Christmas romance isn't a December-only genre. Search data shows readers looking for Christmas romance novels every month of the year — with steady interest in April, March and September, not just the lead-up to December. The reason: Christmas romance is the ultimate comfort read. Small towns, cosy fires, second chances, mistletoe, tree-lighting scenes, that specific brand of emotional warmth you can't get anywhere else. If you need that feeling in July, the genre delivers. Here are the best Christmas romance novels, organised by mood, so you can find exactly the right one whether it's snowing or it's ninety degrees out.
Quick Picks — The Essentials
If you only read one Christmas romance, make it one of these:
- For Hallmark-style small-town comfort: Sleigh Bells Ring by RaeAnne Thayne
- For the all-time classic: A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas
- For contemporary rom-com: In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
- For historical Regency Christmas: A Princess by Christmas by Julia London
- For series readers: Debbie Macomber's Christmas standalones — start anywhere
Best Christmas Romance Comedy
Christmas romance comedy is the most-searched subcategory for a reason — the combination of holiday stress, forced family proximity, and romantic hijinks is basically comedic gold. These are the funniest Christmas romance novels to read when you want to laugh more than you swoon.
In a Holidaze — Christina Lauren
Heat: Steamy. Tropes: Time loop, best friend's brother, second chance.
Mae wishes for clarity and wakes up reliving the same Christmas week over and over until she gets it right. A holiday Groundhog Day with the best-friend's-brother trope done perfectly. Christina Lauren at their warmest.
Window Shopping — Tessa Bailey
Heat: Spicy. Tropes: Grumpy-sunshine, second chance, fresh start.
A recently released felon walks past a closed-for-the-season department store with terrible Christmas windows, points it out, and ends up hired to fix them. Tessa Bailey does banter like nobody else, and Window Shopping is her funniest Christmas novel.
The Holiday Swap — Maggie Knox
Heat: Sweet. Tropes: Twin swap, parallel love stories, small-town vs. LA.
The Parent Trap meets The Holiday. Twin sisters swap lives in early December — one a TV baking show host, one a small-town baker — and both find unexpected romance. Pure holiday rom-com candy.
An Ex for Christmas — Lauren Layne
Heat: Sweet. Tropes: Best friends, second chance, nostalgia.
Kelly gets a psychic reading that her soulmate is one of her exes. She tracks them down one by one with her best friend, Mark. You know where this is going, and it's delightful getting there. Lauren Layne writes breezy, witty rom-com and this one's her Christmas standout.
Small-Town Christmas Romance (Hallmark-Style)
If your ideal Christmas romance looks like a Hallmark movie — the snowy town square, the tree lighting, the homecoming son or daughter, the local baker/inn-keeper/veterinarian — this is your section. These Christmas romance novels deliver that exact energy.
Sleigh Bells Ring — RaeAnne Thayne
Heat: Sweet. Setting: Haven Point, Idaho.
A widowed mother returns to her small Idaho hometown for Christmas, where the man who was her high-school nemesis is now the town's most eligible bachelor. RaeAnne Thayne is the contemporary master of small-town Christmas — her Haven Point series is where Hallmark would adapt if they had a brain.
Yours for Christmas — Susan Mallery
Heat: Sweet. Setting: Fool's Gold, California.
Susan Mallery's Fool's Gold series is the gold standard of small-town Christmas romance — dozens of interconnected books, returning characters, that cosy small-town vibe where everyone knows everyone. Yours for Christmas is a reliable entry point even if you haven't read the rest.
Home Sweet Christmas — Susan Mallery
Heat: Sweet. Tropes: Second chance, home for the holidays.
Mallery's Happily Inc setting — a wedding destination town — at Christmas. Two women, two love stories, one snowy week. Readers who burn through Hallmark movies on repeat will know exactly what they're signing up for.
Marry Me at Christmas — Susan Mallery
Heat: Sweet. Tropes: Wedding, brother's best friend, small-town.
A wedding planner organising a Christmas Eve wedding for a Hollywood star's sister falls for the overprotective brother. Another Fool's Gold standby — if you like one Mallery Christmas, you'll like them all.
Debbie Macomber's Christmas Novels
Heat: Sweet.
No Christmas romance list is complete without Debbie Macomber. She's published a new Christmas romance nearly every year for three decades — Mrs. Miracle, The Christmas Basket, Merry and Bright, Twelve Days of Christmas. Start with whichever cover pulls you in; they're all standalones, all cosy, all exactly what small-town Christmas romance is supposed to feel like.
Historical Christmas Romance
Christmas historical romance — especially Regency Christmas — is a small but loyal subcategory. If you loved Bridgerton and want the ballgowns plus the Christmas pudding, start here.
A Wallflower Christmas — Lisa Kleypas
Heat: Steamy. Series: Wallflowers #5.
A sequel novella to Kleypas's beloved Wallflowers series, bringing back all four heroines and their husbands for a Christmas house party. The new hero is Rafe Bowman, an American in London, and the heroine is a proper English lady. The perfect Christmas Regency for readers who already love the series — and a great taster for those who don't.
