These are the very worst, but oh so delicious, Christmas movies ever
I understand that you plop down on the couch every year for The Holiday and Love Actually but you also have a, uh, completely different category of Christmas movies. You know them. Those movies where you almost close your eyes halfway through. Those stories that are really too much because how does a snowman suddenly turn into a handsome man? I can swim in the number of movies where a big-city girl who ‘doesn't believe in Christmas’ discovers the joy of Christmas again thanks to the farmer from a Christmas tree farm. Yes, those super bad movies don't make it into the Hall of Fame, but secretly? You watch them too. Even if it's cliché and you can guess the ending of the movie within the first five minutes. Are you still looking for some movie recommendations to get through December? Then pay attention, because these movies are so bad that they are actually kind of fun.
1. Jingle All the Way (1996) (Disney+, Prime Video, APPLE TV)
In this movie, we see Arnold Schwarzenegger not as the Terminator or spy Harry Tasker, but as father Howard. After disappointing his son for the umpteenth time, he can only do one thing to make it right: give the Turbo Man action figure as a Christmas gift. Howard goes on a race against the clock to try everything to get this coveted toy in his hands. However, he has to compete against father Myron Larabee, who wants the figure just as much. They end up in all sorts of funny situations because of this struggle. And honestly? That “Put the cookie down! NOW!” scene makes me chuckle every time. So yes: you can definitely watch this one.
2. Hot Frosty (2024) (Netflix)
This Christmas is going to be hot, because Hope Springs? She gets a new handsome man in town. Or better said: a handsome snowman, because that's what happens in this movie. Yes, seriously. Kathy Barrett (Lacey Chabert from Mean Girls) is depressed after the death of her husband. She takes care of everything and everyone, except her own life. The house is barely holding together and she doesn't do anything fun. When she has lunch with her friends, they give her a scarf that is supposed to motivate her to be happy again this Christmas. On her way home, she passes an ice sculpture contest. She puts the scarf around one of the handsome sculptures and takes a picture of it. There's nothing wrong with that, right? Well. At night, the snowman comes to life, and who can solve it while she finds the joy of Christmas and love again? Kathy.
3. Deck The Halls (2006) (Prime Video and APPLE TV)
Danny DeVito in a funny Christmas movie? Sign me up. The life of Steve Finch (Matthew Broderick) is disrupted when the loud Buddy Hall (Danny DeVito) moves in next door. They are both Christmas lovers, but of a different caliber. While Steve wants to do everything exactly according to schedule, Buddy wants to decorate his house so much for Christmas that it can be seen from space. Steve gets jealous. There can only be one Christmas lover on the street, right? They go head-to-head with each other, and that obviously doesn't end well.
4. The Merry Gentleman (2024) (Netflix)
If you don't find Hot Frosty hot enough, then this fits more in your alley. Ex-Broadway dancer Ashley (Britt Robertson) doesn't know what to do with her life after she gets fired. There is something she can do: make her parents' nightclub a success again. How is she going to do that? By transforming a group of local men into a sexy dance group. Is this the best box office hit ever? No, not that. But you'll stick around. Because do you know who Britt's co-star is? Chad Michael Murray. Yes, you heard that right. You want to see that, right? So now you have another excuse to watch this movie.
5. Four Christmases (2008) (Netflix, Prime Video and APPLE TV)
I actually really like this one. Year after year, Brad (Vince Vaughn) and Kate (Reese Witherspoon) escape their families. Spending Christmas with them? No way. They always go on a trip and then tell a stupid excuse, but this year that doesn't work. There's so much fog that they can't fly. And they just happen to be interviewed about the fact that the airport is closed. Caught. So now they have to go to Christmas with the fam. And it doesn't go smoothly at all. The divorced parents and annoying relatives drive the two insane, and at home, the two suddenly face dilemmas. Their family has a whole other side that they secretly kept from each other. Can their relationship survive that and all sorts of hilarious obstacles?
6. The Princess Switch (2018) (Netflix)
The classic. The well-known… Princess Switch. You probably already know this story from Barbie and the Beggar, but it's now a modern Netflix movie. Baker Stacy (Vanessa Hudgens) participates in a baking competition. In the hotel, she accidentally runs into Margaret Delacourt, Duchess of Montenaro. They are both fed up with their lives, so what do you do? Not solve it like an adult, but temporarily switch places. This way they can enjoy themselves until Margaret is set to marry the prince of Belgravia and Stacy has to participate in the competition. That predictable story obviously doesn't go well, because feelings throw a wrench in the works.
7. Santa Buddies (2009) (Disney+ and Prime Video)
Yes, sorry, but dogs always score points with me. Even when it comes to talking puppies. In Santa Buddies return the Buddies in a Christmas adventure at the North Pole. All the snow is melting because no one believes in Christmas anymore. If everything melts, Christmas will be gone forever. To save the day and have a lot of fun, the puppies go on an adventure. Is it a children's movie? Yes. But is it fun to watch? Maybe. This is one of those heartwarming movies that you don't necessarily put on right away, but you still stick around for when it comes on.
8. 12 Dates of Christmas (2011) (Disney+)
We're heading to the 2010s, because this time we don't have Scrooge but rather a Groundhog Day-situation. After a terrible blind date, Kate (Amy Smart) is shocked the next day when she finds out that she is reliving the day. That can't be, right? Yes, seriously. She keeps reliving this day until she learns to open her heart to new things. The past is the past, but she can't forget her ex. Through this lesson, she is forced to repeat the date so many times until she understands the spirit of Christmas and true love. The flat characters and fast-paced storyline full of clichés won't win an Oscar, but it deserves a spot on this list.
So. Yes, these movies may be predictable, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy them. Sometimes you just want to put on a movie that makes you laugh and nothing more. Just not having to think about the plot of a complicated movie is nice sometimes. Right? Exactly.
