57 Best Romantic Christmas Movies to Stream This Holiday

When the chill of winter sets in and snowflakes begin to fall, there’s nothing quite like curling up with a cozy blanket, a warm drink, and a romantic Christmas movie to fill your heart with holiday cheer. The magic of the season blends perfectly with tales of love, making these films the ultimate comfort for cold nights. Whether you’re looking for sweet holiday classics, laugh-out-loud rom-coms, or heartfelt love stories, there’s a festive flick to suit every mood.

From timeless favorites like It’s a Wonderful Life to modern hits brimming with Christmas charm, these 57 best romantic Christmas movies promise to capture the joy and magic of the holidays. So, grab your favorite treats, set the lights aglow, and let these heartwarming stories whisk you away to a world of love and holiday spirit.

Love Actually (2003)

Director: Richard Curtis
Starring: Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightley, Martine McCutcheon, Bill Nighy, Rowan Atkinson
Watch On: Amazon Prime Video, Starz Apple TV

The film delves into different aspects of love as shown through 10 separate stories involving a variety of individuals, many of whom are interlinked as the plot progresses. The story begins five weeks before Christmas and is played out in a weekly countdown until the holiday, followed by an epilogue that takes place in the New Year.

The Holiday (2006)

Director: Nancy Meyers
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black, Eli Wallach, Edward Burns, Rufus Sewell
Watch On: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, NBC

Two women, one from the United States and one from the United Kingdom, swap homes at Christmas time after bad breakups with their boyfriends. Each woman finds romance with a local man but realizes that the imminent return home may end the relationship.

While You Were Sleeping (1995)

Director: Jon Turteltaub
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, Peter Gallagher, Peter Boyle, Glynis Johns, Jack Warden
Watch On: Disney Plus, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel, The Roku Channel

A transit worker pulls commuter Peter off railway tracks after he’s mugged, but—while he’s in a coma—his family mistakenly thinks she’s Peter’s fiancée, and she doesn’t correct them. Things get more complicated when she falls for his brother, who’s not quite sure that she’s who she claims to be.

The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Starring: Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Frank Morgan, Joseph Schildkraut
Watch On: fuboTV, Max, Max Amazon Channel, Epix Amazon Channel, MGM Plus

Eschewing regional politics in the years leading up to World War II, the film is about two employees at a leathergoods shop in Budapest who can barely stand each other, not realizing they are falling in love as anonymous correspondents through their letters.

The Merry Gentlemen (2024)

Director: Peter Sullivan
Starring: Britt Robertson, Chad Michael Murray
Available on: Netflix

To save her parents’ small-town performing venue, a former big-city dancer decides to stage an all-male, Christmas-themed revue.

Happiest Season (2020)

Director: Clea DuVall
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Daniel Levy, Mary Holland, Victor Garber, Mary Steenburgen
Watch On: Hulu

The film follows a young woman who struggles to admit to her conservative parents that she is a lesbian while she and her girlfriend visit them during Christmas.

The Thin Man (1934)

Director: W. S. Van Dyke
Starring: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Maureen O’Sullivan, Nat Pendleton, Minna Gombell
Watch On: Amazon Video

William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, a leisure-class couple who enjoy copious drinking and flirtatious banter. Nick is a retired private detective who left his very successful career when he married Nora, a wealthy heiress accustomed to high society.

Hot Frosty (2024)

Director: Jerry Ciccoritti
Starring: Lacey Chabert, Dustin Milligan, Katy Mixon Greer, Lauren Holly, Chrishell Stause, Joe Lo Truglio, Craig Robinson
Watch On: Netflix

When a young widow’s magic scarf brings a dashing snowman to life, can he help her rediscover romance, laughter and holiday cheer before he melts away?

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Director: Rob Reiner
Starring: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher, and Bruno Kirby
Watch On: Pluto TV 

It follows the title characters from the time they meet in Chicago and share a drive to New York City through twelve years of chance encounters in New York, and addresses the question “Can men and women ever just be friends?”

