All about 2023 Christmas Movies

Christmas in Notting Hill Famous soccer star, Graham Savoy (Moseley), has always been too busy for love, but when he comes home to Notting Hill for Christmas, he changes his mind after meeting Georgia (Ramos) – a visiting American and the one person who has no idea who he is. Starring Sarah Ramos and William Moseley. i loved this movie. It is a great copy of Notting Hill in the Hallmark way but highly recommend

Time for Her to Come Home for Christmas– Facing her first Christmas without her mother and looking to avoid loneliness, Carly (Grimes-Beech) heads to a quaint town to lead the church choir at Christmas. Once there, Carly meets Matthew (Carmack), a man back in town after serving in the army. As she gets to know Matthew, the choir and townspeople, she stumbles across clues that suggest she may have been brought here for a life changing reason. As the mystery unravels one thing is clear, this journey will teach Carly about true love, learning to trust, and that forgiveness is needed to finally heal. Starring Shenae Grimes-Beech, Chris Carmack and Grace Leer. The Come Home for Christmas movies are always great and this one does not disappoint. Music + Christmas heart plus Shenae Grimes I was all over it.

A Merry Scottish Christmas When estranged siblings, Lindsay and Brad Morgan travel to Scotland at Christmas to reunite with their mother Jo, a big family secret is revealed. Starring Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf. This Party of 5 Reunion was amazing. Lacey Chabert is the new Queen of Hallmark Christmas and she does continues with her title here. loved the settings and this one def had a lot of the Christmas budget

Holiday Road – When bad weather leaves each of them stranded at the airport for the holidays, a tech entrepreneur (Christie), a travel writer (Canning), a devoted mother (Enid-Raye Adams) and her son (Kiefer O’Reilly), a stubborn senior (Trevor Lerner), an enigmatic woman with a hint of mystery (Brittany Willacy), a couple traveling from Hong Kong (Sharon Crandall, Ryan Mah) and a social media influencer (Princess Davis) all agree to rent a shared van to embark on a road trip to Denver. When their unexpected journey brings them into uncharted territory, they navigate a series of misadventures together and form a deeper bond that just might change the trajectories of each of their lives. Inspired by true events. Starring Sara Canning and Warren Christie. And idea holiday Road trip, and such an uplifting and humane story. It was also a little bit different from the traditional Hallmark fare and I Was all about that

Flipping for Christmas Home for the holidays, BFFs Naomi and Liz reconnect with high school crush Chris Silver. A complex love triangle forms, forcing them to take stock of their lives and find the value of friendship. Starring Janel Parrish, Pascal Lamothe-Kipnes, and Tyler Hynes. It’s almost Christmas when busy realtor Abigail agrees to help her sister with the “simple flip” of a recently inherited home. Unfortunately, co-beneficiary Bo has other plans in mind. Starring Ashley Newbrough and Marcus Rosner. This is HGTV meets Hallmark and my cable consumption is very aligned with it. loved the actors and the story was very cute

Round and Round – Rachel’s stuck in a time loop, reliving the night of her parents’ Hanukkah party. Can Zach, the “nice boy” Grandma’s trying to set her up with, help her make it to tomorrow? Major points for including a Hannukah movie in the lineup. But apart from that it is super adorable and a wonderful Groundhog day situation 

The Secret Gift of Christmas – Bonnie is a personal shopper who helps her new, widowed client Patrick reconnect with his young daughter. Though Bonnie and Patrick’s ideas of shopping couldn’t be more different, she is determined to get Patrick and his daughter everything on their wish list. This one is kind of ridiculous but totally adorable. I mean a movie about gift giving? that is all up my jam.

Joyeux Noel – When a romantic painting of a Christmas market captures the imagination of copy editor Lea, she is sent to France with pragmatic reporter Mark to uncover the mystery behind the artist. The cast is adorable (Love Greys Anatomy’s Jaicy Elliot and also mega points for a plus size lead) the story is cute and the location is beautiful. It has the Christmas spirit, the nostalgia and the romance.

Mystic Christmas Juniper travels to Mystic, Connecticut during the holidays to work at the rehabilitation center and aquarium. She reconnects with Sawyer, the owner of the pizza shop. Starring Jessy Schram and Chandler Massey. My favorite part of this movie is that Patti Murin is in it as the cute best friend. She needs to be in more Hallmark movies. A cute romance

The Santa Summit It’s time for the annual Santa Summit, in which revelers put on Santa suits and hop around designated locations in town to eat, drink, and be merry. Three best friends decide to go together: Jordin, a recently dumped art teacher looking to cut loose; Ava, a shy woman hoping to run into her crush; and Stella, a Christmas cynic with no interest in the Santa Summit whatsoever. At the start of the night, Jordin meets and bonds with Liam, but doesn’t get his name before getting separated and lost in a sea of Santas. As the night progresses and hijinks ensue, amidst the chaos, celebration, and a sea of Santas, they all find what they’re looking for: Christmas spirit, potential romance, and a strengthened bond of friendship. I love the concept of the Santa summit and I definitely wanted to be doing all the activities with them. Some of it was a bit hard to believe, but the conclusion was sweet and so i forgive them

Checkin’ It Twice A journeyman hockey player falls for a real estate agent in a career crisis when he’s traded to her hometown and moves into the cottage in her hockey loving family’s backyard. Starring Kim Matula and Kevin McGarry. Sport and Christmas make an absolute great pairing

Christmas by Design A fashion designer gets accepted into a Christmas challenge to create a new holiday-themed collection and not only finds the inspiration for her next line but decides to redesign her approach to what’s most important in life. Starring Rebecca Dalton and Jonathan Keltz. A little too predictable but still very nice. Also a mayor plus when fashion is involved. Also Rebecca Dalton is great.

