Mistletoe season is upon us, and that means cozy nights in, a mug of hot chocolate (maybe a boozy version for mom) and, best of all, romance. The holidays really are the most wonderful time of the year, but especially for those of us who love love. It's as if there's...magic in the air. So, go ahead. Get that snuggle den set up, because we've compiled a list of the best, most romantic Christmas movies for your viewing pleasure.
Whether you're looking for a black-and-white classic, a Netflix Original, a family-friendly pick or an adults-only rom-com, we've got you covered. These flicks run the gamut from enemies-to-lovers romances to more outside-the-box love stories. Craving a chance run-in in the snowy streets of New York City? There's a When Harry Met Sally dupe you need to know about. How about a glamorous European vacation interrupted by a heartthrob? Or a prince? Yes, we've included some royal Christmas picks, too. And don't forget the deliciously tragic romances for when you just need a good cry. Not every Christmas couple ends up together in the below films. For a guaranteed happy ending, we'd suggest a Hallmark Christmas romance.
Whatever flavor of romance you're in the mood for, here are 35 swoon-worthy and festive favorites, plus where to stream them.
'The Holiday' (2006)
Columbia Pictures
This coziest of cozy Christmas romances stars Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz. Both women are unlucky in love, and their lives have stagnated. On a whim, they decide to swap houses for Christmas, and their new digs come with a couple of ultra-charming Mr. Rights. Directed by rom-com master Nancy Meyers ("It's Complicated," "Something's Gotta Give"), "The Holiday" is perfect for a night in. And if you've got the travel bug, the snowy scenes at Kate Winslet's adorable English cottage are sure to scratch that itch.Â
'It's a Wonderful Life' (1946)
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
The classic story of Jimmy Stewart's cynical businessman, George Bailey, is a notorious tear-jerker and an underrated romance. George's devoted wife, Mary, played by Donna Reed, is the real heart of the film. "You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down." Just...perfect.Â
Love Actually (2003)
Peter Mountain/Universal Studios
This collection of interwoven plots has all the right stuff, whether you're looking for a story about family love, romantic love or unrequited adoration (or, let's be honest, if you just want to relive that scene). The film, directed by Richard Curtis ("About Time"), is set in a very festive London in the dramatic build-up to Christmas. Oh, and Hugh Grant is in it. Enough said.Â
'Bridget Jones's Diary' (2001)
Miramax
Speaking of Hugh Grant, you can't go wrong spending the holidays with Renée Zellweger's effervescent, egregiously unlucky "Miss Jones" as she navigates her particularly thorny love life. (Having to choose between Hugh Grant and Colin Firth? Bridget deserves a Nobel Peace Prize.) Plus, the film features one of cinema's greatest kissing-in-the-snow scenes. Don't walk, run.Â
'Christmas in Connecticut' (1945)
Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
Nothing beats a good silver-screen romance, and this one's got some bite. Barbara Stanwyck stars as a renowned food columnist whose fame is built on just a little white lie. She's not really an expert homemaker living on a farm, but a single New Yorker with no culinary skills whatsoever. So when her editor invites a strapping war hero to her home for a five-star Christmas feast, the pressure is on.Â
'Serendipity' (2001)
Miramax
John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale are star-crossed lovers in this iconic tale of fate and longing. Years after their chance meeting, Jonathan and Sara set out to find one another again, certain that their destiny is to be together. It's a heart-wrenching saga, but it's peppered with plenty of lighthearted moments. And the snowy, glittering New York City scenes are peak romance.Â
'Four Christmases' (2008)
New Line Cinema
An unmarried couple, played by Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, are forced to attend their parents' dysfunctional holiday celebrations. Over the course of one high-stress Christmas Day, they begin to question whether their fear of commitment is keeping them from achieving true happiness.Â
'The Family Stone' (2005)
20th Century Studios
Sarah Jessica Parker stars as an aggressively Type-A businesswoman in this fish-out-of-water dramedy. When Meredith meets her boyfriend's boisterous family for the first time at Christmas, it's a clash of cultures to strain even the most robust relationship.Â
'While You Were Sleeping' (1995)
Buena Vista/Getty Images
Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman are irresistible in this charming, but surprisingly dark romantic comedy. Bullock's Lucy is a Chicago Transit ticket collector and hopeless romantic with, evidently, some psychotic tendencies. When a man is injured and left comatose after a train accident, Lucy inexplicably poses as the his fiancée. Things get even more complicated (if that's even possible) when Lucy falls in love with the man's brother.Â
'White Christmas' (1954)
John Swope/Getty Images
This classic musical starring Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney is so full of razzle-dazzle that it's easy to forget the film also includes some fabulous romantic beats. Two men in a song-and-dance group team up with a sister act to save a picturesque Vermont inn, and their collaboration leads to so much more.
