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It’s officially the holidays over at the Hallmark Channel! But while we all love a good holiday romance, it can be difficult to sort through the array of Christmas movies that usually involve a big-city career gal heading back to her hometown, then promptly stumbling upon romance. Add some bonus points if it involves a bakery, a bookstore, or a cozy inn — and that dreaded real estate mogul. The network is also delivering good news as it aims to add more diversity in its casting and the holidays it features — think Hanukkah and Kwanzaa!
Take a gander at this holly jolly list of movies we’ve gathered together and mark down your favorites for when next year rolls around!
The 30 Best Hallmark Holiday Movies
‘Christmas on Cherry Lane’
Starring Vincent Rodriguez III and Jonathan Bennett as a proudly gay couple, Christmas on Cherry Lane follows three couples as they spend Christmas together during a turning point in each of their relationships.
‘Christmas With a Kiss’
In a classic returning home for the holidays tale, Christmas With a Kiss follows a social media ambassador who returns to her small town and gets torn between two handsome suitors.
‘Heaven Down Here’
Heaven Down Here is a tale all about how the Christmas spirit can be a light to everyone, no matter their situation. The movie follows four strangers as they get snowed in at a diner.
‘Magic in Mistletoe’
Have you ever lost the Christmas spirit? Well, in Magic in Mistletoe, author Harrington Davis lost his spark until his publicist April stepped in and showed what Christmas is all about.
‘A Merry Scottish Christmas’
Starring Scott Wolf and Lacey Chabert, A Merry Scottish Christmas follows two estranged siblings as they travel to Scotland to visit their mother’s secret estate. Once they get there, they need to decide what to do with the property and their rather convoluted lives.
‘An Unexpected Christmas’
In a classic tale of pretending to be in love but falling for each other in the meantime, An Unexpected Christmas follows speech writer Jamie and he makes a pact with his ex-girlfriend to pretend to be together for the holidays.
‘A Kiss Before Christmas’
Starring Teri Hatcher, A Kiss Before Christmas follows family man Ethan as he one day wakes up in an alternate reality to find out he’s not married, doesn’t have kids, and is actually a high-powered CEO. But is his opposite life at all better?
‘Rescuing Christmas’
After wishing Christmas didn’t exist, Rachael Leigh Cook’s character Erin gets a reality check in Rescuing Christmas when, despite the odds, it actually does. That’s when Sam (Sam Page) steps in and tries to bring it back.
‘The Santa Stakeout’
Starring Paul Campbell and Tamera Mowry, The Santa Stakeout follows two police detectives as they investigate a series of break-ins during the holidays as they pose as newlyweds. What could go wrong?
‘Write Before Christmas’
In the beginning of Write Before Christmas, Jessica (Torrey DeVitto) has almost given up on love. That is, however, until the five letters she sends to those she loves unlock a series of unexpected events.
‘My Family Christmas Tree’
After finding her long-lost family tree, Vanessa (Aimee Teegarden) goes to her hometown and meets relatives she never knew she had in My Family Christmas Tree.
‘A Christmas Love Story’
With Broadway legend Kristin Chenoweth spearheading this musical movie, there’s nothing else we could ask for! A Christmas Love Story follows Chenoweth as a choir director when a talented young singer, and his handsome widowed dad, give her all kinds of musical inspiration.
‘Holiday Heritage’
A woman returns to her hometown to mend fences with her feuding family. She recruits her ex-boyfriend to help while she encourages her family to celebrate Christmas and Kwanzaa to unite them together. Holiday Heritage is Hallmark’s first movie featuring Kwanzaa.
‘The Holiday Sitter’
A workaholic bachelor finds himself canceling his Hawaiian vacation to unexpectedly babysit his niece and nephew during the holidays. He’s out of his element and finds help from a handsome neighbor, who changes his life forever. The Holiday Sitter is the channel’s first movie where an LGBTQ+ couple is the main duo in a rom-com.
‘A Holiday Spectacular’
Hallmark recruited real Rockettes for this 1950s-based film where an heiress puts her high-society wedding plans on hold to fulfill her lifelong dream of dancing in the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular. Will she high-kick her way onto the stage?
‘Haul Out the Holly’
In Haul Out the Holly, a woman’s family failed to tell her that they are going away for the holidays (oops!), but she stays at their house anyway. She then meets a very persistent HOA board that wants her to join in the neighborhood’s Christmas festivities.
‘A Royal Corgi Christmas’
Dogs! A prince! Christmas! How could you go wrong? A YouTube personality and dog trainer is recruited by the palace to train a very naughty corgi. She unexpectedly finds romance with a royal family member during the most magical time of year.
‘Three Wise Men and a Baby’
This movie is Hallmark’s version of Three Men and a Baby at Christmas time. Three brothers strengthen their family ties after taking care of a baby during the holidays.
‘Inventing the Christmas Prince’
In Inventing the Christmas Prince, a woman is about to quit her job as a rocket engineer when her daughter becomes convinced that her Scrooge-like boss is a Christmas prince from a story. Let’s hope HR doesn’t squash this romance.
‘When I Think of Christmas’
A woman reunites with her ex-boyfriend in When I Think of Christmas when she returns to her hometown to help her mother move. After making a surprising discovery, the couple make a bold plan for a Christmas concert that takes them back to their musical roots.
‘Hanukkah on Rye’
After being connected by a matchmaker, two deli owners find themselves competing against each other during Hanukkah in Hanukkah on Rye. Will their romance survive this test?
‘A Big Fat Family Christmas’
The dangers of an office romance come into play in A Big Fat Family Christmas when a photojournalist gets chummy with a co-worker while shooting her family’s annual holiday party for a cover story.
‘A Tale of Two Christmases’
A Tale of Two Christmases is Hallmark’s version of Sliding Doors at Christmas. (Add the Gwyneth Paltrow film to your list.) A woman experiences two different holidays: one where she stays in the city with a new crush, and one where she returns to her hometown where an old flame awaits her.
‘A Magical Christmas Village’
A woman moves in with her daughter and granddaughter and sets up a miniature Christmas village that can magically grant holiday wishes in A Magical Christmas Village. As the granddaughter begins to move the figurines, real-life events start to mimic the scenes she creates.
‘A Cozy Christmas Inn’
In A Cozy Christmas Inn, a real estate executive travels to Alaska during the holidays to acquire a bed-and-breakfast, which, of course, is owned by her ex. She’s soon falling in love with the town and might be open to rekindling that romance.
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’
A former actress returns to her hometown to direct its annual Christmas Eve courtroom drama about the true authorship of the poem “A Visit from St. Nick.” Who knew Santa was up for debate?
‘Christmas Class Reunion’
There’s nothing like a 15-year high school reunion at Christmas time. Two former classmates challenge each other to go back to their roots and rediscover themselves in Christmas Class Reunion. Will they become high school sweethearts all over again?
‘The Most Colorful Time of the Year’
In The Most Colorful Time of the Year, a colorblind teacher is helped by a student and her optometrist mom to bring color into his life in time for the holidays. Will this also spark a romance? It’s highly likely.
‘A Fabled Holiday’
A woman and her childhood best friend unexpectedly reunite in a town that’s full of Christmas spirit in A Fabled Holiday. Will they be able to find the meaning of the holidays again after going through some personal problems?
‘Undercover Holiday’
In Undercover Holiday, a pop star returns home for the holidays and pretends to her family that her bodyguard is her boyfriend. It’s going to be a zany Christmas filled with mishaps.
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