While new Christmas movies are released each year on Lifetime, not to mention on the most popular streaming services, the storylines often feel totally familiar. There are slight differences, but for the most part, audiences see the same common tropes used in most movies about the holiday season.
While sometimes seeing the same plots over and over again can be frustrating, there are many tropes that are warm and comforting and that people don't mind watching at all. Reddit s have discussed the things that they enjoy seeing in several Christmas movies.
Enemies Compete And Fall In Love
There are definitely unrealistic Christmas movie tropes, but others are guaranteed to make audiences smile.
Reddit la_de_cha likes the Christmas movie trope when two characters "compete for something (job, best decor) or hate each other and are forced to work together." Out of the movies that feature this storyline, Snowed-Inn Christmas is charming, as Kevin and Jenna are reporters who hate each other but, of course, realize that they have feelings for each other.
When A Royal Pretends To Be A Regular Person
For Reddit kbms63, "Royalty undercover is also usually good," and this is definitely a common Christmas movie trope that has resulted in some heartwarming stories.
In A Royal Christmas, for instance, Emily doesn't realize that her partner Leo is royalty, and this discovery changes their lives, their relationship, and their holiday season.
Santa Actually Exists
There are many Christmas movies when Santa is totally real, whether the plot follows his relatives or children, or kids try to save the holiday like in The Christmas Chronicle. Sometimes, Santa is a character who gets much less screen time but who is just as magical and important.
One Redditor likes when a minor character "turns out to not just be a Santa look alike, but is infact the real deal." This trope is often presented as a huge secret and it's definitely a fun and entertaining one.
Two People Pretending To Be A Couple
likable main characters in Love Hard to several Hallmark films.
This is one of the sweetest tropes because while it may be used on a regular basis, it allows the two main characters to get to know each other and it always means that they will fall in love. Hopeless romantics enjoy this trope since it's satisfying and heartfelt.
The Workaholic Main Character Realizes The Meaning Of Love
One Redditor likes when the main character in a Christmas movie loves their career and is caught up in their workaholic tendencies but then they "have to slow down to enjoy the holiday, find love, and/or reconnect with family/a past love."
This common trope is featured in several Christmas movies, and there are tons to choose from, from tearjerkers about someone returning home after a tragedy or the classic storyline of a character who realizes that there's more to life than working all the time.
Playing On A Classic Literary Story
For Reddit janiebnl, it's great when movies play "homage" to literary stories, for example "Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, A Christmas Carol..."
A Christmas Carol. These classic tales are familiar and comforting, which is just what people want around the holidays.
The Main Character Time Travels
There are countless great time travel movies and the holiday season seems like the perfect time for a main character to revisit the past or, in some cases, find themselves in the future. Reddit kittycatcon wrote, "I like the time travel trope!!" in Christmas movies.
Journey Back To Christmas is a perfect example of a movie that uses this plotline well. Hanna is a nurse living in the era of World War II and she travels to 2016.
Children Get Involved
When it comes to common tropes in festive movies, Reddit Erg68 loves "Anything with young children!"
There are many instances when parents meet each other and fall in love through a seasonal project, or maybe a young kid wants to find their mom or dad a soulmate for Christmas. These types of movies are always sweet and enjoyable to watch and this trope isn't as frustrating as some others can be.
The Main Character From The City Returns Home
When thinking about Hallmark Christmas movie plotlines, the most used trope just might be when a woman who lives in the city and has a thriving career goes back home.
Reddit udreg70 mentioned the trope when the "Big city girl has go back to small hometown for miscellaneous reason." There are so many movies that use this trope, including 2020's The Christmas Aunt when Rebecca returns to her Tennessee hometown.
The Main Character Is Related To Santa
Reddit TexasScrappy loves movies when the main character is related to Santa Claus because "Those are fun to watch."
From Noelle to Santa Girl, this trope is familiar to fans of holiday films but always feels charming. It's easy to get into the holiday spirit when a movie is about a character whose relative is responsible for bringing presents and magic to kids everywhere.
