Jingle Binge

The 8 Netflix Original Christmas Movies With The Highest Rotten Tomatoes Scores

By Claire Spellberg @c_spellberg

Published Dec. 11, 2018, 8:30 a.m. ET

COLLAGE OF The Christmas Chronicles, A Christmas Prince, and The Princess Switch — Ranked by their Rotten Tomatoes Critic Scores!Photos: NETFLIX; Illustration: Dillen Phelps

Vanessa Hudgens in 'The Princess Switch' — ***The Princess Switch***
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
Netflix's "best" (at least by Rotten Tomatoes' standards) Christmas film of the year follows a young baker who discovers she looks a lot like a soon-to-be-princess. The women, both played by Vanessa Hudgens, agree to switch places for a couple of days, and in the process, they learn the true meaning of love.
[Watch The Princess Switch on Netflix]Photo: Netflix

Rose McIver and Ben Lamb in 'A Christmas Prince' — ***A Christmas Prince***
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%
Undoubtedly the biggest hit of the 2017 holiday season, *A Christmas Prince* tells the story of Amber (Rose McIver), an aspiring young journalist, and Richard (Ben Lamb), the crown prince of Aldovia (Christmas movies do so love their fake European countries). Amber and her subject quickly become interested in one another, but their various secrets threaten to destroy their relationship. In the end, however, everything works out, and the two ring in the New Year with a grand engagement -- sorry, spoiler, but you knew they'd end up together.
[Watch A Christmas Prince on Netflix]Photo: Netflix

Kurt Russell in 'The Christmas Chronicles' — ***The Christmas Chronicles***
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 66%
The only Netflix Original Christmas movie to actually feature Santa is a jolly good time. *The Christmas Chronicles* follows a brother and sister who accidentally crash Santa's (Kurt Russell) sleigh on Christmas. The kids offer to help him deliver the rest of his presents, but first, they have to overcome a variety of obstacles, including the police, a missing Santa hat, and an ex-convict on the "Naughty List Hall of Fame."
[Watch The Christmas Chronicles on Netflix]Photo: Netflix

Eliza Taylor in 'Christmas Inheritance' — ***Christmas Inheritance***
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 50%
What, did you think Hallmark Channel has a monopoly on the "Big City Girl Goes Home to Her Small Town for Christmas" movie? Netflix provides its own spin on the classic genre with *Christmas Inheritance*, a low-commitment film about a wealthy socialite (Eliza Taylor) who is sent to her father's small hometown to learn how to be responsible. As Ellen slowly comes around to the small-town mentality, she falls for a cute inn owner and begins to question everything she's ever known.
[Watch Christmas Inheritance on Netflix]Photo: Netflix

***El Camino Christmas***
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 40%
Don't expect any feel-good comedy here. In *El Camino Christmas* , Luke Grimes stars as a young man who seeks out his long-lost father (Tim Allen) and inadvertently finds himself barricaded in a liquor store with five other people on Christmas Eve. Investigating the crime are Deputy Billy Calhoun and Sheriff Bob Fuller (Dax Shepard and Kurtwood Smith), who expertly play the part of the buffoon police officers. If you're looking for something a little darker this Christmas, *El Camino Christmas* is the perfect watch.
[Watch El Camino Christmas on Netflix]

Kat Graham in 'The Holiday Calendar' — ***The Holiday Calendar***
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 40%
Don't let the low Rotten Tomatoes score fool you: *The Holiday Calendar* is just as good as any other Christmas movie on Netflix. Kat Graham stars as Abby, a photographer who inherits an antique Advent calendar that predicts the future. Suddenly, Abby's life begins to change, and she begins feeling some type of way about her best friend Josh (Quincy Brown). Call it love, call it magic, call it whatever you like: it's Christmas, baby!
[Watch The Holiday Calendar on Netflix]Photo: Netflix

'5 Star Christmas' — ***5 Star Christmas (Natale a 5 Stelle)***
Rotten Tomatoes Score: N/A
This raucous Christmas comedy follows the Italian prime minister on a trip to Budapest, where he hopes to spend the holiday with his young lover, a member of parliament. When the couple finds a corpse (dressed in a Santa costume) their hotel suite, they embark on a madcap journey to hide the body, protect their relationship, and stave off a national scandal.
[Watch 5 Star Christmas on Netflix]Photo: Netflix

Where to Stream:

A Christmas Prince

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Happy holidays, folks! As Christmas approaches, there’s only one way to celebrate the holidays: with festive movies galore. Over the last few months, Netflix has added a slew of Christmas movies to their already-impressive library, including classics like Love Actually and Hallmark faves like A Holiday Engagement and A Christmas Star. But this year, the real stars of the show are Netflix’s Original Christmas movies, which cover every trope from Santa Claus to joyous weddings to holiday heists.

Since the wild success of A Christmas Prince in 2017, Netflix has really upped their game on the Christmas movie front. Hits like The Princess Switch and The Christmas Chronicles (and of course A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding) have captivated audiences with their unique sense of holiday spirit, romance, and comedic delights. No matter what you’re looking for in a Christmas film — even if you’re desperate to see a Wild Wild West-inspired Christmas story — these Netflix movies have got you covered.

Netflix’s Original Christmas library is a treasure trove of festive content, so it’s difficult to know where to start. That’s where we come in. We went through Netflix’s Original Christmas movies and found the best of the best, so you’ll know exactly which films to queue up first. These are the 8 best original Christmas movies on Netflix, ranked by their Rotten Tomatoes Critic Scores.