Christmas romance movies are a classic addition to the list of films that are perfect to watch during the holiday season. There are many familiar favorites that audiences return to year after year, like It's A Wonderful Life, Love Actually, and Elf, but there are just as many overlooked romantic holiday movies that are perfect for new traditions. Whether they're recent rom-coms that subvert expectations and challenge the genre or older movies that never reached the heights of popularity as other classics, these movies all bring the nostalgia and warmth of the season.

Most romantic holiday films make up the best Christmas movies without Santa, as these projects focus on character and use the holiday season as a sentimental and cozy setting. The look and feel of a Christmas movie are of the utmost importance, as viewers should feel as though they've been transported into the winter wonderland of their dreams. It helps that a romance angle almost always makes a story even more heartwarming and worth cuddling up to watch, as this is what everyone wants to do when the holidays roll around.

10 Let It Snow (2019)

Directed by Luke Snellin

Based on the novel of the same name by Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle, Let It Snow flew under the radar for Netflix despite its strong IP. Adaptations of John Green novels have done well in the past, but Let It Snow never reached the heights of a smash hit like The Fault in Our Stars. Despite this, it's a great coming-of-age rom-com to revisit this holiday season since the ensemble cast presents such a diverse array of experiences and relationships.

Let It Snow doesn't try to pretend to be anything it's not, leaning into the Christmas tropes and misunderstandings that make its romances so bittersweet.

There are plenty of well-known faces in Let It Snow, from Kiernan Shipka to Liv Hewson, which allows the audience to slip into the familiar coziness of the story and get swept away. Let It Snow doesn't try to pretend to be anything it's not, leaning into the Christmas tropes and misunderstandings that make its romances so bittersweet. However, this is why it's so enjoyable to revisit these films year after year, and Let It Snow is no exception.

9 Love Hard (2021)

Directed by Hernán Jiménez

Love Hard isn't the typical Hallmark-esque Christmas movie that Netflix typically puts out, not that there's anything wrong with watching some of the wildest Hallmark Christmas movies. However, Love Hard acknowledges its trope-filled romantic comedy roots while trying to communicate a message to the audience about the difficulties of modern dating. Starring Nina Dobrev, well-known for her starring role as Elena in The Vampire Diaries, Love Hard sees her play a character more rooted in reality but just as hopelessly romantic.

While there's room for critique when it comes to Love Hard, as the central characters are brought together through lying and catfishing, it's also a vulnerable and well-acted story. Dobrev is ed by Jimmy O. Yang and Darren Barnet as Josh and Tag, the two men competing for Natalie's (Dobrev) affection. Naturally, hijinx and mayhem ensue, forcing the three of them, especially Natalie and Josh, to reflect on what Christmas means to them and the nature of honesty in their lives.

8 Something From Tiffany’s (2022)

Directed by Daryl Wein

Zoey Deutch continues her strong rom-com streak with Something From Tiffany's, a timely Christmas movie based on the book of the same name. Kendrick Sampson plays opposite her as Ethan, the man who helps Rachel's (Deutch) boyfriend after an accident and gets roped into an accidental meet-cute with her. Even though both Ethan and Rachel already have committed partners, their chemistry is immediate, and it doesn't take long for them to see this as well as the audience does.

Set and filmed in New York City, Something From Tiffany's capitalizes on the iconic nature of the city and the famed jewelry store, which are both known for kindling romances of all kinds.

Set and filmed in New York City, Something From Tiffany's capitalizes on the iconic nature of the city and the famed jewelry store, which are both known for kindling romances of all kinds. While Something From Tiffany's won't surprise any longtime rom-com fans, it's a sweet and genuine addition to the genre that's bolstered by Deutch and Sampson. When it comes to Christmas romance, characters like Rachel and Ethan are very deserving of their happily-ever-afters.

7 Holidate (2020)

Directed by John Whitesell

The question of who will be your holiday plus-one plagues many people each holiday season, but Sloane (Emma Roberts) and Jackson (Luke Bracey) find a way out of this problem without having to fall in love. At least, that's what the platonic friends think when they agree to be each other's dates for every major holiday. This premise means Holidate tracks an entire year of ups and downs and festivities, but many of the most important moments happen around Christmas and New Year's.

It's a fun send-up of the rom-com genre since Sloane and Jackson spend so long dating without ever acknowledging real feelings. Roberts and Bracey make a convincing pair, even if their meet-cute isn't the most believable. Holidate also features some fun bit parts from actors like Kristin Chenoweth as the ensemble ing cast fills out the story successfully. Though both Sloane and Jackson hate being single, the reality of being vulnerable with someone else is the scariest thing of all.

6 The Night (1940)

Directed by Mitchell Leisen

Barbara Stanwyck stars in the Night, a beloved classic Hollywood rom-com that seamlessly weaves the Christmas spirit into its story. An honest and compelling look at the realities of a love affair between two very different people, the Night isn't just a great Christmas romance but one of the finest movies of Stanwyck's career. She and Fred MacMurray give heartwrenching performances as a young woman on trial for theft and the lawyer prosecuting her, who happen to fall in love over Christmas.

