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Heartwarming Reads for Every Holiday Rom-Com Movie on Your List

by  | November 18

Every autumn, it happens. We swap our iced coffee for pumpkin spice lattes, tanks for turtlenecks, and flip-flops for boots. We end our days of reading on picnic blankets and begin wrapping ourselves in them instead.

We all know the holidays are laced with small moments: watching seasonal movies, baking and eating cookies, spending time with friends and family. However seemingly routine these acts have become, they are the ones that linger in our hearts. I’ll always remember the warm and fuzzy feeling of drinking hot chocolate as our Hanukkah menorah glowed in the background of our Christmas movie marathon. Or the sound of my family playing a game of dreidel as I tore through my favorite romantic novel. What’s more, I also now thank Netflix for all the holiday movies it provides, while simultaneously acknowledging each publishing house for the books that also help put me in the Christmas mood.

We all deserve a good book to read as we snuggle up by the fireplace (or space heater) this holiday season. So here are my top five movie-and-book pairings you don’t want to miss out on this year.

Holly

Holly

by Jude Deveraux

Let It Snow

This is the first must-see Christmas rom-com on the list as it’s full of holiday joy mixed with a twisty tale of love lost and found—all on Christmas Eve. Starring Kiernan Shipka from Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Let It Snow is new to Netflix this season. When a snowstorm brings a mix of teenagers together in a variety of unusual circumstances across their small town, their Christmas Eve begins to unfold in a magical way. If you enjoy romantic stories with ticking clocks that nudge characters into trusting their hearts and making romantic declarations in the heat of the moment, you’ll equally enjoy cozying up with Holly by Jude Deveraux. This New York Times bestselling author offers a holiday story filled with passionate love. When Hollander (Holly) Latham reconnects with her first love, the privileged and dependable Lorrie Beaumont, she must choose between him and a newcomer to her life, the ruggedly handsome Nick Taggert. Much as he tempts her, Nick doesn’t seem like the settling down type, but he’s hiding a pretty big secret that will put Holly’s feelings to the test. Christmas Eve is upon them, and the decision is Holly’s to make.

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Santa Claus Is for Real

Santa Claus Is for Real

by Charles Edward Hall

Santa Girl

Santa Girl is a charming movie about Santa’s daughter, but it does not shy away from drama as we watch Cassie Claus struggle to find her identity, which has been bound to Christmas since her birth. Her father, Santa Claus (of course), has arranged a marriage for his daughter in order to keep Christmas alive, but Cassie dreams of going to college and creating a life for herself outside the North Pole. This Netflix original rom-com follows Cassie find forbidden love and face a tough choice between happiness and responsibility. The perfect book pairing for this Netflix rom-com is Santa Claus Is for Real. Though it’s not a rom-com, this uplifting story tells how the longtime performer behind the Radio City Christmas Spectacular’s Santa, Charles Edward Hall, evolved from a Scrooge-like young man to a St. Nick who truly is jolly. It’s about bringing smiles and laughter to people who need it most during the holiday season and—best of all—it is a true story. Though falling in love on Christmas Eve is how many movies idealize Christmas, spreading happiness and giving to others is what the season is really meant to be about.

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Noel Street

Noel Street

by Richard Paul Evans

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby

 After a year’s worth of anticipation, it’s time for another (the third) Christmas Prince movie. As Christmas rolls into Aldovia, the royal family is expecting a baby. Amber and Richard are hosting a royal family from another kingdom to renew a sacred truce when the treaty disappears. This movie is filled with mystery and joy, which pairs perfectly with Noel Street by Richard Paul Evans, a 1970s-set story about a single mother and waitress named Elle Sheen whose life in the small town of Mistletoe, Utah, is changed forever by the arrival of a Vietnam POW named William Smith. A Christmas Prince binge pairs nicely with Noel Street as both stories uncover the meaning of Christmas and what it means to unexpectedly find love and forgiveness during the holiday season.

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A Baxter Family Christmas

A Baxter Family Christmas

by Karen Kingsbury

The Holiday Calendar

This 2018 Netflix original had everyone crying happy tears in the end. When a talented young photographer is gifted an antique holiday advent calendar, her life is turned upside down as she realizes Christmas spirit is real and the holidays can be magical. The perfect pairing for this Netflix rom-com is A Baxter Family Christmas. Written by New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury, this holiday book will have you believing in love after heartbreak as the Baxter family welcomes into their home the woman who received the heart of their beloved daughter/sister/mother, Erin, who died in a tragic car accident two years before. There is grief, but also affirmation in the power of faith, hope, and love.

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The White Christmas Inn

The White Christmas Inn

by Colleen Wright

The Holiday

When you want the comfort of a holiday rom-com that’s been around for a bit and always comes through, you can’t go wrong with this classic 2006 Christmas rom-com. The Holiday follows a wedding columnist, Iris, who is in love with her cheating coworker, Jasper. When Iris finds out Jasper is engaged, she’s overcome by sadness and decides to change her life completely. Meanwhile, Amanda is an L.A. business tycoon dating a man named Ethan, who is ALSO a cheater. The two women meet on a website for exchanging houses for vacation and decide to take a break from their realities and swap homes for two weeks. What could go wrong? This fun film pairs perfectly with The White Christmas Inn by Colleen Wright, a feel-good novel that introduces us to a group of hotel guests who’ve been snowed in on Christmas Eve. Nothing makes for a better snowy evening read than this. There’s equal parts of laughter, faith, and Christmas magic to be had in the New England inn that brings together struggling writer Molly, widower Marcus, bride-to-be Hannah, and married couple Jeanne and Tim.

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