If there’s one thing COVID-19 can’t cancel, it’s Hallmark Christmas movie marathons. Let it be known that even a pandemic can’t stop the production of these beloved cheesy movies with a whopping 23 new releases this holiday season. While all of these new movies could provide enough entertainment to last me multiple Christmases, my mom and I always make sure to rewatch some of our favorite veterans of the Hallmark franchise each year. Below I’ve curated a list of my all-time favorite Hallmark Christmas movies that you must watch on those well-deserved holiday movie nights.
- Christmas at the Plaza
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This is my all-time favorite Hallmark Christmas movie, and I am not ashamed to say I have seen it at least five times now. Christmas at the Plaza speaks to my love for New York City and my lifelong dream of experiencing the most magical time of year there. The movie starts with the intelligent historian Jessica Cooper’s first day at her new job designing a Christmas exhibition for New York’s esteemed Plaza Hotel. While working on this project, Jessica becomes close to the hotel’s handsome Christmas decorator, who shows her that life is more exciting when you stop dwelling on the past and take a leap of faith.
- A Very Merry Mix-Up
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I love this one because, because it has a more creative storyline that doesn’t follow the typical Hallmark movie recipe. You know the one: Workaholic from the big city journeys home to her humble hometown (presumably named Evergreen, Snow Falls or something ironically coincidental like that) and runs into her ex-high school sweetheart, the town’s beloved handyman. In A Very Merry Mix-Up, newly engaged Alice is on her way to meet her fiancé’s family for the first time and stay with them for the holidays when a hilarious turn of events occurs at the airport. She finds herself unknowingly at the wrong house. She bonds closely with the family she’s staying with, especially with who she thinks is her fiancé’s brother, Matt, before eventually realizing that she’s made a huge mistake.
- A Princess for Christmas
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It would just feel wrong not to add a classic royal-themed Hallmark movie to this list. A Princess for Christmas is my favorite princess Hallmark movie because there are so many more layers to each character than we typically get to see in these movies. Jules, the main character and legal guardian of her sister’s two recently orphaned children, struggles to make ends meet and learn how to parent when she receives a surprise invitation to stay at a beautiful castle in Europe with the Prince of Castlebury and his family for the holidays. While the kids are hesitant at first, they decide to take a chance and end up changing their lives and Jules’s, forever.
- Christmas by Starlight
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Although I just watched it for the first time a week ago, I can confidently add the 2020 release Christmas by Starlight to my list of favorites. Hallmark Channel isn’t known for its abundance of excellent acting skills; however, I was quite impressed by both leading actors of this movie and their ability to portray their characters’ relatable quirkiness and raw emotions. At the beginning of the movie, we’re introduced to Annie, the friendly, outgoing lawyer who has been frequenting her parents’ highly admired Starlight Café since she was a child. When the arrogant son of one of Chicago’s top development firms threatens to demolish the café, Annie reluctantly makes a deal to supervise his legal matters in return for its preservation.
- A Shoe Addict’s Christmas
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If you love a storyline that nods to Charles Dickens’ holiday classic A Christmas Carol, then this is your Hallmark movie. Starring the Hallmark Christmas movie poster child herself, Candace Cameron Bure, A Shoe Addict’s Christmas follows self-proclaimed shoe lover and Christmas hater Noelle and her magical encounter with an amiable Christmas angel. Noelle befriends the angel as she is taken on a journey through her Christmas past, present, and future to uncover the real reason she hates the holidays.
I hope you love these movies as much as I do! Happy Holidays!