The time we’ve been waiting for all year is finally here! It’s a time for cheesy, romantic, ridiculous, and awesome made-for-TV Christmas movies. IDK about you guys, but my holiday isn’t complete without watching — at the very least — a few Hallmark Christmas movies. These made-for-TV features are notoriously so bad, they’re actually good. I’m not knocking you if you genuinely enjoy them… Because secretly, I think I kind of do, too (Shhh). They’re a *guilty pleasure* if you will.
This year Hallmark is blessing us with A LOT of Christmas-centric movies on their original channel and a few extra movies on their other channel Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. Here is a sneak peek at most of these movies, air dates, and a small plot summary so you can pick and choose your poison. Hey, this is the busiest time of year and you don’t have two hours to waste! Don’t worry if you miss the original premieres, because you know these will be playing alll season long.
1. Marry Me at Christmas
Starring: Rachel Skarsten and Trevor Donovan
Airing: October 28th, 8 p.m. ET/PT (Hallmark Channel)
Yes! This one has already aired! Hallmark is on top of it! In a Northern California resort town, bridal shop owner Maddie Krug reluctantly agrees to plan a wedding for a visiting young couple during the town’s annual Christmas celebration. One half of this couple turns out to be handsome movie star, Johnny Blake. At first, Maddie and Johnny dislike each other (classic) but eventually start to develop feelings (even more classic), placing them in the middle of a tabloid scandal.
Juicy! That is totally a tabloid story I’d pick up!
2. Christmas Festival of Ice
Starring: Taylor Cole, Damon Runyan, Wendy Crewson
Airing: Nov. 4, 8 p.m. ET/PT (Hallmark Channel)
Law school graduate Emma isn’t using her degree to her full potential (really, who is?), but her passion comes through in a surprising way. Emma puts her law school gumption into full swing when the ice sculpting contest in her town’s annual Christmas Festival is canceled. She will not stand for it and will do everything in her power to get in reinstated. She convinces local artist Nick to act as her partner. And then the ice (and sparks) fly.
Definitely a different plot line but we could get into this.
3. The Perfect Christmas Present
Starring: Sam Page, Tara Holt
Airing: November 4th, 9 p.m. ET/PT (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
Tom Jacobs has earned the nickname Mr. Christmas. His whole business revolves around helping people find the perfect gift for their family and friends. Tom’s best friend hires him to find a gift for his new girlfriend, Jenny. But as Tom does his research on Jenny by getting to know her and spending times with her, he finds himself falling for Jenny. Literally, Tom, you had one job!!
Wonder what will happen here?? Think Jenny starts to fall for Tom, too???? You need to watch to find out! And is it believable someone can make a good living picking presents for other people? #richpeopleproblems
4. Miss Christmas
Starring: Brooke D’Orsay, Marc Blucas
Airing: November 5th, 8 p.m. ET/PT (Hallmark Channel)
Holly Kuhn has a pretty important job. She’s in charge of finding the Christmas tree that will become The National Tree in Washington D.C. After receiving a letter from a little boy claiming his small New England town has the best evergreens, she finds herself taking a trip. Of course, she happens to meet the boy’s uncle, Sam. Sam just so happens to be the owner of the land where these evergreens grow and is very reluctant to cut them down for any reason… even if it is for the National Tree. Uncle Sam is also a certified hottie — natch — which is hugely relevant to the plot.
Something tells me he’ll give Holly her tree and a whole lot more.
5. Christmas in the Air
Starring: Catherine Bell, Eric Close
Airing: November 5th, 9 p.m. ET/PT (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
Lydia is a professional organizer with the personality of one… aka she’s a little uptight. But when she meets Robert, she puts her business on hold. Robert is a fun loving toy inventor who’s asked to create a new toy line in time for Christmas. It’s going to be stressful, so Linda steps in to help Robert organize his life and Robert helps Linda loosen up a bit.
It’s true what they say: Opposites attract!
6. The Sweetest Christmas
Starring: Lacey Chabert, Lea Coco, Jonathan Adams
Airing: November 11th, 8 p.m. ET/PT (Hallmark Channel)
Kylie Watson is a struggling pastry chef who thinks she’s finally found her big break when she learns she’s a finalist on the American Gingerbread Competition. But her oven breaks down and she can’t bake! She reaches out to her ex-bf, Nick from culinary school. Nick quit culinary school and gave up his dream of being a pastry chef so he could run his family’s pizzeria, which is really sweet. Nick lets Kylie use his ovens where they reminisce about the past and bond once again.
