The holiday [1] season is all about love: love of family, love of friends, and maybe even the kind of love that winds up under the mistletoe. It's no wonder that so many movies about the Christmas season [2] include romantic storylines — after all, according to romance movies [3], the only thing more romantic than rain is snow [4]. Romantic Christmas movies aren't just limited to the made-for-TV movies [5] that cable networks churn out [6] every year. In fact, some of the cutest Christmas movies [7] have been around for decades! If you're looking for a movie that hits that sweet spot of holiday charm and swooning romance, look no further. Read through our gallery ahead for your next holiday movie night!
Christmas Inheritance
Like so many great holiday movies [8], Christmas Inheritance follows that well-worn tale of a protagonist discovering the magic and meaning of the season. Here, that protagonist is Ellen [9], the socialite heiress to her father's gift business who must deliver a Christmas card to his former partner in a small town. When she gets stranded there, she falls in love with the town and with a charming local.
Watch it now [10].
Merry Kissmas
As with so many rom-coms, the heroes of Merry Kissmas have to figure out the wrong relationships before they can figure out that they're right for each other. Kayla is engaged to a self-absorbed choreographer, but after she kisses a sweet caterer, she begins to realise what real romance could be like.
Watch it now [11].
A Christmas Prince
Last year's [12] cheesy holiday fave, A Christmas Prince is one of those deliciously silly, fluffy holiday rom-coms. A young reporter is assigned to go abroad to report on the playboy prince of Aldovia. Naturally, she instead falls for him when she goes undercover — but he doesn't know she's a reporter. Also: there's a sequel coming out [13] just in time for this Christmas!
Watch it now [14].
Dear Santa
When a wealthy young woman discovers a "Dear Santa" letter written by a little girl, she finds her life changing quickly. And when she meets the girl's father, a soup kitchen owner, she finds her life opening up to love too.
Watch it now [15].
The Spirit of Christmas
Ghosts seem more like a Halloween [16] plot than a Christmas one, unless we're talking about the ghosts of Christmas past and future. The Spirit of Christmas brings a holiday twist on the classic haunted house genre: a ghostly resident in a haunted hotel who comes back to life for the 12 days of Christmas every year. Then the ghost meets Kate, an overworked lawyer trying to sell the property, and as they attempt to break the curse binding him to the house, unexpected feelings develop.
Watch it now [17].
Love Actually
Often imitated, never duplicated, this very wry, very British ensemble rom-com is a modern holiday staple. Over a few weeks leading up to Christmas, we follow several storylines: a lonely prime minister, a widower and his stepson, a newly divorced writer and his Portuguese housekeeper, a wife and mother who discovers an ugly truth [18] about her husband, and a nerdy pair of movie stand-ins, among others. The storylines all intersect at, of all things, a children's Christmas pageant.
Watch it now [19].
White Christmas
It's the ultimate holiday movie: a beautiful Vermont inn, Old Hollywood banter, classic Christmas songs, and snow as an actual plot point. The plot is sweet, simple, and heartfelt [20]: a pair of Army vets turned showmen put on a Christmas show to help their former general and, along the way, fall in love with a pair of showbiz sisters. Plus, Bing Crosby sings "White Christmas," and it's exactly what Christmas itself sounds like.
Watch it now [21].
A Holiday Engagement
The fake-boyfriend plot is definitely a staple of the rom-com genre [22]. A Holiday Engagement gives the plot a Christmas twist. When a young woman can't face telling her family that she got dumped by her boyfriend, she hires an actor to pretend to be her fiancé during the Thanksgiving weekend at her parents'.
Watch it now [23].
Christmas in the Smokies
Although romance definitely plays a big part in Christmas in the Smokies, it's not the only plot. The story revolves around a family fighting to save their beloved berry farm during the holiday season. While their daughter spearheads their efforts to save the farm, her famous ex returns to stir things up a bit.
Watch it now [24].
You Can't Fight Christmas
Nothing screams rom-com [25] more than "opposites attract." That's exactly the premise behind You Can't Fight Christmas: she's a holiday fiend, he's a business-minded workaholic. Will he find Christmas joy? Will they find true love? We're betting on yes.
Watch it now [26].
Christmas Crush
Also released as Holiday High School Reunion, this movie combines two of the most potentially stressful events: Christmas and school reunions. When Georgia attends her high school reunion, she's giddy at the possibility of a second chance with her former crush — but true love might have found her in a totally different way.
Watch it now [27].
A Dogwalker's Christmas Tale
It's a classic Christmas movie plot: a rich character learning about the things that matter more than money. In A Dogwalker's Christmas Tale, a young woman has to choose between her wealthy, powerful employer and her handsome friend's request to help save a dog park at the holidays.
Watch it now [28].
Miss Me This Christmas
When a seemingly perfect couple reach their breaking point, they agree to split up. Their divorce will be finalized on Christmas — which also happens to be their wedding anniversary. Miss Me This Christmas follows Regina and Franklin as they try to start new lives but can't quite let go of their holiday romance.
Watch it now [29].
Coffee Shop
OK, so it's not just a Christmas movie, but Christmas does play a part in Coffee Shop. Donavan, a coffee shop owner, finds her store in danger of repossession. As she fights to save her business, she also learns to take a chance on the possibility of romance with a handsome New York writer — even if he does prefer tea to coffee.
Watch it now [30].
Holiday Baggage
Not all holiday romances are about fresh young faces. Holiday Baggage is about a middle-aged divorced couple who have drifted apart from their family over the years. When they all reunite for the holidays, it turns out their feelings aren't as long-gone as they had thought.
Watch it now [31].
