The 20 Greatest Hallmark Christmas Films, Ranked

At this level, each TV channel and streaming community has gotten in on the Christmas film craze, collectively realizing that by the point Thanksgiving rolls round, audiences are keen to show off their brains and take pleasure in a bit of scorching cocoa and PG-rated romance. However though Netflix is on the case now, spending the vacation season providing us time-traveling knights and an infinite array of royalty searching for love in its related vacation cinematic universe, Hallmark remains to be the undefeated champ with regards to the made-for-TV Christmas film. The community has it right down to a science, overhauling its whole schedule between October and December to accommodate the handfuls of tacky romances it churns out annually. 

However not all of those Christmas flicks are created equal: There are some actual stinkers amongst the bunch, in addition to a number of glowing gems that by some means appear to defy the restrictions of their style. Pull out the mistletoe and discover your nearest sentimental decoration that reminds you of what Christmas is all about, as a result of listed here are the most effective vacation movies that the Hallmark Channel has to supply.

The difficulty in “The Christmas Waltz” begins when Avery (Hallmark Channel stalwart Lacey Chabert) will get all overly optimistic about her relationship together with her fiance, signing them up for 10 dance classes in preparation for his or her wedding ceremony. Since it is a made-for-TV Christmas film and this kind of factor all the time tends to occur, he inevitably dumps her after getting a job provide elsewhere, leaving her on the hook for the dance classes. 

However all hope isn’t misplaced, as a result of as luck would have it, her dancing teacher Roman (Will Kemp) seems to be fairly dreamy in his personal proper, and sparks rapidly start to fly after he convinces her to take the courses by herself reasonably than losing them. “The Christmas Waltz” stands out primarily for its surprisingly spectacular choreography which, mixed with the chemistry between Chabert and Kemp, offers it a novel taste all its personal.

As any Christmas film fanatic is aware of, there are a restricted variety of profession paths on this planet of Hallmark. Pastry chef. Christmas tree farmer. Inheritor obvious to a fictional nation in Europe. However if you happen to ask us, not sufficient consideration is paid to most likely some of the wintery jobs an individual might have: Skilled hockey participant. 

“Frozen in Love” adjustments all that, when it throws collectively a bookstore proprietor whose small enterprise is failing (Rachael Leigh Cook dinner) and a disgraced hockey participant (Niall Matter) who has been suspended for his questionable habits on the ice. To enhance each of their fortunes, they must work along with a PR staff, however the larger situation might find yourself being how they’re in a position to keep away from ruining all the pieces with their rising attraction to 1 one other. Though they’re full opposites, issues inevitably start to warmth up between them — even regardless of all of the ice in “Frozen in Love.”

Generally, you do not want a fantastic plot to make an efficient Hallmark Channel vacation film — you may simply want a picturesque European location for the backdrop of your movie. Such is the case with “Christmas in Vienna,” the place the pure magic of Austria in winter does a number of the movie’s heavy lifting. Sarah Drew performs Jess Waters, a live performance violinist who’s misplaced her ardour for music. 

Fortunately, there are few locations on Earth to rekindle your musical spark than Vienna — particularly whenever you occur to run right into a good-looking new love curiosity, performed by Brennan Elliot. As heat and soothing as a cup of mulled wine at a European Christmas market, “Christmas in Vienna” may not be the following nice piece of American fiction, however it undeniably scratches a sure vacation itch for viewers. If you cannot truly go to Vienna for Christmas, we’re assured that that is the following smartest thing.

There’s nothing like a pleasant story revolving round airline mishaps to place you within the Christmas spirit — in spite of everything, who does not love flying across the holidays? Every part all the time appears to run tremendous easily. In “Christmas Connection,” flight attendant Sydney (Brooke Burns) is put answerable for an unaccompanied minor, Leah (Sophie Neudorf). However when Leah unintentionally leaves a package deal behind, Sydney takes it upon to hand-deliver the lacking merchandise. You recognize, like all flight attendants do. 

One factor results in one other, and after Sydney finally ends up lacking her flight connection house, she is invited to stick with Leah’s household — together with, after all, her good-looking and charming single father Jonathan (Tom Everett Scott), with whom she forges a direct connection. (Get it? Just like the title of the movie?) A candy, understated, and family-oriented vacation movie, “Christmas Connection” is principally the final word fantasy of how you would like your journey mishaps would prove.

