Netflix has steadily become this generation’s Hallmark when it comes to Christmas movies, and this year is no exception. Its latest holiday offerings, which include a Yuletide-themed burglary (aptly titled Jingle Bell Heist) and a woman falling in love with the heir to a French champagne empire (Champagne Problems), cementing the streaming platform’s place as the new go-to for cheesy, silly, and sickeningly sweet Christmas features.
But as we welcome this year’s holiday season, we thought we’d revisit some of Netflix’s old Christmas films (dare I say, classics?) that have, against all odds, found a place in our regular holiday movie marathons. In no particular order, here are the movies that show just how far Netflix has come in delivering sentimental Christmas fare.
‘Hot Frosty’
I used to think that snowmen couldn’t be sexually attractive, but Netflix proved me wrong.
For those who’ve missed out on this precious, nonsensical, thirsty Christmas gem, here is the premise of Hot Frosty: newly widowed Kathy (played by Mean Girls’ Lacey Chabert) magically gives life to a hot snowman named Jack (Schitt’s Creek’s Dustin Milligan). The snowman comes alive, complete with a six-pack, well-toned biceps, and a penchant for being a handyman. Kathy, of course, immediately falls in love with him, and the rest of the movie is essentially the two of them being cheesy around town and trying to figure out the logistics of a human-snowman relationship.
‘The Princess Switch’
Is Vanessa Hudgens a Christmas actress now? It may seem so, especially since she’s starred in all three of Netflix’s The Princess Switch movies. In the start to this surprisingly earnest Christmas franchise, Hudgens plays not one, but two characters: baker Stacey De Novo and Lady Margaret Delacourt, Duchess of Montenaro. As most movies involving look-alikes, Stacey and Lady Margaret decide to swap lives and see what it’s like either running a bakery or living like royalty. The Princess Switch: Switched Again, the equally zany sequel, sees Hudgens playing a third version of herself, Lady Margaret’s blonde and immature cousin Lady Fiona Pembroke. In the third film, The Princess Switch: Romancing the Star, the trio tries to track down a stolen Christmas relic (checks out).
‘The Knight Before Christmas’
Vanessa Hudgens does it again! Only this time, she’s science teacher Brooke Winters, who is very bad at driving and manages to hit a hot medieval English knight named Sir Cole (Josh Whitehouse) with her car. Don’t think too hard about it, but an old crone sends Sir Cole to modern-day Ohio, where he must teach Brooke the true meaning of love (and Christmas, of course).
‘The Merry Gentlemen’
It’s Magic Mike, but make it Christmas. And surprisingly, this combination works. After flopping big time in New York, Broadway dancer Ashley (Britt Robertson) returns to her rural hometown to mope. Unfortunately, her moping doesn’t last long, because she needs to save her family’s small-time nightclub with, you guessed it, a Christmas-themed burlesque extravaganza! Aiding her in her risque holiday quest is Luke (Chad Michael Murray), a well-muscled handyman with biceps for days.
‘Falling For Christmas’
We had to put a Lindsay Lohan Christmas movie on here because, like Miss Hudgens, she’s slowly been making the pivot to a holiday-themed oeuvre (her most recent Netflix Christ movie being Our Little Secret in 2024). In Falling For Christmas, Lohan plays icy heiress Sierra Belmont, who falls off a cliff in a skiing accident. Now suffering from amnesia, Sierra finds the love and care she needs from Jake (Chord Overstreet), a rugged lodge owner and widower.
‘Love Hard’
While Love Hard is just as cheesy as the other movies on this list, it does hold a special place in my heart for being one of the more sincere Christmas offerings from Netflix. We open with Natalie (Nina Dobrev), a writer who uses her shitty dating app dates as source material for her column. She matches with Josh (Jimmy O. Yang), and before she knows it, Natalie’s on the phone with him 24/7 and flying all the way from L.A. to upstate New York to meet him IRL. The only problem is that Josh was catfishing her, and he looks nothing like his photos. Okay, they’re not off to a great start, but things get much sweeter, sillier, and a thousand times more earnest as the two figure out that they’re meant for each other.
