The best Christmas movies to watch: a roundup of the cheesy, predictable but lovable holiday movies. 

Christmas Movies to Watch This Year

We all know the classic Christmas movies to watch, but what about those corny, predictable and so-bad-they’re-almost-good Christmas movies? This year my team is rounding up the best Christmas movies to watch on the most popular streaming platforms. These are the best movies to watch while you’re wrapping presents, baking, or just want to get in the Christmas spirit!

Cheesy Christmas Movie Reviews

Here’s 20+ reviews of Christmas and holiday movies. We decided to rank them out of 5 stars. Just a heads up, the only ones getting 5 stars are ones we thought were really good and would be added to our yearly watch list! Also, we won’t be ranking the classics like Elf, Holiday, Santa Claus, etc. – those have so many traditions around them. These are purely reviews for those corny, new, loveable ones!

5 out of 5 Star Christmas Movies

These are the REALLY good ones I try to rewatch often!

Just Another Christmas – 5 out of 5

• Ok I LOVED this. It’s originally in Portuguese but Netflix has options. It was really really good. I laughed, cries, and it was just fun and heart warming. On Netlfix!

Naughty or Nice – 5 out of 5

• LOVED this! Wasn’t centered around a love story which was nice. Very festive. About seeing more In people. Free on Amazon Prime!

A Christmas Tree Grows in Colorado – 5 out of 5

• The worst part about this was the title. Otherwise, I really, really enjoyed it. Inclusive cast, great storyline, and is very festive. It’s a Hallmark original, I watched it on a flight so I’m not sure where you can watch it for free, but it’s $5 on Amazon Prime!

Fallling For Christmas – 5 out of 5

• I absolutely loved this. It was SO FESTIVE!!! The clothes, decorations, songs – everything. This has everything your typical Christmas movie should have! On Netflix.

Noelle – 5 out of 5 stars

• Funny, Christmas-y and an A+ cast! I love movies about Santa and the North Pole. Will rewatch each year! (Available on Disney +)

Mistle-Tones – 5 out of 5 stars

• So, so Christmas-y. A ton of Christmas music and a fun story. Add this to your yearly list! (Available on Hulu and Disney +)

Snowed-Inn Christmas – 5 out of 5 stars

• An unexpected hit! I LOVED this one, so very Christmas-y, all about believing in Santa, a love story – just classic. (Available on Amazon Prime Video)

The 12 Dates of Christmas – 5 out of 5 stars

• Absolutely loved this one!! Very sweet story, awesome side characters, and an all-around feel good Christmas movie. (Available on Disney+ and Hulu)

The Holiday Calendar – 5 out of 5

• Very Christmas-y. I really like stories about advents. It wasn’t overly predictable either, had some great twists and turns! (Available on Netflix)

Christmas in Mississippi – 5 out of 5

• I may be giving this a higher rating than it deserves, but I really loved it! I cried, felt mushy at the love parts, and just loved the all-around happy holiday vibe! (Available on Amazon Prime Video)

Christmas Around the Corner – 5 out of 5

• Maybe my favorite this season! Someone in the blog comment recommended it and thank you – it was the perfect Christmas setting and such a great story line. You do have to pay, but it was less than a dollar to BUY, not rent. (Available on Amazon Prime Video)

A Christmas Wish – 5 out of 5

• Absolutely loved this! Christmas IS the storyline. Very magical. Didn’t feel over the top cheesy or unrealistic. It’s for sale for $.99 on Amazon Prime

A Christmas Wish – 5 out of 5

• Absolutely loved this! Christmas IS the storyline. Very magical. Didn’t feel over the top cheesy or unrealistic. It’s for sale for $.99 on Amazon Prime

4 out of 5 star Christmas Movies

These are still REALLY good, just maybe not a necessary rewatch!

Spirited – 4 out of 5

• It was cheesy, campy and fun. It’s a musical but also hilarious. Not entirely family-friendly, but great for teenagers and up. A fun take on “The Christmas Carol”. On Apple TV+

Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas Special – 4 out of 5

• Cute! We watched with our kids and they loved it. You’ll need to really know the characters and Guardians characters to appreciate it but we enjoyed it. On Disney +.

