Ho ho ho! Welcome to the romance section of the winter wonderland of cinematic history!

This is a special spot under the mistletoe, featuring the best romantic Christmas movies ever made, from classics of the 1940s to the latest ones. Each film of this collection focuses on the affectionate romantic involvement of lovers, but they also channel the mood of the holiday season, with all the joy, anxiety and surprises.

We made you a list, we checked it twice,

Just to find out which movies are nice.

So how did we pick the Top 11 Romantic Christmas Movies Ever Made?

Well, it wasn’t simple, and it wasn’t easy! “Best” is a relative term, but there are certain factors that can be used as guidelines, such as Critical Acclaim, Audience Feedback, Box Office Performance, Awards and Nominations, Iconic Status, Popularity, Watchability, etc.

Also, a true romance movie is first and foremost romantic, not comedic, nor musical, nor something else. Plus a real Christmas movie actually focuses on the Christmas spirit, not just happens to be set during the holiday season.

That’s the spirit we embraced while composing this list of the Best Romantic Christmas movies of all time. Every film featured here has a minimum FrameClass of 3 stars, so they are at least in the “Worth a Watch” category. If you want to find out how we calculate the FrameClass of each film, just visit our FrameClass page.

We believe that the movies that made the cut should not compete with one another any further, so we will just present them in the order they were released in.

And now let’s cut to the chase, shall we? Buckle up, and let the best romantic Christmas movies of all time carry you to the Cinematic Wonderland of love!

Revealing the Top 11 Romantic Christmas Movies of All Time

A Chronological Presentation

Screen legends Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray star in the heartwarming holiday classic where a shoplifter and her prosecutor fall in love, creating tensions for his career and family.

A food writer who has lied about being the perfect housewife must try to cover her deception when her boss and a returning war hero invite themselves to her home for a traditional family Christmas.

Source: IMDB

The Bishop’s Wife succeeds thanks to the strength of winning performances from a stellar cast, which includes Cary Grant and Loretta Young. Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus

While You Were Sleeping is built wholly from familiar ingredients, but assembled with such skill – and with such a charming performance from Sandra Bullock – that it gives formula a good name. Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus

Nicolas Cage and Tea Leoni star in this romantic holiday drama about a Wall Street bachelor who is stunned to wake up in an alternate reality, where the girlfriend he left 13 years ago is his wife, and they have two kids.

A sugary tale following the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.

Source: IMDB

While visiting his hometown during Christmas, a man comes face-to-face with his old high school crush whom he was best friends with – a woman whose rejection of him turned him into a ferocious womanizer.

Source: IMDB

An uptight, conservative businesswoman accompanies her boyfriend to his eccentric and outgoing family’s annual Christmas celebration and finds that she’s a fish out of water in their free-spirited way of life.

Source: IMDB

From writer/director Nancy Meyers comes a romantic comedy about two women on opposite sides of the globe who swap houses for the Holiday season, only to discover that a change of address can really change their lives.

Source: Amazon

A New Orleans cookware salesclerk is led to believe that she has less than a month to live, so she jets off on a dream vacation to live like there’s no tomorrow!

Source: Amazon

The Princess Switch offers a healthy dose of charming, light-hearted, twin-swap fun and is delightful viewing for any hopeless romantic. Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus

…end of the reel…

So there you have it: The 11 Greatest Romantic Christmas Movies of All Time

If you want to take a look at the ‘Top 11 Best Romantic Christmas Movies Ever Made’ list without all that info between the titles, here’s a quick recap:

Is there a movie you believe should be on this list? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!