Heat Up Your Holidays With the 42 Most Romantic Christmas Movies of All Time

Gwynne Watkins

December 18, 2022 at 2:41 AM·17 min read

These romantic holiday movies will definitely put you in the mood to love

Christmas is a magical time, but often a lonely one. Put them together, and what you've got is that wistful, bittersweet feeling that makes the holiday season the perfect setting for cinematic romance. Over the years, Hollywood has offered audiences all kinds of ways to fall in love at the movies on Christmas, whether it’s through the intervention of a handsome angel, a fateful trip home for the holidays, a serendipitous Christmas party or just pure holiday magic. Here’s a round-up of the all-time most romantic Christmas movies (keep in mind: for the sake of this list, we're looking almost exclusively at theatrically released feature films) to be enjoyed with a loved one under the mistletoe… or Bridget Jones-style, with a bottle of wine and penguin pajamas.

Romantic Christmas movies

The Holiday (2006)

Nancy Meyers’ sparkling champagne flute of a film sees two strangers from different sides of the Atlantic, English columnist Iris (Kate Winslet) and Los Angeles movie-trailer producer Amanda (Cameron Diaz), spontaneously swap houses for Christmas to escape their respective ex-boyfriends. Their heartbreaks are soothed by unexpected visitors–Iris’ gorgeous brother Graham (Jude Law) shows up at her English cottage, and a charming Los Angeles film composer (Jack Black) helps Iris move on. Since it’s a Nancy Meyers film, love isn’t limited to the characters; you’ll also fall in love with the perfect houses.

Love Actually (2003)

There is simply no Christmas film stuffed with more love stories than Richard Curtis’ ensemble comedy Love Actually, which chronicles up to a dozen romances, depending on how you count. (Here’s a chart.) There’s something in here for everyone, whether it’s HughGrant’s Prime Minister-in-love dance or Keira Knightley’s secret admirer (Andrew Lincoln) confessing his feelings with cue cards.

Carol (2015)

Based on one of the few 1950s novels where a gay romance ends happily, Todd Haynes’ gorgeous mid-century drama tells the story of a forbidden relationship between an unhappy suburban housewife, Carol (Cate Blanchett) and a young New York City photographer, Therese (Rooney Mara). Their flirtation unfolds over the Christmas season, and every snowflake and ornament seems like a sparkling reflection of their longing.

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Director Vincente Minnelli fell in love with leading lady Judy Garland while making this enchanting musical, which follows four seasons in the life of a well-to-do Victorian-era family. The film is best remembered for its Christmas scenes, which include a picturesque holiday ball, a sweet proposal in the snow, and Garland’s heartbreaking performance of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” in which her character Esther contemplates what it might mean to move across the country from her new fiancée.

White Christmas (1954)

Two professional song-and-dance teams—a struggling sister act (Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen) and a modestly famous pair of WWII buddies (Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye)—find themselves in Vermont for a Christmas performance, where they try to drum up an audience and hopefully, some snow. One couple falls in love immediately, but the romance between their prickly other halves is hard-won—and worth the wait.

Christmas in Connecticut (1945)

In this classic romantic comedy, New York City journalist Elizabeth Lane (the always-slightly-subversive Barbara Stanwyck) writes a proto-Martha Stewart, an entirely made-up column about her idyllic country life as a Connecticut homemaker. When her publisher asks her to host dinner for a returning war hero (Dennis Morgan), Elizabeth quickly throws together a fake version of her written life… then falls in love with the man she’s supposed to be fooling.

Holiday (1938)

The holiday in the title is the vacation kind, and this movie takes place over New Year’s, but George Cukor’s playful and sophisticated comedy is all about the romantic possibilities of the Christmas season. Cary Grant plays Johnny Case, a self-starter who comes to stay with his new fiancée’s wealthy family for New Year’s and finds a kindred spirit in her quirky sister Susan (Katharine Hepburn). If you’ve ever been the black sheep in your family (or dated them), this one’s for you.

Last Holiday (2006)

Queen Latifah redefines “happy holidays” in this wish-fulfillment comedy, about an aspiring chef named Georgia who finds out just before Christmas that she has three weeks to live. Rather than fight with her HMO to cover an operation, Georgia quits her job and dedicates herself to fine dining, spa treatments, skydiving, and spontaneous romance (with LL Cool J!) in the picturesque Czech city Karlovy Vary.

