There is a reason people say Christmas is the most magical time of the year. Storefronts are decorated, people are kinder, and the smell of baked goods lingers in the cool breeze. There is a "community happiness" that can be felt in the air during the holiday season, so romanticizing this feeling is perfectly normal. For those of us in love with the twinkly lights and homemade goodies, the rest of the year can seem rather dull. However, thanks to several streaming services, Christmas movies can be cherished and appreciated even in the middle of summer.
"Christmas in July" is a phrase people either roll their eyes at or get giddy about. Decorations aren't necessary (at least not on the outside of your home), but a cozy blanket, good snacks, and Christmas movies are a must. Netflix has gotten on board with this trend and will occasionally advertise the Christmas movies on their platform. If you are looking to cool down a bit or want to celebrate the man in the red suit just a little early, you must see these 20 Christmas movies on Netflix.
20 Falling for Christmas
After some time away from the industry, Lindsay Lohan has emerged, and her latest romantic Christmas film, Falling for Christmas, is absolutely adorable. Lohan plays a spoiled brat of an heiress named Sierra who gets a little dose of karma when she loses her memory in a skiing accident. A kind lodge owner named Jake takes in Sierra, who now has amnesia, and to say thank you and try to remember who she is, she begins to help around the place.
Unfortunately, since she has never lifted a finger in her life, she struggles with just about every task. As her memory inevitably returns, Sierra must make a decision about what she wants to do with the rest of her life now that she has some perspective.
19 A Christmas Prince
Christmas is a time when anything can happen, and apparently that includes an average American journalist meeting and falling in love with a prince just in time for him to be crowned king. Rose McIver and Ben Lamb star in the romantic comedy, A Christmas Prince, as Amber and Prince Richard.
Initially, Amber went to Aldovia in search of a juicy story to write about, but instead, as fate would have it, she found a compassionate and misunderstood prince. The two naturally bond over their philosophies about life and their own futures, and the rest is history. For a moment, Amber does reveal a secret that jeopardizes Prince Richard's fate, but things work themselves out in the end.
18 A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding
After a proposal was made, Amber finds herself in Aldovia planning her wedding in A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding, as well as learning how to be a proper woman in the royal family. Richard, on the other hand, becomes frustrated after finding out that finances are not going where they should be in the country. To get her mind off her own frustrations, Amber decides to investigate, and comes to her own conclusions about where the money is going. Once Amber is able to trace where money has been going, she reveals the culprit, and then she and Richard are able to get back to the important things in life, like their wedding.
17 A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby
Meeting wasn't easy, getting married turned out to be difficult, so why would anyone think that Queen Amber and King Richard having their first child would be a walk in the park in A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby? While pregnant with their daughter, Amber and Richard meet with the king and queen of their closest allied nation to adhere to the tradition of signing a treaty on Christmas Eve.
Surprisingly, the actual treaty has gone missing, and a very knowledgeable younger sister comments that there is a curse tied to the royals' unborn child and the treaty not getting signed on time. The couple must race against the clock to find and sign the document just before their newest member arrives in the world.
16 The Princess Switch
Somewhere after High School Musical, Vanessa Hudgens became the queen of Netflix Christmas movies. In The Princess Switch, Hudgens plays Stacy De Novo, who travels with her business partner to the Kingdom of Belgravia for a baking competition. While out and about, she meets a royal woman who just so happens to look exactly like her.
Lady Margaret pleads with Stacy to switch places with her for a few days, so she can experience a normal life outside of palace. Reluctant at first, Stacy eventually agrees, and the two get the chance to experience each other's lives. As predicted, nothing goes smoothly, especially when Margaret's fiancé decides to hang around his fake fiancé.
15 The Princess Switch: Switched Again
Since the identity switch successfully worked one time, who's to say it won't work just once more? In the sequel, Switched Again, Stacy is married to Prince Edward, and Margaret called things off with Stacy's baking assistant when she learned that she would be taking over the thrown in Montenaro. Neither is too content with their situation because of the never ending list of duties, but on top of that, Margaret's money-hungry cousin, Fiona (who also looks exactly like the other two women) presents herself at the palace.
