There’s nothing like snuggling up on the couch to watch a Christmas movie when your Halloween decorations are still up. I love a holiday movie, no matter the season. So I decided to share my personal rankings of this year’s movies in this post. (updated regularly)

I’m a big fan of Hallmark holiday movies, but just the ones on regular Hallmark, not the serious movies and mysteries ones. I want a magical santa or a working gal returning to her forgotten small town. Stuff like that. I’ll also watch other platforms like AppleTV or Netflix for holiday movies, but Hallmark is generally my go to.

In this post I’ll keep a running tab of all of the new (or old) holiday movies I’ve watched this year along with a snarky recap and a 1-10 ranking:

Updated: December 20

Round and Round
– 8 Stars

Each year Hallmark gives us a Hanukkah movie. For the last several years they have been a bit dry and focused on teaching the rest of the world what Jewish traditions are. Well forget all that. Round and round is a delightfully fun holiday movie that just so happens to feature a story that involves Hanukkah. Rachel gets stuck in a time loop and keeps repeating the same day over and over again. Through her loops she learns things about herself, meets a guy (often), and has a bit of caper-style fun along the way. This was a great movie that surprised me. I’d love to see Hallmark replay this one throughout the season. It’s a keeper.

Christmas on Cherry Lane - 5 Stars

For the first twenty minutes of this movie, before the commercial break I was lost. Or maybe disinterested is a better term. Then it closes before the break and says that the three stories we were watching are all actually happening on different timelines. Great, sounds fun. No. It’s a slog. The stories are interconnected through the house the ALL live (or lived) in, but it doesn’t really come together until the final five minutes of the movie, which left me a lot of time to wonder why I should keep watching. For a movie with Jonathan Bennett, I thought we’d see some funny moments, but no, it was all serious future-dad, fancy dinner chef drama. John Brotherton and Erin Cahill could have just had the whole movie to themselves and we’d have all been better off for it. And another thing, you don’t keep having to mention “high oil prices” to tell us the year the events are taking place. We get it . . . oil crisis. We just don’t care.

Five Star Christmas (Rewatch, 2020) - 9 Stars

This movie is one of my all-time favorite movies, so I decided to give it a watch with the family, who had not yet seen it. The set up is great. Dad turns the family home into a nice Bed & Breakfast, but doesn’t tell the family until they come home for Christmas. The B&B is empty and struggling. But rumor has it that a random guest is a famous blogger whose review could save the place! Naturally, the family pretends to be guests or employees, not family. The results are absolutely hilarious. The love story feels real, as does the family emotion. This one is great. It seems like every Bethany Joy Lenz movie on Hallmark is a hit.

The Secret Gift of Christmas - 7 Stars

This movie owes five of its seven stars to our lead, Meghan Ory, who looks remarkably like Jessica Pare (Mad Men). Yet, that’s not her only positive quality. Ory just shines in every scene. She’s a personal shopper, because apparently that’s a thing. She never talks budget with her clients that we see, but that doesn’t seem to be a concern for anyone. She meets a handsome construction guy and through gift giving, falls in love. Don’t ask me how it works, but it does. This is a charming movie.

Christmas in Notting Hill - 6 Stars

OK, truth time. I’ve never seen Notting Hill, the neighborhood or the movie, so many of the connections of that movie were lost on me, so if you’re looking for special insight, ask Julia Roberts, not me. So, we have an English soccer star recovering from an injury and an American school teacher falling for each other. Our American doesn’t know who he is, despite the fact that he is the brother of her sister. Hmm. That’s the biggest stretch of this film. Credit where credit is due, they shot this thing at least partially in London and the production values show. It’s no classic, but it’s unique and that’s worth a watch.

Updated: December 10 , 2023

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe (GAM) – 3 Stars

As every realtor knows, the trick to selling a house, especially at Christmas is to decorate the place to insane levels and take several days (of your extremely limited time) before ever actually listing said home and holding an open house. Because this movie was on Great American Family (GAM), they aren’t concerned with being inclusive of any other holidays except Christmas for well, obvious reasons for this unapologetically religious channel. Meet Me Under the Mistletoe also isn’t concerned about how things actually work – like how two people who have offices next to each other have clearly never spoken to one another, yet have a healthy, shared distain. Then there’s an unpublished book that somehow matters. Another thing – it’s OK to have a single mom, GAM. Our protagonist has a middle school age niece in her home so there is some “family” around. Heaven forbid the kid was hers. Contrived? Yes. But the kid is pretty good. An extra star added for actor Erik Athavale, who plays a handyman, inspector or something. That dude is good in everything (like Holiday Hotline). Too bad IMDB doesn’t even list him in the cast!