When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

It’s impossible to pinpoint one moment when the friendship between Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) turns romantic, but their first shared Christmas in New York City certainly brings them closer—and spending the next Christmas alone pushes Harry into his unforgettable New Year’s declaration of love. (“I love that you get cold when it's seventy-one degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich…”)

Elf (2003)

The best-case scenario for a Christmas romance is that it brings some childlike wonder back into your life. And there’s no better ambassador for childlike wonder than Buddy the Elf (Will Ferrell), who wins over cynical store clerk Jovie (Zooey Deschanel) with singing, ice skating and the world’s best cup of coffee.

Holiday Inn (1942)

The song “White Christmas” was written for this musical, about a love quadrangle between a singer (Bing Crosby), a dancer (Fred Astaire), and two female performers (Virginia Dale and Marjorie Reynolds) that unfolds at a club that’s only open on holidays. The film is full of classic Irving Berlin love songs and swoon-worthy dancing. It also has a number performed in blackface, hence the iTunes warning; if you watch the unedited version, be prepared to skip over Lincoln’s birthday. Alternately, watch the filmed Broadway musical from 2017, which adds several Berlin songs and omits the “Abraham” number altogether.

The Preacher’s Wife (1996) and The Bishop’s Wife (1948)

A charismatic angel (Cary Grant) comes to Earth to aid a struggling clergyman (David Niven) at Christmas—but nearly derails everything by falling in love with his wife (Loretta Young)—in The Bishop's Wife, director Henry Koster’s Best Picture-nominated 1947 comedy. Penny Marshall’s musical update, The Preacher's Wife, stars Whitney Houston in the title role and Denzel Washington, one of the few actors who can step effortlessly into Grant’s shoes, as the angel. Featuring a wonderful supporting cast (Loretta Devine, Jenifer Lewis and Gregory Hines, along with Courtney B. Vance as the preacher) and a bestselling gospel soundtrack, it’s an equally worthy holiday watch.

Little Women (2019)

Christmas in New England plays a pivotal role in Greta Gerwig’s bold, brilliant adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s novel. The March sisters (Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh and Eliza Scanlen) all have their own love stories, and each one somehow manages to involve their dreamboat neighbor Laurie (Timothée Chalamet).

Related: Nearly 40 Years Later, We Still Love A Christmas Story—But Where Is the Cast Now?

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Everyone remembers the last half hour of Frank Capra’s emotional drama (the sequence in which James Stewart’s George Bailey experiences a world in which he was never born), but watching the sweet, sincere romance unfold between young George and his lifelong friend Mary (Donna Reed) makes that final Christmas-tree scene so much more poignant.

Just Another Christmas (2020)

Husband and father Jorge (Leandro Hassum) has always hated the obligations and commercialism of Christmas, which also happens to be his birthday. Then he develops a strange form of amnesia where every Christmas, he loses his memory of the entire previous year. While living half a lifetime’s worth of Christmases back to back, Jorge learns to value the season—and the patient wife (Elisa Pinheiro) he’s in danger of losing. This Brazilian comedy is in Portuguese and can be watched dubbed or subtitled on Netflix.

The Best Man Holiday (2013)

Fifteen years after the events of Malcolm D. Lee’s beloved ‘90s comedy The Best Man, those very photogenic friends (including Taye Diggs, Sanaa Lathan, Terence Howard, Regina Hall and Nia Long) gather for an eventful Christmas weekend. This spirited comedy-drama has it all: death, birth, break-ups, choreographed lip-syncs, and a well-earned happy ending to the love story of Harper (Digs) and Robyn (Lathan).

Happiest Season (2020)

In Clea DuVall’s semi-autobiographical comedy, closeted lesbian Harper (Mackenzie Davis) takes her smitten girlfriend Abby (Kristen Stewart) home for Christmas—but makes Abby pretend that they’re just friends. Hijinks ensue, best friends (including the hilarious Dan Levy) step in, secrets come to light, and in the end, love wins.

The Family Stone (2005)

Thomas Bezucha’s screwball rom-com celebrates holiday family reunions in all their dysfunctional glory. Dermot Mulroney plays Everett, a businessman who brings his uptight girlfriend Meredith (Sarah Jessica Parker) home for Christmas to meet his quirky parents (Diane Keaton and Craig T. Nelson) and four siblings (including Luke Wilson and Rachel McAdams). When Everett’s whole family seems to hate her, Meredith calls for backup from her own sister (Claire Danes)—and everyone’s relationships get messier than a spilled strata.