This one sounds good! Cookies? Gretchen Weiners? Count us in!
7. A Song for Christmas
Starring: Rebecca Tobin, Kevin McGarry
Airing: November 11th, 9 p.m. ET/PT (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
Popstar Adelaide Kay has had it with her manager and runs away from her tour bus, just to find herself stranded in the middle of nowhere, Pennsylvania. There, the Ladd family takes her in, not knowing who she is, except for their oldest son, Dillon. The Ladd family is on the verge of losing their dairy farm and Dillon has some plans of his own. He schemes to get pictures of Adelaide to sell to tabloids. Once he gets to know her, he quickly realizes that idea is wrong and other things can be done to save the farm.
Hmmm we wonder what could happen here? Hopefully, it involves some great music!
8. Engaging Father Christmas
Starring: Erin Krakow, Niall Matter, Wendie Malick
Airing: November 12th, 9 p.m. ET/PT (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
Ian had planned the perfect engagement for Miranda over the holiday season. Miranda isn’t exactly a fan of Christmas. Her mother passed away while performing a holiday play. Ian and Miranda find themselves in the small town on Carlton Heath. Ian runs the hotel there, and Miranda traced some of her roots back to the small town. Though Ian has planned the perfect proposal, things aren’t going exactly as planned because they never do.
Hmm, this one sounds iffy, but why not?
9. Enchanted Christmas
Starring: Alexa PenaVega, Carlos PenaVega
Airing: Nov. 12, 8 p.m. ET/PT (Hallmark Channel)
Interior designer Laura is sent to her hometown of New Mexico to remodel an aging landmark hotel. There, her 8-year-old daughter discovers the art and fun of salsa dancing. Laura is surprised to learn that the studio owner is her high school sweetheart and former salsa dance partner, Ricardo. The two reconnect and rekindle what they left behind.
Sounds spicy! And like a different kind of Christmas movie which we like. Plus, the PenaVegas!
10. Coming Home for Christmas
Starring: Danica McKellar, Neal Bledso
Airing: November 18th, 8 p.m ET/PT (Hallmark Channel)
Allie Richards snags a job as a house manager for the Marley estate. The Marley family gathers for one last Christmas at the house and it’s apparent that they aren’t a close bunch. The family includes party boy Kip, handsome Robert, daughter Sloane, and tough matriarch Pippa. Sloane also brings along her kiddos. Allie finds herself getting close with the family, even finding herself attracted to Robert despite Kip actively pursuing her.
Sounds like Allie has her hands full and we’ll definitely watch to see how it all plays out.
11. Christmas Homecoming
Starring: Julie Benz, Michael Shanks
Airing: Nov. 18, 9 p.m. ET/PT (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
A widowed military wife lost her Christmas spirit and decides to rent a room to an army captain who is recovering from some injuries. Despite his injuries, he loves Christmas… and he is very handsome. The two of them team up to save the town’s military museum, and fall in love with each other and the Christmas spirit in the process. It is a Christmas film!
12. A Gift to Remember
Starring: Ali Liebert, Peter Porte, Tina Lifford
Airing: November 19th, 8 p.m. ET/PT (Hallmark Channel)
Just like everyday life, a handsome strange loses his memory after an accident with a sweet bookshop owner. She’s determined to help the man restore his memory. In the process, she steps outside her comfort zone and learns taking risks can lead to big rewards…and disappointments.
A lost memory and strangers usually make for a good movie. We’ll watch this one!
13. A Bramble House Christmas
Starring: Autumn Reeser, David Haydn-Jones, Teryl Rothery
Airing: November 19, 9 p.m. ET/PT (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
After his father’s death, Finn Conrad is suspicious as to why he left his nurse $50,000. He decides to pay the nurse a visit at the bed and breakfast she recently took over. He learns that she isn’t a golddigger as he thought, but a kind-hearted single mother, Willa, who’s got a sick son who needs extensive medical attention. Finn’s dad paid for the operation he needed and for Willa’s dream of owning a bed and breakfast. Willa and Finn, despite their best intentions, slowly fall in love. DUH!!! That is, until Willa learsn who he really is and why he came to find her. Awk but something tells me they’lll work it out.
