10 Great Christmas Romantic Comedy Movies That Never Get Old

Without immediately falling into cliché, vacations and romantic comedies are an undeniably perfect combination. Some of the best Christmas movies are romantic comedies, in fact. Both trade liberally on nostalgia, generate tensions in relationships (and often hamper broader family dynamics), and are, at their best, incomparable sources of escapism and comfort.

They don't tend to be made as often these days, with a mocking cynicism directed at the subgenre that tends to lump everything together under the Hallmark Movie label. But this is unfair to both parties.

Romantic comedies look best against a backdrop of snow and twinkling lights, and it's impossible not to be completely impressed when the stories are great. And if you can root for the protagonists through their carefully constructed dramas, the payoff is always a little more magical when there are holidays. Here's the best of the genre to watch again this or any Christmas.

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10. Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

Despite more recent issues with how the character is presented in her early films, Bridget Jones is basically the poster girl for romantic slapstick, and the original has a Christmas hook that makes it an almost irresistible annual reread.

The film touches on ugly Christmas sweaters, the eternal pain of family gatherings, and a long-running love triangle between Renee Zelwegger's protagonist, Colin Farrell's clumsy Mark Darcy, and Hugh Grant's delightfully boorish Daniel Cleaver. There's heart, humor, and an affirmative, hot chocolate-like ending that makes all the awkwardness worth it.

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9. While You Were Sleeping (1995)

Lesser known than some of the others here, While you slept It's a textbook case of a near-death experience leading to romantic identity theft. What better basis for a healthy love story?

Sandra Bullock's Lucy is similar to Bridget Jones, lonely, unlucky in love, and desperately lost in a love triangle of her own making. It happens mainly at Christmas as an excuse to reunite the family she pretends to formthe film actually contains a positive message. It's delightfully wrapped in the kind of festive cynicism that makes for the best romantic comedy drama.

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8. Serendipity (2001)

Again, Serendipity has a somewhat unpleasant side to the role, because it compares the cost of infidelity with the irresistible pull of destiny. If you belong to the romantic persuasion that forgives everything in the name of fate, this is something you can't miss. Fundamentally, the plot boils down to the old adage that what is meant for you will not go unnoticed.

Despite the conceit of relying on home destruction, Serendipity is surprisingly warm and very charming, with John Cusack on fine form as Jonathan, who meets his soulmate in Kate Beckinsale's Sara while Christmas shopping at Bloomingdales. Their love story is very sweet and the film only got better with time.

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7. Just Friends (2005)

Before Deadpool's megastardom, Ryan Reynolds brought his brand of easy Canadian charm to this chaotic yet very funny Christmas comedy about the hell that is the friend zone. It probably wouldn't be something that would meet today's standards, of course, but it's a good setting for a series of unfortunate events. which led him to reconnect with his childhood crush and best friend, Jamie (Amy Smart).

Just friends' The run-up to Christmas brings Reynolds – a record executive who used to be a loser – back to his small-town home with the hilarious pop star Anna Faris, who – along with a great performance from Chris Klein – disrupts the true love. Faris basically steals every scene, but Reynolds' version of All-4-One's “I Swear” is almost worth rewatching.

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6. The Family Stone (2005)

It's a travesty that this ensemble comedy – featuring such celebrated talents as Diane Keaton, Luke Wilson, Rachel McAdams and Sarah Jessica Parker – isn't remembered more fondly. Critics weren't surprised nearly 20 years ago, but The family stone truly understands the difficulty of family dynamics during the holidays.

There's just the right touch of crazy hex, but there's also a commitment to more important festive messages like love, acceptance and the horror of having to integrate into your loved one's family when you are nothing like them. And there's enough of a tragic note behind all the chaos to actually stir up some real emotion.

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5. The Holiday (2006)

The holidayThe plot of is almost inconsequential now: but all you really need to remember is that a house swap between two women (Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet) looking for an escape from heartbreak leads to both of them accidentally falling in love with inconvenient new love interests ( Jude Law and Jack Black).

THE the film wears its aspirations to be a golden age romance on its sleeveseven using the presence of Eli Wallach's retired Hollywood screenwriter as a chance to deconstruct some of the genre's most famous tropes. It's now almost known as much for Jude Law's outrageous flirtation with the camera as anything else, but it's the kind of Christmas movie that immediately captures some much-needed heat.

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4. You Got Mail (1998)

There's a rich thread of mischief in some of the best romantic comedies, and You've got mail is decidedly cynical, despite believing in the lasting power of love. Some might say it's not strictly a Christmas movie, but they'd be wrong: it's a holiday movie because all of the movie's key points take place at the most wonderful time of the year for good reason.

Meg Ryan's bookstore owner falls madly in love with her Internet pen pal (Hanks) while hating the real version of him, in a very overt nod to Pride and Prejudice. With additional dial-up connection. The film is about their chemistry as the frost melts over the course of months. Is it better than Sleepless In Seattle? It's debatable, but there's a little more magic to it because we get to see more of Ryan and Hanks together on screen.

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3. Scrooged (1988)

Yes, it's a romantic comedy. Scrooged's modern version of A Christmas Carol brings out the best in Bill Murray, who balances his signature deadpan humor with the very real feeling that he's moments away from a full-blown manic episode. He plays a cynical TV executive, determined to get everything he can out of Christmas, who is forced to re-evaluate his life when Dickens' famous ghosts knock on his door.

Murray is deliriously good as Frank Cross, and the rom com element kicks in when he realizes not only that he poisoned his own soul through greed, but that the route to it all was his lost love, Claire (Karen Allen). It's all surprisingly moving and very funny, and Carol Kane's take on the Ghost of Christmas Present is a joy that's worth watching every year.

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2. Love Actually (2003)

Another rom-com set, True love has become a holiday classic to the point that people line up every year with the same hot opinion about how awful everyone involved is. But that's the point: True love is about the utter agony of falling in love – it's messy, painful, inconvenient and often just plain unpleasant.

Interweaving multiple love stories, each seeking to show different facets of romance at Christmas, it is a brutally perfect exercise in emotional exploration that loses nothing for that purpose. The characters look more like caricatures, but the talent on display makes even the worst of them utterly charming, and it's a staple across the world for good reason.

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1. When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Again in the mean spirit of Christmas. When Harry met SallyThe qualification as a holiday film is due to the climactic scene set on New Year's Eve and a few other Christmassy elements that make the relationship inevitable. Most importantly, it captures exactly the feel of festive romance.

THE The film's exploration of love and bad times still feels like the template for so many comedy romances that followedwhich means it has an eternal relevance even now. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan's chemistry as the titular protagonists is tangible from the moment they meet, and you truly get the sense that their ultimate destiny will be conquered when it arrives. And despite all this evil, there is a beautiful heart beating behind the story.