I know it’s not December yet but I’m already in Christmas mode partly. I’ve already watched a fair few Christmas movies but after reading an article on the best Hallmark Christmas movies the other day, I wanted to write my own. This is the guide to my top 20 Hallmark Christmas movies.
Mystic Christmas (2023)
Seals, pizza, family. Not your usual recipe for a Christmas film but it’s one of the few that I’ve seen that has good acting throughout the cast. Jessy Schram and Patti Murin have lovely chemistry as best friends and Chandler Massey as Murin’s brother and Schram’s love interest is actually kind. We love to see strong and smart leading ladies and it doesn’t feel like a regular Hallmark Christmas movie.
Joyeux Noel (2023)
Another current one but I really loved it. If the movie is about a journalist, I’m likely to watch it. Jaicy Elliot and Brant Daugherty star in this one as they take a trip to France for a story. There’s also the story about the pair of them as they connect and again, it just feels natural. It’s all about opposites attracting but it’s very believable!
Noel Next Door (2022)
A story about a single mum and a disabled man seems a bit out of the ordinary for Hallmark but very much normal in actual life. Natalie Hall and Corey Sevier play our two leads mentioned and have very obvious chemistry. I like the normal scenes in this one: meeting in a diner and supermarket. It actually feels plausible and the script is pretty good too. Hiring actors who can actually act works wonders!
Ghosts of Christmas Always (2022)
Whilst I love the regular cheesy films, I love the ones with a little more substance. Sure, this is about romance in the end but the leading lady is actually a ghost! It’s hilarious and sad and Ian Harding has such charisma on screen. It’s basically a newer version of A Christmas Carol but this has an unexpected twist at the end.
A Maple Valley Christmas (2022)
Andrew Walker is in a tonne of Hallmark movies but this is one of his best. His love interest is Peyton List, who always does a great job when I’ve seen her in a show. It’s your typical enemies to lovers sort of storyline but they kiss early on, which is unusual for Hallmark! Sure, the characters aren’t the easiest to like but I enjoyed that there were multiple storylines to get into, rather than just man and woman fall in love.
My Southern Family Christmas (2022)
Another Jaicy Elliot one but she’s so natural on screen. The romantic storyline comes across naturally but isn’t the whole plot. Elliot’s character is looking to find her biological dad but is pretending to just be a journalist. It also has Moira Kelly in it (Karen from One Tree Hill) and she’s always such a great mother figure. I’d also say the two kids in this really seemed like sisters and I really enjoyed the family dynamic between everyone.
A Very Merry Bridesmaid (2021)
Maybe it was because the lead character was turning 30 but this was very realistic. It’s probably because she always puts everyone else before herself! Emily Osment is a great comedic actor and you really warm to her character. Again, I loved her family in this one and loved that her two best friends were lesbians. The guy playing her love interest, Casey Deidrick, is incredibly handsome too!
The Christmas Promise (2021)
I only watched this film the other week and already want to watch it again. Torrey Devito is a fab actress and for a Christmas movie, she actually gets to act (if that makes sense). It’s not as fluffy as your usual Hallmark film but there is romance in the end. It’s more of a self-development journey for Devito’s character, which I really loved. However, the romance feels more like friendship to me!
The Christmas House (2020)
Again, when you get good actors and give them a good script, you get a great movie! Robert Buckley and Jonathan Bennett play brothers going home for Christmas and if you didn’t know they weren’t, you could definitely believe that they were actual brothers. They both have their own storyline, with Buckley with the typical ‘back in my hometown and reconnecting with an ex’. Bennett brings home his husband and he doesn’t feel like a token gay character that Hallmark often includes for the sake of it. He and his husband were fully accepted and not pushed aside in the plot.
Holly and Ivy (2020)
Initially, I watched this for the two leads, Janel Parrish and Jeremy Jordan (one of my favourite people on the planet). The plot made me stay. It’s not your typical romance as Parrish plays a single woman taking care of two young children for her terminally-ill neighbour. It’s got everything most of us want from a Hallmark movie: sad scenes, romance, and some jokes thrown in. Also, the lead being a librarian and a bit of a geek is pretty rare!