14. With Love, Christmas
Starring: Emilie Ullerup, Aaron O’Connell
Airing: November 22nd, 8 p.m. ET/PT (Hallmark Channel)
Ad execs Melanie and Donovan are teamed up to make a commercial for a cell phone this Christmas. They’re toal opposites, of course, and Donovan is Melanie’s secret Santa, so that just makes things so much more complicated. Donovan assumes another co-worker is his secret Santa and starts to fall for her, making Melanie realize that she has feelings for Donovan. Because we all should definitely be getting into complicated love triangles over secret Santa with people we work with???
We can all relate to not liking someone until they fall for someone else, so this will be a must-see.
15. Mistletoe Inn
Starring: Alicia Witt, David Alpay, Casey Manderson
Airing: November 23rd, 8 p.m. ET/PT (Hallmark Channel)
Kim Rossi is unexpectedly dumped by her longtime boyfriend who is a soon to be published author. She decides to attend a romance writing retreat at an idyllic Vermont resort for the holidays that will end with a visit from a novelist. Kim meets Zeke, whom she cannot stand, but becomes her writing partner. Even worse, her ex-boyfriend just so happens to be at the retreat, too. During this retreat, Kim is put out of her comfort zone with the writing exercises… and (huge shocker!!) develops an unexpected attraction Zeke.
Feeling indifferent about this one, but I have nothing better to do when it’s cold outside, so why not?
16. Finding Santa
Starring: Jodie Sweetin
Airing: November 24th, 8 p.m ET/PT (Hallmark Channel)
Jessica is excited to run her town’s Christmas festivities, having taken the lead ever since her mom died. The man who plays Santa, Henry, has done so for over 30 years, but when he gets sick, he can’t play the jolly old man. Anyone else that Henry has trained to be Santa is already booked. That leaves Henry’s son, Ben as the replacement. Okay, we see where this is going…
The only problem is that Ben, an Uber driver, wants nothing to do with his Santa-playing lineage. So, naturally, Jessica travels 200 miles north and hires Ben to drive her back to her hometown. The drive doesn’t go smoothly, but when they make it Ben changes his mind about being Santa, and finds himself falling for Jessica.
Sounds completely predictable but totally enjoyable! Pus I’ll watch anything with Jodie Sweetin. Glad she’s making a comeback!
17. The Christmas Train
Starring: Dermot Mulroney, Danny Glover, Joan Cusack, Kimberly Williams-Paisley
Airing: November 25th,8 p.m. ET/P (Hallmark Channel)
This Hallmark movie features an all-star cast and is based on a best-selling novel of the same name. A jounalist takes a cross country train ride at Christmas with no idea how this will touch his heart as he dsicovers the good in people and reconnects with a lost love.
Vague, yet intriguing. This one sounds like a winner! And totes need to check out what a silver fox Dermot Mulroney is now.
18. Switched for Christmas
Starring: Candace Cameron-Bure
Airing: November 26th, 8 p.m. ET/PT (Hallmark Channel)
Estranged identical twins, both played by Candance, get together for a pre-Christmas lunch a year after their mom passes away. Each is unhappy with their own life and envious of the other’s life. So what do they do? Switch lives and families of course! Each woman gains perspective for her own life, learns to appreciate what she has, and realizes what she is missing to improve her life.
There’s nothing more fun than a good old-fashioned twin-swap. Def checking this one out.
19. A Joyous Christmas
Starring: Natalie Knepp, Michael Rady, Bonnie Bedelia
Airing: November 26, 9 p.m. ET/PT (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
Bestselling author Racehel Kennedy returns to her hometown to host an event for her upcoming book. Going home again is hard since her parents have died and she is estranged from her brother. With help from her book producer Jack, and a local stranger, Joy, they help Rachel reunite with her brother and enjoy her Christmas at home. Rachel and Jack develop a sweet bond and Joy reveals a secret from the past.
Tune in for this one to find out what the secret is.
20. Christmas in Evergreen
Starring: Ashley Williams, Holly Robinson Peete, Barbara Niven, and Teddy Sears
Airing: December 2nd, 8 p.m. ET/PT (Hallmark Channel)
Raise your hand if you love snow globes? *shamelessly raises hand*
In the quaint and family oriented town of Evergreen, Vermont, residents believe that if you make a wish on a snowglobe in the local cafe, that wish comes true. But in order to come true, your wish must be completely sincere. The local veterinarian wishes for her most romantic Christmas yet and just assumes this will be with her longtime boyfriend. She finds herself stranded at the airport and meets a local businessman and his daughter, who happened to make her own wish on the very same snowglobe. Looks like Christmas has plans of its own causing this chance meeting.