To this day, the movie is ed as a classic that does justice to its strong script.

The best part of the Night is the amazing character development that both Lee (Stanwyck) and John (MacMurray) go through as they realize they each have a lot of growing and changing to do. While MacMurray's turn as John is sentimental and sweet, Stanwyck's hilarious, stoic, and nuanced take on the troubled Lee is enough to break the audience's heart. To this day, the movie is ed as a classic that does justice to its strong script.

5 Happiest Season (2020)

Directed by Clea DuVall

As one of the best LGBTQ rom-com movies in recent years, Happiest Season stars Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis as Abby and Harper, a couple who go to meet Harper's family for the first time. Both a coming-out story, a romantic comedy, and a family drama, Happiest Season covers many bases but never feels rushed or over-stuffed. Additionally, the gorgeous sets and massive holiday home where Abby and Harper stay are the source of many Christmas fantasies.

Plenty of criticisms could be given about Harper and Abby's relationship, as the fact that Harper hides Abby for so long and lets her feel unwanted is devastating. However, the love they share and Stewart's heartfelt performance as Abby give weight and meaning to why the pair decide to work things out. Written and directed by Clea DuVall, Happiest Season feels personal and intimate while telling a universal story that everyone can enjoy.

4 The Family Stone (2005)

Directed by Thomas Bezucha

The star-studded cast of The Family Stone is reason enough to watch this iconic Christmas movie, which sees its characters do awful and underhanded things to each other. Everett Stone (Dermot Mulroney) and Amy Morton (Sarah Jessica Parker) are the couple that begins the movie together, but they're far from the people who end up together by the story's conclusion. However, it's the messiness, fights, and high drama of The Family Stone that makes it so compelling.

The Family Stone capitalizes on the well-known fear of being introduced to a partner's family and not only having the meeting go poorly but also knowing that everyone despises each other.

The Family Stone capitalizes on the well-known fear of being introduced to a partner's family and not only having the meeting go poorly but also knowing that everyone despises each other. This is the position Amy is put in after meeting Everett's family and having everything possible go wrong. Fortunately, it soon becomes clear that Amy and Everett are not the ones who are meant to be together, but there's someone in the large and loving Stone family for everybody.

3 Christmas In Connecticut (1945)

Directed by Peter Godfrey

When it comes to Christmas movies set in New England, White Christmas might immediately come to mind, but the 1945 film Christmas in Connecticut should be just as synonymous. Starring Barbara Stanwyck as Elizabeth, Stanwyck is her charming and hilarious self in this holiday screwball comedy. Christmas in Connecticut sees its love interests fall victim to classic missteps and miscommunications with Dennis Morgan as Jefferson, who falls for Elizabeth despite, wrongly, believing she's married.

Like most films from the 1940s, Christmas in Connecticut is deeply concerned with the importance of marriage and happily-ever-afters, with the characters only ever suggesting impropriety and never actually doing anything remotely scandalous. One of the biggest contemporary criticisms of Christmas in Connecticut is that it perpetuates stereotypical gender roles, but there's also another way of looking at the story. Thanks to Stanwyck's performance, Elizabeth's so-called domestic bliss could be seen through a tongue-in-cheek lens.

2 Carol (2015)

Directed by Todd Haynes

A Christmas movie more in spirit than in practice, Carol sees its lovers meet at Christmastime and embark on an affair that will change them forever. With drama, desire, and desperation, Carol (Cate Blanchett) and Therese (Rooney Mara) can't help falling for each other, even as the world tries to keep them apart. The sense of longing inherent to the story of Carol and the way this tragic star-crossed romance is so tantalizing during the holidays makes Carol a great choice for a more melancholic Christmas viewing.

The chemistry between Blanchett and Mara propels the story forward, keeping the audience enthralled and on the edge of their seats despite the methodical pace.

The chemistry between Blanchett and Mara propels the story forward, keeping the audience enthralled and on the edge of their seats despite the methodical pace. Like every other genre of film, Christmas and romance movies could always do with more transgressive additions that challenge the traditional and formulaic aspects of these stories. However, Carol is a universally human story that anyone can relate to, as love and complex relationships are two things almost everyone experiences.

1 The Shop Around The Corner (1940)

Directed by Ernst Lubitsch

Though Jimmy Stewart's other Christmas movie is more famous since It's A Wonderful Life has no shortage of heartwarming Christmas quotes, his lesser-known project is even more special. Starring Stewart as the leading man, Alfred Kralik, and Margaret Sullavan as Klara Novak, The Shop Around the Corner sees the coworkers go from enemies to lovers in their small shop in Budapest. Many famous movies are based on the play that The Shop Around the Corner draws its story from, as well as the stage musical She Loves Me.

When watching The Shop Around the Corner at Christmas today, it's easy to see why the narrative is so inspirational within film and media. Stewart and Sullavan have a delightfully charming chemistry as they snipe at each other at work but send each other longing long letters from behind their pen names. Though not all of The Shop Around the Corner takes place during the holidays, the most emotionally resonant scenes do, and the film doesn't shy away from the inherent nostalgia and longing that accompanies this time of year.