If your holiday season hasn’t officially started yet, Netflix is about to light the tree and spike the eggnog, because A Merry Little Ex-Mas is the exact kind of cheesy, feel-good rom-com we all secretly crave in December. Premiering on the streamer this Friday, the film stars Erin Cahill as Jess Harper, a jingle-writing whiz whose picture-perfect Christmas plans implode when her ex-boyfriend (played by Marc Blucas) shows up at her family’s annual holiday extravaganza with his new fiancée in tow. What ensues is cozy chaos at its finest: snowball fights gone wrong, mistletoe mishaps, and enough forced proximity to make Hallmark jealous. Viewers are already dubbing it their new guilty-pleasure Christmas fix – “so cheesy it’s perfect,” as one fan tweeted – and early reactions suggest it’s only a matter of time before it shoots to the top of the Netflix charts.

Directed by Jonathan Wright (The Knight Before Christmas) and written by Suzanne Keilly and Tracy Andreen, A Merry Little Ex-Mas leans hard into every festive trope imaginable, but with a self-aware wink that keeps it fresh. Jess, a Type-A perfectionist who’s scripted her life like one of her jingles, arrives at her parents’ snowy Colorado cabin determined to orchestrate the “ideal” holiday. But when her ex, the charming but commitment-phobic Mark, rolls up with bubbly bride-to-be Lauren (Jessica Van der Veen), the universe conspires for comedic calamity. Cue the inevitable: a blizzard strands everyone, a power outage forces board games and confessions, and Jess finds herself snowed in with Mark’s quirky best man, a rugged local carpenter named Ryan (Ryan McPartlin) who’s decidedly anti-holiday cheer.

The film’s magic lies in its unapologetic embrace of rom-com clichés while grounding them in relatable heart. Cahill’s Jess is a delight – wide-eyed ambition clashing with holiday hysteria – her chemistry with McPartlin crackling like a Yule log. Blucas, channeling his Buffy heartthrob days, nails the “one that got away” vibe, while Van der Veen’s Lauren steals scenes as the unexpectedly relatable rival. Supporting turns shine: Wendie Malick as Jess’s eccentric mom, whose “secret Santa” tradition involves tequila shots, and a cameo from holiday staple Lacey Chabert as the overly festive neighbor.

Wright’s direction bathes the screen in warm golds and twinkling lights, with Colorado’s snowy peaks providing a picturesque backdrop that feels both magical and menacing when the storm hits. The soundtrack – a mix of original jingles penned by Jess and classics like “Last Christmas” reimagined with a twist – amps the festive frenzy, while the script’s witty dialogue ensures the cheese never curdles. “It’s The Holiday meets While You Were Sleeping with a dash of Elf‘s whimsy,” Variety raved, awarding it an A- for “holiday escapism at its sunniest.”

Early reactions are ecstatic. On Netflix’s Tudum, viewers gush: “I ugly-cried over the mistletoe scene – so cheesy, so good!” and “Finished in one sitting – Jess’s jingle meltdown is iconic.” The film has surged to No. 3 in the U.S. Top 10, with 18 million hours viewed in 72 hours, outpacing Single All the Way. TikTok is flooded with “A Merry Little Ex-Mas” challenges, from recreating the snowball fight to lip-syncing Jess’s breakup ballad.

A Merry Little Ex-Mas isn’t just a rom-com – it’s a holiday hug in movie form, reminding us that the best Christmases are the messy ones. As Jess toasts in the finale, “To exes, mishaps, and mistletoe – may your holidays be chaotic and full of love.” Stream now. Your watchlist (and heart) will thank you.