The Best Man Holiday (2013)

Director: Malcolm D. Lee
Starring: Morris Chestnut, Taye Diggs, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long, Melissa De Sousa, Harold Perrineau
Watch On: Amazon Prime Video

Nearly 15 years after they were last together as a group, college friends Lance (Morris Chestnut), Harper (Taye Diggs), Candace (Regina Hall), Quentin (Terrence Howard), Robyn (Sanaa Lathan), Jordan (Nia Long), Murch (Harold Perrineau), and Mia (Monica Calhoun) finally reunite over the Christmas holidays. Though much has changed in their lives, the friends discover just how easy it is for long-forgotten rivalries and passionate romances to be reignited.

Holidate (2020)

Director: John Whitesell
Starring: Emma Roberts, Luke Bracey, Jake Manley, Jessica Capshaw, Andrew Bachelor, Frances Fisher, Manish Dayal and Kristin Chenoweth
Watch On: Netflix

Fed up with being single on holidays, two strangers agree to be each other’s platonic plus-ones all year long, only to catch real feelings along the way.

Love Hard (2021)

Director: Hernán Jiménez
Starring: Nina Dobrev, Jimmy O. Yang, Darren Barnet
Watch on: Netflix

Hopeless romantic but eternally single LA journalist Natalie (Nina Dobrev) thinks things are beginning to look up when she swipes right on a dreamy guy from the East Coast, Tag (Darren Barnet). Taking a leap of faith, she jumps on a flight to surprise her crush for the holidays, only to discover that she’s been catfished by Tag’s childhood friend who is equally unlucky in love, Josh (Jimmy O. Yang). This lighthearted romantic comedy chronicles her attempt to reel in love.

A Welcome Home Christmas (2020)

Director: Brian Herzlinger
Starring: Jana Kramer, Brandon Quinn, Charlene Tilton, Tim Reid, Tyler Merritt, Rose Reid
Watch on: Apple TV, Amazon

Chloe has always supported various military organizations, including the town’s Army toy drive for Christmas. This year, she is paired up with Michael, a vet who recently returned home, and together they recruit other veterans and active military personnel to help in the cause. As the community gears up for the Officer’s Christmas Ball, where all the kids will meet Santa Claus and receive their gifts, Michael and Chloe begin to realize the greatest gift this season has been each other’s company.

Elf (2003)

Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Asner, Bob Newhart
Watch On: Hulu, Max, Max Amazon Channel

Raised as an oversized elf, Buddy travels from the North Pole to New York City to meet his biological father, Walter Hobbs, who doesn’t know he exists and is in desperate need of some Christmas spirit.

The Apartment (1960)

Director: Gilles Mimouni
Starring: Romane Bohringer, Vincent Cassel, Jean-Philippe Écoffey, Monica Bellucci
Watch On: Apple TV+

Max is a former playboy who has decided to settle down by marrying his current love, Muriel. However, when Max catches a glimpse of the great lost love of his life, he becomes obsessed with rekindling their relationship.

The Family Stone (2005)

Director: Thomas Bezucha
Starring: Dermot Mulroney, Sarah Jessica Parker, Diane Keaton, Luke Wilson
Watch On: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, fuboTV, Tubi TV

An uptight, conservative businesswoman accompanies her boyfriend to his eccentric and outgoing family’s annual Christmas celebration and finds that she’s a fish out of water in their free-spirited way of life.

Single All the Way (2021)

Director: Michael Mayer
Starring: Michael Urie, Philemon Chambers, Luke Macfarlane, Barry Bostwick, Jennifer Robertson, Jennifer Coolidge, Kathy Najimy
Watch on: Netflix

The plot follows a man (Michael Urie) who convinces his best friend (Philemon Chambers) to pretend to be his boyfriend when he goes home for Christmas, only to be set up on a blind date by his mother (Kathy Najimy).

