5 great Netflix Christmas movies to watch in July

The summer movie season is typically filled with action spectacles, supersized sequels, and crowd-pleasing blockbusters. Inside Out 2, A Quiet Place: Day One, and Bad Boys: Ride or Die were big hits with audiences, with Twisters and Deadpool & Wolverine coming later this month. If you want to experiment and change it up, watch a Christmas movie on Netflix.

No rules state that you can only watch a Christmas movie during the holiday season. Christmas is six months away, so why not get a head start on some holiday movies? Check out these five Christmas movies that are streaming on Netflix. Our picks include some Christmas rom-coms and a family-friendly adventure with Santa Claus.

The Noel Diary (2022)

If you liked Justin Hartley on This Is Us, you’ll love to see him winning over hearts in the holiday rom-com, The Noel Diary. Days before Christmas, established author Jake Turner (Hartley) receives a call saying his estranged mother has died and he has inherited everything from her, including her Connecticut home. Returning to the house he left 20 years ago is painful, but Jake still makes the trip to close the door on his past.

After discovering a secret diary, Rachel Campbell (Barrett Doss) shows up on Jake’s doorstep, asking about her mother Noel, who happened to be Jake’s nanny. Feeling an instant connection, Jake and Rachel embark on a journey to learn more about their respective mothers and, in doing so, grapple with their romantic feelings toward one another.

Stream The Noel Diary on Netflix.

The Christmas Inheritance (2017)

The Christmas Inheritance features a classic holiday romance trope. A wealthy heiress must be humbled, so she travels to a small town to learn the true meaning of Christmas. The rich heiress in question is Ellen Langford (Eliza Taylor), the daughter of a Manhattan business executive who is spoiled and immature. To see if she’s fit to run the company, Ellen’s dad sends her to the small town of Snow Falls to deliver a letter in person. Ellen receives $100 in cash and must keep her identity a secret.

After a snowstorm rocks the town, Ellen works at a local inn in exchange for housing. It’s here she meets Jake Collins (A Friend of the Family‘s Jake Lacy), the charming innkeeper who teaches Ellen about kindness and small-town values. Despite its predictability, The Christmas Inheritance uses a tried-and-true formula that always works around the holidays.

Stream The Christmas Inheritance on Netflix.

A California Christmas (2020)

Take the plot for The Christmas Inheritance, flip the gender roles, and set it on a farm. That’s A California Christmas, the charming romance featuring real-life couple Lauren and Josh Swickard. Joseph Van Aston (Josh Swickard) is the womanizing son of a real estate mogul who wouldn’t know the value of hard work if it hit him in the face. To prove his worth, Joseph is sent to Petaluma to buy a dairy farm from a family that refuses to sell.

Refusing to sell her farm is Callie (Lauren Swickard), a hardworking woman who takes care of her sick mother (Amanda Detmer) and little sister (Natalia Mann). Upon arrival, Joseph is mistaken for a ranch hand and works on the farm. Because of his love for Callie, Joseph forgets that he must make the family sell the farm or lose his inheritance. Will love or money win out for Joseph?

Stream A California Christmas on Netflix. 

The Christmas Chronicles (2018)

Kurt Russell has a history of playing iconic characters. Elvis Presley. Snake Plissken. Jack Burton. These roles have made Russell a cult hero. In 2018, Russell tackled one of the most widely known characters of all time, Santa Claus, in The Christmas Chronicles. Christmas Eve in Massachusetts. Siblings Teddy (Judah Lewis) and Kate Pierce (Darby Camp) set a trap in their living room to prove Santa’s existence.

Much to their surprise, it works, as Kate catches a glimpse of Santa (Russell). Kate and Teddy take it one step further by sneaking into Santa’s sleigh. When Santa discovers the kids mid-flight, he loses control of the sleigh and crashes in Chicago. To continue their journey, Kate, Teddy, and Santa must find the reindeer, hat, and bag of presents. The fate of the holiday depends on it.

Stream The Christmas Chronicles on Netflix.

Holidate (2020)

Is there anything worse than attending a party you don’t want to be at? How about being single at these parties while everyone else is in a relationship? That’s the dilemma facing Sloane Benson (Emma Roberts) in Holidate, a refreshing rom-com from Netflix. Sloane constantly feels judged by her family for not having a significant other. Jackson (Luke Bracey) feels the same way, and the two bond over their romantic misadventures at a store.

With New Year’s Eve on the horizon, the two agree to be each other’s “holidate,” a date for holiday occasions. The plan works swimmingly, as Sloane and Jackson have a successful Valentine’s Day, Fourth of July, and Halloween. With Christmas on the horizon, you know where this is going. Can Sloane and Jackson go from holidates to a real couple?

Stream Holidate on Netflix.