We could be forgiven for thinking that Christmas was going to be cancelled this year, what with the way 2021 has followed suit after the 2020 that was, but you know what they can’t cancel (…we think)?
Christmas movies!
That’s right, no matter what happens between now and Christmas, there’s one thing that’ll always be on. And that’s the TV. LOL. Kidding. Except not really.
We want to help you get into the spirit of the season early so you can jingle all the way to Christmas.. so we’ve rounded up the best festive flicks on Netflix this year so you can count down to Christmas on the couch! Fa la la la la la la la lazy!
Because it’s the most wonderful time of the year, and we want to keep it that way, no matter what 2020… or 2021…or 2022 throws at us.
8 of the BEST Christmas Movies to make your spirits bright this Festive Season
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
It’s a musical! About Christmas! Need we say more? If there’s a combination of two better things, I don’t know what it is. Macaroni and cheese might come a close second.
Set in the vibrant town of Cobbletown the film follows legendary toymaker Jeronicus Jangle whose fanciful inventions burst with wonder. When his trusted apprentice steals his most prized creation however, it’s up to his granddaughter to heal old wounds and reawaken the magic within.
This movie is MAGICAL. The costumes! The colour! The sets! The singing! OH my Christmas loving heart is FULL!
Couldn’t. Love. This. More!
Stream on Netflix from 13 November
The Holidate
Is there anything better in a Christmas movie than predictable romantic plot lines and quirky characters that start off with a healthy ambivalence toward one another, but by the end of the movie….wellllll, I’m not going to spoil it for you!
Starring Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey, the film follows Sloane (Roberts) and Jackson (Bracey), two strangers who make a deal to become each other’s platonic date for every holiday throughout the year in order to avoid the pity of their respective families.
It’s a nice simple romcom, where characters catch feelings, only to lose them, and Ho Ho Hopefully find them again just in time for Christmas; yes it’s predictable but in the best possible way! Christmas is a time for warm and fuzzies after all.
Besides. Luke Bracey, who plays Jackson, is an Aussie and looks like a Hemsworth – if you squint or have had one too many eggnogs (or both!) – and that’s reason enough to watch it if you ask me.
Stream on Netflix from 28 October
Operation Christmas Drop
Based on the real-life Air Force training exercise carried out in the United States each year, Operation Christmas Drop is a rom com centred around a by-the-book congressional aide who ends up falling for the warm-hearted captain of an Air Force base that the government wants to close down.
It’s a Christmas movie, so you don’t need to be Einstein to figure out how it’s going to end, but the scenery alone makes this movie worth the watch, and it’s also a timely reminder of the kindness we need more of in the world!
Stream on Netflix from 5 November
The Princess Switch: Switched Again
When I think Vanessa Hudgens, I think Highschool Musical, I think Zac Efron, I think man-of-my-dre… OK I’m getting distracted.
This is the sequel to The Princess Switch from 2019 (which was like a slightly more grown up, Christmassy version of The Parent Trap) and which my daughters watched approximate seventeen thousand times.
Fans of the original Princess Switch will not be disappointed. There’s a little bit of a twist to the ‘switch’ which keeps you guessing and makes it a LESS predictable Christmas movie… which basically just means it’s only marginally predictable rather than completely and utterly predictable.
The sets are better than they were the first instalment, it’s silly (cue the evil villain theme music every time a particular character shows up) and there is some cringey accent work, but it’s a cute little family movie and the kids will enjoy it! Just bring a mug of wine with you when you watch it.
Stream on Netflix from 19 November
The Princess Switch 3 – Romancing the Star
Just when you think Vanessa Hudgens couldn’t possibly star in another Princess Switch movie, here she is again. It’s like the Highschool Musical trilogy all over again (except not quite as good because there’s no Zac Efron!).
When a priceless Christmas relic is stolen, royal look-alikes Margaret and Stacy turn to audacious doppelgänger Fiona — and her dashing ex — for help.
Streaming on Netflix from November 18
Alien Xmas
Alien Xmas follows a group of aliens called the Klepts whose entire society is based upon stealing things. The smallest Klept, named X, is sent on a mission to Earth to destroy earth’s gravity and float all Earth’s material possessions into space, but an encounter with the elves of Christmas town changes X’s outlook and shows him the true meaning of Christmas.
It’s a 42 minute, stop go animation Christmas special, with a whiff of Wallace and Grommitishness which I approve of. Warm enough to thaw an icy bah humbug or two!
Stream on Netflix from 20 November
The Christmas Chronicles Part Two
Is there anything Hollywood golden couple Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn can’t do? No, no there is not.
The sequel to the 2018 film revisits Kate and Teddy Pierce two years later, when Kate is a cynical teenager, unhappy over her mother’s new relationship.
When a troublemaker threatens to destroy the North Pole and end Christmas for good, the siblings are pulled into a new adventure with Santa Claus.
So yeah, it is just another movie about a bunch of kids that help Santa save Christmas… but, but, but… GOLDIE HAWN!!! KURT RUSSELL!!! There is no better TV Santa than Kurt Russell. I said what I said.
Stream on Netflix from 25 November
Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square
Another Yuletide musical? Santa is really delivering on the Christmas miracles this year!
This is exactly what we all need to get into the spirit of the silly season. It follows a wealthy woman who “returns to her small hometown in the wake of her father’s death to evict everyone right before the holiday season. Following an encounter with an angel (Parton… OBVIOUSLY), a rekindling of an old romance and stories from the local community, she might just have a change of heart.
Is it my favourite Christmas movie? No. But will it do? Fir sure!
Streaming on Netflix from November 22
You might also like:
Christmas in Adelaide | Events, Things to do, What’s On for Christmas in Adelaide