Falling for Christmas (2022)

Director: Janeen Damian
Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Chord Overstreet, George Young, Jack Wagner, Olivia Perez
Watch On: Netflix

A young, newly engaged heiress has a skiing accident in the days before Christmas. After she is diagnosed with amnesia, she finds herself in the care of the handsome cabin owner and his daughter.

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Director: George Seaton
Starring: Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn, Gene Lockhart, Natalie Wood, Porter Hall, William Frawley, Jerome Cowan, Philip Tonge
Watch On: Disney Plus, fuboTV, Peacock Premium, Paramount Plus, AMC Plus, Apple TV Channel, Amazon Prime Video, Roku Premium Channel, Pluto TV

Kris Kringle, seemingly the embodiment of Santa Claus, is asked to portray the jolly old fellow at Macy’s following his performance in the Thanksgiving Day parade. His portrayal is so complete that many begin to question if he truly is Santa Claus, while others question his sanity.

Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)

Director: Sharon Maguire
Starring: Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent, Gemma Jones
Watch On: Max

Bridget Jones is an average woman struggling against her age, her weight, her job, her lack of a man, and her various imperfections. As a New Year’s resolution, Bridget decides to take control of her life, starting by keeping a diary in which she will always tell the complete truth. The fireworks begin when her charming though disreputable boss takes an interest in the quirky Miss Jones. Thrown into the mix are Bridget’s band of slightly eccentric friends and a rather disagreeable acquaintance into whom Bridget cannot seem to stop running or help finding quietly attractive.

Our Little Secret (2024)

Director: Stephen Herek
Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Ian Harding, Tim Meadows, Jon Rudnitsky, Henry Czerny, Judy Reyes, Chris Parnell, Kristin Chenoweth
Watch On: Netflix

After discovering their significant others are siblings, two resentful exes must spend Christmas under one roof while hiding their romantic history.

The Preacher’s Wife (1996)

Director: Penny Marshall
Starring: Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, and Courtney B. Vance
Watch On: fuboTV, The Roku Channel

It is a remake of the 1947 film The Bishop’s Wife, which in turn was based on the 1928 novel of the same name by Robert Nathan.

Good-natured Reverend Henry Biggs finds that his marriage to choir mistress Julia is flagging, due to his constant absence caring for the deprived neighborhood they live in. On top of all this, his church is coming under threat from property developer Joe Hamilton. In desperation, Biggs prays to God for help – which arrives in the form of an angel named Dudley.

Four Christmases (2008)

Director: Seth Gordon
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Duvall, Jon Favreau, Mary Steenburgen, Dwight Yoakam, Tim McGraw, Kristin Chenoweth, Jon Voight, Sissy Spacek
Watch On: Hulu, Max, Max Amazon Channel

Brad and Kate have made something of an art form out of avoiding their families during the holidays, but this year their foolproof plan is about go bust — big time. Stuck at the city airport after all departing flights are canceled, the couple is embarrassed to see their ruse exposed to the world by an overzealous television reporter. Now, Brad and Kate are left with precious little choice other than to swallow their pride and suffer the rounds.

Something From Tiffany’s (2022)

Director: Daryl Wein
Starring: Zoey Deutch, Kendrick Sampson, Ray Nicholson, Shay Mitchell
Watch On: Amazon Prime Video

Follows a woman as her life gets upended when she receives a very special blue box that was intended for someone else. The “someone else” receives the misdirected blue box, and very unexpected things begin to happen. Love’s often-mysterious magic brings unsuspecting people together.

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Director: Frank Capra
Starring: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi, Ward Bond, Frank Faylen, Gloria Grahame
Watch On: Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Freevee, Xumo Play

An angel visits a frustrated businessman to show him what life would look like if he never existed.The classic Christmas film is based on the short story The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern, which was inspired by Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. It is helmed by Frank Capra and stars James Stewart.