A Christmas to Remember — Beverly Jenkins
Heat: Sweet. Setting: Post-Civil War America.
Beverly Jenkins is a giant of Black historical romance, and her Christmas novellas are consistently wonderful. Rich historical detail, warm romance, no saccharine — exactly what you want for a holiday historical.
A Christmas Bride — Susan Mallery
Heat: Sweet. Era: Victorian.
Before Mallery built her contemporary empire, she wrote historical. A Christmas Bride is a Victorian marriage-of-convenience with a lonely heroine and a grumpy widower. Short, warm, and quietly devastating in the right places.
A Princess by Christmas — Julia London
Heat: Steamy. Era: Regency.
Julia London's Regency Christmas novella with a royal twist — a princess in hiding, a stolen inheritance, and a Christmas house party in the English countryside. Light enough to finish in a weekend, substantial enough to stick with you.
Spicy & Contemporary Christmas Romance
Not every Christmas romance is sweet. If you want heat with your mistletoe, this is your section.
Kulti — Mariana Zapata (Christmas-adjacent)
Heat: Steamy. Tropes: Slow burn, sports, grumpy-sunshine.
Not strictly a Christmas novel but the slow-burn climax happens around the holidays, and Zapata's slow-burn is legendary. Perfect for readers who want their steam earned across 500 pages.
Naughty or Nice — Various Authors
Heat: Spicy.
Multi-author Christmas spicy romance anthologies come out every year from various romance publishers. If you like dark or spicy romance, search "Christmas" + your favourite dark/spicy author on Kindle Unlimited — most have a seasonal novella.
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Christmas Rom-Coms on Netflix & Streaming
If you want to watch rather than read, Christmas rom-coms have been Netflix's December bread and butter for years. A few reliable picks:
- The Princess Switch (Netflix, 2018) — Vanessa Hudgens plays two roles: a Chicago baker and a European duchess. Silly in the best way.
- A Christmas Prince (Netflix, 2017) — a journalist falls for a European prince during a royal Christmas. Launched the streaming Christmas romance boom.
- Holidate (Netflix, 2020) — Emma Roberts in a friends-to-lovers holiday rom-com with an actual edge.
- Last Christmas (2019) — Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding in a London Christmas romance with a George Michael soundtrack.
- Falling for Christmas (Netflix, 2022) — Lindsay Lohan's return to rom-com, opposite Chord Overstreet. More fun than it had any right to be.
For Hallmark-style content specifically, Hallmark's own streaming service and Netflix both have substantial Christmas romance libraries — look for A Castle for Christmas, Operation Christmas Drop, and Single All the Way if you want queer Christmas romance.
Kindle Unlimited Christmas Romance
Kindle Unlimited is the single best value for Christmas romance readers — hundreds of titles, all included in your subscription, ranging from sweet Hallmark-style to spicy billionaire Christmas fantasies. If you read more than two Christmas romances a year, the subscription pays for itself.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Christmas romance novel?
For pure Christmas feels, most romance readers name A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas (historical), In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren (contemporary rom-com) or any of Debbie Macomber's Christmas standalones (sweet small-town). All three are widely considered genre essentials.
Are Christmas romance novels only for Christmas?
No — and search data confirms it. Christmas romance has steady readership all twelve months of the year. Readers turn to Christmas romance for comfort, escapism and emotional warmth, regardless of what month it is. July and August are reliably strong months for Christmas romance sales.
What's the difference between Christmas romance and holiday romance?
"Christmas romance" specifically centres Christmas traditions, imagery and the December holiday season. "Holiday romance" is a broader umbrella that can include Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, New Year's Eve or Valentine's Day stories. Most holiday romance novels are actually Christmas romance, but the broader term exists for inclusive reasons.
What are the most popular Christmas romance tropes?
The essential Christmas romance tropes are: returning-home-for-the-holidays, second chance, snowed-in, fake dating for a family event, holiday grumpy-sunshine, the big-city-meets-small-town plot, and the Christmas wedding. Most modern Christmas romance novels use at least two of these.
Are there Christmas romance books on Netflix or in movie form?
Yes — Netflix has an extensive Christmas romance library, and several popular novels have been adapted. The Princess Switch, A Christmas Prince, Holidate, Falling for Christmas and Last Christmas are all strong picks for readers who want to pair their reading with a movie night.
Where to Start
If you've never read Christmas romance before: start with In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren. Contemporary, funny, warm, wide appeal.
If you loved Bridgerton: Lisa Kleypas's A Wallflower Christmas is your next read. Regency Christmas at its best.
If you watch Hallmark every December: pick up any Susan Mallery or RaeAnne Thayne small-town Christmas novel. That's the exact vibe, in book form.
If you want to read a new Christmas romance every year: follow Debbie Macomber. She publishes a new one almost annually, and they're all standalones.
If you want maximum value: subscribe to Kindle Unlimited in November and read through as many Christmas romance novels as possible before your trial ends. Hundreds are included.