The Princess Switch – 4 out of 5 stars

• Baking, a cute Christmas town, a royal castle and prince – everything you could want in a Christmas movie! (Available on Netflix)

The Princess Switch Again – 4 out of 5 stars

• A sequel to the original Princess Switch, and very good! The characters are still fun and on point. (Available on Netflix)

Same Time, Next Christmas – 4 out of 5 stars

• Cute, festive, cheesy and predictable in the best way. Would be a 5, but the middle was a little too drawn out. (Available on Hulu)

Klaus – 4 out of 5 stars

• A great one to watch with kids! All about how Santa came to be. Doesn’t feel very Christmas-like until the end, but still a fun watch! (Available on Netflix)

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year – 4 out of 5 stars

• This felt more like a “real” movie than almost any other one on the list. Sweet, festive and so cute! (Available on YouTube and Amazon Prime Video)

Operation Christmas Drop – 4 out of 5 stars

• New on Netflix in 2020. The acting was great, and I love a tropical Christmas location. The story was very sweet – some tears were shed! (Available on Netflix)

Christmas Contract – 4 out of 5 stars

• So sweet and cute – and good actors! If you like One Tree Hill, there’s a lot of people from that who made cameos. It’s a great feel good movie, predictable, but still sweet. (Available on Amazon Prime Video)

The Happiest Season – 4 out of 5 stars

• A new one on Hulu for 2020. It has an A+ cast. The storyline itself wasn’t very Christmas-y, but it was a high-quality movie! (Available on Hulu)

Falling For Christmas – 4 out of 5

• This was so, so good, just missing that magic for me to rewatch each year and get a 5. But it was still cute and fun and worth a single watch. Would be great to watch with pre-teen kids! (Available on Amazon Prime Video)

Love Hard – 4 out of 5

• I really like this! It had a good cast, and was predictable but it’s a Christmas movie. It was so much better than Netflix’s holiday rom com last year. (On Netflix)

A Castle for Christmas – 4 out of 5

• New on Netflix in 2021 and SO cute. The only reason it got a 4 was that it wasn’t Christmas-y throughout. But it was a really good movie! Great characters, side characters, and location. Loved it!

Single All the Way – 4.5 out of 5

• Really loved this! Not a full 5 because it won’t be a yearly repeat, but it was still good! A+ all-star cast. No annoying characters. Available on Netflix!

The Housewives of the North Pole – 4 out of 5

• You need a subscription to Peacock to watch this ($5/month). It was good, dramatic but all very festive! I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

3 Out of 5 Christmas Movies

These weren’t bad, just had a lower rating because they weren’t too festive or were just missing that Christmas touch! These are great to watch while baking, wrapping, etc.

A California Christmas City Lights – 3 out of 5

• My issues with this sequel were the same as last year – not very Christmas-y. Christmas was a sub plot, not the story. Overall it was fine! On Netflix.

Mistletoe Mixup – 3.5 out of 5

• Love the Lawrence bros. This was actually pretty good and filmed in Utah so I liked seeing a lot of familiar spots. Little doses of Christmas magic. On Amazon Prime Video.

The Holiday Fix Up – 3.5 out of 5

• It didn’t blow me away well, but still festive and cheesy cute. A typical big-city gal goes back to her hometown to save Christmas and falls in love. A good easy watch!

Christmas With You – 3 out of 5

• Not rom-com Christmas movie but more of a rom-drama. A unique story I haven’t seen before, still predictable but a fun new take. Wasn’t overly festive. On Netlfix.

The Noel Diary – 3.5 out of 5 stars

• This was a GOOD movie, just not super festive. Christmas wasn’t really the storyline. Acting was a step above most other Christmas films. Slow to start but ended up being good! On Netflix.

The Princess Switch 3 – 3.5 out of 5 stars

• A third installment of this series was a little much, but it was still cute! I’m very attached to the main characters, and they weren’t as prominent in this one.

Knight Before Christmas – 3 out of 5 stars

• A very sweet ending and story, but not the best concept or acting. (Available on Netflix)

Holiday In the Wild – 3 out of 5 stars

• This was a great story line, but wasn’t very festive or Christmas-y. A lot happened really fast, but it wraps up nicely. (Available on Netflix)

Christmas With a View – 3 out of 5 stars

• The typical Lifetime Movie plot of the girl who is crabby towards Christmas and a cute guy turns her views around. It was set in a snowy mountain town which gave it the higher rating boost! (Available on Netflix)

Christmas Pen Pals – 3 out of 5 stars

• Not the best, but not the worst. A great movie to have on in the background while you get some holiday prep done. (Available on Amazon Prime Video)

Christmas on Holly Lane – 3 out of 5 stars

• The scenery and videography in this were just a little off, but overall it was a cute Christmas story, all about friendship! (Available on Amazon Prime Video)

Feliz NaviDAD – 3 out of 5 stars

• A new Lifetime movie this year. Not the best, not the worst. Would be a great mindless watch, but I will say it dragged on a little bit for me! (Available on the Lifetime Move App)

Dear Christmas – 3.5 out of 5

• I liked this! It’s super festive, a cute slow-burn love story and is just warm and fuzzy. (Available on Amazon Prime)

Father Christmas is Back – 3 out of 5

• Not the worst, not the best, just fine! Great production value but something was off. Great cast, very British humor. Available on Netflix!