[Related Content: 39 Best Classic Christmas Movies to Watch This Holiday Season]

About a Boy (2002)

Director: Paul Weitz, Chris Weitz
Starring: Hugh Grant, Toni Collette, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult
Watch On: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video

Will Freeman is a good-looking, smooth-talking bachelor whose primary goal in life is avoiding any kind of responsibility. But when he invents an imaginary son in order to meet attractive single moms, Will gets a hilarious lesson about life from a bright, but hopelessly geeky 12-year-old named Marcus. Now, as Will struggles to teach Marcus the art of being cool, Marcus teaches Will that you’re never too old to grow up.

The Princess Switch (2018)

Director: Mike Rohl
Starring: Vanessa Hudgens, Sam Palladio, Nick Sagar
Watch On: Netflix

Stacy, a type-A planner with a penchant for schedules, takes a spontaneous trip to the charming land of Belgravia at the suggestion of her sous chef and best friend, Kevin. While preparing for the Royal Christmas Baking Contest, Stacy faces an identical stranger and a strange request. Free-spirited but royally obligated,all Duchess Margaret Delacourt really wants is one last chance to experience life as a “normal person” before she dutifully marries the Crown Prince of Belgravia. Stacy can give her that wish. And then, who could resist following the look-alikes’ story further, with sequels Switched Again and Romancing the Star?

A Christmas Prince (2017)

Director: Alex Zamm
Starring: Rose McIver, Ben Lamb, Tom Knight, Sarah Douglas, Daniel Fathers, Alice Krige, Tahirah Sharif
Watch on: Netflix

Suddenly junior editor Amber gets a chance to go out and do some real reporting. She’s sent to Aldovia to report on prince Richard who has to decide whether he wants to become king or not before Christmas eve. When the prince don’t turn up for the planned press conference Amber seize the chance to sneak into the palace to try and find something to report. Once inside she’s mistaken for princess Emily’s new tutor who was originally expected after the holidays and she plays along to get the chance to find her scoop. From her new position she soon learns that there is more to prince Richard than the playboy image he gets in the press. There’s also complications around his accession to the throne. Amber is dragged into the events but will they be able to forgive her if they find out she’s a reporter? Viewers fell in love, too, prompting the release of A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding in 2018 and A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby in 2019.

Ghost of Girlfriends Past (2009)

Director: Mark Waters
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Lacey Chabert, Emma Stone, and Michael Douglas
Watch on: Max

Celebrity photographer Connor Mead lives life in the fast lane, committed to lifelong bachelorhood and simultaneous relationships with multiple women. On the eve of his younger brother Paul’s wedding, Connor’s mockery of love proves a real buzz-kill for everyone – including his childhood crush, Jenny, the one woman who always seemed immune to his considerable charms. Later that night, he gets a wake-up call from the ghost of his late Uncle Wayne, the hard-partying, legendary ladies’ man who was Connor’s mentor. Uncle Wayne has an urgent message which he delivers through three ghosts who guide Connor on an eye-opening tour of his romantic past, present and future. Along the way, they attempt to discern whether he will ever be able to change his ways — and if there is any hope of him finding true love.

Just Friends (2005)

Director: Roger Kumble
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart, Anna Faris, Chris Klein and Christopher Marquette
Watch on: Hulu

The plot focuses on a formerly obese high school student (Reynolds) who attempts to free himself from the friend zone after reconnecting with his best friend (Smart), with whom he is in love while visiting his hometown for Christmas.

Holiday Rush (2019)

Director: Leslie Small
Starring: Romany Malco, Sonequa Martin-Green, Deon Cole, Amarr M. Wooten, La La Anthony, Alysia Livingston, Andrea-Marie Alphonse, Selena-Marie Alphonse, Roscoe Orman, Malika Samuel, Deysha Nelson, Tamala Jones, Darlene Love
Watch on: Netflix

Single dad and radio DJ Rashon “Rush” Williams (Romany Malco) loses his job right as his four entitled kids share their pricey Christmas lists. To keep Rush on the air in Pittsburgh, his producer and aunt plan to help him buy another station – if the Williams family can downsize fast and embrace a simpler life. In this heartwarming film, a loving father reconnects with his children when they all learn that true joy comes from who you have, not what you have.