Candy Cane Lane (Amazon Prime) – 8 Stars

This movie is nuts and I really enjoyed it. Eddie Murphy’s a dad who wants to win his neighborhood decorating contest for the cash (which is a bit ironic because they’re doing just fine despite recent job events). He makes a deal with a “fallen” elf (under a freeway) and suddenly the 12 days of Christmas sort of attack the family and street. There are so many funny, clever moments in this movie that I’m certainly going to watch again. There’s a fine line between silly and stupid. Eddie Murphy has definitely found himself in the stupid category before (Dr. Doolittle, The Nutty Professor). Candy Cane Lane is silly and delightful, without being stupid. The casting for this movie was really great Tracee Ellis Ross is just right and the kids and news anchors were perfect. Finally Jillian Bell, our misguided elf, is just the right amount of weird.

Magic in Mistletoe - 4 Stars

Full disclosure, I was hoping for a comedy since this film stars Paul Campbell (Three Wisemen and a Baby). The dude also wrote Unexpected Christmas, a classic. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. Paul plays Harrington, an author who wrote a series of Christmas novels focused on his hometown of (you’ll never guess) Mistletoe. He posts a scrooge-like message online and is on the verge of being cancelled until his publisher’s PR rep shows up to save him; wow him; spend time with him; hand him pens; decorate in ways he hates; slow the story down; meet people who already know him; accompany him to sparsely attended events. OK, all of these things. This film is incredibly uneven. Harrington seemed to learn his lesson in minute 36 or so, when my movie-watching buddy turned to me and asked if the movie was already over. Sorry, there was 1.5 hours of bland mushiness, and mild life-lessons remaining.

Are they in love? Let’s hope not. They play siblings.

A Merry Scottish Christmas – 7 Stars

Wow, Scotland in the winter looks beautiful. So green. Like you could jump right in the ocean or walk around in a t-shirt without trouble. Wait, it was not summer? This was supposed to be a Christmas movie? Huh. OK then. On to the story, our siblings find out their mother was a secret duchess and they now are in control of a Scottish castle, cuz that’s a thing. If you’ve seen Party of Five, you know Lacy Chabert and Scott Wolf have had parent issues before, but this didn’t seem so much as a problem. They were just annoying about it. Lacy falls for the groundskeeper, dances with someone she should actually be dating (Will Kemp) and leaves the castle only to return and stay. The last 10 minutes of the movie happened so fast that you really need to look up from your phone to catch all the flip flopping. I’m giving this one seven stars for the acting (mostly the tour guide and bar keep) and the setting. I read that the castle they used was actually in Ireland – which is not cool Hallmark. Always dissing the Scots.

Updated December 4, 2023

A Biltmore Christmas – 9 Stars

I’m a sucker for a time travel movie, so when you add the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina at Christmas and Bethany Joy Lenz, plus Kristoffer Polaha, you’ve got my expectations rather high. It’s safe to say my expectations were met and bested. This movie was excellent. Our protagonist is Lucy, she’s a writer working on a reimagining of a film from 1947. She visits the site of the filming, the afore mentioned Biltmore Estate. Through some movie magic, Lucy travels back in time the set of the movie, during filming. Why exactly? No idea. Nobody explains that, but it’s OK. Lucy gets mixed up in the inner workings of the production in the past and, no surprise falls in love with a never-been-better Polaha. How will this work out? I’m not ashamed to say that I did not see the ending coming. Which I love! Surprises are great. This movie is written and casted very well. It’s funny and sweet. Extra credit for showing clips of the 1947 movie as an excellent plot device. Love it. Love it. Love it. Hallmark at its best.

A Not So Royal Christmas – 6 Stars

This is a familiar genre for Hallmark. There’s a historical kingdom or castle who really does it up big for Christmas, but things are not exactly on the up-and-up. In this go around a journalist shows up trying to get an interview with a Count. Honestly, I can’t even remember the name of the place, not that it’s critical to the story. Brooke D’Orsay (who I’ll always remember from Royal Pains) plays our journalist, who isn’t entirely honest about why she’s there. She’s great as usual. The royals scheme too by trotting out Will Kemp, who might be the best looking groundskeeper in all the land, to play the never-been-seen Count. This movie works, but it doesn’t break any new ground. The ending is rather cringy, but not a giant surprise.

