"During most of the year, I’d consider myself to be a tough movie critic. Trust me, I don’t mean to be a film snob—the truth is, I’m just a tired person. A movie has to be pretty damn good to keep my attention, or else I’ll inevitably “rest my eyes” and fall into a deep, accidental slumber. If a film is mundane, predictable, or boasts some bad acting, sleep will always take precedence.
let's face it: meeting someone in the wild is a lot easier said than done
Now, that being said, I’m not sure what it is about the holiday season, but when it comes to clichés and foreseen plots in cheesy holiday movies, all of my previously true statements fly out the window. Give me mediocre acting! Give me happy endings! I need a “will they/won’t they” storyline where they most definitely “will!” It’s the kind of nostalgia that I live for—a surefire way to launch myself into the holiday spirit. If you too find yourself welcoming all of the cheesy holiday movies, grab your favorite mug, fill it with hot cocoa, and snuggle up. These 30 cheesy films are sure to get you in your holiday feels.
1. Our Little Secret
It’s the Lohanaissance! Lindsay Lohan has truly beefed up her Christmas movie resume, and I will in fact watch every single one of them. But this one gets the cheesiest award for some seriously awkward and hilarious moments. After discovering their significant others are siblings, two resentful exes must spend Christmas under one roof while hiding their own romantic history.
2. Hot Frosty
I wish I was kidding when I explained the premise of this holiday rom-com, but alas… a sexy Frosty the Snowman comes to life. A young widow’s magic scarf brings this dashing snowman to life, and what follows is a whirlwind of rediscovering romance, laughter, and holiday cheer before he melts away. I’m obsessed with seeing Lacey Chabert in a popular, campy rom-com once again.
3. Meet Me Next Christmas
Christmastime, Pentatonix, and a wild goose chase through New York? I’m sold. On a quest to meet the man of her dreams, a hopeless romantic (Christina Milian) races across New York City to find a ticket to a sold-out Pentatonix Christmas concert. In the process, she meets a handsome stranger, experiences some crazy hijinks, and eventually realizes what a holiday romance truly looks like.
4. The Merry Gentlemen
I’ll admit it—I really only watched this one to see Chad Michael Murray dancing with his shirt off. To save her parents’ small-town nightclub, a Broadway dancer stages an all-male, Christmas-themed revue and meets a guy with all the right moves. Torn between the success of the show and her life away from her small hometown, Ashley will eventually have to choose between the limelight and love—much like any cheesy holiday movie.
5. Holiday Crashers
Best friends Toni and Bri have worked at the same card shop for more years than they should as both struggle to find their true life’s path. This holiday season, Toni and Bri decide to shake up their humdrum world by creating new identities to crash the amazing Christmas parties from the shop’s confidential invitations. All harmless fun! Until Toni gets mistaken for a lawyer. Toni and Bri are then whisked away to a fancy corporate Christmas retreat in the snowy Vermont mountains by handsome business mogul, whose crush on Toni is real even if her legal career isn’t. And Bri is along for the ride as she has eyes for Vinny, a valet who may have a secret of his own.
6. The Christmas Charade
An action-packed Christmas movie is not the usual rom-com, but don’t knock it till you try it. Whitney, a cautious librarian raised by home security experts, finds herself in a real-life adventure when a blind date mix-up leads her into an undercover FBI operation. Forced to pose as the girlfriend of Special Agent Josh, she helps him track down an art thief targeting the Heart of Christmas necklace at a Christmas Eve charity ball. As the stakes rise, Whitney must embrace her inner action hero to save the day—and her family—just in time for Christmas.
7. The 5-Year Christmas Party
Ahh, a good ‘ole case of right person, wrong time. Told over the course of five years, two recent college grads find themselves drawn together year after year while working for a catering company that specializes in holiday parties. This is the kind of silly-yet-romantic cheesy holiday movie that you’ll want to watch year after year.
8. Holiday Mismatch
The queens are back together again! Caroline Rhea and Beth Broderick star in this Hallmark film, where retiree Barb joins a Holiday Committee but clashes with long-standing member Kath. When they realize their kids have started dating, they conspire to break up the happy couple.
