Netflix has officially created its own holiday movie universe with a complex web of connections between the movies, some of which haven't been fully explained. In 2017, A Christmas Prince and Christmas Inheritance debuted as Netflix originals on the streaming platform. These two moves were only the beginning for Netflix, whose library of holiday-themed originals now includes at least ten known movies in the Netflix Christmas Cinematic Universe (or NCCU, as it has recently become known). These movies have referenced each other with many easter eggs, references, and one cameo - so far.
The Netflix holiday movie easter eggs originally began somewhat out of necessity. Last year, in a Twitter thread from Netflix's official account, producer Amanda Phillips Atkins said they needed to show a movie playing on a TV in The Holiday Calendar and thought that A Christmas Prince was a fitting choice [via Twitter]. The Twitter thread then quotes Amanda Phillips Atkins, who said, “That one seed of an idea soon turned into a fun opportunity to tie the various worlds together with small easter eggs from movie to movie.” Amanda Phillips Atkins has, unsurprisingly, also produced many Hallmark Christmas movies.
The original tweet that Netflix shared was an infographic explaining the current connections between the films as follows: A Christmas Prince is on TV in both The Princess Switch and The Holiday Calendar. Holiday in the Wild is on TV in The Knight Before Christmas. Christmas Inheritance is on TV in both The Princess Switch and The Holiday Calendar. The fictional country from A Christmas Prince (Aldovia) is mentioned in The Knight Before Christmas and a fictional country from The Princess Switch (Belgravia) is referenced in A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby. The tweet does not include films released this year – and 2020’s The Princess Switch: Switched Again includes a Christmas Prince cameo that rips a plot hole right through the middle of the NCCU.
The reason that Netflix's other Christmas movies, like The Christmas Chronicles, are not part of the NCCU likely has to do with the production company that made all of the NCCU movies in collaboration with Netflix. Motion Picture Corporation of America produced all ten NCCU films: Christmas Inheritance, both Princess Switch films, all three Christmas Prince films, The Knight Before Christmas, The Holiday Calendar, Holiday in the Wild, and Operation Christmas Drop.
What started as subtle nods to the other films has grown into full-blown confirmation that the films exist in the same universe, begging the question as to why these films are appearing on TV in other films. Are all of the films actually documentaries or reality TV? Is everyone in the universe an actor? But Netflix will likely brush any inconsistencies under the rug if it means a potential hit crossover between two of their popular Christmas series. A Christmas Prince star Rose McIver wants to make a crossover between the Christmas Prince series and another Netflix Christmas movie, but rumors of a potential crossover have not yet been confirmed by Netflix.
Netflix’s Christmas films have been incredibly successful. And even with the substantial growth across all streaming platforms this year (due to theater closures in the wake of Covid-19), Netflix likely won’t be slowing down the production of these lower-budget Hallmark-style films that require much small casts and crews than something like The Crown or The Witcher. With more Netflix holiday rom-coms confirmed to be on the way and even more sequels inevitably down the road, Netflix will likely continue to drop easter eggs in its Christmas films – and possibly more cameos, slowly nudging the door open for a big crossover event.
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