Christmas in Connecticut (1945)

Director: Peter Godfrey
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Sydney Greenstreet, Reginald Gardiner
Watch On: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video

While recovering in a hospital, war hero Jefferson Jones (Dennis Morgan) grows familiar with the Diary of a Housewife column written by Elizabeth Lane (Barbara Stanwyck). Jeff’s nurse arranges with Elizabeth’s publisher, Alexander Yardley (Sydney Greenstreet), for Jeff to spend the holiday at Elizabeth’s bucolic Connecticut farm with her husband and child. But the column is a sham, so Yardley hastens to arrange a publicity ploy by setting up single, nondomestic Elizabeth on a country farm.

The Perfect Holiday (2007)

Director: Lance Rivera
Starring: Gabrielle Union, Morris Chestnut, Charlie Murphy, and Terrence Howard
Watch On: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Peacock

A young girl turns to a department store Santa in the hopes that he will help find a new husband for her divorced mother.

Christmas Inheritance (2017)

Director: Ernie Barbarash
Starring: Eliza Taylor, Jake Lacy, Andie MacDowell, Michael Xavier, Neil Crone
Watch on: Netflix

It’s a classic Christmas setup: A city dweller gets stuck in a small town, where they’re at first frustrated and eventually charmed. In this twist on that holiday subgenre from Ernie Barbarash, Eliza Taylor plays the spoiled city girl, Ellen; her CEO father sends her to his tiny New England hometown at Christmas to test whether she’s capable of inheriting his role. There, she meets Jake (Jake Lacy) and his aunt Debbie (Andie MacDowell), whose generous influence changes her perspective.

Serendipity (2001)

Director: Peter Chelsom
Starring: John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale
Watch on: Max

Although strangers Sara and Jonathan are both already in relationships, they realize they have genuine chemistry after a chance encounter – but part company soon after. Years later, they each yearn to reunite, despite being destined for the altar. But to give true love a chance, they have to find one another again.

Let It Snow (2019)

Director: Luke Snellin
Starring: Isabela Merced, Shameik Moore, Kiernan Shipka, Odeya Rush, Liv Hewson, Mitchell Hope, Jacob Batalon, Joan Cusack
Watch On: Netflix

In a small town on Christmas Eve, a snowstorm brings together a group of young people. They soon find their friendships and love lives colliding, and come Christmas morning, nothing will be the same.

You’ve Got Mail (1998)

Director: Nora Ephron
Starring: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Parker Posey, Jean Stapleton, Dave Chappelle, Steve Zahn, and Greg Kinnear
Watch On: fuboTV, NBC

Inspired by the 1937 Hungarian play Parfumerie by Miklós László (which had earlier been adapted in 1940 as The Shop Around the Corner and in 1949 as In the Good Old Summertime), the screenplay was co-written by Nora and Delia Ephron.

It tells the story of two people in an online romance who are unaware they are also business rivals. It marked the third pairing of Hanks and Ryan, who previously appeared together in Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) and Sleepless in Seattle (1993), the latter directed by Ephron. The film takes its name from the greeting AOL users receive when they get a new email.

Meet Me Next Christmas (2024)

Director: Rusty Cundieff
Starring: Christina Milian, Devale Ellis, Kofi Siriboe, Tymika Tafari, Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, Matt Sallee, Kalen Allen
Watch On: Netflix

In pursuit of a fairytale romance with the man of her dreams, Layla must race through New York City to get her hands on the hottest ticket in town: the sold out Pentatonix Christmas Eve Concert.

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall
Watch On: Disney Plus, Hulu, fuboTV, Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus

The solitary life of an artificial man – who was incompletely constructed and has scissors for hands – is upended when he is taken in by a suburban family.

Holiday in the Wild (2019)

Director: Ernie Barbarash
Starring: Rob Lowe, Kristin Davis
Watch on: Netflix

When her husband abruptly ends their marriage, empty nester Kate embarks on a solo second honeymoon in Africa, finding purpose — and potential romance.