While You Were Sleeping (1995)

While working through the holiday season, Chicago subway worker Lucy (Sandra Bullock) sees her secret crush, handsome commuter Peter (Peter Gallagher), being attacked by muggers on the platform. She saves him from the oncoming train, but he ends up in a coma—and through a series of miscommunications, his family comes to believe that Lucy is Peter’s fiancée. Does she reluctantly go along with the deception? You bet. Do they invite her over for a lovely Christmas? Certainly. Does Peter turn out to have a handsome brother (Bill Pullman)? But of course. Jon Turteltaub’s winning romantic comedy is one of Bullock’s best.

About a Boy (2002)

In this acclaimed Nick Hornby adaptation, Hugh Grant is a selfish playboy who finally learns to care about other people, thanks to an unexpected friendship with a misfit kid (Nicholas Hoult) and his clinically depressed mother (Toni Collette). Christmas is a recurring theme—not just for a couple of lovely holiday scenes, but because the devil-may-care lifestyle of Grant’s character is enabled by royalties from his composer father’s holiday novelty song, “Santa’s Super Sleigh.”

The Thin Man (1934)

One of cinema’s all-time sexiest couples, crime solvers Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy), throw a booze-soaked Christmas party for the ages in this glam and witty comedy.

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Santa not only proves that he’s real, but becomes the ultimate matchmaker in this magical Christmas classic. Doris (MaureenO’Hara) is a single mother who manages holiday events at the flagship Macy’s store in New York City, and has taught her young daughter Susan (Natalie Wood) not to believe in “fairy tales” like Santa Claus. But when a very convincing Santa comes to work at the store, Doris and Susan are pulled into his world—as is their handsome, good-hearted neighbor (John Payne). There’s a decent 1994 remake of this film, but give the original a try.

Holiday Affair (1949)

Janet Leigh and Robert Mitchum are best remembered for their blood-curdling horror roles (Psycho and Night of the Hunter, respectively), but they make a perfectly adorable couple in this charming New York love story. Leigh plays Connie, a secret shopper who’s caught red-handed by department store clerk Steve (Mason). Steve loses his job when he refuses to turn Connie in, and the two end up spending Christmas together… despite the fact that Connie is engaged to be married, and Steve is planning to leave town.

Almost Christmas (2016)

As the filter-free Aunt May, Mo’nique nearly steals this warmhearted comedy about a contentious family that reunites for Christmas. For all its funny moments, the romance between former high school sweethearts Rachel (Gabrielle Union) and Malachi (Omar Epps), ending in him asking her to the prom all over again, is genuinely swoon-worthy.

Four Christmases (2008)

What could be more romantic than joining forces with your partner against both of your terrible families? Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn head up an all-star cast in this over-the-top comedy, about a marriage-phobic couple who accidentally commit to spending Christmas with all four of their divorced parents.

Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol (1962)

Most adaptations of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol devote precious little time to Belle, the fiancée who broke young Ebenezer Scrooge’s heart when she declared he loved money more than her. Not so Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol, in which Belle sings a gorgeous, haunting ballad about the love she and Ebenezer shared, “Winter Was Warm.” The hand-drawn characters in this animated musical may be two-dimensional, but Belle’s feelings are anything but.

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

The tragic romance between an artificial man with scissors for hands (Johnny Depp) and the suburban teenager who sees into his heart (Winona Ryder) has its happiest moment during Christmastime, when Edward carves a snow angel in Kim’s likeness and she dances in the electric-lit flurries.

Die Hard (1988)

After years of cultural debate, we can all agree that Die Hard is a Christmas movie. But is it a romance? Well—it’s about a buff New York cop (Bruce Willis) who has trouble expressing his feelings, but flies to Los Angeles to try and win back his executive wife (Bonnie Bedelia). During her company Christmas party, he single-handedly thwarts a terrorist attack to save her life, reconciles himself to her high-powered career, and then takes her home in a limo. If that’s not romance, what is?

Related: Is Die Hard a Christmas Movie?

Serendipity (2001)

Sparks fly between two attractive strangers, Jonathan (John Cusack) and Sarah (Kate Beckinsale), when they try to buy the same pair of gloves at a New York City department store. The couple spontaneously embarks on a perfect Christmastime date, complete with frozen hot chocolate at the café Serendipity 3 and ice skating at Central Park. But Sarah refuses to exchange numbers, convinced that “fate” will determine whether they see each other again. It’s a wildly unlikely but enjoyable plot, for true romantics only.

The Apartment (1960)

Winner of five Oscars, Billy Wilder’s cynical, spicy comedy explores the loneliness of single life in the city, but ends on a note of holiday cheer. Sensitive insurance worker Bud (Jack Lemmon) rents his apartment to higher-up executives for their extramarital flings, but is devastated when his boss (Fred MacMurray) uses it for a liaison with Bud’s crush, wisecracking elevator operator Fran (Shirley MacLaine). Bud and Fran bond after a disastrous Christmas party and end up sharing a hopeful New Year’s in the famous final scene.

