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We’re living in a post-A Christmas Prince world. Laugh all you want, but the surprise success of that ridiculous holiday romcom completely upended our year-end traditions. Post-A Christmas Prince, our streaming plans for the last two months of the year are built around the new Netflix Christmas movies and all the WTF and/or meme-able moments they bring.
You won’t find actual Christmas classics on Netflix, unless your family is super into Christmas with the Kranks. But then again, you won’t find A Christmas Story or Elf on any streaming service, so that’s not a Netflix problem. And unlike the competition, Netflix responded to the dearth of quality, streamable holiday content by just making their own. While Hulu and Prime Video have yet to get into the Christmas movie business, Netflix’s elves are churning out goodies that are quickly becoming seasonal staples.
But of all the movies, which ones rank at the very top? Is it the one about the photographer with a magic calendar? What about the one about the rock and roll Santa? Where does the one about the princess and the baker rank, and is it better than the one about the teacher and the knight? And how do you possibly rank the one about the prince against the other one about the prince and the other other one about the prince? We’re up to that task, especially if it means drawing attention to some 21st century classics that you may’ve not streamed yet. Here’s every Netflix original Christmas movie, ranked.
'El Camino Christmas' (2017)
This is a holiday movie that starts with a shootout in front of a liquor joint on Christmas Eve. El Camino Christmas, the second best Netflix movie named after Chevrolet’s car/truck hybrid, ranks at the bottom because it’s goals as a dark comedy are far afield of the merriment that every other movie on the list hopes to spread. The cast has some greats in it (Jessica Alba, Vincent D’Onofrio, Tim Allen, Dax Shepard), but they’re in a movie that’s way more naughty than nice.
'A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby' (2019)
One would think that the A Christmas Prince movies, the crown jewels of Netflix’s holiday lineup, would rank higher on this list. Unfortunately, the franchise has had a tough time since its launch in 2017, and this year’s installment is the dreariest of the bunch. If holiday romcoms tend to give the gifts of cute moments, zany antics, out-there premises, and energetic performances, you’ll be hard-pressed to find any of those under this tree. The Royal Baby sets up so much wacky fun (a hunt for an ancient peace treaty before a curse descends upon Queen Amber’s unborn baby?!) and follows through on almost none of it.
'A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding' (2018)
Netflix’s first holiday movie franchise got off to a rocky start with this 2018 sequel, and things have only gotten worse from there (see #12). Fans were eager to see blogger/tutor-imposter Amber become the queen of Aldovia, and The Royal Wedding delivered on that promise with a whimsical culture clash plot. But in a series of bizarre twists, The Royal Wedding thought viewers would actually care about the intricate particulars of Aldovia’s financial crisis and it cast striking workers as Christmas-stealing Grinches. This one’s a fun watch if you fast-forward through anything not related to the wedding (and that’s a lot of the movie).
'Christmas Crossfire' (2020)
Christmas is going dark with this Netflix holiday thriller. In the German Christmas flick, after a professor prevents a murder from happening, he actually becomes a target himself. He flees, but a whole sequence of violence follows him on the normally cheerful holiday. If you want a grisly, action-packed Christmas — maybe you just finished watching Die Hard and want something of the like — Christmas Crossfire is the twisted film you need. It’s not as good as Die Hard, and it’s certainly not as magical as Netflix’s other offerings, but it proves the platform has holiday range.
'Operation Christmas Drop' (2020)
Congresswoman aide Erica Miller (Kat Graham) is headed to Guam this Christmas, in order to investigate an endeavor called “Operation Christmas Drop.” It’s led by the handsome, cheery pilot Andrew Jants (Alexander Ludwig) — a unique type of love interest in a holiday rom-com. He’s tasked with dropping gifts off to thousands of folks in Micronesia, and she’s tasked with auditing him. Uh oh. While Graham and Ludwig make for a fantastically dynamic couple, Operation Christmas Drop still lacks the holiday wit and charm of some of Netflix’s other rom-coms.
'Holiday In the Wild' (2019)
Holiday in the Wild is one of the bigger flexes in Netflix’s Christmas catalogue, as it’s a no-frills holiday romcom that cast two of the biggest TV stars of the 21st century in the lead roles. The film is perfectly pleasant as far as this genre goes, but it’s elevated by Kristin Davis, Rob Lowe, and the endlessly watchable chemistry between Kristin Davis and Rob Lowe. But ultimately, Holiday in the Wild is more about elephant conservation than Christmas. While that’s a legitimately noble cause, this is a list about Netflix’s Christmas movies.