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005)

Director: Shane Black
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan, Corbin Bernsen
Watch On: Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Video

A private investigator, a struggling actress and a thief posing as an actor must band together to solve a murder shrouded in mystery. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer and Michelle Monaghan, the comedy thriller is partially based on Brett Halliday’s 1941 novel, Bodies Are Where You Find Them.

Last Christmas (2019)

Director: Paul Feig
Starring: Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Emma Thompson
Watch On: Max, Max Amazon Channel

Kate is a young woman who has a habit of making bad decisions, and her last date with disaster occurs after she accepts work as Santa’s elf for a department store. However, after she meets Tom there, her life takes a new turn.

Best. Christmas. Ever! (2023)

Director: Mary Lambert
Starring: Heather Graham, Brandy Norwood, Matt Cedeño, Jason Biggs
Watch on: Netflix

Every Christmas, without fail, Jackie sends a boastful holiday newsletter that makes her old college friend Charlotte feel like a lump of coal. When a twist of fate lands Charlotte, her husband Rob, and their family on Jackie and her husband Valentino’s snowy doorstep just days before Christmas, Charlotte seizes the opportunity to prove that her old friend’s “perfect” life can’t possibly be that perfect. But in her overzealous attempt to expose Jackie, Charlotte nearly ruins Christmas for both families and must team up with her old friend to reassemble the pieces.

Christmas with You (2022)

Director: Gabriela Tagliavini
Starring: Aimee Garcia, Freddie Prinze Jr.
Watch on: Netflix

Rom-com icon Freddie Prinze Jr. returns to the genre in this holiday offering, directed by Gabriela Tagliavini. Aimee Garcia co-stars as an exhausted pop star whose label is demanding a holiday track before Christmas. Seeking inspiration, she travels to upstate New York to meet with a young fan, but when a snowstorm hits, she has to crash with the teenager’s family. Luckily, the girl’s widowed father (Prinze) is a songwriter, too — and it turns out they make pretty good music together.

A Christmas Cruise (2017)

Director: David DeCoteau
Starring: Vivica A. Fox, Jessica Morris, Kristoff St. John
Watch on: Amazon Prime Video

When her best friend invites her along on a holiday-themed sail, an aspiring novelist unexpectedly finds the love of her life onboard.

Babes in Toyland (1961)

Director: Jack Donohue
Starring: Ray Bolger, Tommy Sands, Annette, Ed Wynn, Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran, Henry Calvin, Gene Sheldon
Watch On: Disney Plus

Tom the Piper’s Son is about to marry Mary Quite Contrary. On the eve of their wedding, evil miser Barnaby hires two henchmen to drown Tom and steal Mary’s sheep, cared for by Little Bo Peep, thus depriving Mary and the children she lives with of their livelihood, forcing her to marry Barnaby. The sheep are stolen, but Gonzorgo and Roderigo, Barnaby’s henchmen, double-cross him by selling Tom to a band of gypsies instead, leaving Tom with the opportunity to escape and make his way with Mary, Bo-Peep, and other Mother Goose characters to Toyland.

Little Women (2019)

Director: Greta Gerwig
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, Timothée Chalamet, Meryl Streep, Tracy Letts, Bob Odenkirk, James Norton, Louis Garrel, Chris Cooper
Watch On: Hulu

In the years after the Civil War, Jo March lives in New York and makes her living as a writer, while her sister Amy studies painting in Paris. Amy has a chance encounter with Theodore, a childhood crush who proposed to Jo but was ultimately rejected. Their oldest sibling, Meg, is married to a schoolteacher, while shy sister Beth develops a devastating illness that brings the family back together.