'Falling for Christmas' (2022)
Netflix
This Netflix Original stars Lindsay Lohan as a newly-engaged and insufferable heiress diagnosed with amnesia after a skiing accident. She ends up staying with a gorgeous widower (Chord Overstreet) and his daughter, who take care of her during the Christmas season. You know what they say. Love is proximity.Â
'Edward Scissorhands' (1990)
20th Century Studios
We totally concede that "Edward Scissorhands" doesn't immediately come to mind when thinking about holiday romances. But this Tim Burton classic includes some A-1 Christmas bits. Hello? The hand-carved ice sculptures? Winona Ryder in granny makeup? And Kim and Edward's love story is literally straight out of a fable...read by granny Winona Ryder. It's worth a holiday rewatch.
'Ghosts of Girlfriends Past' (2009)
New Line Cinema
Matthew McConaughey plays Connor, an ego-driven celebrity photographer and total lothario. In the lead-up to his brother's wedding, Connor is haunted by all his ex-girlfriends, who show him the error of his womanizing ways. It's a modern twist on Dickens' A Christmas Carol, and McConaughey is electric as the ultimate bad boyfriend.Â
'The Apartment' (1960)
Getty Images
Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine are irresistible in this classic rom-com that took home the Best Picture Oscar. During the holidays, ambitious New York City insurance clerk Bud Baxter loans out his apartment to his seedy bosses for their extramarital affairs. Things don't go according to plan, thanks to one eye-catching mistress.
'The Noel Diary' (2022)
Netflix
Based on Richard Paul Evans' best-selling novel, Netflix's The Noel Diary stars Justin Hartley as a famous novelist who stumbles upon a mysterious diary while sorting through his estranged mother's estate. A beautiful young woman named Rachel (Barrett Doss) is searching for her birth mother, and, together, they embark on a quest of self-discovery.
'Just Friends' (2005)
New Line Cinema
Being friend-zoned is tough, but no one takes it as hard as Ryan Reynolds' Chris. Ten years after his embarrassing high school days, Chris is an uber-successful music industry bigwig (and he's shed his baby fat). Surely his high school sweetheart, who rejected him all those years ago, will want him now. Determined to make her jealous, Chris hits his hometown Christmas celebrations in style, with a beautiful pop star (Anna Faris) in tow.Â
'A Christmas Prince' Series (2017-2019)
Netflix
Intrepid reporter Amber travels to a country called Aldovia to sniff out some royal intrigue in this beloved Netflix Original. She goes undercover as a tutor in the hopes of exposing Aldovia's playboy prince and soon-to-be king. But her ruse hangs from a thread, and she questions whether she's totally misjudged the royal bachelor. If it floats your boat, there are two sequels (spoiler warning!): "A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding" and "A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby".Â
'About a Boy' (2002)
Universal Studios
This one's a bit unconventional for a romance list, but it's utterly charming. The critically-acclaimed adaptation of Nick Hornby's bestselling book is Hugh Grant at his finest. "About a Boy" follows devil-may-care womanizer Will, a millionaire playboy living off the royalties from his father's classic Christmas song. Will joins a group for single parents with the sole intention of meeting single women. An unexpected friendship blossoms between him and one of the women's young sons, sending Will on a journey of self-discovery.Â
Last Christmas (2019)
Jonathan Prime/Universal Studios
Emilia Clarke ("Game of Thrones") and Henry Golding ("Crazy Rich Asians:) are an unlikely match in this Christmastime rom-com from the director of "Bridesmaids". Kate works as an elf in a year-round Christmas-themed store. (That's enough mistletoe to make anyone disillusioned.) Her real dream? To be a singer. Reality and fantasy collide when she meets Tom, who's almost too perfect.Â
'Meet Me in St. Louis' (1944)
MGM
Nothing like a technicolor musical to light up those cold winter nights — and this one is the origin of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." Judy Garland stars as Esther, the eldest of the Smith family's four daughters. When her father plans to uproot the family from their St. Louis mansion and move them to New York City, Esther's romance with the neighbor boy is in jeopardy.
