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MANILA, Philippines – It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
The holidays are a magical season, and Christmas is the heart of it all. Beyond the grand decorations, vibrant lights, exchange gifts, and festive feasts, it’s a time to embrace love in all its forms, to share and feel it.
What better way to celebrate love and experience its warmth than through the magic of movies?
Put on your colorful cozy sweaters, grab your favorite snacks, and get ready for some holiday magic! From romance and comedy to drama, here are 10 kilig-worthy Christmas movies to watch before Christmas Day.
Have you ever fallen in love with somebody you haven’t even talked to?
While You Were Sleeping follows Lucy (Sandra Bullock), a hopeless romantic transit ticket booth worker who falls in love with a stranger commuter, Peter (Peter Gallagher). After an accident where she had to pull Peter off the tracks, he falls into a coma, and a misunderstanding leads his family to believe Lucy is his fiancée.
Lucy is left with no choice but to go along with the lie, even celebrating the holidays with them. However, things get more complicated when she falls for Peter’s brother, Jack (Bill Pullman) and as Peter wakes from his coma. As the story unfolds, the film explores the complexity of love — how it can grow in unexpected places and timing, and how a family navigates the unpredictable journey of life, showing that sometimes, the things one never plans for can turn out to be the most meaningful.
From secret crushes and coworkers falling for each other, to unspoken feelings and family bonds being tested, there is love, actually. It is everywhere.
Love Actually features an ensemble cast, including Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson, Andrew Lincoln, and more, bringing to life a heartwarming and sometimes heart-wrenching portrayal of love in all its forms. This ultimate rom-com weaves together the lives of eight different couples in England, each facing unique challenges and complexities, yet all connected by one universal emotion, love. Their stories unfold in funny, surprising, and sometimes bittersweet ways.
Among the characters are a newly elected Prime Minister who falls for his staffer, a graphic designer struggling to balance love with familial responsibilities, and a widowed father helping his son navigate first love.
Would you exchange houses with someone to level up your holiday experience? No? But if you’re heartbroken… maybe yes!
In The Holiday, two women — Amanda (Cameron Diaz) and Iris (Kate Winslet), swap homes for the holidays to escape their personal heartbreaks. Amanda, a successful movie trailer maker, is recovering from a breakup and seeks a fresh environment in the countryside. Meanwhile, Iris, a jilted lover, goes to London to Amanda’s luxurious LA home, perfect for what she has always been dreaming of.
What begins as a simple house swap soon blossoms into life-changing experiences as both women find love in unexpected ways and places. As the days pass, time ticks away. With just two weeks, will they be ready to embrace the fresh starts they’ve both been searching for, or will they return to the lives they tried so hard to escape?
Don’t we all just dream of our prince charming, especially during this season? But wait… where’s the prince?!
In A Christmas Prince, ambitious junior editor and aspiring journalist Amber (Rose McIver) is assigned to travel to Aldovia to cover a story about Prince Richard (Ben Lamb), a “playboy” prince who is about to be crowned king. Known for his rebellious reputation and indifference to the duties of the crown, his carefree and irresponsible lifestyle has made him a controversial figure.
Caught in a tricky situation, Amber had to pretend to be the Prince’s little sister’s tutor, concealing her true identity while trying to uncover the story behind Prince Richard. As Amber digs deeper into his life, she uncovers more than she anticipated, causing her to question not only the prince’s readiness to rule but also her growing feelings for him.
If you can’t get enough of Amber and Prince Richard, the story continues with A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding and A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby.
If given a trial card to be a soon-to-be-married princess with a charming prince, would you take the royal leap or leave it behind?
The Princess Switch is a charming holiday rom-com where Stacy DeNovo, a talented baker from Chicago, gets the opportunity of a lifetime when she meets Duchess Margaret Delacourt during a baking competition in the kingdom of Belgravia.