Fiona originally showed up to steal from party-goers, but a plan is hatched to take Margaret's spot at the coronation. Identities are mistaken, true feelings come out, and eventually, one of Vanessa Hudgens' characters walks away in handcuffs.
14 The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star
Grudges do not last very long in this unique family. As Fiona was escorted out in handcuffs in the second film, Margaret and Stacy recruit her to help them find a thief who took a precious relic in The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star. Fiona sets aside her own feelings, and the three begin investigating along with Fiona's two assistants.
When they discover who has the precious gem, Fiona and her followers try to sneakily get it back while Margaret impersonates Fiona at the party. Meanwhile, Stacy also has to pretend to be Fiona during her hearing for trying to take Margaret's place as the queen. In the end, because this is a Christmas film, fans can expect things and people to go back to normal.
13 Holiday in the Wild
As a newly separated woman, in Holiday in the Wind, Kate Conrad (Kristin Davis) finds herself traveling solo in search of something greater. After separating from her husband, Kate heads to what would have been her second honeymoon, but fate had a different plan. On her chartered flight with a pilot named Derek (Rob Lowe), the two make a pit stop to help an orphaned baby elephant.
Kate ditches her plans and chooses to go with Derek to the elephant sanctuary where he works. She stays through the Christmas holiday, and she realizes her true passion. By the end of the film, Kate gains perspective and independence, but that is not without some minor setbacks and a love triangle.
12 The Best Man Holiday
As a sequel to The Best Man, The Best Man Holiday sees the whole gang getting back together for the holidays after 14 years of being apart. Since time has passed, people have moved on with their lives in terms of jobs, relationships, and health. However, a couple grudges have not been left in the past, and feelings quickly arise as people arrive for the festivities.
Lance and Harper, who have been on the outs with one another since a secret was revealed in the previous film, clearly have the most tension in the room. However, Lance's dying wife, Mia, wants to make her husband understand that life is far too short to be angry at the people he loves.
11 Christmas Inheritance
Eliza Taylor stars as yet another spoiled heiress named Ellen in the cheeky film, Christmas Inheritance, but lucky for her, someone wants to bring her lofty ideas and lifestyle back to the ground. Ellen's father sends her to his quaint hometown to deliver a package to his former business partner. He hopes the journey will humble her before she takes over his company.
While in Snow Falls, Ellen fumbles quite a bit when it comes to earning her keep. She does not know how to properly clean, cook, or care about others. After meeting some genuine people, Ellen's heart and motivation begins to shift, and to her father's delight, she has a very different perspective by the end of her trip.
10 The Christmas Chronicles
Kurt Russell stars as the big man himself, Santa Claus, in the holiday film, The Christmas Chronicles. After two children, Kate and Teddy, spot him in their house, they decide to stow away in his sled. Then, when Kate presence herself, Santa is startled, and he crashes the sled. The night becomes a race against time for the three as they have to get Santa's bag of presents and magical hat back.
Of course, when they try to recruit others, no one believes their story. Santa even gets arrested even after trying to plead with the cops and prove his identity. In the end, Christmas clearly must be saved, but it is much easier said than done for those who get involved.
9 The Christmas Chronicles 2
The Christmas Chronicles 2 is much more action packed than the first film, but overall, it is still a great holiday film. Many of the original cast members return, but instead of Santa dealing with Kate and her brother causing havoc, he deals with his own son, Belsnickel. Long ago, the Clauses took in a young elf named Belsnickel, but he became wild and unruly, so he was transformed into a human.
Belsnickel has been holding a grudge over his adoptive parents for years, and he finally tries to get rid of Santa Claus. From chase scenes to near-death experiences, this movie is not the standard lighthearted and cute Christmas film, but it makes for an adventurous life for the jolly man.
8 Love Hard
Love Hard references the two main characters' favorite Christmas movies: Die Hard and Love Actually. Nina Dobrev stars as Natalie, a journalist who cannot seem to catch a break when it comes to guys on her dating app, and Jimmy Yang as Josh, an insecure New Yorker who catfishes Natalie.
