Tom Wozniczka and Minka Kelly in ‘Champagne Problems’ on Netflix.
Photo by Mika Cotellon/Netflix.
It doesn’t matter if you’ve been naughty or nice, at least not at Netflix! The streamer isn’t waiting for Santa Claus to deliver the goods. Viewers can celebrate early this season with the debut of four original holiday-themed movies. Wednesdays are lucky days with a new movie premiere each week for a month. It’s okay to put your to-do list aside for a few hours to enjoy some cheer. Self-care is important, especially during the holiday hustle!
The streamer has already premiered two of its new movies themed to the happiest time of the year. A Merry Little Ex-Mas, starring Alicia Silverstone and Oliver Hudson, and the Minka Kelly-helmed Champagne Problems, are a delightful double-feature.
Alicia Silverstone and Oliver Hudson in ‘A Merry Little Ex-Mas’ on Netflix.
Photo by Marni Grossman/Netflix.
A Merry Little Ex-Mas
First, Netflix premiered A Merry Little Ex-Mas on November 12. This charming film instantly became a massive hit for the streamer, securing the No. 2 spot on the Top 10 Movies list with 12.8 million views in its first week.
Silverstone and Hudson portray Kate and Everett, who do not like to say they’ve divorced, but have consciously uncoupled. Still, they’re determined to make this a wonderful holiday season for their two children, who are coming home for the festivities.
What could go wrong? New flames and old feelings come into play, complicating their plans. They both do their best to make one last perfect Christmas before Kate sells the family home and ventures off to pursue a career she left behind years ago to be a wife and mother.
Each meticulously planned event is hilariously derailed when Everett unexpectedly introduces his younger, gorgeous, and successful new girlfriend, Tess (Jameela Jamil).
Kate also has an admirer in Chet (Pierson Fodé), a young, handsome man who helps her pick out the perfect Christmas tree. Melissa Joan Hart stars as Kate’s best friend, April, who witnesses all the chaos.
Steve Carr directed this hopeful comedy from writer Holly Hester. If I had to glean a theme, I’d say this movie is about second chances in all things, especially love. It’s never too late to find your way back to the person you’re meant to be with.
Minka Kelly and Tom Wozniczka in ‘Champagne Problems’ on Netflix.
Photo by Mika Cotellon/Netflix.
Champagne Problems
The bubbly is flowing! Champagne Problems was the streamer’s second new holiday rom-com release this season. It premiered on November 19 and landed in the No.1 spot on the English film list with 20.5 million views.
If this one doesn’t make you want to pack your bags and fly to Paris, I don’t know what will! Kelly stars as Sydney Price, an American businesswoman who is climbing the corporate ladder when she gets the chance of a lifetime when her boss sends her to France to lead a major acquisition for Chateau Cassell, a beloved champagne house nestled in the heart of the Champagne region.
To make this business trip even more magical, she’s tasked with going to meet with the owner of the champagne empire in person to close the deal over the Christmas holiday. She makes her sister one promise before she goes; she will take one night off to have some fun in the City of Lights.
This might be one of the cutest meet-cutes of them all! Sydney meets the charming Henri Cassell (Tom Wozniczka), a stranger who shows her the magic of the city during the holidays, and they share a night neither will ever forget.
Their whirlwind romance hits a snag when she discovers that this handsome Parisian is the founder’s son of the very company she’s traveled so far to acquire. She realizes she’s got some competition in the bid for the family business when Hugo Cassell (Thibault de Montalemert) sets up a friendly competition for the potential buyers at the family vineyard.
Will Sydney and Henri’s new romance survive this unexpected detour? Of course it will! This is a romantic comedy, not a mystery! These two lovebirds have too much passion to keep bottled up.
This adorable escape comes from writer, director, and producer Mark Steven Johnson. Sean Amsing, Flula Borg, Astrid Whettnall, Xavier Samuel, Mitchell Mullen, and Maeve Courtier-Lilley round out this fabulous cast.
I’d say the main message this movie delivers is that it’s never too late to find the life you’re meant to live and the person you’re meant to love.
The streamer got it right with these two Christmas-themed stories of true love, second chances, and how beautiful life can be when you follow your heart. And because it is the season of giving, Netflix is about to drop two more brand new movies that are the perfect cozy binge-watch.
Connor Swindells and Olivia Holt in ‘Jingle Bell Heist’ on Netflix.
Photo by Rob Baker Ashton/Netflix.
Jingle Bell Heist
‘Tis the season for giving, receiving, and taking! This funny, nail-biting story of holiday cheer premieres on Wednesday, November 26.
Michael Fimognari directed this movie, written by Abby McDonald and Amy Reed, which follows the story of Sophia (Olivia Holt), a sharp-witted retail worker, and Nick (Connor Swindells), a down-on-his-luck repairman.
They are a pair of small-time thieves with their eyes on the same Christmas Eve score: They plan to rob London’s most notorious department store and are forced into an uneasy alliance. Sophia and Nick put their relationship and the heist in jeopardy as secrets surface and feelings for each other deepen.
Alexandra Breckenridge and Ryan Eggold in ‘My Secret Santa’ on Netflix.
Photo Courtesy of Netflix.
My Secret Santa
And then, on Wednesday, December 3, the streamer is dropping its final new original holiday film of 2025. Director Mike Rohl (The Princess Switch trilogy) and writers Carley Smale and Ron Oliver bring this heartwarming rom-com starring Alexandra Breckenridge and Ryan Eggold.
This festive holiday tale follows a single mom in need of a job who decides to disguise herself as a man to secure a position as the seasonal Santa at a luxury ski resort. Everything is going according to plan when she lands the job until she meets the hotel manager, and love disrupts her plans. Love has a funny way of sneaking up on you right when you think you’ve got life figured out.
‘Tis the season for wildly romantic meet-cutes and happy endings! It’s the perfect time of the year to curl up, solo or not, press play, and let the holiday rom-com make everything a little lighter, brighter, and magical!
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danafeldman/2025/11/26/netflix-drops-4-holiday-movies-in-time-for-thanksgiving-and-christmas/
