays to avoid his family’s pressure to find a mate.

2. A Castle For Christmas

Brooke Shields and Carey Elwes have a charming meet-cute over the purchase of a gorgeous Scottish castle in this new-this-year Netflix Christmas movie.

3. Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey

Packed with big names and featuring songs by John Legend, this beautiful, playful Christmas movie follows a young girl on a mission to help her toy-making grandfather recover his greatest creation. The songs (and dance numbers) will play over and over in your head, and adults and kids alike will love the heartfelt story. For a joyful Christmas movie that feels fresh and creative, look no further.

4. Klaus

This delightful, animated Christmas movie follows a spoiled postmaster to his new station in a distant, unpleasant outpost, where he meets a certain woodsman with a fluffy white beard and a penchant for making toys. As a new retelling of the story of Santa Claus, this film is creative and interesting, with enough touching moments and heartwarming scenes to make any grinch smile. This Christmas movie was nominated for an Academy Award.

5. The Knight Before Christmas

This addition to Netflix’s growing collection of romantic Christmas movies tells the story of a medieval knight magically transported to modern-day Ohio, where a disillusioned teacher is preparing for a loveless holiday season. Predictably, PG-rated romantic antics ensue, but that doesn’t make this cheesy flick any less worthy of a watch.

6. Holiday Rush

A successful radio DJ (and recent widower) is ready to celebrate the holidays with his four spoiled children —until he loses his job and must cut back during the season of giving. This family-focused movie has a heartfelt, encouraging message about what really matters during the holiday season.

7. The Holiday Calendar

Yet another of Netflix’s sappy romantic Christmas movies, this one follows an aspiring photographer stuck in her small town in a dead-end job. An antique Advent calendar passed down from her grandmother arrives just in time to point her toward love—and a more fulfilling career.

8. A Christmas Prince

As Netflix’s first foray into the Christmas rom-com world, this sweet, goofy movie set a trend that the streaming service is continuing to follow, with a sequel produced the following year and a third movie released in 2019. The movie itself is reminiscent of Hallmark or Lifetime Christmas romantic comedies—a budding journalist sneaks into the castle to get the scoop for an article on a dashing, playboy prince. Romance ensues, of course.

9. The Princess Switch

Vanessa Hudgens stars as a pair of doppelgangers, Parent Trap–style, in this sweet holiday movie that combines mistaken identity, baking, royal romance, and more. If you’ve already watched every Hallmark Christmas movie available, this is the next best thing.

10. Love Hard

Nina Dobrev stars as an LA writer. After meeting her perfect match on a dating app, an L.A. writer learns she’s been catfished when she flies 3,000 miles to surprise him for Christmas.