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Image via Hallmark
Hallmark is clearly known for its vast catalog of movies, many of which are Christmas-themed. Even so, just because Santa, some elves, and even ice skating are involved in the films doesn’t mean people have to wait until the holiday season rolls around to enjoy them. There are many Hallmark Christmas movies that fans of family-fun films can watch year-long; there is nothing wrong with getting into the holiday spirit of love, joy, and family in a month that isn’t December.
From two ex-partners falling into the close proximity trope in Falling like Snowflakes to friends figuring out friendship means more than a relationship in Never Been Chris’d, these holiday films are full of fun plots, exciting characters, and laugh-out-loud moments that are very relatable. Take a look, because some of these films might just be what the doctor ordered even when the holidays have come and gone.
10 ‘Never Been Chris’d’ (2023)
Directed By Jeff Beesley
Image via Hallmark In the Hallmark Christmas movie Never Been Chris’d, it all boils down to two best friends, Naomi (Janel Parrish) and Liz (Pascal Lamothe-Kipnes), who come home for the holidays, each reconnecting with their mutual high school crush, Chris (Tyler Hynes). Insert the love triangle trope and holiday backdrop, and the movie is a solid account of the meaning of friendship and how a guy shouldn’t come between two girlfriends.
The movie is full of Hallmark veterans and familiar faces, and with its love triangle and fun premise, Never Been Chris’d is really a Hallmark Christmas movie that can be watched at any time of the year. Honestly, even though it is technically set during the holidays, the Christmas theme is so far in the background that it is easy to forget the characters are even in the month of December. Take away the holidays, and it is nothing more than a movie about friends reconnecting and finding out there are things that are more important than getting the attention of a guy.
Release Date November 4, 2023
Runtime 84 Minutes
Director Jeff Beesley
Writers Joie Botkin
9 ‘A Princess For Christmas’ (2011)
Directed By Michael Damian
Image via Hallmark Following the story of Jules Daly (Katie Mcgrath) as she becomes the legal guardian of her sister's children, Maddie (Leilah de Meza) and Milo (Travis Turner), after a tragic accident, A Princess for Christmas is a movie about love, family, and forgiveness. During the holiday season, the children receive an invitation from their late father’s dad, the Duke of Castlebury (Roger Moore), inviting them to his grand palace for Christmas, even though he hates the holiday. Sounds like a dream, right? Well, the holiday spirit is a bit damp in the palace since their grandfather doesn’t exactly enjoy Christmas. Not to mention, the Duke’s son, Prince Ashton (Sam Heughan), isn’t doing anything to help matters aside from being dashing and making Jules fall in love with him.
As many Hallmark movies go, there is a misunderstanding. Jules wants to return to the United States, and she is intercepted by the castle staff. Ashton and Jules wind up working it out, and the children have a Christmas worth remembering. This particular movie is all about finding what you want in life, a message that goes far beyond that of Christmas. It is a movie worth watching at any time during the year, as it is about family, love, and coming together in your grief and remembering those you’ve cherished.
Release Date December 3, 2011
Runtime 91 Minutes
Director Michael Damian
Main Genre Comedy
Writers Michael Damian , Janeen Damian
8 ‘Campfire Christmas’ (2022)
Directed By David I. Strasser
Nothing says Christmas like summer camp in July. At least, that’s when the holiday takes place in Campfire Christmas. Through a mess of flashbacks, viewers learn that Peyton (Tori Anderson) and her family run a camp, Camp Evergreen, and each year, they host a festive Christmas in July. There is a pageant, a lot of fun games, and friends who make some of the best childhood memories. Flash forward to the present day, Peyton’s family is selling the camp. So, obviously, they’re going to host one more Christmas in July, and all the old campers decide to attend, each holding secret flames for each other.
The film is beyond fun and brings viewers into the festivities of summer camp .
The film is beyond fun and brings viewers into the festivities of summer camp. Not only because they are celebrating Christmas, but also because they get to watch as old friends reunite with one another, coming to a relaxing place away from their busy careers in various cities around the country. It is all about falling in love, making new memories, and going after what you really want, as viewers watch Peyton do by the end of the movie when she finally quits her job. It is an entertaining Christmas in July, full of sun, fireworks, and a snowball fight made of ice from the freezer.
