My childhood best friend left for college in 2019. I was thrilled for them but devastated that I’d no longer be able to pop down to their house at a moment’s notice to hang out. As you can imagine, when they returned home that year I was ecstatic. One chilly afternoon, as we were searching for something to watch, we stumbled upon what appeared to be Netflix’s take on a Hallmark Christmas movie. We threw it on and were instantly hooked. This began a yearly tradition of marathoning cheesy Christmas movies every time we were both in town for the holidays. We’ve become quite the Christmas movie connoisseurs, if I do say so myself. Our annual marathon is fast approaching, and this year I’d like to invite you all to join us. Here are my top three cheesy Christmas movie recommendations, all of which can be found on Netflix.
- The Christmas Prince (2017)
Not to be confused with Christmas With A Prince, this film is an absolute classic; the quintessential cheesy Christmas movie. It follows Amber, a plucky reporter sent to cover the coronation of Prince Richard of Aldovia following the king’s death. This movie ticks all the boxes: it takes place in a fictional European country that seems to revolve entirely around Christmas, there is a healthy amount of scenes depicting idyllic winter activities like baking or sleigh-riding, and the ending relies entirely on a bizarre ornament-based mystery. This movie is bizarre, I love it.
- A Castle For Christmas (2021)
I was not expecting to like this movie as much as I did. It is total wish fulfillment fluff (I mean, all of these movies are but still) and I enjoyed every minute of it. It follows Sophie Brown, a famous romance author who visits Dun Dunbar castle in Scotland and falls in love with the owner. No, Dun Dunbar does not exist. It was refreshing to see a Netflix Christmas film follow an older woman, and the Scottish countryside is always a fun setting for a movie. Check it out!
- The Knight Before Christmas (2019)
This was the movie that sparked the fascination–of my best friend and me– with cheesy Christmas movies. I unironically love this movie. It tells the story of a medieval knight sent to 2019 by a witch as he falls in love with a small-town science teacher. It is chock full of festive wintertime romance. To be fair, all of these movies are full of that, but I have a soft spot for this one because it has a charming knight with a great accent in it. Also, as a die-hard High School Musical fan, I’m always thrilled to see Vanessa Hudgens.
If you’re looking for a new guilty pleasure this holiday season I cannot recommend these films enough. Are they good? Debatable. But they’re always a blast to watch, and I have so many fantastic memories of watching them with my loved ones. Give them a shot!