'A California Christmas' (2020)
Woah, this holiday romance features real-life partners Lauren and Josh Swickard — love is in the air! The couple plays enemies-turned-lovers in A California Christmas, which is one of the best tropes when it comes to rom-coms. But does this new Netflix Christmas movie live up to the hype? Joseph is a mean-spirited businessman looking for the most-desired holiday gift: a promotion. He’s going to have to work for it, though, as his boss sends him off to California in order to convince a farmer to sell her land. That farmer is Callie, a hardworking woman who has no intentions of leaving her beautiful ranch anytime soon. Joseph pretends to be a new ranch hand in hopes of winning her over — but they fall in love instead. This romance film is nothing new, but at the very least, it’s a gorgeous Californian take on a handful of clichés.
'Christmas Inheritance' (2017)
You can see what might’ve been for Netflix’s holiday movies when you go back to 2017’s Christmas Inheritance. Released during the same holiday season as A Christmas Prince, this romcom is Netflix going full-on Hallmark. There’s a rich city girl (Eliza Coupe) who goes to a small town and falls for the charming, aw shucks hunk (Jake Lacy), all while learning what Christmas is all about. Compared to the campy extra-ness of A Christmas Prince, Christmas Inheritance feels quaint. Audiences responded to the over-the-top A Christmas Prince, setting the streaming service on the course that would give us more of the movies higher up on this list. And the perfectly fine Christmas Inheritance lingers on the service, like the ghost of Christmas movies past.
'The Princess Switch: Switched Again' (2020)
The first Princess Switch film gave us two Vanessa Hudgens, and Switched Again is actually doling out one more of the actress. Yep, that’s three Vanessa Hudgens, for all keeping track. The new film picks up two years later, with Stacy and Prince Edward (Sam Palladio) happy in Belgravia, and Princess Margaret and Kevin in their own Chicago winter wonderland. When the quartet plan on reuniting, a new problem enters the frame: Margaret’s con artist cousin Fiona, who looks exactly like the two of them! More shenanigans and fantastic Netflix drama follows in this wild sequel, and you won’t want to miss it. If you loved The Princess Switch, or any of Netflix’s Vanessa Hudgens/holiday content, this one’s for you.
'Just Another Christmas' (2020)
As the title suggests, it’s just another Christmas for Jorge (Leandro Hassum) — because he’s stuck living the holiday over and over again. Yep, Just Another Christmas is the Groundhog Day or Palm Springs holiday film we never knew we needed! After he falls off a roof dressed as Santa, he can’t remember anything. If you thought Christmas traditions were getting repetitive, try living in Christmas Jorge’s shoes. It’s a goofy film, as time loop films often are, but it’s certainly worth your while.
'Holiday Rush' (2019)
The premise—a New York City radio DJ loses his job right before Christmas and has to teach his spoiled kids the true meaning of the holiday—is pure Hallmark with the kind of logic leaps that you love in these movies (they just… buy a radio station and get it up and running in seemingly a day). There’s a looseness to Holiday Rush that makes it feel a little rough around the edges, but that’s all right because lead couple Romany Malco and Sonequa Martin-Green deliver some of the tightest performances on this list.
'The Holiday Calendar' (2018)
Following the surprise success of A Christmas Prince, Netflix came back the next year with even more holiday romances—kicking off with The Holiday Calendar. Aside from a reminder in The Knight Before Christmas (Sir Cole loves to binge), The Holiday Calendar is mostly absent from convos about Netflix’s Christmas content. That’s a shame too, because it has a charming lead in Kat Graham, who plays a photographer who inherits an advent calendar that can predict the future. It may not as flashy as the ones at the top of this list, but it doesn’t deserve to be forgotten.
'A Christmas Prince' (2017)
This is the one that started it all, and it truly set the bar for what makes a Netflix Christmas movie successful. The question is, did it set the bar high or low? The movie’s sequels didn’t recapture the magic of the first one, which makes this film—which still has one of the silliest, and therefore best, premises on this list!—stand out. But when compared to the bonkers movies that have followed in A Christmas Prince’s wake, this trailblazer feels as stuffy as an Aldovian butler. Still, A Christmas Prince gets a lot of points for the Pop Culture Moment it caused in 2017, and for inspiring some of the best movies on this list.
'The Christmas Chronicles: Part 2' (2020)
Two years after Santa, played by Kurt Russell in this series, was caught delivering presents in Chicago, the Christmas icon is now back-in-action. And this sequel has one big present: Goldie Hawn, who has a cameo as Mrs. Claus in the first film, is a lead in this film. Hooray! Kate’s (Darby Camp) back, now a pre-teen and dealing with her mom’s gross new boyfriend. But she’s got bigger problems — like saving Christmas with Santa Claus. The Christmas Chronicles: Part 2 departs from the humor from the first film, taking a new adventure approach with the same beloved characters. It’s not as good as the first — but that rarely happens — but it’s still fun for the whole family.