Letters to Santa – 4 Stars

Hallmark, you lied. You told us that the kids in this movie get a magical pen that grants wishes. Sounds like a good time, right? Like what crazy things might the kids get with this magical pen? Well, it’s not magic. It’s grandma who also steals the mail, which I’m pretty sure is a crime just about anywhere. The female lead in this film is entirely too angry one minute then over-the-top happy the next. Editing? Acting? I’m not sure. There is also a rather racy scene, or tease of something racy that I would not have expected in a Hallmark movie, but kudos for trying. I’m here for showcasing some real couple situations like separation, but they dangle other love interests in front of these leads, who may have been better matches for them, which is too confusing. Think of the children! But really, this is a stinker.

The Naughty Nine (Disney+) – 7 Stars

What would happen if the guys from Oceans Eleven were actually 11 years old, and on the naughty list? It might result in something like this Disney+ offering, which was certainly watchable for me and my first grader. Kids who don’t get gifts from Santa decide to bust into Santa’s village in the North Pole and get the gifts they didn’t receive. Forget that they didn’t get them because they are on the Naughty List. Kudos to the schools being named McAllister (Home Alone) and Griswold (Christmas Vacation). Side note of reality – if these tikes are so darn clever, it seems as though there may be less difficult ways to get the gifts they are missing. The gifts are the Macguffin of the film, which in the end isn’t the most critical thing. The tease a sequel near the end – looking forward to it.

Holiday Road – 7 Stars

I went into this one expecting a typical road trip comedy. While I got the road trip part right (thanks title), the comedy part was middling. Yet, for such a large ensemble cast there is considerable character development and some truly touching moments, especially near the end. Did I shed a tear? Heck yes I did. I’m proud of this movie for really sticking the emotional landing. I found myself smiling and really enjoying how they wrapped up the stories of so many people trying to travel from Portland to Denver. OK, flaws: The airport closed because of storms, but we don’t see any inclement weather for the whole dang trip to Colorado. I’m fairly certain there are multiple interstate freeways you might drive on for such a long trip, but they never found any. Phones don’t work for maps, but you can stream video with ease. The social media influencer was way too over the top, though much of the movie, but it makes sense in the end. Sara Canning is a great, believable lead who I’d like to see in more Hallmark movies.

Best. Christmas. Ever! (Netflix) - 2 stars

It's ironic that a movie with this title would get my lowest score ever! for a Christmas movie but that's exactly what this terrible, terrible movie deserves. We worry that artificial intelligence will ruin stories, but it seems as though this movie was written by clunky AI and directed by Monkey Bob (you'll know him if you watch the movie). So maybe it's a lesson for all of us that AI will never replace us. Or it's possible I'm projecting because no actual humans should have signed off on this stinker. The movie tried to be way too many things: is Santa real?; rich vs poor; can Brandy still sing? It's a big no for me.

Dashing Through the Snow (Disney+) - 6 stars

This is basically the identical plot to Catch Me If You Claus on Hallmark, which is like when Hollywood made Armageddon and Deep Impact and released them the same summer, like nobody would notice. I like Ludacris as a dad driving an SUV, not a “Furious” street racer. Overall, it’s a tad slow and not as magical as I’d hoped. I watched with my first grader and he started working on his Christmas list through most of the second half which isn’t a good sign for a movie with a real Santa Claus. The best joke in the movie is Santa’s beard which is black and white. Spoiler alert he dyed it white because he’s really old. The joke works. And, for a movie with the title “snow” there is a concerning lack of snow, even for Atlanta.

Updated: Nov. 28

Christmas with Felicity (Roku, 2021) - 3 Stars

Pros: There’s a bakery and cookies. Cons: Everything else, including a really terrible acting job by our leading man, who may never have acted in any movie before. Not a Hallmark movie. Had to wash my eyes out with soap.

EXmas (Freevee) - 5 Stars

I really wanted to like this one because Leighton Meester of Gossip Girl fame and Robbie Amell of Upload are awesome. But it just splatted like a sad snowball, especially when someone has to give CPR to a major character and things suddenly get really serious. Nope, not for a comedy, people.