The Knight Before Christmas (2019)

Director: Monika Mitchell
Starring: Vanessa Hudgens, Josh Whitehouse, Emmanuelle Chriqui
Watch on: Netflix

Even once you’ve watched all the Princess Switch films, your Vanessa Hudgens holiday viewing is not complete! Monika Mitchell’s zany romantic fantasy The Knight Before Christmas stars the actor as a Midwestern high school teacher who falls in love, improbably enough, with a medieval knight (Josh Whitehouse). The knight has magically traveled through time to fulfill an unspecified cosmic quest by Christmas Eve. As one does!

Surviving Christmas (2004)

Director: Mike Mitchell
Starring: Ben Affleck, James Gandolfini, Christina Applegate, and Catherine O’Hara
Watch on: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Paramount Plus

Wealthy Chicago ad executive Drew Latham has long avoided the family traditions of Christmas, but has dreaded being alone on the actual day. So when his tropical Christmas vacation with girlfriend Missy Vangilder falls through and Missy breaks up with him in the process, a self-therapy session leads Drew to decide to relive his best childhood Christmases. With his loved ones long-gone, he decides to rent a family: the Valcos, the current owners of his childhood home in suburban Chicago. Tom Valco wants nothing to do with Drew until an exorbitant amount of money is involved; they draw up a contract which expires at the end of Christmas night. What Drew doesn’t (or refuses to) realize is that the Valcos are having their own problems, which his presence exacerbates. Can the Valcos endure their unexpected guest? If they can, will the money solve their problems? Meanwhile, will Drew come to realize what he wants in life and how to achieve it?

A California Christmas (2020)

Director: Shaun Piccinino
Starring: Lauren Swickard, Josh Swickard
Watch on: Netflix

Needing to acquire a California family farm to complete a business deal, CEO Amy Van Aston forces her Casanova son Joseph to seduce the woman owner into complying or else lose his lavish lifestyle. Mistaken for an expected ranch hand, Joseph accepts the job as a means to infiltrate the situation and get the owner to sell. Unfortunately, manual labor isn’t in his background, and neither is falling for a woman he’s trying to seduce. it sequel A California Christmas: City Lights released in 2021.

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Director: Vincente Minnelli
Starring: Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien, Leon Ames, Lucille Bremer
Watch On: Max, Max Amazon Channel, Tubi TV

“Meet Me in St. Louis” is a classic MGM romantic musical comedy that focuses on four sisters (one of whom is the nonpareil Judy Garland) on the cusp of the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. The film spotlights the sisters’ education in the ways of the world, which includes, but isn’t limited to, learning about life and love, courtesy of the prototypical boy next door. In the end, love — accompanied by song, dance and period costumes, all in glorious Technicolor — conquers all.

Carol (2015)

Director: Todd Haynes
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Jake Lacy, Kyle Chandler
Watch On: Netflix

Aspiring photographer Therese spots the beautiful, elegant Carol perusing the doll displays in a 1950s Manhattan department store. The two women develop a fast bond that becomes a love with complicated consequences.

An Affair to Remember (1957)

Director: Leo McCarey
Starring: Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr
Watch On: Amazon Video, Apple TV

It is considered among the most romantic films of all time according to the American Film Institute.

Nickie Ferrante’s return to New York to marry a rich heiress is well publicized as are his many antics and affairs. He meets a nightclub singer Terry McKay who is also on her way home to her longtime boyfriend. She sees him as just another playboy and he sees her as stand-offish but over several days they soon find they’ve fallen in love. Nickie has never really worked in his life so they agree that they will meet again in six months time atop the Empire State building. This will give them time to deal with their current relationships and for Nickie to see if he can actually earn a living. He returns to painting and is reasonably successful. On the agreed date, Nickie is waiting patiently for Terry who is racing to join him. Fate intervenes however resulting in misunderstanding and heartbreak and only fate can save their relationship.

The Holiday Affair (1949)

Director: Don Hartman
Starring: Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh and Wendell Corey
Watch On: TCM

Just before Christmas, department store clerk Steve Mason meets big spending customer Connie Ennis, who’s actually a comparison shopper sent by another store. Steve lets her go, which gets him fired. They spend the afternoon together, which doesn’t sit well with Connie’s steady suitor, Carl, when he finds out, but delights her young son Timmy, who quickly takes to Steve.