When Natalie goes to surprise this handsome and suave guy across the country, she is met with Josh's socked expression. He then confesses that the picture he used is of his childhood friend who lives in town, so after some convincing, Natalie agrees to pretend to be Josh's girlfriend in front of his family while Josh hooks her up with the former friend. What could possibly go wrong?
7 The Knight Before Christmas
Vanessa Hudgens yet again stars in a Netflix Christmas movie, but this time, in https://movieweb.com/movie/the-knight-before-christmas/The Knight Before Christmas, she is a hopeless romantic during the holiday season. In a land far away, on December 18, 1334, a young knight named Sir Cole is told that he must complete a quest in the future, and he is instantly transported to the year 2019.
As fate would have it, this medieval figure meets Brooke (Hudgens), and she takes him in out of pity. The two grow fond of one another, but Cole is still focused on his mission. Anyone and everyone can tell what Sir Cole needs to do to complete the quest, but he struggles to figure it out himself. In the end, Cole and Brooke get exactly what they both want.
6 Holidate
For several different reasons, there are people in this world who simply do not enjoy the holiday season like others, and for Sloane (Emma Roberts) and Jackson (Luke Bracey) in Holidate, that means dealing with families and commitments. After yet another bad date with other people, Sloane and Jackson meet and realize they share the same sardonic attitude towards the holidays. They concoct a plan to "date" during each holiday, so they don't have to deal with pestering questions or loneliness. However, anyone who is paying attention can see the cliché that the two are meant to be a couple all year round.
5 The Holiday Calendar
The Vampire Diaries actress, Kat Graham, finds love and a new appreciation for the holiday season in the Christmas romantic comedy film, The Holiday Calendar. Abby Sutton (Graham) is gifted an Advent calendar from her grandfather, and while she is indifferent about it in the beginning, a bit of magic makes her feel otherwise.
Each day, a door opens and out pops a miniature figure. Then, sometime throughout the day, Abby experiences something that deals with the figure in her own life. Kat's luck turns for a bit of time when she loses the calendar, but she soon realizes the reality before her is just as magical as the gift.
4 A California Christmas
If you feel like the chemistry is too good between Joseph and Callie in A California Christmas, it's because Josh and Lauren Swickard are married in real life. The film starts off with Joseph being sent away to a farm by his mother to convince the owners to sell their land. The owner, Callie, mistakes him as the new farmhand, and Joseph decides to go along with this to get information on her financial situation.
As time goes on and the two work together, a love story begins. However, when Joseph's mother becomes impatient, she shows up and reveals who her son really is. Callie's feelings and trust immediately come to a halt, but Joseph is determined to make things right.
3 The Noel Diary
This is Us' Justin Hartley stars in the festive romantic comedy, The Noel Diary, as Jake Turner, a famous author who comes to town to settle his late mother's estate. While in his mom's house, a woman named Rachel appears, and she says her birth mother used to work for Jake's family. Rachel's curiosity finally peaked, and now she is searching to understand where she came from, and Jake agrees to help her.
Naturally, as they bond over family concerns and realizations, the two begin to fall in love. The biggest problem, however, is that Rachel is engaged to another man. One single night shared in a hotel room sends her spiraling, but Jake does not let her go so easily.
2 I Believe in Santa
Some people absolutely loathe the holiday season, while others want to decorate every square inch of the town. When two people from opposite ends of this spectrum meet, do they seem compatible enough to date? Lisa (Christina Moore) and Tom (John Ducey) surely think it is possible in I Believe in Santa.
Lisa hates Christmas while Tom genuinely believes in Santa Claus. Tom thinks he can get Lisa to change her mind, and Lisa questions the single red flag she has found in her newest love interest. After some heart-to-hearts about the season and how expectations are often not met, the two realize there is more to learn about the other than they originally thought.
1 Let It Snow
Based on a holiday novel that John Green co-wrote, this slightly unconventional Christmas film meshes three separate love stories together in a small town blanketed by snow. One storyline deals with a famous singer falling for a girl who is struggling with making a life-altering decision. The second plot focuses on a cheerleader refusing to commit to a relationship in public. Lastly, the I-want-to-be-more-than-friends storyline comes into play.
Throughout Let It Snow, secrets are admitted, hard conversations are had, and an epic party is thrown at the only place open during a snow storm, Waffle Town.