There’s one thing about folks working within the wedding ceremony trade that makes them absolutely the excellent fodder for rom-coms. Possibly it is the truth that they’re so near romance of their day-to-day lives, however solely working on the periphery of it, that makes it so endearing once they lastly fall in love. “Marry Me at Christmas” stars Rachel Starsken as Madeline Krug, a lady who owns a bridal boutique and is at present within the midst of planning an opulent vacation wedding ceremony for one in all her shoppers. 

The very last thing she expects in all of that is to hit it off with the bride’s brother Johnny (Trevor Donovan), however that is precisely what occurs. A tad on the unprofessional aspect? Maybe. However that does not make Madeline’s exploits any much less romantic — particularly since Johnny is a film star, which simply provides one other layer of want success to the proceedings.

Honesty is all the time the most effective coverage. Certain, everybody goes into marriage with a number of small issues flying beneath the radar — possibly you could have an intensive assortment of Beanie Infants that you simply’re satisfied are going to pay to your retirement, for instance. However the one factor it’s best to all the time disclose is whether or not or not you occur to be the inheritor to a European throne, which is strictly what Leo (Stephen Hagan) does not do — or a minimum of, not till a suspiciously very long time into his relationship with Emily (Lacey Chabert). 

Nonetheless, it is most likely simpler to forgive a man when he is set on making you a princess. “A Royal Christmas” isn’t the primary royalty-themed vacation movie, nor will or not it’s the final, however it earns further factors for together with the indomitable and endlessly elegant Jane Seymour as Queen Isadora, who works time beyond regulation to please audiences in her royal capability.

Inject these faux relationship narratives straight into our veins, Hallmark. “An Sudden Christmas” stars Bethany Pleasure Lenz and Tyler Hines as a pair of exes who, when thrown again collectively by destiny, make the unconventional resolution to faux that they are nonetheless collectively, in order to not destroy the household vacation. Emily (Lenz) spends Christmas with Jamie (Hines) and his household, a scenario that in motion pictures all the time appears to convey out the nice and cozy fuzzies amongst its characters (even when that will not mirror the truth of an precise expertise of holidays spent with the in-laws). 

Though they could have had good causes for breaking apart within the first place, a pleasant small city Christmas will certainly convey again these loving emotions. The chemistry between Lenz and Hines is robust, and “An Sudden Christmas” will get bonus factors for creating an endearing household dynamic that can win over audiences with extra than simply boilerplate romance.

The Hallmark Channel tends to play issues a bit of on the secure aspect, particularly in the course of the vacation season. Its content material is strictly G-rated, and it not often dangers upsetting extra socially conservative viewers by wading into what is usually ominously known as “the tradition wars.” Nonetheless, in 2020, “The Christmas Home” noticed Hallmark characteristic its first LGBTQ couple, Brandon (“Imply Women” star Jonathan Bennett) and Jake (Brad Harper). 

They’re one in all three pairs of {couples} who return house for the vacations, every with their very own storyline that displays their makes an attempt to navigate their altering lives round Christmas — for Brandon and Jake, this includes their journey to undertake their first youngster. And it is appropriately heartwarming that “The Christmas Home” exhibits this couple at a stage of their lives once they’ve already come out, are fortunately married, and absolutely embraced by their whole household, reasonably than having the script mine their sexual orientation for drama.

There are a number of acquainted faces on the Hallmark Channel — if you happen to make impression with the community in a single vacation film, chances are high it will find yourself placing you in half a dozen others. However each every now and then, they throw a bone at viewers who’re searching for one thing totally different, and with “One Royal Vacation,” Broadway fanatics are consuming nicely. 

The story does not veer removed from the Hallmark mould: A younger lady opens her house to a stranded mom and son, solely to fall in love with the son and uncover that they are truly a part of a European royal household. However what makes “One Royal Vacation” distinctive is the theater pedigree of its lead couple, who’re performed by Laura Osnes and Aaron Tveit, who’ve three Tony nominations and one win between them. (It goes with out saying that sure, they do discover a possibility to sing within the movie.)

These days, Hallmark Christmas motion pictures are usually gentle and fluffy, romantic escapism that you could largely flip your mind off for. However that wasn’t all the time the case. Again in 2002, Hallmark launched a vacation movie referred to as “Silent Night time,” which takes place within the midst of World Battle II. A German mom (performed by Linda Hamilton) and her son take refuge in a cabin, the place they’re rapidly compelled to play host to 2 separate teams of troopers — one American, and one German. 