Christmas Under the Stars (2019)
Another movie that touches on taboo topics: unemployment, finance struggles, single motherhood. Jesse Metcalfe and Autumn Reeser bounce off each other very well and you think they’re playing a real couple. Sure, they have their differences but you can see their connection. I often find Metcalfe a bit wooden on screen but this is one of his better performances (behind John Tucker Must Die). He always plays the typical handsome playboy type of guy so it’s nice to see him as a character with more dimensions.
Write Before Christmas (2019)
Torrey Devito and Chad Michael Murray in a film together? My One Tree Hill-loving heart is obsessed! I really loved the plot for this one where Devito’s character sends five letters to the people who’ve inspired her most in life. It’s such an easy watch because of the chemistry between the two leads. I also loved seeing Drew Seeley as a former boyband member as one of the sub-plots.
Mingle All the Way (2018)
Is it a predictable storyline after the first 15 minutes? Yes. Does that make it a bad movie? Absolutely not! I loved the lead character played by Jen Lilley as a woman working in tech. Brant Daugherty stars in yet another Hallmark Christmas film but I’m 100% okay with that! Both of their characters have their flaws but I particularly enjoyed any scenes where they’re with her family. The typical plot is done so well that you simply don’t care if you’ve just watched something similar!
A Veteran’s Christmas (2018)
Military-themed Hallmark movies are not usually my favourites but this one was a really good one. To start with, it’s the female lead who’s just been honourably discharged from the military, not the male. Again, it was all about the chemistry between Eloise Mumford and Sean Faris for me. Mumford is the one really lifting this movie as Faris is a good actor but like Jesse Metcalfe, he can be a bit wooden. Also, did I mention there are dogs in this one?
Once Upon a Christmas Miracle (2018)
I’ve only just found out that this is based on a true story and knew there was a reason that I loved it so much. As always, a lot of credit goes to the leads, Aimee Teegarden and Brett Dalton, and it’s not a typical movie subject: organ donation. It’s a lot less cheesy than other Hallmark movies and whilst it is set at Christmas, it’s not overly in-your-face Christmas. Such a beautiful story and message in this one.
Christmas Next Door (2017)
Oh look, I’m a sucker for another Jesse Metcalfe Christmas movie! However, these two lead characters make each other less annoying when they’re together. In this one, it’s the younger cast of Metcalfe’s niece and nephew that are such a highlight. It’s another man who seems to hate Christmas but as always, he comes around. These two are the definition of opposites attract.
Christmas Getaway (2017)
It’s another predictable movie about a single dad and a workaholic travel writer who get double-booked for the same cabin over Christmas. It makes a change from it being a single mother featured. Travis Van Winkle and Bridget Regan have insane chemistry and that basically carries the film. This one has just the right balance of cheese, romance and story.
A Joyous Christmas (2017)
I love the movies about successful women, I just don’t like that when they give that all up. Michael Rady as the male lead is charming and the perfect Hallmark guy. He’s in quite a few Christmas movies so you’ll see him pop up every year. This is a quintessential Hallmark Christmas movie, which is why it’s on the list!
Christmas in Homestead (2016)
Oh look, it’s Michael Rady again. In this one, he’s the mayor of the town where a Christmas movie is being shot. This is another film about a single dad and Rady’s daughter is as cute as a button. It feels like this would be realistic if a movie was filming in your town. However, I believe the place where it was actually shot, they employed locals and also raised money for the town too.
A Nutcracker Christmas (2016)
Saving my favourite until last. The only reason I watched this film is because Center Stage is my all-time favourite film and Charlie from it (Sascha Radetsky) is the leading man! My only complaint is that the leading lady, Amy Acker, lets down the dance scenes. Sophia Lucia off Dance Moms is a delight too. The Nutcracker is one of the best ballets too so it’s a necessity that I watch this movie every year!
That’s a wrap on my top 20 Hallmark Christmas movies list. There are some left off and ones from other networks (Lifetime do some good ones) but I wanted this to be just for Hallmark. This year, my plan is to watch as many movies as possible. However, I want them to be ones that I’ve never seen before.
If you enjoyed this post all about my top 20 Hallmark Christmas movies, follow me on Instagram where I’m going to share more about what I’m watching!
