Holiday Movie Challenge: 25 Movies for 25 Days of Christmas

There are no shortage of holiday movies to watch to get in the Christmas spirit.

From cheesy Christmas romances, to animated classics, to irreverent comedies, there is a surplus of movies to watch during the holidays. With so many options, it can be hard to choose what to watch! But don’t worry, we’ve got your back :)

Here is a list of holiday favorites that balances nostalgia with newer releases, comedy with drama, and high-quality with guilty pleasures. So, what are you waiting for? Make some cocoa, grab a cozy blanket, and get in the holiday spirit with the Holiday Movie Challenge!

Check out these 25 movies for 25 days of Christmas!

Single All the Way

Written by Chad Hodge

Directed by Michael Mayer

Rating: 🔥 that’s hot

Chronically single Peter (Michael Urie) doesn’t want to return home for the holidays sans boyfriend yet again. So he decides to convince his best friend and roommate Nick (Philemon Chambers) to come home with him and pretend that the two have fallen in love. But the plan is immediately thwarted by Peter’s mom (Kathy Najimy) who set him up with her hottie spin instructor (Luke Macfarlane). While Peter and gym hunk hit the picturesque town and the New Hampshire slopes, Nick spends time with Peter’s family and they grow to love him even more than they had before. Are Peter and Mr. Muscles a Christmas miracle, or has his perfect match been waiting under the mistletoe right in front of him all these years?

I personally love all the familiar tropes of Christmas movies, but I STRUGGLE to slog through the romcoms that are just too cheesy. My tolerance for cheese is high! But anything on par with the Hallmark channel is usually a hard pass. Single All the Way toes the line between camp and emotional depth brilliantly, allowing you to have all the familiar Christmas cheer without laying it on too thickly. The cast is perfect! The comedic talents of Kathy Najimy, Jennifer Coolidge, Michael Urie, and Jennifer Robertson create a fun family dynamic that kept me laughing from start to finish. If you are looking for a sweet Christmas romcom that is actually watchable I highly recommend checking out Single All the Way now on Netflix!

Love Hard review

Love Hard review

Written by: Daniel Mackey & Rebecca Ewing

Directed by: Hernán Jiménez

Rating: that’s hot

Unlucky in love Natalie (Nina Dobrev) has made a career out of bad dates as the writer of a dating mishaps column. But when her friend expands the radius of her dating app profile beyond notoriously vapid Los Angeles, her luck begins to change. She matches with Josh, a drop dead gorgeous man who actually has a good personality. Tired of writing mishap after mishap, she convinces her boss to let her fly to Lake Placid, NY to surprise Josh for Christmas and write her fairytale ending. But when she arrives, Josh (Jimmy O. Yang) isn’t who he said he was, and she only agrees to stay when Josh offers to help her land the real guy from the catfish photos (Darren Barnet).

This is your typical Christmas romcom with all the tropes; trimming the tree, Christmas caroling, and lots of holiday cheer. It’s cheesy as hell and had plenty of moments that made my cynical self roll my eyes. But it also surprised me. Jimmy O Yang is the heartbeat of this movie and he gives a vulnerable performance that really pulls you in with his insecurity. His character is so relatable and even though he is a catfish, he’s too lovable to root against. This film touched on a lot of deep themes like defining masculinity, being brave enough to be yourself, and how stifling it can be to live in someone else’s shadow. If you’re looking for a funny, cheesy Christmas movie with a surprising amount of depth, definitely check out love hard, now streaming on Netflix.

Review by Zianna Weston

Looking for more Christmas movie reviews?

Operation Christmas Drop review

Operation Christmas Drop

Written by: Gregg Rossen & Brian Sawyer

Directed by: Martin Wood

Rating: thank u, next

Congressional aide Erica (Kat Graham) gets sent to a remote Air Force base in the Pacific with one goal; shut it down. The base is thought to be a money pit and a waste of tax payer dollars. But when Erica discovers the true impact of Operation: Christmas Drop, the base’s annual humanitarian aid project that helps the remote islands in the region, Erica is forced to re-examine the bottom line.

This movie is based on a true story and I honestly wish Netflix would have just made a documentary about the true story instead because I’m sure that would have been fascinating! Instead we are left with an unbearably cheesy romcom with bad dialogue and a completely unnecessary CGI gecko. Everything about this movie felt forced and unnatural and as a result Operation Christmas Drop is a thank u, next 🙅‍♀️

Review by Zianna Weston

Looking for your next Christmas movie to watch?