 Holiday Hotline After leaving London, Abby connects with an anonymous caller while working at a cooking hotline. The caller is single dad “John” who Abby unknowingly has become smitten with in real life. Starring Emily Tennant and Niall Matter. The concept of the Holiday Hotline was original and super cute – the miscommunication of it all grated me a bit but it still was super enjoyable.

Catch me if you Claus – Avery Quinn’s shot at anchoring news clashes with a Santa-suited intruder, Chris, who insists he’s Santa’s son on a first Christmas mission. They unravel a career-making story together. I really enjoy Italia Ricci in all her movies and this one was no exception. I was doubtful at first about the premise but found it really cute and adorable.

My Norwegian Holiday – JJ, grieving the loss of her grandmother and seeking dissertation inspiration, stumbles upon an unexpected holiday destiny. Meeting Henrik, a Norwegian from Bergen, their connection deepens when he discovers she has a troll figurine from his hometown. To explore the troll’s history and her grandmother’s ties, JJ agrees to join Henrik on a journey to Norway. In Bergen, they’re drawn into Henrik’s family Christmas and wedding traditions, with his sister’s wedding the day before Christmas Eve. JJ embarks on a holiday adventure, uncovering the troll’s origins and finding her own path to healing, love and family It makes you want to go to Norway and get lost in the city finding trolls. Beautiful story and some wonderful twists and heartfelt moments along the way. I love how hallmark is taking Christmas traditions from different countries it becomes super educational whilst being entertaining

A Biltmore Christmas Lucy Hardgrove (Joy Lenz) is a screenwriter who lands the job of a lifetime when she’s hired to pen the script for a remake of the beloved holiday movie, His Merry Wife! First filmed in 1947 at beautiful, historic Biltmore House, it has long been considered a Christmas classic. When the head of the studio isn’t satisfied with the ending Lucy wrote because it deviates from the original’s feel-good conclusion, he sends Lucy to Biltmore Estate for research and inspiration. While there, she unwittingly discovers the ability to travel to the 1947 set of His Merry Wife! through the help of an hourglass. After shaking off the initial shock of this turn of events, Lucy embraces this as her chance to uncover the truth about the movie’s original ending. While on set, she and Jack Huston (Kristoffer Polaha), one of the film’s stars, spend time together and become close. But her sudden appearance has set off a chain of events that put the production in jeopardy. Before she can return to the present, Lucy must make things right or threaten to alter the future forever. i wanted to really like the movie because I became obsessed with Biltmore castle when i was in Asheville. The backdrop is amazing and that is def the must watch here, but the storyline was not as amazing as I wanted it to be. The friend who saw it with me REALLY disliked it.

Christmas on Cherry Lane –  young couple preparing to welcome their first child; an empty-nester and her fiancé ready to start a new chapter; and a couple who unexpectedly have the chance to expand their family on Christmas Eve celebrate the holiday as they navigate these turning points in their lives.  This has a wonderful cast, and no spoilers but how everything is related is absolutely lovely. However I wished I had more chance to process the interrelationships and it just not falling at the end

Christmas Island When a snowstorm diverts Kate’s first private flight en route to Switzerland to Christmas Island, she must team up with an air traffic controller to secure her dream job as the family’s pilot

Sealed with a List – This holiday season, festive Carley sets out to conquer her list of abandoned resolutions from last year. Aided by coworker Wyatt, she finds love and the confidence to chase her dreams. Apart from why are they wearing a dress outside without a jacket, most of this movie falls in the wonderful predictable but cute great Christmas Movie

Ms. Christmas Comes to Town- A shopping channel host known as Ms. Christmas (Niven) receives a terminal diagnosis, which inspires a multi-city excursion set to spread Christmas cheer before her farewell broadcast The friendship in this movie I loved even if the romance i didn’t fully buy

A Not So Royal Christmas – Tabloid journalist Charlotte (D’Orsay) attempts to land an interview with a reclusive Count. In response, the royal family has a groundskeeper (Kemp) pose as the Count since the real one fled years ago. Very important question: Why is the dress blue in the add if its green in the movie. It was very irritating to me. Now to the good stuff, the movie is good, its just another movie about an in disguise royal and a commoner and it just needs to be a bit better at this point to jump to the top

Magic in Mistletoe – Harrington is the author of a popular book series, but commercial success has left him a bitter recluse. As he returns to his hometown for an annual Christmas festival celebrating his books, he’s joined by April, a publicist for the major publishing house he works with. April is there for damage control after Harrington’s recent comments on social media have ruffled some feathers. But as she gets to know him better, hope springs that April can unlock Harrington’s guarded heart and help him rediscover the spirit of the holiday. Great rediscovering the love of Christmas, liked the literary aspect of it

Never Been Chris’d Home for the holidays, BFFs Naomi and Liz reconnect with high school crush Chris Silver. A complex love triangle forms, forcing them to take stock of their lives and find the value of friendship. Starring Janel Parrish, Pascal Lamothe-Kipnes, and Tyler Hynes. Although it was a creative premise there was a lot of cringe to it and I was not all about the two friends potentially going for the same guy. Also things went fat, even faster than Hallmark fast. And this one hurts to put it this low because Tyler Hynes is my favorite.