A Christmas Recipe for Romance – 3.5 out of 5

• I liked this! It’s classic Christmas cheese-fest but that’s what makes it loveable. A good storyline that was perfect for a Christmas movie. Available on Amazon Prime.

Funny Thing About Love – 3 out of 5

• Ok, this was cute, but definitely more Thanksgiving instead of Christmas. Which I think is great – we need more holiday-themed rom-coms that aren’t around Christmas! The main character was great. Watch it here.

Holiday Rush – 3.5 out of 5

• Ok, I liked this! Sent a great message about what Christmas really means and I cried. Great cast! The middle was drawn out a bit, and a few weird elements. Available on Netflix.

2 out of 5 Christmas Movies 

These are “so bad they’re almost good” movies. So horribly cheesy that they’re entertaining!

Christmas Tail – 2.5 out of 5

• My 12-year-old nephew wanted to watch with me – so sweet. It’s a sweet story, just your typical cheesy/weird Christmas movie film. My nieces and nephews loved it though. On Amazon Prime Video!

Midnight at Magnolia – 2.5 out of 5

• This is a New Years movie and would be great to watch during that week between Christmas and New Years. Not the best, not the worst, just a mindless cheesy movie! (Available on Netflix)

A Very Country Christmas – 2 out of 5

• This falls into the so bad it’s almost good category. Didn’t love it, but wasn’t mad I watched it. The lead characters have ZERO chemistry and if they did it’d be better. On Netflix.

Naughty & Nice – 2 out of 5 stars

• Very predictable and bad acting, but so bad that it was almost good? Takes place in a winter-y setting which is always a plus. (Available on Hulu and Amazon Prime Video)

Holidate – 2 out of 5 stars

• Not Christmas-y except for about 20 minutes. This has a lot of adult humor, so be sensitive to that! (Available on Netflix)

Ghosting the Spirit of Christmas – 2 out of 5 stars

• A very inclusive cast, but the story line was just too out there and far-fetched. Not a fan, you can skip this one! (Available on Hulu)

The Christmas Wedding Planner – 2 out of 5 stars

• The acting was pretty laughably bad, but we do like that in Christmas movies! Loved the cameo from Joey Fatone. (Available on Netflix)

A Twist of Christmas – 2.5 out of 5 stars

• Not quite bad enough for a 2, not good enough for 3. Like some others on this list, it’s great to watch as background noise while you’re doing some holiday baking or wrapping! (Available on Amazon Prime Video)

Snowbound for Christmas – 2 out of 5

• I wanted to love this, but Christmas wasn’t the theme, more of the setting. The main characters had zero chemistry. Didn’t feel like I wasted my time, but wasn’t the best. On Netflix and Amazon Prime

The Claus Family – 2 out of 5

• This was originally in Dutch, so the sound and mouth movements are a little off. It has all the right pieces of a Christmas movie, but it was slow and bland. On Netflix.

1 out of 5 Christmas movies 

These ones were SO bad, I wouldn’t recommend spending time on them!

4 Christmases and a Wedding – 1 out of 5 stars

• Yeah, this one was a bust. None of the main characters were appealing, I would say you can skip! (Available on Amazon Prime Video)

Girlfriends of Christmas Past – 1 out of 5 stars

• So bad, in the worst way, that it didn’t even make it good! The acting and filming was just extremely off. You can skip this one. (Available on Hulu and Amazon Prime Video)

A Dog Walkers Christmas Tale – 1 out of 5

• Hahaha this was laughably bad. Very corny and horrible acting and filming. It was still funny to watch, but in the so-bad-it’s-funny. I have a soft spot for dogs, but this still did not do well in my eyes. (Available on Hulu)

Christmas Catch – 1 out of 5

• This was so bad. I don’t really have more to say besides don’t waste your time on it! (Available on Amazon Prime)

Cupid for Christmas – 1 out of 5

• This was new in 2021 on Hulu, and it was horrible. It was not festive enough to make up for the bad acting!

Any of your favorites we missed? Comment below, we love to watch movies!