Netflix has begun to rival Hallmark for the sheer production rate of Christmas movies in the past few years. Through several franchises, one-offs, and a number of A-list actors, the platform has built a name for itself by having a huge catalog of holiday-themed movies released throughout November and December.
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Many of the Netflix Christmas movies have been praised by fans as being modern holiday greats. However, there are plenty of other great Netflix Christmas movies that have remained largely unknown or have been lost in the shuffle of the streaming service’s many yuletide releases.
7Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
Jingle Janglecame out in 2020 and featured a musical Christmas extravaganza about a young girl who went to meet her grandfather, a disillusioned toy maker played by Forrest Whitaker. After his toy designs were stolen by a selfish assistant, he began to fall apart and his granddaughter manages to bring his ideas and store back to life with childhood wonder, Christmas joy, and a few surprisingly great songs.
Jingle Jangleis a wonderful movie that went way under the radar. From the villainous assistant turned toy mogul played to perfection by Keegan Michael-Key to the beautiful chemistry between youthful lead Madalen Mills and Whitaker, this movie was reviewed extremely well by critics but failed tomake a big splash for Netflix.
6Klaus
Klausis one ofNetflix’s best Christmas movies, not to mention one of the best-animated flicks on the platform. Telling the story of a spoilt, wealthy youth who is forced to become a postal worker on a deadly island fueled by hatred between two warring clans, the movie tells one of the more unique Christmas and Santa Claus origin stories ever seen on the screen.
Klausis a beautifully animated movie that uses a lot of comedy and poignant emotional scenes to wow audiences and critics alike. It has quickly become a festive favorite for many but didn’t get the level of marketing upon release in 2019 that a movie of this caliber deserves.
5Holidate
Netflix has a penchant for making a variety of romantic-comedy movies around Christmas andHolidateis one of their moreunique and successful attempts. Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey star as a mismatched couple that agrees to accompany each other to a variety of holiday-themed parties that take place throughout the year but end up catching feelings for each other.
From the chemistry between the two to the excellent side characters like Kristin Chenoweth and Manish Dayal, this rom-com brings a bit of fun to Christmas proceedings but was brushed aside in the midst of many other romantic releases for Netflix around the Christmas period.
4Let It Snow
Netflix became known in recent years for making many teen rom-com movies, but rarely has the platform attempted to blend this with Christmas. Their most brazen attempt wasLet It Snow, which brought together a series of young adult talent to try and tellan intertwining web of storiessimilar toLove Actually.
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A snowstorm hits a small town on Christmas Eve and affects the lives and relationships of several high school students. Among their number are Kiernan Shipka, Jacob Batalon, Isabela Merced, and Odeya Rush, a crop of young talent that manages to light up the screen in a fun set of stories that come together much more wholesomely than this movie gets credit for.
3The Princess Switch
One of Netflix’s first attempts to kick-start a Christmas movie franchise of its own (which worked),The Princess Switchstars Vanessa Hudgens as both Stacy De Novo and Lady Margaret. While this take onThe Prince and the Pauperwas a cheesy affair,it got away with thatdue to the Christmas setting and extremely fun characters that left many Netflix viewers smiling.
The movie lifted Vanessa Hudgens into position as Netflix’s new Queen of Christmas, and she has gone on to star in three other Christmas movies for the streaming platform since. Whether viewers are a fan of baking competitions, romantic entanglements, or just Vanessa Hudgens, this movie has plenty of all three available.
2A California Christmas
Another romantic-comedy adventure for Netflix,A California Christmaswas largely forgotten in amongthe holiday rush of movie releases in 2020. This movie, about a wealthy man that poses as a ranch hand in an attempt to force some farmers to sell their land before Christmas, stars real-life husband and wife duo Lauren and Josh Swickard as the entangled couple.
A California Christmasmay not have the most obvious setting for a Christmas movie. However, it does delight and uses common holiday themes like redemption and romance to bring excellent leading chemistry together and tell a delightful story that’s well worth watching.
1The Knight Before Christmas
Another Vanessa Hudgens vehicle, this one proved to be one of the most bizarre Netflix Christmas movies yet. A medieval English knight gets brought forward in time to the modern age and meets a high school teacher that haslost all faith in love. The movie is bizarre, but doesn’t take itself very seriously and manages to have a lot of fun with the concept.
Vanessa Hudgens continues to delight and manages to help get the movie past all manner of sins. The romantic chemistry between the leads doesn’t hurt either as a movie that is obsessed with just being as feel-good as possible strikes home.
