Movies like Christmas Pen Pals (2018)
The best movies like Christmas Pen Pals (2018) are A December Bride (2016), Grounded for Christmas (2019) and A Christmas Prince (2017). If Christmas Pen Pals hooked you with its romance and tv movie, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedJoyeux Noel (2005)7.3/10 from 965 votes
- NewestA Biltmore Christmas (2023)Released 2023
A December Bride (2016)
Aspiring interior designer Layla is dreading the Christmastime wedding of her cousin who’s marrying Layla’s ex-fiancé. Although Seth is the one responsible for introducing the bride and groom, she begrudgingly accepts his offer to be her date as she’s out of options. Seth gets carried away at the reception and announces they’re engaged, forcing a mortified Layla to keep up the pretense.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGrounded for Christmas (2019)
When a winter storm hits Cleveland and grounds flights, the nearby hotels quickly fill up with stranded travelers. Nina, a pilot, reluctantly agrees to let her arrogant but charming fellow pilot, Brady, stay at her nearby parents' home. But when they discover her family is hosting a tree trimming party that night and that her ex will be there, Brady pretends to be her boyfriend to help her out.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Christmas Prince (2017)
When a reporter goes undercover as a nanny to get the inside scoop on a playboy prince, she gets tangled in some royal intrigue and ends up finding love - but will she be able to keep up her lie?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMarry Me at Christmas (2017)
Organizing a Christmas wedding is a true treat for bridal boutique owner Madeline Krug. She loves the challenge of finding the perfect dress for the bride and orchestrating an exquisite event. What Madeline didn’t expect was to be swept off her feet by the bride’s gorgeous brother, movie star, Jonny Blaze. Jonny came to the quirky town of Fool’s Gold to support his sister -- not to fall in love. Yet Madeline is the most extraordinary woman he’s ever met, and she finds the real Jonny even more captivating than her celebrity crush. Will the action star be brave enough to take on the role of a lifetime?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Glenbrooke Christmas (2020)
As Christmas nears, heiress Jessica Morgan seizes what seems like her last chance to experience a relaxed Christmas and heads off to the small town of Glenbrooke, where she meets a handsome fireman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCatch a Christmas Star (2013)
Nikki Crandon is one of the biggest pop stars on the planet. Whether she's singing the National Anthem or promoting her latest album, everyone knows who she is—none more so than New Jersey high school basketball coach and widower Chris Mitchell, who was Nikki's first love in high school. When Chris' 10-year-old daughter Sophie finds out her dad still has feelings for the singer, she takes matters into her own hands. With her 8-year-old brother Jackson in tow, Sophie succeeds in reuniting the two. But when a misunderstanding and the growing glare of the public spotlight threaten Chris and Nikki's happiness, one can only wonder: will fame get in the way of a Merry Christmas?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChristmas Next Door (2017)
Eric Randall, an author of bachelor lifestyle books, is left in charge of his young niece and nephew for the holidays. Eric turns to his neighbor April, a lover of all things Christmas, for help.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby (2019)
Christmas brings the ultimate gift to Aldovia: a royal baby. But first, Queen Amber must help her family and kingdom by finding a missing peace treaty.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Perfect Christmas Present (2017)
Tom Jacobs is Mr Christmas! He's built an entire business around helping clients find the perfect gift. But what happens when he falls for one lucky recipient?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSharing Christmas (2017)
A real estate developer is given the opportunity of his career to transform an old shopping complex into a prime location. Unfortunately, there is one tenant who is holding out—the Christmas shop owner he met by happenstance just days ago.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Gift to Remember (2017)
After colliding with a pedestrian on her bicycle who loses his memory following the accident, Darcy Archer becomes determined to help the handsome guy figure out who he is. In the process, she finds out a lot more about who she is, what she wants from life, and how this too-good-to-be-true guy might just be the man she’s been waiting to bump into all her life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChristmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa (2018)
Lisa's trip home to Evergreen for the holidays finds her shepherding an effort to save the town's beloved general store, fulfilling the wishes of a Christmas past and finding a romance full of Christmas magic.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Christmas Inn (2018)
With the holiday season in full swing, Jen Taylor is about to score a big promotion at the San Francisco ad agency where she works. But her life is unexpectedly turned upside down when she inherits a cozy inn in Alaska from her aunt. When she goes to inspect the property and meets handsome town attorney Steve Anderson, she's surprised to find that nothing is what she expected. The small town community is full of fun and festive Christmas traditions and soon, Jen starts wondering if the inn might just be the place she belongs, and if Steve could be the Mr. Right she has been waiting for.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWrite Before Christmas (2019)
A recently single Jessica sends Christmas cards to people who have impacted her life—the aunt who raised her, her younger brother in the military, a popstar who was part of the soundtrack of her life, the music teacher who inspired her, and the best friend who always tells the truth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisProject Christmas Wish (2020)
For years Lucy has played Santa to her small town’s community by making their holiday wishes come true. But when Lucy grants a little girl’s wish for a Christmas like she used to have with her mom, she unexpectedly finds her own wishes coming true in life and love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Prince for Christmas (2015)
A prince from Europe meets a charming waitress when he travels to America during the Christmas holiday to escape an arranged marriage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisMerry & Bright (2019)
Cate, CEO of the Merry and Bright Candy Cane Company, meets Gabe during the busy Christmas season. She assumes Gabe is the suitor her well-meaning mother is trying to set her up with when in reality, he works for Empire Corporate Recovery, which has been hired to take a closer look at Merry and Bright's operation and find ways to make the company more profitable. As Cate and Gabe begin to work together, they find ways to elevate the business and find that they have more in common than savvy business sense.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Biltmore Christmas (2023)
