Every year, sure as snow, fans eagerly wait for Hallmark to unveil its latest batch of holiday films like fresh Christmas cookies from the oven. If that sounds corny it’s intentional - Hallmark Christmas movies are some of the cheesiest offerings of the season, but they also will put even the most assured Grinch into the Christmas spirit with their heartwarming stories of love, friendship, and family.
Whether you like stories of star-crossed lovers home for the holidays to reignite their romance, overworked corporate shills enchanted by the holidays spent in a festive smalltown, or the fairytale romance of a member of royalty who falls in love with a commoner by Christmas, there’s a film for everyone. Here are 10 Hallmark Christmas movies to look out for this year.
CHRISTMAS UNDER THE STARS
When Nick, a bright and promising investment banker loses his prestigious financing job right before Christmas, he thinks the holiday season is going to be a bust. Adrift and without any job prospects close to what he had at his firm, he takes a job at a local tree lot out of desperation. There he meets kind-hearted Julie and her young son Matt, who do their best to get him back in the spirit of Christmas.
The once self-absorbed financier begins falling for the alluring astronomy teacher, and soon Julie’s love of the stars and the Christmas magic they contain makes Nick a believer in the miracles of the season. He learns that helping others is the best way to help himself, and maybe find love in the process.
WRITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Jessica takes her Christmas cards seriously - there’s no one she forgets on her annual list. Everyone that’s special in her life gets a personalized card, from her brother and the aunt who raised her, to an aging popstar whose music enriched her teen years and the music teacher who always encouraged her to reach for her dreams.
Jessica is recently single and doesn’t think romance is in the cards for her this Christmas. But a seasonal greeting to her best friend might just be the inspiration she needs to write her own happy ending. All it takes is a few Christmas cards to the five people in her life that have made the most impact.
A CHEERFUL CHRISTMAS
What could be more fun than a career as a “Christmas Coach” during the holiday season? Lauren and her best friend Colleen give their clients the Christmas they crave, right down to the tinsel on the tree and the smell of fresh-baked gingerbread men in the oven. But has she met her match this year trying to make one of her most difficult clients’ Christmas wish come true?
Lauren has just landed the Andersons, a royal family transplanted from England to the United States. Their eldest son James is too preoccupied with the big family business merger to bother with Christmas, but Lauren is determined to win over his heart as well as his inner Scrooge. Though she faces competition from his business colleague, she knows that a little Christmas magic can mean all the difference in a miraculous holiday season.
A CHRISTMAS DUET
Jesse and Averie were once a beloved music duo, routinely performing to huge crowds while a romance blossomed on the road. Business and pleasure didn’t mix and they soon went their separate ways, with Averie opening her own lodge in Vermont and Jesse continuing to perform on the road.
Fate brings them together again in the same town at Christmas, just in time for the annual Yuletide Festival. They haven’t performed together in years, but Jessie is eager to recapture the magic between them, and Averie could use a little time at the mic and under the mistletoe to remember what she’s been missing.
A CHRISTMAS LOVE STORY
When Katherine, the NYC youth choir director is charged with writing the title song to make a big splash at the Christmas Eve show, she has to muster all the Christmas spirit she can to get it done in time. What she really needs is someone to sing a spectacular solo and bring the performance together.
When a young boy turns out to have the voice of an angel, she instantly tries to recruit him for the show. Her reasons are purely professional until she realizes she’s become distracted by the boy’s handsome widowed father who is just as surprised as she is at the talent that his young son possesses.
CHECK INN TO CHRISTMAS
When two old school families of a historic town have to come together for the centennial Christmas celebration, it’s no easy task when each family owns a competing inn boasting the best holiday experience. Julia Crawley, a NYC lawyer has just returned to her family inn to find their annual feud with the Mason Family is still going strong.
As the Christmas celebration draws near, she urges the families to make peace, and in the process soon develops an unprecedented romance with Roger Mason, whose family runs the rival inn. They’ll need to get the eminent clans of Crestridge to unite in order to save what makes their town so special.
CHRISTMAS AT DOLLYWOOD
When a fast-talking NYC event planner returns to Pigeon-Ford, Tennessee to plan Dollywood’s annual Christmas celebration, she knows it needs to be as memorable and bright as the country singer after which the theme park is named. As she begins the process, she’s partnered with the operations manager of the park, who feels he knows a thing or two about how things work around Dollywood.
Get an inside look at the bustling world of acclaimed singer-songwriter Dolly Parton, as the pair discover the tension that makes them poor party planning partners might make them perfect romantic partners, and Dolly Parton herself might just have a thing or two to say about the pairing.
CHRISTMAS AT GRACELAND: HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
When wealthy widower Owen needs help taking care of his children around the busy holiday season, he enlists the help of Harper, a world-traveler and Memphis native. She agrees to nanny his children while she waits to hear about an amazing job opportunity overseas. The two prepare to host a joint fundraiser at Graceland for Owen’s company, which will also feature an Elvis Christmas Exhibit Harper is putting together.
Harper distracts herself from the anticipation of her new job by throwing herself into party planning with Owen, making the two grow closer as the holiday season unfolds. When news of her job opportunity finally arrives, she has to decide if she’d rather embark on a new adventure or stay close to home, her family, and Owen.
CHRISTMAS AT THE PLAZA
To Jessica, an archival historian and Nick, an interior decorator, there’s nothing more magical than the Plaza Hotel in New York City at Christmas time. When Jessica is assigned to create an exhibit about the historic landmark during the holiday season, Nick is the handsome decorator tasked with decking the Plaza Hotel’s halls. As they work to get the exhibit done, they engage in a host of holiday activities and begin falling for one another.
There’s just one small snag - Jessica is in a failing relationship, and must decide whether she wants to stick it out or take a chance with Nick. Who will Jessica ultimately spend Christmas with at the Plaza Hotel? Watch to find out.
CHRISTMAS IN ROME
When American tour guide Angela is fired from her job in Rome just before Christmas, she thinks her holiday season is ruined. That is, until she meets Oliver, an American executive in the process of buying a famous Italian ceramics company. The owner won’t sell it to him until he learns about “the heart and soul of Rome”.
Oliver enlists Angela’s help in showing him around the city, from the most famous historic sites to the local treasures off the beaten path. As he begins to fall for her over each new cappuccino and biscotti, the acquisition of the ceramics company becomes the furthest thing from his mind during their time in the Eternal City.