Taking advantage of their strikingly similar faces, and in a spur-of-the-moment decision, they swap places. Stacy steps into the role of Duchess Margaret to experience royal life, while Margaret enjoys the freedom of a simpler life as a baker. However, the swap leads to unexpected complications and sparks romantic interest in both their lives. As the two women navigate their new worlds, each finds the other’s life more fulfilling, but they must decide whether to continue living each other’s lives or return to their own paths, knowing that love and happiness may lie in the choices they make.
This film becoming an instant holiday classic just proves itself, even having sequels like The Princess Switch: Switched Again and The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star, each adding more heartwarming adventures to the royal swap saga.
Surrounded by couples and feeling extra single, especially during the peak season of love? Why not find yourself a holidate! But remember, no strings attached!
Holidate is another rom-com charm that follows the story of Sloane (Emma Roberts) and Jackson (Luke Bracey) who are both fed up being single, especially during the holiday season. Tired of dealing with awkward family gatherings and constant about their love lines, they strike a deal to become each other’s “holidates” — being each other’s plus ones to attend holiday events without the pressure of commitment.
But what if it grows into something more complicated, deep, and serious? Will they be able to handle it?
Let’s be real, almost all Christmas family gatherings are filled with secrets, family affairs, pasts, and drama, aren’t they?
Happiest Season is a queer film that offers a refreshing take on the holiday rom-com genre. Out of the closet, Abby (Kristen Stewart) plans to propose to her girlfriend Harper (Mackenzie Davis) during a Christmas visit to Harper’s family. However, things take a sudden turn when Abby discovers that Harper has not yet come out to her conservative parents with a reputation to protect.
The film beautifully explores themes of family, acceptance, and the realities faced by queer individuals when coming out to their families, all while maintaining a comedic and heartfelt tone. As Abby and Harper face challenges, a series of events leads to unexpected revelations, forcing both women to confront their fears and the complexities of love within a family dynamic.
For the fake-dating trope enthusiasts, we got you covered for your holiday movie marathon!
Another queer Christmas movie that feels like a warm embrace during this cold season is Single All the Way. The story follows Peter (Michael Urie) as he convinces his best friend Nick (Philemon Chambers) to pretend to be his boyfriend during a visit to his family for the holidays. As they arrive at Peter’s family home, the entire family, starting with his matchmaking mother who even sets him up with a gym instructor, his hilarious sisters, and his supportive father, encourage him to find love even if it means stepping in to help with his love life.
As Peter and Nick spend more time together, the undeniable chemistry between them becomes evident, leading Peter’s family to notice how perfectly they click.
Keep swiping right! You never know, they might not be a catfisher after all… or maybe, just maybe, they’re a romantic one!
Starring Nina Dobrev as Natalie, Love Hard follows a dating column writer who, after falling for a man she meets on a dating app, travels to his hometown to surprise him for Christmas. However, things take a twist when she discovers that the man she’s been conversing with, Josh (Jimmy O. Yang), was using his friend’s photos the whole time. Josh offers to set her up with the real man she thought she was talking to, Tag (Darren Barnet), if she pretends to be his girlfriend for the holidays.
What if your boyfriend’s sister’s boyfriend turns out to be your ex? Confused? Well, turns out, it’s a small world after all!
Another Netflix romantic comedy, Our Little Secret stars Lindsay Lohan who plays Avery, a woman who reconnects with her ex Logan (Ian Harding) after years apart, in the most unexpected and unimaginable way. The film follows Avery and Logan as they find out that their new partners are siblings, forcing them to spend Christmas under the same roof. The pair agrees to keep their past, their little secret, but will it really remain a secret?
This Christmas, it’s worth recognizing that while films are often celebrated as cinematic masterpieces, sometimes, what we need most is a movie that exudes warmth, captures the spirit of Christmas, and offers a feel-good experience. Movies like these are perfect for cozy nights, inviting us to celebrate the season in a way that’s deeply personal, yet universally relatable. – Rappler.com
Zach Dayrit is a Rappler intern studying BS Psychology at the Ateneo de Manila University.
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