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Writer's pictureJoanna Hart

RANKED: The top 5 best and worst Christmas Movies Streaming on Netflix

*No spoilers exist in this article

family watching christmas movies

We’re one week into December, my favorite month of the year. I already have the Christmas feels and my shopping carts are bubbling over (if only my wallet did that as well, that would be a real Christmas). One of the ways I enjoy the holidays is by watching Christmas movies, as cheesy, predictable, and oftentimes lame as they are, there’s just something about them that makes me keep coming back for more. So, if you need a friendly guide, here are my top and bottom 5 Christmas movies you can watch on Netflix right now!


The Top 5


#5 The Princess Switch Trilogy


Okay, I surprised myself by putting this in my top 5 list, especially after the third part where there weren’t just one or two of them, but THREE. This movie is cheesy and cliche to its core, but it has a lighthearted charm to it that simply draws you in. It gives you

that ‘Parent Trap’ kind of vibe, with all the Christmas feels. It was super fun to see Vanessa Hudgens and her versatility playing each role (minus the horrible attempt at a British accent).


Eye-rolling score: 8/10 Brain Power needed: 0/5


#4 I’m Glad It’s Christmas


So I’ll be honest, I only watched this movie because Jessica Lowndes made me want to relive 90210, and I’m a sucker for kind eyes in guys - something that Paul Greene scores through the roof in. The storyline is okay, nothing that surprises you, but it is bursting with kindness, sincerity, and people rooting for one another’s success. It serves as a wonderful reminder that career, success, and work are all important, but putting the people in your life first is always more rewarding.


Eye-rolling score: 9/10 Brain Power needed: 1/5



#3 Holiday Rush


Steering away from the traditional cheesy rom-com genre that most Christmas movies tend to dip into, Holiday Rush speaks about family. Today, there is immense pressure on parents to give their kids the best, and while we want to, that is not always possible. While this movie is predictable, it also serves as a reminder to cherish what we have and remember what’s most important. Most of all, it speaks to a father’s sacrificial love for his kids and how materialism isn’t always the only way to shower them with love.


Eye-rolling score: 6/10 Brain Power needed: 2/5


#2 A Christmas Prince Trilogy


This movie is cringy at best. It is also heart-warming, fun, cheesy, and easily bingeable. It hits EVERY single cliche in the book, so if you plan to watch it, put your brain on snooze for a while. In my opinion, Princess Emily is the rockstar of this movie, and I’d love to have a spin-off starring her. While the movie lacks any real substance or originality, it feels like hugging a warm cup of cocoa on a cold winter evening. It warms your heart and is a proper comfort movie for the holidays.



Eye-rolling score: 10/10 Brain Power needed: 0/5


#1 The Family Switch


A funny, lighthearted comedy that reminds us to walk in one another’s shoes once in a while. I’m sure as kids we all wondered what it would be like to be the boss of our parents or feel misunderstood by them. The Family Switch brings joy, laughter, and a lot of insight into the real meaning of family.


Eye-rolling score: 4/10 Brain Power needed: 3/5


There you have it, my top 5 Christmas movies, now onto the next order of business.


The Bottom 5


# 5 Christmas inheritance


Eliza Taylor delivers in my opinion one of her most average performances in this movie. I’m not sure whether it’s poor writing or a tight budget, but this movie fails to deliver on Christmas sappiness. While it is completely predictable and cheesy, the warmth of a Christmas movie is just missing.


Eye-rolling score: 10/10 Brain Power needed: 1/5


# 4 The Holiday Calendar


I had high hopes for this one simply because the storyline was different from everything else out there. I thought it would be a fun, original watch, but instead, it turned out relatively lackluster. The chemistry was lacking, making it difficult to root for the leads and the Christmas charm just simply missed the mark.


Eye-rolling score: 8/10 Brain Power needed: 3/5


# 4 The Holidate


Ok, I know the Holidays can be tough on singles, especially with meddling, obnoxious families. However, this movie was unnecessarily vulgar, definitely not family-friendly, and put us through too many of the leads pretending like there was nothing between them. I mean how many holidays did they have? Unlike other similar movies like Friends With Benefits, the lack of romance till the very end was not endearing, charming, or cute at all.


Eye-rolling score: 6/10 Brain Power needed: 2/5


# 3 A Christmas Miracle for Daisy


A gentle, heartwarming movie with tremendous potential that simply fell flat. It isn’t the poor writing or predictability of this movie that brings it down, but rather the acting of the leads. I’m not sure what it is, but they seemed so stoic most of the time. The saving grace in this film is little Daisy. I wish there was more of her in the movie, considering the title of the movie has her name in it..


Eye-rolling score: 9/10 Brain Power needed: 2/5


# 2 Angel Falls Christmas


Truth: I only watched this for Chad Michael Murray. Unfortunately, he was the biggest

letdown of the movie. His monotone robotic voice throughout, coupled with very little expression or personality. Not to mention, there is ZERO chemistry between him and Jessica Lowndes. A classic example of a story with potential let down by bad casting.


Eye-rolling score: 9/10 Brain Power needed: 3/5


# 1 Falling into winter


I’ve always been a fan of Lorie Loughlin, until this movie. She is almost entirely expressionless, even at the most romantic point of the movie that it makes it very hard to believe her. The older casting in this movie was a great attempt, but sadly not one seems to have delivered a believable performance. Truth be told, I nearly abandoned watching this one as there was nothing to really grip my attention.


Eye-rolling score: 10/10 Brain Power needed: 1/5


And that’s a wrap for my list, so go forth and binge! Do you have a Christmas favorite? OR do you disagree with these reviews Let us know in the comments.






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