A Definitive List of Winter TV for People With Some Standards

With this term drawing to a close and Christmas fast approaching, relief from all the essays and reading is promised. Finally, a time for relaxation and peaceful procrastination, excessive eating and, if you are so inclined (which I am), drinking. And what better way to relax, procrastinate, eat and drink than to sit back and enjoy some of the cheesiest and fluffiest TV and films that this season has to offer.

And this season has to offer a lot … and utterly nothing at the same time. With winter comes the onslaught of Hallmark and Hallmark-adjacent films with some of the worst writing, acting and filmmaking known to man. Some of it is funny; some of it makes me want to cry.

 A Christmas Prince? I would sooner watch two planks of wood collide than the leading actors try to fabricate chemistry they just don’t have.

Christmas Inheritance? Watch paint dry instead.

And I’m sorry, no, I don’t like Love Actually; if I feel a need to see Colin Firth, I’ll watch Pride and Prejudice again, where he appears out of a lake in a soaking wet shirt. 

The Christmas TV Collection has perhaps the biggest range of quality, from some of the most inane garbage you will ever watch in your life to some incredible classics. I thought my bar was low, but so many of these do not make the cut, and many of the ‘classics’ I speak of only make it into the “wintery” category by the skin of their teeth.

So here I shall list ten series or films to watch this holiday for those of us who unfortunately have some standards, from the ridiculous but enjoyable “good trash”, to the ones you can actually recommend without feeling an immense amount of shame, and that might satisfy the hopeless romantic in you as well as the brooding cynic.

10. Serendipity (2001)

59% Rotten Tomatoes

This is a very silly film. It opens with a frantic christmas shopping scene where two people reach for the same glove! I wonder if they’re fated to be together?

Spoilers, they are, but despite this incredibly trite storyline, the nostalgic feel of early 2000s films as well as the chemistry between the characters make this bearable. 

9. Something From Tiffany’s (2022)

70% Rotten Tomatoes 

Set at Christmas in New York, after an accidental swap, one woman ends up with another’s intended engagement ring, and chaos ensues. This film is full of clichés (most of them are) but the main actors manage to elevate the plot so that you don’t want to put your head through a wall. Enjoy!

8. While You Were Sleeping (1995)

81% Rotten Tomatoes

A train station ticket collector fantasises about a commuter she sees briefly everyday. One day, she saves his life and at the hospital “accidentally” leads his family to believe she’s his fiancée, and then “accidentally” starts to fall for his brother. Whether this be a romantic comedy or a stalker horror is up to you, but the ridiculous plot coupled with the eminent Sandra Bullock make for the pinnacle of good trash films. 

7. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)

94% Rotten Tomatoes

This is a brilliant film and I never want to watch it again. I saw it too young and it broke my heart, but I have been promised that it has an uplifting ending. For those of us who have experienced depression, it may hit a little too close to home, but in the end is a reminder that everyone (except, you know, murderers) has value in someone else’s life. 

6. Home For Christmas (2019–)

77% IMDb

I have never watched this Norwegian Netflix series. However, my family has, and there is no one harder to please than my mother and brother. Their recommendations should be taken as gospel, no matter how often I ignore them myself. 

In this comedy, a woman cripples under family pressure and blurts out that she has a boyfriend to bring home for Christmas. Except that she doesn’t have a boyfriend and she decides to find one in time for the impending family dinner. 

5. Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

75% Rotten Tomatoes

Father Christmas hands out weapons to little children. Everyone’s dream. Yes, this film’s goal is to end winter, but it still has that holiday classic feel. 

4. Little Women 

Christmas, winter and family are in this story’s very bones. The adaptation you watch is up to you; I’m not here to start a war. While my favourite Jo is without a doubt Winona Ryder, Greta Gerwig’s genius cannot be ignored. Furthermore, in the 1994 version, Christian Bale manages to make Laurie seem creepier than his character in American Psycho, whereas Timothée Chalamet’s performance is far more compelling. Either way, Louisa May Alcott’s story is touching and timeless. 

3. Bridget Jones (2001)

80% Rotten Tomatoes

Some parts of this film have aged badly, but the comedy of it hasn’t. I truly believe that every Christmas romance should end with a woman running through the snow in nothing but underwear and a cardigan, or it isn’t true love. 

2. Dash and Lily (2020)

100% Rotten Tomatoes

This limited series will always have a place in my heart. It makes a home for both the hopeless romantic and brooding cynic, allowing them to coexist alongside truly well-written humour and young love. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and I have no notes (that I can think of right now).

Honourable Mention: Die Hard (1988)

This one doesn’t exactly fit with the general theme of the list, but if watching Bruce Willis in a vest makes you feel warm and fluffy inside, each to their own. 

1. When Harry Met Sally (1989)

91% Rotten Tomatoes

The best of the best. I will die on the hill that this is a holiday movie as well as the greatest of all the friends-to-lovers stories. This is a true classic and there is no other film or series that deserves this top spot.
Note: This list is not definitive, I lied.