From Cozy Mysteries to Heartwarming Romance: Christmas Novel Genres List
S.R. Beaston
Crafty with words, wit, and wisdom, just add caffeine to make it more interesting.
Since the mid 1800’s, Christmas novels have slowly climbed the ranks in popularity. For years, we’ve stuck to the classics that put such novels into motion, but as the written word expands, so do the genres in which we write them.
Novel genres can be a tricky concept to navigate, especially when it feels like a new one is created every day, but "Christmas" has yet to be a genre on its own. It’s more used as a narrative tool to support the genre it’s in, making Christmas novels a very moldable category.
A Christmas Carol, though set during Christmas Eve, is a fairy tale fiction. It’s even been claimed as gothic literature, given the time frame and themes. Despite these labels, it’s still a Christmas story, one we read and watch every year as a tradition in many households.
The "Christmas" in Christmas novels is more of a setting, a theme, an atmosphere, or a plot-point. Though I’m sure "Christmas fiction" will be a notable genre down the line, for now, let’s look at the genres deemed malleable to the theme of Christmas.
Christmas Romance
When it comes to Christmas stories, romance is by far the most common genre. What better time to set up a meet-cute than in the midst of the holiday season?
Romance can be the perfect genre for your Christmas novel. The holiday season elicits warm and cozy feelings, which can give you the perfect fuel for the fireplace that your couple curls up in front of.
This is one of the most saturated genres, so don't think popularity makes writing/selling Christmas romances easy. Matching the energy alone won’t make you stand out from the crowd, so make sure you put your own unique flare into it.
Romance-Christmas book examples:
- One Day in December by Josie Silver
- A Cozy Christmas in Cornwell by Jane Linfoot
- One Last Gift by Emily Stone
Christmas Comedy
Replace some of that coziness with some wild family antics, put in a silly Santa, and you have yourself a merry little comedy.
Christmas comedies mostly go one of two ways.
1. They're grounded in reality, examining the perils and stress of the holiday season. These are a more grounded approach to the magic and mysticism of the Christmas miracle.
2. They are complete fiction with absurd scenarios that stretch the suspension of disbelief past the North Pole and into the McCallister family house of chaos.
Though these are the most common, this is not the formula you have to follow! Personal experience and creativity can help form the perfect storm of holiday hilarity no matter the route you take to write it!
Christmas Comedy Examples:
- Hogfather by Terry Pratchet
- Skipping Christmas by Josh Grisham
- The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror by Christopher Moore
Christmas Rom-Com
Rom-Coms have seesawed from sub-genre to genre for years. For the sake of argument, let’s give it its own genre, because we all have a very specific image when we think of a Rom-Com.
Christmas dips its holiday toes into this genre a lot in most media. If it’s not a Christmas drama, it’s a funny, lighthearted love story set in the chilly, sleepy town no one has heard of.
It’s the perfect storm of bantering couples, silly scenarios, and an overall feeling of glee perfect for the holidays.
Rom-Com Christmas examples:
- Just Like Magic by Sarah Hogle
- The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss
- In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
Christmas Mystery
The classic idea of a Christmas story focuses on holiday spirit, joy, cheer, family and friends. But winter can be unsettling and unwelcoming. Holidays can be the loneliest times, or even dangerous. Bright lights and snow fights can turn to tragedy.
Tragedy is a perfect start to a mystery; a who-done-it, a lost and found. Sprinkle on the foreboding stress that any holiday can bring, and you have a thrilling mystery in your hands.
Christmas settings come up a lot in the cozy mystery genre in particular.
Christmas mystery examples:
- The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict
- Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie
- The Family Game by Catherine Steadman
Christmas Horror
Perhaps mystery isn’t enough of a juxtaposition. Maybe your love of another season stretches its claws into the Christmas spirit.
Holiday horror is not that uncommon, but one aspect will always outshine the other. The balance is a fine line, but when done right, hits just the right spot,it’s another ‘best of both worlds’.
Winter can be the perfect plot device for a suspenseful horror. There’s a fear of getting stuck, stranded. The power goes out. The wind howls like a pack of wolves. The moon is full. You are not alone after all.
Christmas can be magical, but who said that magic was good? You can take the fantastical elements of Christmas and tie them into any horror element. Take advantage of religious ideas like ghosts and demons, or utilize the mania behind events like Black Friday and shopping malls at Christmas time. There’s a huge toy box of possibilities for this very interesting hybrid.
Holiday horror examples:
- Krampus: The Yule Lord by Gerald Brom
- Ghost Story by Peter Straub
- Silent Night by R.L. Stine
Christmas Fantasy
Fantasy is a little more niche, perhaps more complicated than our previous genres. This genre tends to be, well, fantastical, something that isn’t grounded in our reality. We usually see something akin to Christmas in fantasy stories, but they don’t directly tie in with our understanding of the holiday.
However, the fantasy genre doesn’t have to be fairies, goblins, and otherworldly planes of existence.
As mentioned before, Christmas holds a magic in the air that can be harnessed in many ways, and in fact has been called upon for all the modern day fantastical Christmas stories we know any love. Flying reindeer are certainly fantastical. (I would love to see hobbits opening presents under a Christmas tree though.)
Christmas fantasy examples:
- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
- The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
- The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale
Christmas Young Adult Fiction/Nonfiction
The YA genre is hot in the book industry right now, and rightfully so! The characters focused in YA are at pivotal and vital ages in one's life, going through changes and learning things that will help mold them into who they are.
So obviously we have to write something to mess all of that up!
This genre can allow for a lot of psychological or family-oriented holiday stories. Teens and young adults go through wild and painful emotions, creating, or at least fueling, tensions that are already high during the holidays.
But let’s face it, the YA genre is just the perfect gateway for stellar subgenres…mostly romance.
YA Christmas examples:
- The Dash and Lily series by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
- Winterspell by Claire Legrand
- Let it Snow: Three Holiday Romances by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle
Other Christmas Genres?
Though these are the most used genres for a Christmas theme, most any genre can be placed in the hands of the holidays. There’s nuance in every genre and there’s potential for any accompanying subgenre.
You can also pull from other things like folklore. Krampus is a perfect example of what you can use for a Christmas horror, with a hint of fantasy and lore.
"Portal fantasy" is a newer term floating around, referring to a gateway to another world or dimension by fantastical means. The Chronicles of Narnia series does this well with the wardrobe.
Here is a list of niche but interesting genres you could consider for a Christmas novel:
- Dystopian
- Action and Adventure
- Historical Fiction
- Essays
- “How to”/guide (be it serious or comedic)
- Science Fiction
There are quite a few things to consider when deciding on the genre of your holiday novel, but with an idea and spark of creativity, nothing should stop you from writing stories perfect for the holiday season!
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