It’s almost everyone’s favorite time of the year! The air is getting colder, the leaves have almost all fallen, and we’re just over a month away from Christmas itself.
I’m not one of those people who get out the Christmas decorations and start playing festive music at the stroke of midnight on November 1, BUT something I do get excited about way too early is the holiday movies! They may (for the most part) be cheesy and oh-so-predictable, but they never fail to put a smile on my face and get me into the holiday spirit.
I can remember last year so vividly: it was a cold December night (…at least, cold by LA standards); midterms had just ended, and winter break stretched ahead of me, empty of schoolwork and blessedly free of college applications. I had my cozy soft blanket and steaming mug of hot chocolate ready to go, but my mind turned up a blank when my sister and I started looking for movies to watch. After many minutes perusing Netflix, we came upon The Princess Switch, a delightful and festive romance starring none other than High School Musical legend Vanessa Hudgens. It was exactly what we needed: light, fun, and full of holiday cheer. This year, though, I’m approaching the season more prepared: no more spending hours browsing Netflix for that perfect holiday movie. Here are just a few of the holiday films premiering on Netflix this season (in order of release date). There’s truly something for everyone on this list!
Holiday in the Wild is a holiday romance that also includes travel and adventure (who knew they could be combined?!). It tells the story of a woman who decides to embark on a solo honeymoon to Africa during the holidays after her husband suddenly decides to end their marriage. She’s hoping to find herself and rediscover her purpose on her trip – but she may also find herself falling in love again.
We’re getting not one, but TWO John Green adaptations in the span of month?!
Let It Snow is a bestselling YA book by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle. It’s allll about the holiday romances, and tells three distinct love stories that are interconnected through their shared setting of a small town on Christmas Eve. This is a book that I’ve been meaning to read for years, but now that it has a movie coming out soon, both versions of the stories will likely be jumping to the top of my read & watch lists.
“An animated Santa Claus origin story by the co-creator of Despicable Me”? Count. Me. In. This movie looks endlessly cute and is without a doubt a perfect family-friendly film for the holiday season. It tells the story of unlikely friends, a postman and a reclusive toymaker, who try to bring joy to the unhappiest place on Earth. Even the trailer brought the biggest smile to my face; it also featured my favorite song of all time (“High Hopes” by Panic! at the Disco), so really the reasons to watch this just keep adding up.
It’s another holiday romance movie starring Vanessa Hudgens!!! This one looks almost too cheesy for my taste, but if we’re really being honest, is there such a thing? In this rom-com, a knight from medieval times somehow and magically time travels to present-day, only to fall for a science teacher who no longer believes in love.
Am I convinced Netflix crafted this movie with the least effort they could muster around wanting to make use of that very punny title? Most definitely. Am I going to spend 1-2 hours watching this movie anyway? You can bet on it.
We’re turning down the comedy meter on this one. This emotional movie tells the story of four siblings used to luxury who have to tone down their spending after their father, a widowed radio DJ, loses his job at the start of the holiday season. At a time when consumerism is at its height, this family is forced to face the realities of downsizing their lifestyle, and in doing so discover that less just might be more.
This movie looks like the deepest and most heartfelt of the films on this list, so I’m definitely looking forward to the change of pace it’ll undoubtedly provide.
This is the third movie in a series I haven’t watched (something I need to and plan to fix very soon), but I know there’s a lot of hype and excitement around this newest installment in the Christmas Prince series. In it, the main character is preparing to deliver a royal baby, and what better time is there than the holidays to celebrate a royal couple’s first child? Before the festivities, though, the main character is faced with a new dilemma in the form of a missing peace treaty. Will she be able to save her family and kingdom by finding it?
And that’s all of them! There’s one of these lovely movies releasing every Friday starting November 1, so you can either spread them out and get into the holiday cheer early OR binge them all closer to Christmas Day itself. If there’s one thing we can count on when it comes to Netflix, it’s that they’ll always provide countless options for movies and TV shows themed around ANY holiday, especially Christmas.
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