12 Holiday Romcoms to Watch Every Year
Holiday romcoms that have turned into perennial favorites.
About a dozen years ago, I tried to watch every available holiday romcom in the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was a big task then and impossible now, but I still have a holiday romcom festival this time of year. Watching these movies was what got me back into reading and writing romance, and I love them for that, so this week I’m taking a break from book reviews to recommend movies.
I watch these holiday romcoms every year, if I can, while ingesting many more sugary holiday movie treats of dubious quality. Here are 12 movies and series that never fail to please.
All-time favorite: 12 Dates of Christmas
Amy Smart is delightful in this take on Groundhog Day. She has to relive the same Christmas Eve until she gets over her hangups—and falls for the right guy.
Close second: Love Hard
A newer addition to my pantheon, this Netflix movie starts with catfishing but ends up being about what we gain when we stop chasing what we think we’re supposed to have, in life and relationships, and go for what works. That’s pretty standard, but the characters get there with a wonderful dose of snark and sass that lifts this one above the bland, cloying sweetness of too many holiday movies (that I will watch anyway because I’m a sucker for gooey sweet holiday romance, but still).
Not just Christmas: Holidate
This romance takes place over a longer period of time as the main characters accompany each other to holiday gatherings as a no-strings date. Of course, they fall in love, but they have a lot of fun along the way, and Christen Chenowith does a delightful turn as the randy aunt who also gets the guy.
Series: Dash and Lily
This limited series, based on the book Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares, links two NYC teens through a notebook where they send each other on adventures, each showing the other what they love about New York. I love New York, especially at Christmas, and the adaptation is a delightful romp through familiar and new places with two young people who think too much.
Bring on the kitsch: The Princess Switch
I am always down for a silly holiday romcom, and no one does it better than Vanessa Hudgens. She stars as the princess of a fictional European country and her American doppelganger. The two sequels are even better, because Hudgens adds a third identical but evil character and that’s delicious.
There are several other prince/princess holiday movies and I like them all, but The Princess Switch is my favorite.
Foreign entry: Christmas Flow
Another limited series, this three-part French movie pairs a feminist journalist with a rapper in trouble for some misogynistic lyrics. I love this one for its sincere heart, a mouthy grandma telling off the rapper for being sexist, and the wildly feminist characters who are much more radical than the women we generally see get to see happy endings in US movies.
Best reboot of favorite actors: A Castle for Christmas
A typical holiday romcom but with higher production values and a lovely Scottish setting, this one is worth watching for Brook Shields and Cary Elway, getting a second wind at taking a star turn and acing it.
Serious chemistry: The Noel Diary
This is the only movie on this list that isn’t a comedy, but this story of two people who go on a road trip together when they find a diary that links their pasts is heartfelt and real in a way that makes it stick out from the crowd.
Sweet among the sweets: The Holiday Calendar
This movie falls into the very large category of gently sweet stories sprinkled with holiday magic—in this case, a magical Advent calendar. I keep coming back to it because like the characters and the story.
It has an HEA, so…: Elf
Yes, Elf isn’t technically a romance, but there is a romance in it. This is the movie that made me like Will Ferrell, against my better judgment. I can’t go through a revolving door or ride an escalator without thinking about Buddy’s first time discovering them. Plus, it includes the late, great Bob Newhart as Papa Elf.
Meta holiday romcom: A Christmas Movie Christmas
Two sisters find themselves magically transported into a Christmas movie like the ones they like to watch. Many jokes on Christmas movie tropes ensue and I am totally there for it. My only beef is that one of the love interests is a Christmas movie stereotype to the point of being slightly creepy. This is a Christmas romcom fans of the genre will love.
Best classic: Christmas in Connecticut
No, not White Christmas, even though my boyfriend Danny Kaye was in that one because—racism. I like Christmas in Connecticut better anyway. A fast-talking Barbara Stanwyck writes a homemaking column for the paper, even though she doesn’t cook, isn’t married, and doesn’t have a child. When she’s asked to host a returning soldier for Christmas, she has to come up with all three pronto. It’s a delightful romp where the stuffed shirts get their comeuppance and we get to see a woman choosing to live her best life on her terms.
There are lots of other fun holiday movies out there. I intend to discover many more this year.
One note: I’m keenly aware of the lack of queer representation on my list. I haven’t seen all the queer holiday romcoms that have come out in the last few years, but the ones I have seen don’t make the cut, and that makes me sad. I’ll keep looking.
What are your favorite holiday romances, book or movie? Bonus points for queer representation.
Programming note
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