'The Family Man' (2000)
Universal Studios
Picture "It's a Wonderful Life", but with Nicolas Cage. That's essentially what this movie is. Cage plays corporate shark Jack, an investment broker with no real life outside of work. He wakes up one day to what his life could have been if he had stuck with his college girlfriend: Two kids, no sports car, no freedom and a house filled with love.Â
'The Princess Switch' Series (2018-2021)
Mark Mainz/Netflix
Queen of Netflix Christmas Vanessa Hudgens turns in a double performance as both a soon-to-be princess and a lowly baker. The two women use their likeness to their advantage, swapping identities for Christmas. But living a double life is a dangerous game, and things get messy when romance enters the equation. Netflix has gone on to make two sequels: "The Princess Switch: Switched Again" and "The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star".
'Something from Tiffany's' (2022)
Prime Video
This Amazon original begins with a jewelry mix-up in the decked-out streets of New York City and ends with—well, you'll just have to see for yourself. A lost engagement ring plunges two couples into chaos during the holidays. But the twists and turns might lead them to where they're meant to be.
'An Affair to Remember' (1957)
20th Century Fox/United Archives/Getty Images
This notorious tear-jerker is a multi-holiday extravaganza...tragedy? Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr ring in the New Year together and agree to meet again in six months. But fate has other plans, and their long-awaited Christmas Eve reunion will have you in shambles. Be warned: This movie will forever ruin the Empire State Building for you.
'When Harry Met Sally...' (1989)
MGM
While Nora Ephron's magnum opus is always relevant, the film is tailor-made for the holiday season. We're talking lavish New Year's Eve party scenes, the chunkiest cable-knits known to man and snow falling on the New York City skyline. It's the years-long saga of two friends, played by Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, trying to crack the age-old debate: Can a man and a woman really be just friends?Â
'Love Hard' (2021)
Netflix
Nina Dobrev stars as a Californian writer in this inventive screwball-type comedy. Natalie has only ever corresponded with her crush on a dating app, and she makes a bold decision to spice up the holidays. She'll surprise him in person! Turns out he's been catfishing her. But they cut a deal: He'll find the man whose photo she fell in love with if she'll pose as his girlfriend. Absolutely foolproof plan.Â
'Holiday Affair' (1949)
RKO Radio Pictures/Getty Images
Eggnog and love triangles — now that's the Christmas spirit. This is a black-and-white romance about a young widow (Janet Leigh) in a bind. Does she marry the straight-laced but humdrum lawyer (Carl David) or the charming misanthrope (Robert Mitchum)? She's scheduled to marry the former on New Year's Eve, so she has to act fast. Nothing like a ticking time bomb to stir up some holiday cheer!
'A Christmas in New York' (2017)
Gravitas Ventures
If you're a "Love Actually" fan, this indie ensemble film about many different couples staying in one luxurious Manhattan hotel over the holidays is your cup of tea...or cocoa. Separately, each romantic pair must overcome their problems in order to re-discover the magic of Christmas.