Contemporary screenwriter Lucy Hardgrove is hired to pen the remake of the holiday classic His Merry Wife!, which was shot at the renowned Biltmore Estate. Taking a tour of the grounds, she accidentally knocks over an hourglass, transporting her back in time to 1946, right when His Merry Wife! is being filmed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPoinsettias for Christmas (2018)
It’s just weeks before Christmas when Ellie gets a call to return home to help her father on the family’s poinsettia farm. The family business is on the line to deliver tens of thousands of plants for the town’s annual parade. The problem is — the poinsettias have yet to turn red! As Ellie searches for the solution, she is reminded of where her heart truly lies as she falls in love with both her roots and a local botanist.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTaking a Shot at Love (2021)
Former professional ballet dancer Jenna works with NHL star Ryan Cooper to help him recover from an injury using ballet as therapy, and as they grow close, he helps her mend her injured heart. But when it’s time for Ryan to return to the ice and leave Jenna and her small, Connecticut town, they both must consider the paths they want to take and just maybe, love will find its way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMenorah in the Middle (2022)
Sarah is headed back to her hometown for Hanukkah with news of her engagement. Upon returning she finds out that her father had a heart attack and things have gotten out of hand.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Christmas Encore (2017)
A struggling actress is cast in her last off (off) Broadway show - a modern take on “A Christmas Carol” - before giving up her dream and moving home. Instead, she finds romance with her director and a renewed passion for her craft and the city. But when the historic theater loses its lease and the show is set to fold, she and her cast mates are need of a Christmas miracle.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Mistletoe Inn (2017)
When aspiring romance novelist Kim Rossi is unceremoniously dumped by her soon-to-be-published romance novelist boyfriend, Kim takes stock and decides to take a leap. She signs up for a romance writing retreat at a quaint Vermont Inn shortly before Christmas, where a top romance novelist is scheduled to attend and read the work of one lucky writer. Shortly after arriving, she crosses paths with Zeke, whom she initially finds to be intrusive and, naturally, ends up being her assignment partner. Worse yet, her ex is also at the retreat. Despite these bumps in the road, Kim steps outside her comfort zone and plunges into the writing exercises, surprising herself. Equally unexpected is the attraction that seems to be building between her and Zeke that promises to take her down a road she never imagined traveling. Based on the book by Richard Paul Evans.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like this12 Pups of Christmas (2019)
Recently single and starting a new job in a different city, Erin, a canine therapist, is getting a fresh start. But just when she thought her new life would be the reset she needed, her self-centered boss, Martin, tasks Erin with finding homes for 12 puppies who were left behind after a photo shoot for his struggling GPS locator company - and all before Christmas. As they work together, Erin realizes Martin may not be so bad after all, and her take-charge attitude not only helps Martin save his company, but also reveals a calmer, better self that opens them both up to the idea of love.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Winter in Vail (2020)
Chelsea inherits a house in Vail. She meets Owen and gets a much needed break. Together, they put on Strudelfest to highlight the charm of Old Vail.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSilent Night, Lonely Night (1969)
Over the Christmas holidays in a small New England college town, a man and a woman share a brief interlude. He is there to visit his wife, who is a mental patient at the university, and she is there visiting her son, who is a student, after discovering her husband's infidelity.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Hogfather (2007)
It's the night before Hogswatch, usually a time of joy on Discworld, but there are suspicious going-on and the criminal underworld is abuzz. The beloved Hogfather - the jolly bearer of glee and pork-related gifts for children everywhere - has vanished. Suddenly, Discworld's entire mythical system is under threat. The fate of this magical time rests in the hands of a very motley group: A band of wizards headed up by a mystical university president named Mustrum Ridcully (Joss Ackland), a loyal manservant called Albert (David Jason), a level-headed governess called Susan Sto Heilt (Michelle Dockery), and her grandfather, who happens to be - Death (Marnix van den Broeke).
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJoyeux Noel (2005)
France, 1914, during World War I. On Christmas Eve, an extraordinary event takes place in the bloody no man's land that the French and the Scots dispute with the Germans…
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMidnight Kiss (2019)
A group of gay friends head to Palm Springs to ring in the New Year. Things take a terrifying turn as the friends all search for someone to kiss at midnight, and invite a killer into their midst.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
SnoozefestMovies like thisSesame Street: Elmo Saves Christmas (1996)
Can there be such a thing as too much Christmas? Find out... when a magical Christmas wish is granted and Elmo gets to see what the world would be like if every day were Christmas! You'll enjoy lots of songs and holiday cheer with Elmo and his new friend Lightning, the reindeer, and discover for yourself why Christmas is best kept to one day a year!
Why it matches: Similar story and style
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Christmas Pen Pals?
The closest matches to Christmas Pen Pals are A December Bride (2016), Grounded for Christmas (2019) and A Christmas Prince (2017). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Christmas Pen Pals?
Start with A December Bride (2016), the closest match to Christmas Pen Pals.
What is the highest-rated movie like Christmas Pen Pals?
Joyeux Noel (2005), rated 7.3/10 by 965 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Christmas Pen Pals?
A Biltmore Christmas (2023) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Christmas Pen Pals?
Yes: A December Bride (2016), Grounded for Christmas (2019) and A Christmas Prince (2017).
How are movies similar to Christmas Pen Pals chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Christmas Pen Pals, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.