'Let It Snow' (2019)
You can call all the movies on this list a lot of things (campy, romantic, bizarre, cheerful), but you can’t call any of them cool—except for Let It Snow. This one’s essentially Love Actually through a YA filter, as a dozen up-and-coming stars (Isabela Morer, Shameik Moore, Kiernan Shipka, Jacob Batalon) fall into and out of love while drifting into snowbanks and out of their comfort zones. It’s charming through and through, features Joan Cusack as a tinfoil-wearing weirdo, and gives us one of the only queer romances in the entire holiday romcom genre.
'The Princess Switch' (2018)
In 2018 we learned that A Christmas Prince was really just a test run for Netflix’s first truly great holiday romcom, The Princess Switch. As another tale of holiday intrigue set in the midst of a fictional Eastern European country’s royal family, The Princess Switch improved on everything that fans initially loved about A Christmas Prince—and it did so with Vanessa Hudgens pulling double duty. This is the Netflix holiday romcom operating at near peak efficiency.
'Holidate' (2020)
Holidate takes a classic Hallmark Christmas plot and makes it raunchier, funnier, and ultimately, better. Sloane (Emma Roberts) never has a date for any of the holidays — be it Christmas or Valentine’s Day. Neither does Jackson (Luke Bracey), a cynical stranger she meets at the mall. Naturally, they become each other’s “holidate,” meaning they’ll be the plus-one at any St. Patrick’s Day, Mother’s Day, or Fourth of July celebration. Though it’s not entirely Christmas-based, Holidate has the holiday cheer and wit to make it a deserving entry into the Christmas canon. And Kristin Chenoweth is the best Santa ever, right?
'Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey' (2020)
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is Netflix’s first major entry in the holiday musical genre, and hopefully, it’s not the last! This fun family film follows the imaginary city of Cobbleton, which is jam-packed with magical toys and harmonies. Jeronicus Jangle, played by the charming Forest Whitaker, is the famed toymaker in town, assisted by his little granddaughter Journey Jangle (Madalen Mills) and his apprentice Gustafson (Keegan-Michael Key). Everything’s merry and bright — until his apprentice betrays him, and Christmas is nearly ruined. Luckily, the precocious young Journey will save the day! This spirited movie-musical is a treat for the eyes, ears, and the heart.
'The Christmas Chronicles' (2018)
We’re fully into the apples/oranges phase of the list, as Netflix’s Christmas offerings have started to wildly deviate from the traditional holiday romcom setup—with some truly fantastic results. The Christmas Chronicles is the kind of holiday movie that could only exist on Netflix. It’s not beholden to the Hallmark formula like a lot of made-for-TV holiday movies, but it’s hard to picture a major studio green lighting something this silly for theatrical release. And because Netflix has the money, they can rope in Kurt Russell to play a version of Santa Claus that leans into the actor’s legit action movie chops. The Christmas Chronicles is unlike anything else on this list or in the Christmas movie canon, and we have Netflix to thank for that. Here’s hoping next year’s sequel avoids the Christmas Prince curse.
'Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square' (2020)
Two legends unite for this Netflix special, which, right off the bat, should convince you that this special is worth watching. Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square is directed by Debbie Allen, with music and lyrics by Parton herself. The film follows Regina (Christine Baranski, another glamorous star), a cruel businesswoman who’s just inherited her father’s town of Fullerville. She already wants to get rid of it. Luckily Dolly plays a Heavenly angel sent to save the town and cure Regina’s woes. If you love music, lovely films, and Dolly Parton (Who doesn’t?), you’ll really love Christmas on the Square.
'Klaus' (2019)
This is going to sound like a backhanded compliment, but Klaus is like, a good movie movie. No shade intended to any of the other movies on this list, but Klaus—an innovative animated feature that puts a peculiar spin on the Santa mythology—is the only one that deserves an actual Oscar campaign. The story is thoroughly original and the vocal performances are endearing, but the gorgeous animation completely makes this the most enthralling entry on the list. It’s the kinda Christmas movie that you wish you could see on the big screen.
'The Knight Before Christmas' (2019)
It’s refreshing to know that in a year when Netflix’s holiday offerings branched out into animation, YA, and elephant conservation, the streaming service also gave us the perfect example of what makes their take on the seasonal romcom so special. The Knight Before Christmas , a film wherein a medieval knight falls in love with a high school science teacher while also commandeering her Netflix account and abusing her Alexa, has it all: a pun title, a fantastical premise, Vanessa Hudgens giving it her all, a handsome Englishman being earnestly dim, a preposterous amount of cross-promotion for other Netflix movies, and the kind of logic leaps that will make you cackle in delight. This movie is pure Christmas candy.