'A Castle for Christmas' (2021)
Netflix
Scandal-plagued author Sophie (Brooke Shields) steals away to Scotland, where she intends to purchase a castle. The hitch? While in escrow, she's forced to cohabitate with the very cute, but very grumpy duke (Cary Elwes) who owns the castle. Ugh. Real estate these days...
'Miracle on 34th Street' (1947)
Corbis Historical/Getty Images
Maureen O'Hara stars as a divorced mother who hires a sweet elderly gent to play Santa Claus at Macy's, and is dumbfounded when he claims to be the real Kris Kringle. A court case ensues, and Santa's defense lawyer is just as charming as he is sharp.
'Little Women' (2019)
Sony Pictures
Greta Gerwig's Oscar-winning 'Little Women' adaptation is everything: A family drama, a coming-of-age story, a romance, a period piece and a holiday movie. Watch the March sisters grow up over the course of not one, but two Christmases, and bask in the Timothée Chalamet of it all.
"Surviving Christmas" (2004)
DreamWorks
Ben Affleck and Christina Applegate lead this rom-com that just smacks of Hallmark-style hijinx: Facing a lonely Christmas, wealthy executive Drew pays the family who bought his childhood home an obscene amount of money to let him stay with them over the holidays. When their adult daughter Alicia comes home for Christmas, the games begin.
'Holidate' (2020)
Netflix
Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey are both unlucky in love, and they're sick of fielding the usual nosy questions and setups at family get-togethers. So they concoct a plan to pose as each other's significant other at every holiday gathering. After about a year, the anti-romantics find that there may be something to this love thing after all.Â
'Last Holiday' (2006)
Paramount Pictures
Loosely based on the 1950 British film of the same name, "Last Holiday" is a genial rom-com for those craving a good laugh and an even better cry. Queen Latifah stars as Georgia, a shy maid who receives a terminal diagnosis and sells all her possessions to live out her days at a luxury European hotel. Her secret love Sean, played by LL Cool J, is ready to reciprocate her feelings, but time is not on their side.
"Happiest Season" (2020)
Hulu
Kristen Stewart stars in this heartwarming queer rom-com from "Veep" actress Clea DuVall. Abby hopes to propose to her girlfriend Harper (Mackenzie Davis) while spending the holidays with her future in-laws. But Harper hasn't come out to her family yet, and the couple struggles to stay true to themselves while seeking acceptance.
'The Best Man Holiday' (2013)
IMDB
Hold onto your Santa hats, because "The Best Man Holiday" reunites a group of college friends who discover that time doesn't always heal old rivalries. Cue the Christmas music and a dance-off you didn't know you needed. This flick wraps up humor, drama, and a touch of nostalgia, and you may even find yourself getting a little weepy at times. That's okay. We cried too.
'The Perfect Holiday' (2007)
IMDB
Santa's got a brand new bag in "The Perfect Holiday," and it's full of cute kids with matchmaking schemes. When a little girl asks a mall Santa to cheer up her mom, she sets off a Christmas rom-com chain reaction that's as sweet as those candy canes you've been hoarding since last year. We see them, don't try to lie to us.
'The Trouble With Mistletoe' (2017)
IMDB
If you've ever wondered about the potential romantic shenanigans that a pet shop and mistletoe can conjure, "The Trouble With Mistletoe" is your kind of holiday flick. It's got fur, purrs, and kisses that were definitely not on the shopping list — and those are some of our favorite kinds.
'The Christmas Pact' (2018)
IMDB
Can a childhood pinky promise under the Christmas tree lead to lifelong love? "The Christmas Pact" might make you think twice about those innocent vows. This holiday charmer is a testament to the fact that the best presents don't always come in wrapping paper. Sometimes, they come with memories and a promise that grows up along with you.
