Five of the best films from the Netflix Christmas Cinematic Universe to watch this festive season including The Princess Switch

Vanessa Hudgens is the queen of the Netflix Christmas Cinematic Universe.

If you're looking for a festive binge-watch and are a Netflix subscriber then these are the films for you.

In recent years streaming giant Netflix has added an array of original Christmas films to its library, with many of them becoming some of the platform’s most popular titles.

Starting with 2017’s 'Christmas Inheritance', many of the films exist in their own tinsel-covered cinematic universe, with eagle-eyed viewers being rewarded with recurring stars, locations, themes and characters.

Here are five of the key films in the series to start with. You'll be obsessing about Aldovian tree ornaments and counting Vanessa Hudgens in no time.

A Christmas Prince

A Christmas Prince is a fairytale romance set in the fictional country of Aldovia. An aspiring young journalist is sent to the recurring European kingdom to get the scoop on a dashing prince who's poised to be king. You might guess what happens next. If you enjoy this there's also two sequels - 'The Royal Wedding' and 'The Royal Baby' - to feast on.

The Princess Switch

Starring Vanessa Hudgens as both a down-to-earth Chicago baker and a soon-to-be princess, this is an updated version of Mark Twain's 'The Prince and the Pauper'. When the two find out they look identical they hatch a cunning plan to switch places and experience each other's lives. Sequels 'Switched Again' and 'Romancing the Star' have remarkably similar plots.

The Christmas Chronicles

As an elevator pitch, "Kurt Russell plays Santa Claus" is hard to beat. The plot follows a brother and sister who accidentally crash Santa's sleigh and spend the rest of the night helping him to save Christmas. The sequel, unimaginatively entitled 'The Christmas Chronicles 2', features Kurt's real-life wife Goldie Hawn as Mrs Claus.

The Holiday Calendar

One of the more high-concept Netflix offerings, this film revolves around the titular magic antique. Photographer Abby has inherited the curio from her grandmother and notices that the pictures revealed each day of advent have parallels with her life and seem to be directing her towards (gasp!) love.

The Knight Before Christmas

The Knight Before Christmas is a time travel festive romcom featuring yet more Vanessa Hudgens. Medieval magic sends a 14th-century knight to modern-day Ohio, where he falls for a high school science teacher who's disillusioned by love. It's a confusing concept - particularly when it comes to the 'fourth Vanessa Hudgens paradox'.