2020 could have gone a lot better than it did. Oh well, what are you gonna do? It's not like you can turn back time, right? Perhaps, you'll just have to make do with today's circumstances. And that goes with celebrating Christmas too. For the time being, at least for this year, you have to say goodbye to Christmas parties and shopping for the perfect gift in the mall. As much as you can, you have to stay at home. When you're with your significant other, the best you can do to celebrate Christmas is with a movie. So why not go for a romantic one?
Last Christmas (2019)
Let's start with the most recent one. Having premiered just last year, 'Last Christmas' is a must-watch for anyone who's into rom-coms filled with the holiday spirit. It tells the story of Kate (Emilia Clarke), an aspiring singer who's at the lowest point in her life. While working as an 'elf' in a Christmas shop
somewhere in London, he meets Tom Webster (Henry Golding), a handsome young man who seemingly has taken an interest in her. With his help and encouragement, Kate turns her life around, improving it one step at a time. And once she's finally back up on her feet, she realizes that Tom wasn't exactly the man she thought he was.
Source: IMDb/ Universal Pictures
The Christmas Candle (2013)
Based on a Max Lucado novel, 'The Christmas Candle' is the type of romantic period film that's perfect for the holidays. The costumes and grand sets will instill a festive spirit in you, but its heart-wrenching story will remind you that Christmas really is an emotional time. Set in the Victorian era, Rev. David Richmond (Hans Matheson) becomes the new pastor for the fictional town of Gladsbury. A small community in rural England, the people here believe in miracles, as opposed to Rev. Richmond who's become cynical after a personal loss. A story about redemption and, of course, romance, this movie is the perfect flick to snuggle up with someone you love.
Source: IMDb/ EchoLight Studios
Four Christmases (2008)
Let's face, Christmas nowadays is no longer just the warm and fuzzy holiday where people are all nice and cheerful. That's the ideal situation, yes, but for a lot of families, it's the worst day of the year. Brad (Vince Vaughn) and Kate (Reese Witherspoon) probably feel the same way.
Living in San Francisco, their holiday plans were put on hold and they're they had to spend Christmas with all four of their divorced parents. . With each homecoming as hilarious and emotional as the next, the movie is far from the innocent 1940s and 1950s holiday flicks. But it is a modern and somewhat-accurate picture of what spending Christmas with family is like today and why it's important.
Source: IMDb/ Warner Bros. Pictures
The Holiday (2006)
Sometimes, all you really need for Christmas is a change of setting. However, you can't exactly do that now because of the pandemic. But you can watch 'The Holiday' to see how it must have been like had you did it! One year, Hollywood heavyweight Amanda Woods (Cameron Diaz), who lives in LA, and newspaper columnist Iris Simpkins, (Kate Winslet) who resides in London, decide they're going to switch places for the holidays. What results is a hilarious series of events that include all sorts of mishaps, a new friendship formed, and, of course, some holiday romance for good measure. It's a quintessential holiday rom-com but not as stereotypically cheesy as you might think!
Source: IMDb/ Sony Pictures Classics
The Family Stone (2005)
Now, this is a movie that's perfect for today's politically-charged times. Meredith Morton (Sarah Jessica-Parker) is an uptight New York executive who dreads meeting and spending time with his longtime boyfriend, Everett Stone (Dermot Mulroney), family for the holidays. The Stone Family is a rambunctious bohemian bunch, as loose and liberal as the rest of them. They're in stark contrast to Meredith's conservative views and restrained demeanor. So in the midst of all this holiday hullaballoo, emotions are shared, arguments are made, and the resolution is as sweet as ever! The film proves that a difference in personality in beliefs doesn't have to ruin the holiday spirit.
Source: IMDb/ 20th Century Fox
Joyeux Noël (2005)
Here's another period flick for you: 'Joyeux Noël.' Released back in 2004, this French epic war drama is all about love and loss during the holidays of World War I. Focusing on six characters of French, German, and Scottish descent, it harkens back to the war's historic Christmas Truce and how that moment of holiday peace affected them. Though it focuses more on the war aspect of the story, the romance comes by way of Private Nikolaus Sprink (Benno Fürmann) and his wife Anna Sørensen (Diane Krueger). Both sacrifice their safety just to be together for the holidays.
Source: IMDb/ Sony Pictures
There's nothing more heartwarming and, at times, heart-wrenching, than a romantic Christma movie. Many of them are some holiday fun, perfect to keep you entertained for the season. While some can creep up at you and leave you a bucket of tears after!