'The Spirit of Christmas' (2015)
IMDB
Who says a haunting can't be heartwarming? "The Spirit of Christmas" begs to differ, with a lawyer and a ghost both finding themselves in a legal - and spectral - bind. This holiday tale unfolds like a Christmas Carol with a twist, proving that even an apparition can yearn for yuletide affection. It's a holiday mystery, a love story, and a spirited adventure all tied up with a bow.
'Christmas at Graceland' (2018)
IMDB
Business and pleasure collide in "Christmas at Graceland," where a finance whiz rediscovers her musical roots and maybe, just maybe, a lost love. Elvis's legacy looms large, but so does the spirit of Christmas, reminding us that coming home for the holidays can be the start of a new chapter. Expect twinkling lights, classic tunes, and a love story that might just make the King himself smile.
'Christmas in Conway' (2013)
IMDB
"Christmas in Conway" takes an average backyard and turns it into the stage for an extraordinary declaration of love. With a Ferris wheel, a husband's undying devotion, and the festive backdrop of Conway, this movie spins a tale of love that's larger than life and as bright as the Christmas lights adorning every inch of that big wheel.
'Almost Christmas' (2016)
IMDB
Family gatherings and the holidays: a recipe for disaster or for laughter? It's a little bit of both with "Almost Christmas", and we wouldn't have it any other way. It's familiar, after all. Watch as the Meyers family navigates the season of joy with enough quirks and quibbles to fill a stocking. You know, one of those big ones you get that you can fill with tons of cool stuff.
'The Christmas Ornament' (2013)
IMDB
Ever thought an ornament could change your life? "The Christmas Ornament" spins a tale where a tiny trinket is anything but trivial. Widow Kathy finds herself entangled with a handsome Christmas tree shop owner, and together they learn that the heart can rekindle its glow. But not after some romantic holiday mischief first.
'Christmas in the Smokies' (2015)
IMDB
"Christmas in the Smokies" is a down-home country Christmas card come to life. Shelby is fighting to save her family's farm with the only weapon she has: a holiday concert. Cue the return of her country star ex-boyfriend, and you've got a recipe for rekindled romance that's as sweet as Southern iced tea and as warm as a Tennessee fire.
'Journey Back to Christmas' (2016)
IMDB
Take a dash of time travel, a sprinkle of post-war nostalgia, and what do you get? "Journey Back to Christmas." A nurse from the 1940s finds herself in the present day, where she discovers that the holiday spirit is timeless, and love doesn't need a DeLorean to cross decades. Buckle up for a wholesome ride through time that will leave you feeling like you've just had the best Christmas dinner ever.
'A Christmas Detour' (2015)
IMDB
A road trip with a stranger might not be Paige's idea of a merry Christmas, but "A Christmas Detour" takes us on a journey full of surprises and snowdrifts. This unexpected detour might just be the scenic route to love. Seatbelts on, folks—this ride teaches that the best destinations aren't always the ones on your original itinerary.
'A Very Merry Mix-Up' (2013)
IMDB
Talk about mistaken identities and holiday mishaps; "A Very Merry Mix-Up" is the comedic gift that keeps on giving. Alice thinks she's meeting her fiancé's family, but oh, the tangled Christmas lights fate weaves. Sometimes the wrong turn leads you exactly where you belong, and this film is a merry mix-up that could just make believers out of cynics.
'A Bride for Christmas' (2012)
IMDB
A bet to woo a bride by Christmas might sound like a plot born from a gentleman's club, but "A Bride for Christmas" is anything but your ordinary bet. It's a wager of the heart that turns into a full-blown love escapade, complete with bridal gowns and mistletoe. Who knew a little challenge could unwrap such a big romance?
'Christmas Cupid' (2010)
IMDB
Picture this: a high-flying PR exec gets a visit from the ghost of her late client, who's on a mission to mend her love life in "Christmas Cupid." Think of it as a modern spin on Dickens, where the holiday haunts are as charming as they are enlightening. This movie delivers laughs and love lessons with a bow on top.
