There’s something about December that feels like life moves at warp speed. In more recent years I’ve developed a holiday tradition that I look forward to each year—watching cheesy Christmas movies. I’ve also come to really look forward to sharing my picks. I will admit my selection is limited to Netflix, but I’m sure you can find many of them on other platforms, or at least find a similar plotline elsewhere. I will add that this list is a few years in the making ;)

If you find yourself with downtime in the next couple weeks, here are my “favorites” depending on what you’re looking for.

Legit enjoyable:

• Home for Christmas – a Norweigan series (watch with subtitles) about a girl trying to navigate the pressures of her family to have a partner at Christmas, but it’s a refreshing change from typical stories. Both seasons are great.
• Love Hard – A dating app and a crazy idea for Christmas and it’s good fun.
• Father Christmas is Back – A surprise hit for me where you have arguably annoying family members, but it grows on you, and has some big-name stars.
• Dash & Lily – Teenagers connect through a journal book and it’s super cute.
• Princess Switch 1, 2, & 3 – It wouldn’t be Christmas without Vanessa Hudgens where royalty can learn from commoners, and vice versa.
• Let It Snow – A snowstorm hits a small town, and teenagers are forced to deal with actual feelings. Actually really sweet.
• Last Christmas – Not on Netflix, but an unexpected favorite of mine that tells a different kind of Christmas tale through the music of George Michael.

Cheesy bad good:

• A Castle for Christmas – Brooke Shields plays a successful writer who travels to Scotland and finds more than herself in the process. She also joins a knitting circle.
• The Knight Before Christmas – When a knight time travels to present day, you cannot help but laugh.
• The Christmas Prince 1, 2, & 3 – Higher budget than most holiday films, so skip this one if you’re looking for added cheese factor. Spoiler alert, they fall in love, get married, and have a baby, but not without a few hurdles along the way.
• Christmas Made to Order – A wanna be holiday decorator teaches a workaholic architect there’s more to life than work.
• A Wish for Christmas – Santa grants the girl a wish where she can’t help herself from speaking her mind, particularly towards mediocre white men.
• Christmas Land – A Christmas movie about the importance of reading legal contracts before signing them.
• Operation Christmas Drop – The importance of giving to others who have less, inspired by a true story.
• Christmas Wonderland – A Christmas movie about toxic workplaces and high school sweethearts.
• Single All the Way – I found the family meddled WAY too much for my liking, but it was refreshing to see a gay couple at the helm of holiday cheer.
• Christmas Inheritance – Wherein the female lead has to experience small-town Christmas to realize her fiancé is a giant d-bag.
• Christmas with a View – A holiday story with a very unrealistic view of what it takes to run a restaurant, even if the chef is hot.
• Broadcasting Christmas – Melissa Joan Hart stars in a holiday tale about misogyny and meddling parents who think they know what’s best for their kids
• A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish – A predictable Cinderella trope, but instead of scrubbing floors, Cinderella has to carry Starbucks orders.
• Christmas Wedding Planner – Like Cinderella, but also has a cameo from Joey Fatone of N’SYNC.
• Holidate – A completely predictable holiday love story that takes place in a mall.
• My Christmas Inn – Will the spirit of the neighborhood inn teach an American workaholic there’s another way for her?
• Holiday in the Wild – Charlotte from Sex in the City finds her way to an elephant refuge, where she finds more than just elephants.
• The Holiday Calendar – A magical advent calendar comes to life as a photographer learns to follow her dream.
• Christmas Flow – A 3-part French series about misogyny, a big music star, a feminist, and very little to do with Christmas, but has nice views of Paris.

Skip list:

• A California Christmas – A story about how women do the heavy lifting as a cocky jerk becomes a ranch hand, and a love interest. (The sequel this year pretends to have a Christmas twist, but while better than the first, the Christmas connection is weak.)
• A Naiji Christmas – Don’t be fooled by the title of this one, this Nollywood film really has very little to do with Christmas.

Share your favorites—or least faves—in the comments! I’m always amused hearing from others.