9. How to Fall in Love By the Holidays
Nora Winters tries to save her lifestyle brand by writing a column about her efforts to fall in love by Christmas. With the help of a handsome photographer, Nora learns there may be a lot to love about looking for love during the holidays. Anyone who has wondered what it’s really like to have a dating story go viral on TikTok will love this movie.
10. A Very Merry Beauty Salon
Sienna (Tia Mowry), the owner of the bustling Divine Beauty Salon, is preparing for Atlanta’s Tinsel Ball, where she will be honored for her charitable work in the community. The annual event takes a glamourous turn with the arrival of Lawrence, a charismatic CEO whose family’s wine brand is now co-sponsoring the Ball. Sparks fly between them, and a holiday romance begins to flower.
11. Single All The Way
In my opinion, Single All The Way is one of the most underrated holiday rom-coms out there. This is what I’ve always dreamed of—a holiday rom-com with Jennifer Coolidge playing an audacious side character. Desperate to avoid his family’s judgment about being single, Peter persuades best friend Nick to pose as his boyfriend on a trip home for the holidays. When he arrives, his mom tries to set him up with a hunk in his hometown—but Peter soon realizes that the right person may have been there all along.
12. Holidate
If there’s one thing that Sloane and Jackson have in common, it’s their hatred for the holiday season. After a chance meeting and bonding over the shared experience of dodging holiday relationship pressures, they form a pact to be each other’s holiday plus ones. It’s simple, fun, and easy—but just how long can they keep it up? This one is perfectly raw and downright hilarious.
13. Holiday Rush
This Netflix holiday film will give you all of the feels. Meet Rush Williams, a widowed father of four and radio DJ who unexpectedly loses his job right before the holidays. He and his family subsequently have to forfeit a life of luxury, return to their previous home, and pull together to build back up over the holiday season. It’s a story about overcoming obstacles, leaning on your loved ones, and remembering that it’s not what you have but who you have that counts.
14. Last Christmas
This movie is an unexpected holiday masterpiece. A year after Kate receives a heart transplant, she finds herself in a messy downward spiral. She’s dangerously close to losing her job, can’t find a sure place to live, and is detaching from friends and family. Around Christmas, Kate meets Tom, an optimistic, charming stranger who helps her turn her life around. This film left me feeling so many emotions and is truly one of my new Christmas favorites. Grab your Kleenex because in between the fun and Christmas cheer, this one’s a real tear-jerker.
15. The Holiday Calendar
I don’t know about you, but with all the stress of the holiday season, I could definitely use a little magic in my life, and this Christmas romantic comedy is here to help. When Abby, a talented but struggling photographer, inherits an advent calendar from her grandmother, her bad luck begins to change. Soon, she finds that the calendar seems to predict the future and might just be pointing her in the direction of love. It’s a refreshing take on holiday cheer and, of course, serves up a love triangle that’ll keep you on your toes.
16. Holiday in the Wild
Alright, I’ll be the first to admit: When I think of cheesy holiday movies, the absolute last things that I subsequently think of are elephants, divorce, Rob Lowe, or Kristin Davis. And that’s exactly what makes Holiday in the Wild such an unexpected treat. After Kate finds herself abruptly divorced, she takes her pre-planned second honeymoon trip to Zambia alone, where she rediscovers herself, regains purpose, and finds potential romance.
17. A Bad Moms Christmas
A Bad Moms Christmas is the ultimate holiday mood. After three modern-day moms bond over the stress of creating a perfect holiday season, dealing with visiting mothers, and “doing it right,” they make the executive decision to take back Christmas and bring fun back into the holiday season. It’s messy, it’s comedic, it’s heartfelt, and in my book, it’s pure gold.
18. Christmas Inheritance
If you’re someone who goes crazy for Hallmark holiday movies, this Netflix film was made just for you (a gift from Santa himself). Ellen Langford, a head-in-the-clouds socialite, is in the process of being primed to take over her father’s company. But after a messy holiday appearance, her father requests that she visit his hometown to explore the roots of the company. There’s humor, there’s romance, drama, and even an unexpected snowstorm—what more could a cheesy holiday movie lover ask for?
