Emily Flores
The streaming giant spent years perfecting a very specific holiday recipe: small-town charm, meet-cutes involving Christmas tree farms, and enough hot chocolate to fuel a small nation. But 2025? Netflix decided to tear up the playbook. This year’s holiday lineup swings wildly from action-packed thrillers to gender-bending rom-coms, proving that Christmas movies don’t have to follow the same tired path.
When Christmas Movies Go Rogue
The biggest surprise in Netflix’s 2025 Christmas arsenal isn’t a movie about saving a bakery or finding love in a ski lodge. It’s Carry-On, an airport thriller set to drop on December 13th that’s already generating massive buzz as one of the most anticipated holiday releases. Taron Egerton stars as Ethan Kopek, a burnt-out TSA agent working Christmas Eve at LAX who gets blackmailed by a mysterious traveler into letting a nerve agent onto a flight carrying 250 people. The premise is pure Die Hard energy, right down to the Christmas setting and the everyman hero forced into extraordinary circumstances.
Director Jaume Collet-Serra, who previously helmed contained thrillers like Non-Stop with Liam Neeson, crafts an anxiety-inducing experience that never lets up. The film earned positive reviews for Egerton’s performance, which balances vulnerability with action-hero capability, and for an absolutely wild fight sequence involving a baggage conveyor belt. Critics compared it favorably to Die Hard, with one calling it a satisfying surveillance thriller that keeps the tension high and pacing tight. It’s not trying to warm your heart—it’s trying to make it race.
Then there’s Jingle Bell Heist, which arrived in late November and immediately claimed the number one spot on Netflix’s charts. Starring Olivia Holt and Connor Swindells, this romantic comedy follows two small-time thieves forced into an uneasy alliance when they target the same London department store on Christmas Eve.
The Rom-Coms That Actually Take Risks
Netflix didn’t completely abandon romance this year, but even their love stories came with unexpected twists. A Merry Little Ex-Mas, released November 12th, tackles the awkwardness of divorce during the holidays. Alicia Silverstone and Oliver Hudson play a freshly separated couple trying to co-parent through their first Christmas apart, only to have things spiral when he brings his new girlfriend—played by Jameela Jamil—and she unexpectedly connects with a younger man. It’s messier and more honest than the typical Netflix holiday fare, dealing with the reality that not every family looks like a Hallmark card.
My Secret Santa might have the wildest premise of the bunch. Alexandra Breckenridge from Virgin River stars as a single mom who needs money to send her daughter to snowboarding camp. Her solution? Disguised herself as an old man to get hired as the seasonal Santa at a luxury ski resort, securing the employee discount. Naturally, she falls for her handsome boss, played by Ryan Eggold, while maintaining her elderly male disguise. The film, which premiered on December 3rd, channels Mrs. Doubtfire energy with a Christmas twist.
Why Netflix’s Christmas Gamble Matters
What makes Netflix’s 2025 Christmas strategy so fascinating is the sheer variety. While Hallmark continues to perfect its cozy formula, Netflix is treating the holiday season like a buffet where every dish tastes completely different. You want an action thriller? Here’s Carry-On. Craving a heist comedy? Try Jingle Bell Heist. Looking for something warm but honest? A Merry Little Ex-Mas has you covered. The success of Carry-On, in particular, proves that audiences are hungry for Christmas content that doesn’t follow the expected beats.