News Blast - The Best Christmas Movies on Netflix
9 Holiday Films to Bring Some Cheer
It’s sorta wild that it’s been months since I’ve written for Vulture/NYMag, and now I have two pieces upcoming from them. The second, you’ll have to wait a little bit longer for. But the first, is right here.
For Vulture, I wrote about the nine best Christmas movies on Netflix. Originally, when they approached me with this assignment, I considered which streaming service I would focus on (as that detail hadn’t been nailed down yet). Every platform certainly has their own stable of holiday titles, but there’s one that does things a bit differently — Netflix.
That streamer presented a fascinating challenge, which I outline in the excerpt below. Especially, since, generally, the best listicles tell a story through their selections and order. A writer should of course consider the quality of the titles. But they should also consider how those titles converse with each other too. Outside of one film, I haven’t really watched many of Netflix’s original Christmas films. So I basically needed to dive in blind. Which, I think, allows for some of the most exciting opportunities you can get as a writer. And I had so much unexpected fun exploring this universe that I think this is one of more rewarding pieces I’ve written this year.
Here a taste of what I did for this listicle:
“With the exception of White Christmas, you won’t find your usual Christmas classics on Netflix. Instead, over the past five years, the platform has become a haven for original Christmas movies — to the point of creating its own Netflix Christmas Universe of regal rom-coms concerning lost princes and princesses finding true love. In fact, it’s become a tradition, and a smart marketing ploy, for clips of the previous year’s holiday movie to appear somewhere in the newest release. (To be clear, not every original Christmas film Netflix releases is part of this universe.)
All of these holiday stories share common characteristics: They’re a cut above your standard Hallmark Channel movie (which isn’t as backhanded as it reads); they are diverse with regards to identity; they grapple with isolation, grief, and loneliness; and fanciful elves, small-town splendor, and enduring magic pave the way to family and community. Most of all, they are comfort watches, the kind of ready-made-to-snuggle-to tales that wrap you in a warm blanket. So, in preparation for your days of holly, here’s a list of eight Christmas movies on Netflix that are perfect for the whole family.”
You can read the full listicle, HERE.
