My queens! It is November 1st!
And you know what that means, don’t you?
It’s officially the happy holiday season!!!
(Have I used enough !!! to convey my excitement yet? ?)
I love everything about Christmas. The lights, the wreaths, the gingerbread, the peppermint, the copious amounts of red.
And of course, most of all, the sheer joy of the season. It’s infectious!
But my favorite Christmas pastime? The thing that, dare I say, I’m addicted to?
Watching all — and I really do mean ALL — of the Christmas movies.
Hallmark Christmas movies, Netflix Christmas movies, and of course, those Yuletide theatrical releases. There isn’t a single one that’s too cheesy — or too predictable, and lawd, do we know where each one is headed; but that’s part of the charm, no? — for me to not embrace it with open arms and striped pajamas.
And the very best of the bunch?
Well, royal Christmas movies, of course!
As if I could answer anything else. ?
I assume, if you’re reading this site, you might be a fan, too. Which is why I thought I should round ‘em all up in one place for you, so you can spend the next fifty-five days (or beyond, certainly no judgement here!) watching them on repeat.
Happy streaming, princesses — from my couch to yours!
ROYAL CHRISTMAS MOVIES THAT ARE ALREADY OUT IN THE WORLD
1. A Royal Christmas (2014)
Channel: Hallmark
Logline: “Prince Leopold, heir to the throne of Cordinia, falls in love with Emily Taylor (Lacey Chabert), a humble seamstress from Philadelphia. But the young prince’s wishes are challenged by his mother, who wants him to marry royalty.”
Stay for: The legitimate quality of this one. I personally think A Royal Christmas is the peppermint cream puff of this crop — it was my gateway into the drug that is these movies — and it stars Hallmark’s true Queen of Christmas, Mean Girls alum Lacey Chabert. She is a DELIGHT in all Hallmark movies, but especially this one. (And FYI: If you fall as hard as I did for her, she’s got a new movie — set in Rome! — the year: Christmas in Rome, obviously.)
2. A Princess for Christmas (2011)
Channel: Hallmark
Logline: “A young woman travels to Europe to stay in a beautiful castle for the holidays at the invitation of an estranged relative, and finds herself falling for a dashing prince.”
Stay for: A pre-Outlander Sam Heughan, blessing your screen with that handsome face + CASTLE.
3. Crown for Christmas (2015)
Channel: Hallmark
Logline: “After getting fired from her job as a maid at a ritzy New York City hotel, a woman accepts a temporary job as governess to a young girl who is part of a powerful European family.”
Stay for: The adorable haplessness of Danica McKellar + CASTLE.
4. Once Upon a Holiday (2015)
Channel: Hallmark
Logline: “A princess (Briana Evigan) visiting New York during Christmas escapes her royal entourage to experience the city. She is saved from muggers by a handsome man, and romance blooms when he shows her his side of the city.”
Stay for: The gender swap! Love a princess in power. ✊ Also, Briana is of Step Up sequel fame, a fact that endears me to her endlessly.
5. A Royal Winter (2017)
Channel: Hallmark
Logline: “A woman (Merritt Patterson) flees to Europe for some soul searching and meets a handsome playboy prince who exposes her to a world she has never before known.”
Stay for: Young love! This is essentially spring break, royals edition, and it kind of makes you want to quit your job and flee to Europe. (As all good movies should.) (And yes, + CASTLE.)
6. Royal New Year’s Eve (2017)
Channel: Hallmark
Logline: “Aspiring fashion designer Caitlyn meets Jeff on the day she is hired to design a gown for socialite Isabelle’s New Year’s Eve party. Caitlyn learns that Jeff is really Prince Jeffrey, Isabelle’s prospective fiance.”
Stay for: The genuine chemistry between the two leads. (It’s not always a given in the genre, but it’s appreciated!)
7. A Christmas Prince (2017)
Channel: Netflix
Logline: “Christmas comes early for an aspiring young journalist (Rose McIver) when she’s sent abroad to get the scoop on a dashing prince who’s poised to be king.”
Stay for: This was Netflix’s first foray into royal Christmas fare, and while the plot line is absurd — can you imagine any “undercover reporter” getting past one of Queen E’s guards? The treason! — the charm levels are undeniably off. the. charts. This little sister alone, y’all! You’ll shed a tear — we all did. (Also, of course, CASTLE.)
8. Christmas at the Palace (2018)
Channel: Hallmark
Logline: “Katie (Merritt Patterson), a former professional ice skater, is hired by the king of San Senova, Alexander, to help his daughter in a Christmas ice skating performance. As Katie spends time in the castle, she and Alex begin to develop feelings for each other.”
Stay for: The consistent charm of a vaguely “European” setting + CASTLE (it can’t be overemphasized) + ice skating! It honestly helps break the mold a bit.
9. A Christmas Prince: Royal Wedding (2018)
Channel: Netflix
Logline: “A year after Amber helped Richard secure the crown, the two are set to tie the knot in a royal Christmas wedding – but their plans are jeopardized when Amber finds herself second-guessing whether or not she’s cut out to be queen.”
Stay for: I know I had you at sequel. Plus, you got to be ready for the third film, coming this year. (I feel I must warn you in advance that this movie does not feature a Kate-worthy royal wedding dress. But! It does still include a royal wedding, and for that, I suppose, we must be thankful.)
10. The Princess Switch (2018)
Channel: Netflix
Logline: “One week before Christmas, a duchess (Vanessa Hudgens) switches places with an ordinary woman from Chicago (also Vanessa Hudgens!), who looks exactly like her, and they each fall in love with each other’s beaus.”
Stay for: Vanessa Hudgens, quite possibly the heir to Lacey’s beribboned throne! Also the boys — Nashville alum Sam Palladio and Nick Sagar, both of whom she has excellent chemistry with. (You can’t beat that Netflix casting.)
NEW THIS YEAR
11. A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby (2019)
Channel: Netflix
Logline: “Christmas brings the ultimate gift to Aldovia: a royal baby. But first, Queen Amber must help her family and kingdom by finding a missing peace treaty.”
12. Picture Perfect Royal Christmas (2019)
Channel: UPtv (honestly not familiar with it, but you’ve got to go where the content is)
Logline: “Amanda is the assistant to a famous photographer. Her boss receives an invitation to photograph the Christmas festivities in the Kingdom of Pantrea and Amanda goes posing as her.”
13. The Knight Before Christmas (2019)
Channel: Netflix
Logline: “Medieval magic sends a 14th-century knight to modern-day Ohio, where he falls for a high school science teacher (Vanessa Hudgens) who’s disillusioned by love.”
A note: Okay, this is not a straight-up traditional royal tale. But there’s Vanessa Hudgens, and there is a knight involved, so I’m feeling King Arthur vibes, so I wager it’s fair — and perhaps even important —to include.
Full disclosure, there are four more royal Christmas movies out there, and while they don’t have the best reviews, I feel it’s only fair to include them. (After all, a true queen makes up her own mind, does she not?) So, for your (possible) viewing pleasure:
My Christmas Prince (2017, Lifetime)
A Prince for Christmas (2015, ION)
A Royal Christmas Ball (2017, ION)
A Christmas In Royal Fashion (2018, ION)
Lead photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images
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