Though they clearly have appreciable variations between them, being on reverse sides of a world struggle, in addition they discover a shocking quantity of widespread floor as they shelter collectively on Christmas Eve. It is considerate fare, actually heavier than most Hallmark Channel movies, and value a watch — if solely to see the way it navigates a morally difficult narrative on a community that’s dedicated to hope and optimism.

Some folks have relationships that blow up spectacularly, however Layla (Jessica Lowndes) in “A December Bride” takes the cake. Not solely was she deserted by her ex-fiance, however he rapidly began up a brand new romance with none apart from her very personal cousin. So it is with a particular sort of dread that Layla prepares to attend their wedding ceremony, one which she completely, positively can not flip as much as alone. Determined, she agrees to attend with Seth (Daniel Lissing), though he is the one who launched the evil ex and her cousin within the first place. 

However Seth throws a curveball — he decides to announce their engagement on the wedding ceremony, forcing Layla to tackle the function of blushing bride-to-be. Will their mutual animosity flip to affection? Effectively, that is Hallmark, is not it? Candy but ever so barely acerbic, “A December Bride” is an ideal match for everybody who desires a bit of little bit of enemies-to-lovers of their Christmas romances.

In case you preferred the traditional ’00s rom-com “Maid in Manhattan” with Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes, “Crown for Christmas” is bound to scratch the identical itch. It stars Danica McKellar (one other stalwart determine of the Christmas made-for-TV film style) as Allie, a former maid who takes on the function of governess to a difficult younger princess however finally ends up getting in over her head with the princess’ father (i.e., the king, performed by Rupert Penry-Jones, who romance followers will doubtless acknowledge from “Persuasion”) once they begin to catch emotions for each other. 

McKellar brings a refreshingly down-to-earth angle to the royal family, and we all the time love romance tales the place one of many leads has to decide on between their duties (and this case, King Maximilian marrying a way more acceptable candidate from a royalty perspective) and the possibility of discovering real love. “Crown for Christmas” units the mould for the rash of royal Christmas motion pictures that may observe in its wake.

Who does not love faux romance? In “The Mistletoe Promise,” primarily based on a novel by Richard Paul Evans, Jaime King and Luke Macfarlane play a pair of Christmas misanthropes who begrudgingly comply with faux to be courting within the lead-up to the vacations. In spite of everything, it is a bit of simpler to get via the vacation season in case you have somebody in your arm, serving to you fend off the infinite questions on your romantic life and conserving you firm via work events and household dinners alike. 

Inevitably, these two Grinches start to fall for one another alongside the best way, and possibly simply uncover the — gag — true which means of Christmas in spite of everything. King and Macfarlane are a charismatic duo with a ton of pure chemistry collectively, and so they breathe recent life into a vacation story, elevating materials that might in any other case come off as tacky and trite.

We see Christmas motion pictures set in every kind of locations: Small cities, European castles. (Okay, to be truthful, most of them fall into these two classes.) However “The Christmas Prepare” steps into uncharted territory by setting its romantic story in — you guessed it — a prepare automobile. The essential premise is an outlandish one for all these accustomed to American geography: A journalist (Dermot Mulroney) must get from Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles, California, in time for Christmas. And naturally, the quickest possibility out there to him is … a cross-country prepare that can take about 75 hours. 

Nonetheless, that is loads of time for him to strike up a romantic reference to one in all his fellow passengers. The perfect factor that “The Christmas Prepare” has going for it’s its pleasant ensemble forged — not solely do you could have Mulroney within the lead function, however the supporting gamers embody Danny Glover and Joan Cusack.

Airways — all the time messing issues up across the holidays. In “A Very Merry Combine-Up,” Alice Chapman (Alicia Witt) is touring to fulfill her fiance Will’s (Scott Gibson) household for the primary time, a journey that’s made extra difficult by the truth that she first loses her baggage after which breaks her telephone, leaving her stranded on the airport. Fortunately, Will’s brother Matt (Mark Wiebe) swoops in to avoid wasting the day when she serendipitously meets him at baggage declare. 

The one downside? We have a scenario paying homage to “Whereas You Have been Sleeping” — one of many greatest rom-coms of the ’90s. Whereas Will is scheduled to reach later, Alice finds herself interested in Matt. And truthfully, what’s to not like? He is candy and charming, they’ve fast chemistry, and his whole prolonged household welcomes her with open arms. Nonetheless, somebody’s going to have to inform Will, and hope that this Christmas gathering does not flip right into a WWE match.

