It’s rather common at Christmastime to indulge in Christmas-themed movies. Some even go so far as to indulge in the most cliche, cheesy and poorly produced films from the likes of Hallmark and Netflix, and often feature Lacey Chabert, Chad Michael Murray or Lindsay Lohan these days (oh, how the mighty teen stars have fallen). Why are these films so popular? I endeavoured to find out.

Each film comes with a brief verdict and Holiday Fun Rating rather than a DOTT rating due to them all being 2/3-star films because, let’s face it, they’re not exactly the most well-made/written/performed films.

A Christmas Prince
Released: 2017
Synopsis: A reporter accidentally finds herself become the tutor to a foreign princess and thus has access to her brother, the prince, and a story that could make or break her career… and her heart.
Verdict: This one must have gained an audience due to it having become a series, and it does have a little more heart to it than many basic Christmas films. It’s as cliche as they come, but suits the season.
Holiday Fun Rating: 4/5

A Merry Scottish Christmas
Released: 2023
Synopsis: An estranged brother and sister from America are reunited with their mother in Scotland to learn a family secret that turns both their worlds upside down.
Verdict: Something a little different to the standard romance of Christmas films, this one bends more toward the filial piety side of things. The characters are a little boring, but it’s got its own charm overall.
Holiday Fun Rating: 3/5

Christmas in Notting Hill
Released: 2023
Synopsis: On a trip to London to visit her sister, an American befriends an Englishman, unaware of his status as a football star and just how much their worlds are already entwined.
Verdict: Cute, but nothing really happens. Caters more to the American dream of finding a mythical English “gentleman” that is kind, funny, smart and rich with eyes for no one but her.
Holiday Fun Rating: 3/5

Christmas on Windmill Way
Released: 2023
Synopsis: When her high school sweetheart returns to their hometown to make some changes, a woman works hard to protect that which she loves, and maybe find something, or someone, else to love in the process.
Verdict: This one follows much of the cheesiness and tropes of these films, but the performances are actually a little more enjoyable and the story is easier to invest in.
Holiday Fun Rating: 4/5

Christmas with a Kiss
Released: 2023
Synopsis: A woman returns to her hometown from the big city to assist with the family-run carnival, but between meeting her high school boyfriend, meeting a new man and the future of the carnival on the line, she has some big decisions to make.
Verdict: Follows all the tropes of the Hallmark movies with a little extra twist, though it’s a twist that doesn’t entirely make sense. Still, it’s got some holiday fun to it.
Holiday Fun Rating: 3/5

Fall into Winter
Released: 2023
Synopsis: When a woman’s brother moves to England and quits co-running their family bakery, an old rival steps in to save the day, intially butting heads until they realise something more could be bubbling beneath the surface.
Verdict: One for the slightly older people (40+), this one is cute but so poorly performed. The characters are boring and the story isn’t that fun.
Holiday Fun Rating: 2/5

Hot Frosty
Released: 2024
Synopsis: On making a wish in front of a hunky-looking snowman, a woman finds herself in disbelief when the snowman comes to life and brings more than frost into her own life.
Verdict: Full of George-of-the-Jungle vibes, this silly little fever dream is as ridiculous as it sounds, yet mildly enjoyable thanks to the fun the lead actor clearly had with bringing the snowman to literal life.
Holiday Fun Rating: 4/5

Love Hard
Released: 2021
Synopsis: On going all the way to the East Coast from LA to meet a guy from a dating app only to discover she’s been catfished, a disappointed woman finds a way to make the most of the Christmas holiday.
Verdict: A little bit better produced than most holiday rom-coms, this one at least attempts to stand out from the crowd with its story and characters.
Holiday Fun Rating: 3/5

Meet Me Next Christmas
Released: 2024
Synopsis: Agreeing to meet a man she just met the next Christmas if she finds herself single, a woman finds herself suddenly single and rushing to find tickets to the concert they agreed to meet at, with a little help from an unexpected stranger.
Verdict: Would’ve been a lower rating if it weren’t for the fun that Pentatonix bring to this film. A weak, repetitive story, flat characters, and just boring through and through.
Holiday Fun Rating: 2/5

The Merry Gentlemen
Released: 2024
Synopsis: A woman loses her job on Broadway and returns to her hometown to find her parents’ bar in danger of closing down, so she rallies together some local men to put on a show, with one man in particular making a mark on her life.
Verdict: A poor woman’s Magic Mike, there’s plenty to gawp at and enjoy regarding the holiday season and run-up to Christmas, though not a lot to really pay attention to otherwise.
Holiday Fun Rating: 4/5

Our Little Secret
Released: 2024
Synopsis: Ten years after their disastrous break up, two exes are unexpectedly reunited at their respective partners’ house for Christmas, discovering they are dating siblings.
Verdict: This film had a fun story to it, but it could have been better if it weren’t for Lindsay Lohan’s performance, which was wooden and emotionless (not usually one to comment on someone’s appearance or judge/assume their choices, but actors really shouldn’t get botox, the lack of facial flexibility is so detrimental).
Holiday Fun Rating: 3/5

‘Twas the Text Before Christmas
Released: 2023
Synopsis: Randomly ending up spending Christmas at a random older woman’s house, a random woman meets the older random woman’s son and they begin a flirtatious friendship that lasts three years of random Christmases.
Verdict: Cute but repetitive, a semi-good build-up, weird haircuts, forced grins, boring personalities, and a big trick missed at the end, but there’s something weirdly charming about its more unique story framing. In a word, random.
Holiday Fun Rating: 4/5