19. Best. Christmas. Ever!
Disclaimer: This is one of those more heartwarming, “awwwww”-worthy movies than a true cheesy Christmas film, but since it came out this year, it definitely deserves a shout-out. Every year around the holidays, Jackie sends out a “Christmas newsletter” to her friends and family—and each year, Charlotte, her ex-best friend, resents the rosy picture that Jackie paints of her life. When a twist of fate lands Charlotte on Jackie’s doorstep for Christmas, she tries to prove that her friend’s life is not perfect.
20. The Princess Switch
I never thought I’d say this, but nowadays, when I see Vanessa Hudgens, I automatically think of the holidays. I blame this cheesy holiday movie. This is the ultimate Christmas film cliché that I live for—think Parent Trap, but sprinkle some holiday cheer on it. When Stacy discovers a lookalike with royal connections, the two trade places—giving each other exactly what they’ve been missing. If you like this one, be sure to check out The Princess Switch: Switched Again.
21. Christmas with a Prince
Royal-obsessed people, unite! When a dedicated pediatrician agrees to care for a high-profile, overindulged prince while he recovers from a ski accident, she finds that he has a mature side that makes him less of a royal pain—and a tad bit lovable. The love story of my dreams exists, and this is it.
22. The Knight Before Christmas
Well, well, well, look who we have here. Vanessa Hudgens, back at it again to make all of our holiday dreams come true. This time, Hudgens plays Brooke, a science teacher who doesn’t believe in love. She befriends medieval knight Sir Cole, who was transported to present-day Ohio by a sorceress, and the two work together to help him return home (but not without finding love along the way, of course).
23. Christmas Catch
I think this is the closest mix of true crime and holiday that I ever want to get. In this holiday film, an undercover cop goes on a sting date with a suspected diamond thief. After getting to know him, she develops feelings and the suspicion that he’s being framed for a crime he didn’t commit. It’s quirky, it’s feel-good, and it should be at the top of your holiday watch list.
24. A Christmas Prince
A Christmas cliché, above-average acting, and a bit of wanderlust? Sign me up. A young, aspiring journalist gets the opportunity of a lifetime and is assigned to get the tea on a scandalous prince poised to be king. To her surprise, Christmas comes early, as she learns that he’s more than meets the eye. If you like what you watch, you’re in luck because there are two more in the series. Enter A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding and A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby.
25. Operation Christmas Drop
Speaking of wanderlust, let’s take a trip to Guam, shall we? In this film, a by-the-book congressional aide is sent to investigate a tropical military base known for using military cargo planes to drop gifts and supplies to remote islands on Christmas. She goes with the intention of finding a reason to shut it down, but Andrew (an easy-on-the-eyes Air Force captain) works to convince her otherwise.
26. Midnight at the Magnolia
Longtime friends and radio hosts Maggie and Jack fake a public relationship over the holidays in hopes of building their brand and growing their show to a national level. Will they stay in the friend zone, ruin their friendship, or cross lines into the beyond? It’s the ultimate “will they or won’t they” storyline and is one of Netflix’s great holiday features.
27. Girlfriends of Christmas Past
John Tucker Must Die, say “hello” to the holiday season. In this film, Livvy gets unexpectedly dumped right before the holidays. She teams up with two of her ex’s past girlfriends to serve up the ultimate Christmas payback. But just how far will they go? Operation “Rudolph’s Revenge” is a go.
28. Christmas Crush
PSA: If you’re going to make a Christmas wish this year, be specific. When Addie makes a wish for her neighbor to fall in love with her, it comes true—but not in the way she expects. Enter Pete, a guy from her past and her brand-spankin’ new next-door neighbor, who seems to be under a Christmas spell, head-over-heels in love with her. During the film, Addie attempts to make him fall out of love so she can keep her eyes on her OG prospect.
29. Dash & Lily
A not-so-cliché teen romance, a strong female lead, quirky fashion, and a holiday meets To All The Boys vibe. What more could we ask for in a holiday feature? Meet the eight-episode series our team is obsessed with. Though it’s not technically a movie, I consider it one because most of us blew through the entire series in one sitting. A Christmas miracle, if you will.
30. Happiest Season
POV: You’re in love with your girlfriend, decide to spend the holidays with her family, and plan to propose—but when you arrive, you learn that she hasn’t quite come out to her conservative parents yet. Happiest Season stars household names like Kristen Stewart, Daniel Levy, Aubrey Plaza, and more. It’s the queer, modern-day cheesy holiday movie your rotation was missing.