Christmas Island - 6 Stars

When a major storm lands “somewhere in the Atlantic” a rich family gets stuck on Christmas Island for a really long time. Must have been one heck of a storm, which we literally never see. Our lead Rachel Skarsten is a pilot who has to ditch her totally awesome job to babysit some bratty kids. This is exactly what she did in The Royal Nanny (5 stars) last year when she ditched her sweet MI5 gig. I’m seeing a remarkable pattern.

A Heidelberg Holiday - 7 Stars

German Christmas markets don’t exactly work like this, but the movie is sweet, yet wildly illogical. They do a nice job of showing both German and American traditions. Not a comedy. And Ginna Claire Mason was in A Holiday Spectacular (6 stars) last year and she killed it. An extra star just for her.

Holiday Hotline - 8 Stars

“Holiday Hotline. Let’s talk turkey.” This line became so familiar that my first grader continued to repeat it at randomly for days. A sorta British lady staffs the hotline you call when your turkey gets all screwed up over the holidays. A guy calls and falls in love with her. But wait she’s American . . . No! She’s British. Who’s to say? It’s a whole thing. Phone calls never looked better than this movie, which I will watch again. Top tier!

Catch Me If You Claus - 5 Stars

I expected better for the great Italia Ricci (Designated Survivor). Things I didn’t love about this movie:

Kidnapping.
Breaking and entering.
Unlawful imprisonment.
Anchor chair discrimination.
Weird politics in the city of Dayton, Ohio.
Luke MacFarlane as a dopy santa.

Navigating Christmas - 5 Stars

If you thought this movie was actually Christmas Island (see above), you’d be wrong. Spunky teen and his mom rent a lighthouse for the holidays. Is that a thing you can do? Then, through the magic of AirBnB somehow become responsible for bringing Christmas to the entire island. No, not Christmas Island. That’s a totally, totally different movie.

Haul out the Holly: Lit Up - 8 Stars

When the evil Jolly Johnson’s move into Evergreen Lane the gang from Haul out the Holly (2022, 6 stars) plot their revenge and take the culdesac back!

This movie is super witty and made me laugh throughout. You don’t need to have seen the original movie from last year to enjoy this beauty of a film, but it shows you how well the characters were written. I am definately hoping for another Haul movie next year. Wedding? Baby? Earthquake? Could be anything.

Updated Nov. 15

Checkin’ It Twice
- 7 Stars

Idaho Falls is a real place, but it’s a lot more magical in this hockey movie with two strong lead characters and plenty of ice.

See a preview on Hallmark.

Where Are You, Christmas?
- 5 Stars

It’s like Pleasantville, but without the heart and logic. There are people in the world who loved this movie. I really didn’t.

Under the Christmas Sky
- 4 stars, DNF

Boring space people get trapped on earth. Madness and Christmas ensues.

Mystic Christmas: Hugs are a good thing.

Mystic Christmas - 8 stars

Yeah, I loved it. The seals were great and the leads were super funny. Actually filmed in Mystic, Connecticut. Sad they went to a pizza place, but it wasn’t “that” pizza place. Missed opportunity.

See a preview on Hallmark.

Joyeux Noel - 6 stars

The stakes couldn’t be lower for this copyeditor dreaming of a love story; then finds it and nobody actually cares. Filmed in “France.” Kinda.

Flipping for Christmas - 6 stars

Is it a B&B? Is it for sale? Let’s paint a few walls and add some Christmas trees and find out. Also, this isn’t how gentrification actually works.

Never Been Chris’d - 6 Stars

This was a baffling movie. I had no idea what was happening. A three-way love story? Yeah. A girl-partner comedy? Sorta. Tyler Hynes with a bad script? For sure. I really wanted to love it, but I also have never been Chris’d.

The Santa Summit
-9 Stars

There is unlikely to be a better Hallmark movie released this year. And, yes that’s a compliment. I loved this movie. It was smart, funny and sort of believable. Santa bar crawl. Three very different love stories. Watch out for DJ Fresh Pine in the silent disco. Dude steals the show. Highly recommended.

Watch a preview on Hallmark.

Everything Christmas - 4 Stars

I love a magical santa, but this santa is creepy like David Blaine. This one could have been a horror movie with different music.

Christmas by Design - 6 Stars

A movie where a fashion designer fails to learn that if you spill something on your clothes, you might want to try washing them before throwing them out. That’s not even a spoiler.

More movies to come, so come back soon!

Round and Round – 8 Stars