Bridget Jones’ Diary (2001)

A terrible Christmas sweater nearly ruins any chance of romance at the start of Bridget Jones’ Diary, when lovably neurotic Bridget (Renee Zellweger) is reintroduced to her former childhood friend Mark (Colin Firth) and his awful reindeer jumper. Sharon Maguire’s London-based rom-com comes full circle by the end, when Bridget (who began the film drunkenly belting “All By Myself” in her penguin pajamas) gets a perfect Christmas kiss in the snow.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

There are few film moments as romantic as the scene where Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon) and frankendoll Sally (Catherine O’Hara) sing, “We’re simply meant to be” on an icy cliff against a full moon, instantly establishing #relationshipgoals for misfits, outcasts, and holiday lovers everywhere.

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

You’ve got to love a romantic comedy where the first flirty conversation between the two leads is about all the antidepressants they’ve taken. David O. Russell’s quirky film takes Pat (Bradley Cooper), a Philadelphia man struggling with severe bipolar disorder, and Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a widow battling depression, on a surprising journey that climaxes in a Christmas dance competition.

Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

A Christmas Eve phone call and an awkward holiday dinner set off the events of Nora Ephron’s unabashedly romantic comedy. When a Seattle widower (Tom Hanks) shares memories of his late wife on a radio talk show, a Baltimore reporter (Meg Ryan) is inspired to get in touch with him—even though she’s engaged to be married.

The Shop Around the Corner (1940) and You’ve Got Mail (1998)

Alfred (a dashing young Jimmy Stewart) and Klara (Margaret Sullavan) work at the same leather shop and can’t stand each other—except, unbeknownst to either of them, they’re carrying on a passionate, anonymous correspondence by mail. Their true identities, and true feelings, come to light on Christmas Eve. Ernst Lubitsch’s witty film helped create the romantic comedy genre, and the story that inspired it was later adapted by writer-director Nora Ephron as You’ve Got Mail.

Ephron’s very ‘90s rom-com tells the story of an independent book shop owner (Meg Ryan) and the corporate bookstore manager (Tom Hanks) who fall in love over anonymous emails and AOL chats despite being bitter rivals IRL. It’s a very different film from The Shop Around the Corner, as comforting as a mug of hot chocolate. (Except for that whole death-of-the-independent-bookstore thing.) A lovely Christmas scene includes an earnest family singalong to the celebratory “Orchestra Song.” (Here’s a professional version if you’re curious.)

We’re No Angels (1955)

In this charming holiday comedy, three criminals (Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov and Aldo Ray) escape from the Devil’s Island penal colony on Christmas Eve. They decide to lay low in a nearby Colonial village, but instead become involved in the lives of an island family, including the daughter’s love life. Not to be confused with the 1989 Sean Penn movie, which isn’t nearly as sweet.

A Bad Moms Christmas (2017)

In this cathartic sequel, the “bad moms” (Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis and Kathryn Hahn) try to stay sane at Christmastime after the arrival of their own mothers (Cheryl Hines, Christine Baranski and Susan Sarandon)—and Hahn’s bikini-waxer character embarks on a very unorthodox romance with a sexy Santa stripper (Justin Hartley).

Last Christmas (2019)

Paul Feig’s fantasy romance got a lot of flack after a trailer essentially gave away the go-for-broke plot twist. It’s sure to be reconsidered in coming years, thanks to its warm, fuzzy Christmas story and irresistible stars. Emilia Clarke plays Kate, a down-on-her-luck singer whose life turns around after she meets a handsome mystery man (Henry Golding).

Auntie Mame (1958)

In this laugh-out-loud comedy classic, a sheltered orphan (Jan Handzlik) goes to live with his eccentric aunt (Rosalind Russell) in late-1920s Manhattan. When the stock market crashes, Mame throws a memorable early Christmas party (the scene inspired the song “We Need A Little Christmas” in the musical adaptation Mame), and when a grown-up Patrick picks the wrong fiancée, she intervenes to find a better match.

Dashing in December (2020)

Like Brokeback Mountain without the trauma, this cheesy romance about two cowboys hits a holiday sweet spot. Peter Porte plays the prodigal son of a ranch owner (Andie MacDowell) who comes home to Colorado to sell the family property, only to have a change of heart when he falls for a kind and sexy ranch hand (Juan Pablo Di Pace).

Next, the 18 best Christmas movies you can watch right now on Netflix.

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