A whole lot of Christmas motion pictures have a good time the distinctive charms of the American small city. If a high-powered, large metropolis lawyer returns to her hometown for the vacations, it sort of goes with out saying that she’s going to fall in love with a neighborhood diner proprietor or firefighter, proving the prevalence of their extra intimate neighborhood as soon as and for all. In that regard, “Christmas on the Plaza” stands out, highlighting how magical Christmas in New York will be. 

Set towards the backdrop of the long-lasting Plaza Resort in Manhattan, “Christmas on the Plaza” stars Elizabeth Henstridge as Jessica Cooper, a historian designing an exhibit on Christmas all through the centuries, and Ryan Paevey as Nick Perrelli, the Christmas decorator who will give it some a lot wanted splendor. Whereas the resort itself does a number of the heavy lifting in giving the movie a way of environment, the romance between Jessica and Nick is nothing to sneeze at both.

One of many latest movies to enter the Hallmark Channel catalog of Christmas motion pictures, launched in October 2024, “The Christmas Charade” brings a bit of little bit of motion to the usually calm and comfy proceedings. Rachel Skarsten stars as Whitney, a librarian who has by no means achieved something extra dangerous than jaywalking in her whole life (and truthfully, most likely not even that). However her life is turned the wrong way up when she unintentionally will get concerned with an undercover F.B.I. operation by way of a blind date gone fallacious. 

All of the sudden, she’s anticipated to pose because the girlfriend of an F.B.I. agent (Corey Sevier) as he works to catch an artwork thief at a glamorous Christmas Eve gala. With shades of “Chuck,” “The Christmas Charade” is a enjoyable, energetic new entry to the style, bringing spice and motion right into a made-for-TV world that has been dominated by sleepy small cities for means too lengthy.

Do you bear in mind “Three Males and a Child,” the movie that performs on the pure comedy from watching a bunch of bachelors wrestle to care for an toddler (and has been circling a Zac Efron-led remake for years)? “Three Clever Males and a Child” is a Christmas tackle the identical idea, as a trio of brothers (performed by Paul Campbell, Tyler Hynes, and Andrew Walker) who’re compelled to care for a child who’s left on their doorstep. 

Though we clearly love Christmas rom-com, it is a good change of tempo that “Three Clever Males and a Child” permits the romance to take a backseat, creating as a substitute the candy relationship between these brothers and their new cost. With sturdy performances from the three leads and comedy that is truly humorous (no small feat for the Hallmark Channel, we’re sorry to say), it is easy to think about “Three Clever Males and a Child” turning into a vacation fixture for the community.

In case you thought that Netflix had cornered the market on time-traveling Christmas romances when it launched “The Knight Earlier than Christmas,” suppose once more. Hallmark acquired in on the motion with “A Timeless Christmas,” an enthralling manufacturing a couple of rich businessman, Charles Whitley (Ryan Paevey), from the early 1900s who’s transported to the current day. 

His mansion is now a historic museum, and the one one that is aware of his predicament is likely one of the museum’s docents, Megan (Erin Cahill), who skillfully — if bemusedly — helps him navigate the trendy world. (A part of the fantasy, after all, is that this man has 1903 attraction with early-Twenty first-century attitudes about, you understand, ladies and labor unions.) Though they arrive from (actually) totally different worlds, there is a pure attraction between the 2 that is inconceivable to disregard. With nice chemistry and a relatively nuanced screenplay, “A Timeless Christmas” stands out as among the finest vacation movies on the Hallmark roster.

Do not get us fallacious — there’s nothing fallacious with the Hallmark steady of Christmas film actors that get hauled out yr after yr. However typically, the celebs align, and for no matter purpose, precise Hollywood stars discover themselves in the fitting place on the proper time to remind us what one in all these items can appear like with some actual energy behind it. “A Princess for Christmas” stars Katie McGrath as a Buffalonian aunt who takes her orphaned niece and nephew to Europe to attach with their estranged prolonged paternal household, solely to find that they are (shock) royalty. 

And if that is not sufficient, their uncle (and her cute love curiosity) is performed by none apart from Sam Heughan, the long run “Outlander” star and onetime James Bond hopeful. And talking of 007, Roger Moore additionally appeared because the household’s stern patriarch. Add that star energy and a few actually pleasant romance, and you have a recipe for Christmas attraction. As Jules (McGrath) embarks on her quest to convey Christmas pleasure to this emotionally repressed and grief-stricken household, we won’t assist however fall in love.