Navigating Christmas Recently divorced Melanie and her son Jason visit a remote island for Christmas, only to find themselves running a real working lighthouse where she connects with the curt but cute owner. Starring Chelsea Hobbs and Stephen Huszar. Sweet and predictable but plenty forgettable. The location is beautiful

Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up As the holidays approach, Emily and Jared are looking forward to celebrating the holidays together again, this time as a couple. Emily, now embracing Evergreen Lane’s uniquely festive spirit, is ready to work with Jared, Ned, Mary Louise and Pamela to make this year’s Christmas celebrations the best yet – even if being the HOA president’s girlfriend doesn’t stop those dreaded decorating citations. When a house on the block goes up for sale, it causes quite a stir with residents. When the soon-to-be neighbors turn out to be holiday royalty, it looks like this year’s competition is about to heat up. As the welcoming committee prepares for the new arrivals, only one thing is certain – this Christmas, Evergreen Lane is going to sleigh! This is the disappointment of the season for me. Sequels are hard and this one did not hit for me. The Queen had a misstep

Under the Christmas Sky Kat is an esteemed astrophysicist, who is scheduled for her first trip into space next year until an accident grounds her. While on leave, coming to terms with the reality that her dream of being an astronaut is over, she volunteers at the local planetarium. There, she is paired up with by-the-book David to work on an exhibit opening right before Christmas. Will the stars align to bring these two together at the holidays? Starring Jessica Parker Kennedy and Ryan Paevey This was sweet it just was the one that seemed the most cringe/fake for me so it remains here until one blows it out of its position.

Where are you, Christmas? When Addy (Fonseca) wishes for a year without Christmas, she wakes up in a world of black and white. She must work together with the town mechanic (Rady) to restore Christmas I actually changed to another movie the first time I saw it so I guess that does not bode well? but it is cute.

Everything Christmas – Lori Jo’s love for Christmas takes her on a road trip to Yuletide Springs with her roommate Tori, where Christmas is celebrated year-round, to participate in a longstanding town tradition to honor her late grandmother. Along the way, the friends meet Carl and Jason, and the foursome make stops during their journey to enjoy more small-town Christmas attractions. But when a series of events puts a damper on their plans, a little Christmas magic may put this trip back on the right path. No this was not it for me. Although the story is cute, I just could not with the cast. Cindy Busby’s role was cringe and I could just not get into it. Also the one day auto love is a no for me

Best Christmas Ever (NETFLIX) Every year at Christmas, Jackie sends a cocky newsletter to her friend Charlotte. Fate brings Charlotte to Jackie’s doorstep. As a result, Charlotte tries to prove that her friend’s life is not perfect. I adored this movie, it was so much fun

The Naughty Nine (Disney) When Andy finds out he’s on Santa’s “naughty list,” he pulls together a group of “naughty list” kids to get the presents they think they deserve. A kids Ocean 11, it was kind of adorable

A Cowboy Christmas Romance (Lifetime)- When pro real estate ‘closer’ Lexie Crenshaw is sent to her hometown of Tubac, AZ to close on a big ranch before Christmas, she is soon forced to confront former family drama as well as the sexy ranch owner who refuses to sell his home. I actually really enjoyed this one. I came to it because it had a lot of buzz because it was one of the first Christmas movies with an actual sex scene, but stay for the great story and how wonderful Jenna Kramer is (Adam Senn I was not sold on)

 A Paris Christmas Waltz (Great American Family) Follows Emma as she encounters professional dancer Leo, whose enthusiasm for competitive dancing is diminishing. However, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity presents itself for the novice to join the pro and astound Paris. I was not going to watch any GAF movies this year but Matthew Morrison and dancing was too much of an incentive for me. I was glad i did, I really enjoyed it and there is so much beautiful dancing, great PAris and Matthew Morrison to look at.

Holiday in the Vineyards (NETFLIX) – It follows a widow who struggles keeping the local vineyard and raising two young boys. She may be in store for a Christmas miracle when she falls for a big city playboy who is sent to get intel on a prospective vineyard for sale Don’t know how much of a Christmas movie it is, but for a fun rom com it gets my vote – plus it has wine!

Family Switch (NETLFIX)– When family members switch bodies with each other during a rare planetary alignment, their hilarious journey to find their way back to normal will bring them closer together than they ever thought possible. This is not really a Christmas Movie and although it looked really cute I was cringing half of it. This is unrealized potential for me