21. Christmas in Angel Falls
Starring: Rachel Boston, Paul GreeneBeau Bridges
Airing: December 2nd, 9 p.m. (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
Gabriel, an actual angel, is sent to the town of Angel Falls for ~work~. The town has lost it’s Christmas spirit and her job is to restore it. She befriends Jack, the volunteer fire chief and takes on a job as a volunteer at the local church. She, then, sets out to recruit residents to help and get their spirit back on track.
22. Christmas at Holly Lodge
Starring: Alison Sweeney
Airing: December 3rd, 8 p.m. ET/PT (Hallmark Channel)
Sophie Bennett starts a new holiday tradition of staying at the Evergreen Inn and Ski Lodge. She inherited the lodge from her late parents. There, she meets families and people who either have nowhere else to spend Christmas, can’t make it home, or who love to return there after great holiday experiences in the past. Sophie meets a special family and ~her life is changed forever~.
Now you’ll just have to watch to see how!
23. Christmas Encore
Starring: Maggie Lawson, Brennan Elliott
Airing: December 9th, 8 p.m. (Hallmark Channel) ET/PT
A struggling actress has been cast in her last off-Broadway play, which is an adaptation of A Christmas Carol. After this play, she plans on quitting acting for good and heading home. But when she starts a romance with the director (scandal! intrigue!), she has a renewed passion for acting and the city. However, the theatre loses its lease so it will be lights out for the play if there isn’t a Christmas miracle….
24. The Christmas Cottage
Starring: Merritt Patterson, Steve Lund
Airing: December 9th, 9 p.m. ET/PT (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
Lacey is finally taking a break from helping her friend Ava plan her Christmas Eve wedding. She reconnects with her former flame, Ean. Together, they decorate the cottage where the newlyweds will honeymoon and obvi some old feelings resurface. This cottage is said to bring true love… and just like we all thought, sparks fly between them. Except Lacey is already dating her business partner, Roger. At least for now.
There’s a surprising amount of almost-kind-of-cheating in these wholesome Hallmark movies which is strange considering adultery is almost certainly NOT Christmassy.
25. Sharing Christmas
Starring: Ellen Hollman, Bobby Campo, Dave Koz
Airing: December 10th, 8 p.m. ET/PT (Hallmark Channel)
Anna works for a ruthless New York City real estate company that has it’s sights set on a building in a prime location. They hope to flip the property for a huge profit but one resident is holding out and won’t sell. Anna’s job is to convince handsome Michael to seel his family’s old-fashioned Christmas shop. Michael won’t budge but makes a deal with Anna. If she works in his shop for a week and doesn’t understand the shop’s importance after that week, they can talk.
Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner. This one sounds good!
26. Father Christmas
Starring: Jesse Metcalfe, Brooke Burns, Tom Everett Scott
Airing: December 16th, 8 p.m. ET/PT (Hallmark Channel)
JOHN TUCKER?! Work-a-holic dad Eric is laid off two weeks before Christmas. (Pretty effed up, if you ask me.) Divorced, his ex-wife convinces him to hold off a job search and spend some quality time with their three children. Eric devotes his freetime to each of his kids, but it’s while helping daughter Chelsea’s cotillion class where he meets her teacher, Kate, who shows Eric how much he has been missing while obsessed with work.
27. Christmas Getaway
Starring: Bridget Regan, Travis Van Winkle
Airing: December 23rd, 8 p.m. ET/PT
Emory is a travel writer who has never had a traditional Christmas. After an unexpected breakup with her boyfriend, Emory is left to take their pre-planned Christmas vacation for two all by her lonesome. Due to a travel mix-up, or a Christmas intervention, Emory is forced to share a cabin with a handsome widower, his daughter, and his mother-in-law.
Hm, wonder what will happen here with Emory and this handsome man…
28. When Calls the Heart: The Christmas Wishing Tree
Starring: Erin Krakow, Daniel Lissing, Lori Loughlin, Martin Cummins, Jack Wagner, Pascale Hutton, and Kavan Smith
Airing: December 25th, 8 p.m. ET/PT (Hallmark)
This movie’s a must see! It’s the ultimate Hallmark Christmas movie that we’ve been waiting for all holiday season long. Plus it premieres on Christmas so it’s totally the best one!
We’ve got all your favorite Christmas characters and a story where the Chrismas spirit is found and hope is renewed for the masses (something we could all use right about now). Obviously a must-see!