Move over Marvel, there’s a new shared universe in town – and it runs on hot cocoa and holiday magic. What started with characters casually watching Netflix Christmas movies on their TVs has evolved into an intricate web of royal romances, magical kingdoms, and enough Vanessa Hudgens variants to rival the multiverse. When Netflix released A Christmas Prince in 2017, few could have predicted it would launch an entire interconnected holiday realm. The streaming service has officially confirmed these connections, dubbing it “The Netflix Christmas Cinematic Universe” or NCCU, transforming what began as playful Easter eggs into a fully realized shared world.
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The Major Franchises
The Christmas Prince Trilogy (2017-2019)
The cornerstone of the NCCU follows American journalist Amber (Rose McIver) as she goes undercover in the fictional kingdom of Aldovia:
- A Christmas Prince (2017) – Amber discovers love while posing as a tutor
- A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding (2018) – Features corruption plot and wedding planning drama
- A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby (2019) – Introduces neighboring kingdom Penglia and ancient curses
Key Universe Connections:
- The film appears on TV in The Princess Switch, Falling for Christmas, and The Merry Gentlemen
- Queen Amber, King Richard, and Princess Elleri appear at Queen Margaret’s coronation in The Princess Switch: Switched Again
- Count Simon encounters Fiona at a party in The Princess Switch: Romancing the Star
- A map reveals Aldovia borders Belgravia
- Queen Ming of Penglia references Belgravia’s history of commoner marriages
The Princess Switch Trilogy (2018-2021)
Vanessa Hudgens achieves the impossible by playing three roles:
- The Princess Switch (2018) – Chicago baker Stacy switches places with Lady Margaret of Montenaro
- The Princess Switch: Switched Again (2020) – Introduces troublemaking cousin Fiona
- The Princess Switch: Romancing the Star (2021) – All three lookalikes team up for a holiday heist
Key Universe Connections:
- Characters watch A Christmas Prince, creating the fascinating paradox of it existing as both film and reality
- Features Mrs. Donatelli and Frank, who later appear as a couple in A Castle for Christmas
- Establishes Belgravia as a modern monarchy open to commoner marriages
Standalone Films and Their Connections
Christmas Inheritance (2017)
This tale of an heiress (Eliza Taylor) learning life lessons in the snowy town of Snow Falls with Jake Lacy has become a recurring Easter egg. It appears on TV screens in The Princess Switch, The Holiday Calendar, and Falling for Christmas.
The Holiday Calendar (2018)
Kat Graham stars as Abby, a photographer who inherits a magical Advent calendar. The film shows Abby explicitly choosing to watch Christmas Inheritance over A Christmas Prince on Netflix and appears itself in the background of both Christmas Inheritance and The Knight Before Christmas.
The Knight Before Christmas (2019)
Vanessa Hudgens returns to the NCCU (in a new role) as Brooke, a science teacher who falls for a time-traveling knight. The film creates several interesting universe connections:
- Characters mention traveling to Aldovia
- Sir Cole watches Holiday in the Wild on TV
- The film acknowledges A Christmas Prince as real but mysteriously never mentions The Princess Switch, avoiding the Hudgens paradox
Holiday in the Wild (2019)
Kristin Davis and Rob Lowe’s elephant sanctuary romance appears in The Knight Before Christmas’s Netflix browsing scene, establishing its place in the shared universe.
A Castle for Christmas (2021)
Brooke Shields’ Scottish castle romance features Princess Switch characters Mrs. Donatelli and Frank as secret lovers at the inn, plus a cameo from Drew Barrymore as herself.
Recent Additions (2022-2024)
Falling for Christmas (2022)
Lindsay Lohan‘s comeback vehicle features the most extensive Netflix browsing scene yet, including:
- A Castle for Christmas
- Christmas Inheritance
- The Princess Switch
- Operation Christmas Drop
- The Holiday Calendar
- Multiple Christmas Prince films
Best Christmas Ever! (2023)
Heather Graham and Brandy’s holiday comedy shows both Falling for Christmas and The Princess Switch 3 on TV, expanding the universe’s self-referential nature.
Meet Me Next Christmas (2024)
Christina Milian’s Pentatonix-themed romance stands alone without apparent NCCU connections, though the door remains open for future links.
Hot Frosty (2024)
Lacey Chabert’s magical snowman tale makes several key connections:
- A character references being “queen of Aldovia”
- Shows scenes from Falling for Christmas
- Features Single All the Way viewing, bringing that film into the NCCU
- A character notes that Lindsay Lohan “looks like a girl I went to high school with”
The Merry Gentlemen (2024)
This dance revue story strengthens existing connections:
- Characters watch A Christmas Prince
- References Belgravia royals through a news article
- Shows historical connection between Belgravia and small-town America
Our Little Secret (2024)
Lindsay Lohan’s second NCCU entry surprisingly maintains independence from the broader universe, though it shares thematic elements.
The Rules of the Universe
The NCCU operates on its own unique internal logic:
- Films can exist as both entertainment and reality within the universe
- Multiple Vanessa Hudgens characters can coexist without explanation
- Fictional kingdoms maintain complex diplomatic relations
- Characters regularly watch Netflix Christmas movies while living in one
- Real celebrities like Drew Barrymore can appear as themselves
- Background TV viewing creates canonical connections
Complete Timeline of NCCU Connections
2017
- A Christmas Prince establishes Aldovia
- Christmas Inheritance creates first background viewing connection
2018
- The Princess Switch introduces Belgravia and first watches A Christmas Prince
- The Holiday Calendar connects to Christmas Inheritance
- First hints of an intentional shared universe emerge
2019
- A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby reveals map showing Aldovia-Belgravia connections
- The Knight Before Christmas mentions Aldovia while avoiding Hudgens paradox
- Holiday in the Wild joins through background viewing
2020-2021
- The Princess Switch: Switched Again features first major character crossover with Aldovian royals
- A Castle for Christmas brings Princess Switch characters to Scotland
- The Princess Switch: Romancing the Star deepens royal connections
2022
- Falling for Christmas creates most extensive viewing connections yet
- Lindsay Lohan enters the NCCU
2023
- Best Christmas Ever! reinforces universe through TV viewing
- Single All the Way officially enters canon through later connections
2024
- Hot Frosty expands connections through multiple references
- The Merry Gentlemen strengthens royal world-building
- Meet Me Next Christmas and Our Little Secret maintain independence
The Geography of the NCCU
The shared universe has established several fictional European kingdoms:
- Aldovia (A Christmas Prince trilogy)
- Belgravia (The Princess Switch)
- Montenaro (The Princess Switch sequels)
- Penglia (A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby)
These nations maintain diplomatic relations, shared treaties, and intermarrying royal families, creating a network of regal alliances bound together by tinsel, tradition, and tiaras.
What’s Next for the NCCU?
As the universe expands, several possibilities emerge:
- Potential crossover between Lindsay Lohan and Vanessa Hudgens properties
- Further exploration of the royal kingdoms’ histories
- More complex character connections beyond background viewing
- Possible holiday cinematic event bringing multiple properties together
Whether by design or happy accident, Netflix has created something unique: a shared universe built on holiday cheer rather than superhero spectacle. It’s a world where magical advent calendars, time-traveling knights, and multiple Vanessa Hudgenses can coexist with royal politics and romance.
In an era of increasingly complex cinematic universes, the NCCU stands apart by embracing its own absurdity while maintaining the warmth and optimism that makes holiday entertainment special. After all, in a universe where A Christmas Prince can be both a movie and reality, anything is possible.