The Family Man (2000)

Director: Brett Ratner
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Téa Leoni, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Piven
Watch On: Netflix, Peacock Premium, Starz Apple TV Channel

A fast-lane investment broker, offered the opportunity to see how the other half lives, wakes up to find that his sports car and girlfriend have become a mini-van and wife.

Last Holiday (2006)

Director: Wayne Wang
Starring: Queen Latifah, Gérard Depardieu, LL Cool J, Timothy Hutton
Watch On: Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus, Apple TV+ Roku Premium Channel, Tubi TV

The discovery that she has a terminal illness prompts introverted saleswoman Georgia Byrd (Queen Latifah) to reflect on what she realizes has been an overly cautious life. So Georgia withdraws her life savings and jets off to Europe where she lives like a millionaire. Upbeat and passionate, Georgia charms everybody she meets, including renowned Chef Didier (Gérard Depardieu). The only one missing from her new life is her longtime crush Sean Matthews (LL Cool J).

Remember the Night (1940)

Director: Mitch Leisen
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Beulah Bondi, Elizabeth Patterson
Watch On: Plex

Unexpected love blossoms when an assistant district attorney agrees to take a recidivist shoplifter home so she doesn’t have to spend Christmas alone in jail.

List of Best Romantic Christmas Movies to Stream This Holiday

Here are the best romantic Christmas movies to stream during cold winter nights (Holiday rom-com movies full list).

• Love Actually (2003)
• The Holiday (2006)
• While You Were Sleeping (1995)
• The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
• The Merry Gentlemen (2024)
• Happiest Season (2020)
• The Thin Man (1934)
• Hot Frosty (2024)
• When Harry Met Sally (1989)
• The Best Man Holiday (2013)
• Holidate (2020)
• Love Hard (2021)
• A Welcome Home Christmas (2020)
• Elf (2003)
• The Apartment (1960)
• The Family Stone (2005)
• Single All the Way (2021)
• Falling for Christmas (2022)
• Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
• Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)
• Our Little Secret (2024)
• The Preacher’s Wife (1996)
• Four Christmases (2008)
• Something From Tiffany’s (2022)
• It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
• About a Boy (2002)
• A Christmas Prince (2017)
• Ghost of Girlfriends Past (2009)
• Just Friends (2005)
• Holiday Rush (2019)
• Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
• The Princess Switch (2018)
• The Perfect Holiday (2007)
• Christmas Inheritance (2017)
• Serendipity (2001)
• Let It Snow (2019)
• You’ve Got Mail (1998)
• Meet Me Next Christmas (2024)
• Edward Scissorhands (1990)
• Holiday in the Wild (2019)
• Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
• Best. Christmas. Ever! (2023)
• Christmas With You (2022)
• A Christmas Cruise (2017)
• Babes in Toyland (1961)
• The Knight Before Christmas (2019)
• Surviving Christmas (2004)
• A California Christmas (2020)
• Little Women (2019)
• Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
• Carol (2015)
• An Affair to Remember (1957)
• Last Christmas (2019)
• Holiday Affair (1949)
• Last Holiday (2006)
• Scrooge (1951)
• The Family Man (2000)
• A Very Merry Mix-Up (2013)
• 12 Dates of Christmas (2011)
• ‘Twas the Date Before Christmas (2024)
• A Castle for Christmas (2021)
• A Christmas in New York (2017)
• The Noel Diary (2023)
• Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009)
• Christmas in Carolina (2020)
• Remember the Night (1940)
• A Royal Christmas (2014)
• A Chistmas Prince (2017)
• The Trouble With Mistletoe (2017)
• A Biltmore Christmas (2023)
• Christmas at Graceland (2018)
• Christmas in Conway (2013)
• Christmas in the Smokies (2015)
• Journey Back to Christmas (2016)