7 ‘Help For The Holidays’ (2012)
Directed By Bradford May
After going through a rigorous training program at the North Pole, Santa (Steve Larkin) decides to send one of his best elves, Christine (Summer Glau), to the real world. Her mission: help the Van Camp regain their Christmas spirit. Since Sara (Eva La Rue) and Scott (Dan Gauthier) own a year-round Christmas store called Holly Daze, she thinks it is going to be a very simple mission. But then she sees how sad the children are. Sara and Scott have completely forgotten about their kids' lives, missing Will’s (Mason Cook) basketball games and ignoring Ally’s (Izabela Vidovic) dance lessons. So, with the help of the kids’ Uncle Dave (John Brotherton), Christine begins to show Sara and Scott what they are missing out on and teaches them how to balance work and family life.
The film is very relatable, showcasing parents who get so wrapped up in work that they forget what they are really working for – their kids. Help for the Holidays presents a message that should be remembered all year long, as Sara and Scott come to realize their little shop means nothing if their kids aren’t happy. Figuring out what is important in life, the Van Camps finally come together to celebrate everything that holidays mean: love, compassion, and family.
6 ‘Christmas Bells Are Ringing’ (2018)
Directed By Pat Williams
Image via Hallmark Each summer, Samantha (Emilie Ullerup) spends the summer at her family’s vacation house in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. When she was there, she’d spend her time with one of the local boys, Mike (Josh Kelly), who Sam wound up getting very close to as a child. Fast-forward to the present day, and Sam is once again journeying back to Cape Cod for her father’s Christmas Eve wedding. She never once visited during the winter and soon gets caught up in how different the small town is during the holiday season, especially when she meets back up with her childhood friend, and sparks begin to fly. But, as always, things aren’t that simple. Sam and Mike have to figure out what they want before the holidays come to an end.
While Sam is in Cape Cod for her father’s wedding, she has to figure out if her romantic life is worth more than moving up in her job in Boston. Viewers watch as she juggles the pros and cons, wanting nothing more than to be with Mike but not wanting to hold him back either, as he was offered a prestigious position in London, England. The Hallmark movie is full of feel-good moments that make people ask questions about careers versus relationships, something that is thought about in the real world all year long and not just during Christmas.
Christmas Bells Are Ringing
Release Date December 23, 2018
Cast Emilie Ullerup , Josh Kelly , Rebecca Staab , Roz Murray , Hamza Fouad , Teagan Vincze , Mark Humphrey , Cameron McDonald , Samantha Rose , Leana Yu , Brenda Crichlow , Adil Zaidi , Nicole Rockmann , Cadence Compton , Denis Corbett , Yolanda Corbett , Laurie Empey , Trent Pryor
Producers Pnenah Goldstein
Writers Nicole Baxter
Directors Pat Williams
5 ‘Holiday Date’ (2019)
Directed By Jeff Beesley
Image via Hallmark The worst thing has happened to Brooke (Brittany Bristow). She was dumped right before Christmas. So, she does something that only makes sense in the Hallmark world: she enlists the help of an actor, Joel (Matt Cohen), to pretend to be her boyfriend for her family’s festivities. The only problem is that Joel is Jewish, and Brooke’s ex-boyfriend was someone she told her family was “Mr. Christmas,” who was doing everything to the extreme all over the holiday. Clearly, that ruse can only happen for so long before people start to wonder about the guy who is dubbed “Mr. Christmas” yet knows nothing about the actual holiday. So, when Brooke and Joel’s secret comes to light, they have to answer not only to her family, but also to their feelings for one another.
While this is most definitely a movie with a lot of holiday-themed action, the narrative is more so about a woman finding love again and healing her broken heart. Not to mention it is one of those movies with a stellar fake dating trope! It is about acceptance and learning about people, as Brooke’s family learns about Hannukah and Joel learns about Christmas, and they celebrate both holidays in tandem. This Hallmark movie isn’t just a great option for the holiday season, but anytime people need a solid reminder of the beauty of what happens when people are brought together and learn about their differences.
Release Date December 14, 2019
Cast Brittany Bristow , Matt Cohen , Ava Grace Cooper , Peter Benson , Kristina Lao , Teryl Rothery , Bruce Boxleitner , Anna Van Hooft , Edward Ruttle , Shannon Chan-Kent , Matty Finochio , Edwin Perez , Christine Chatelain , Ken Tremblett , Seth Friesen , Natalie Moon , April Telek , Dee Jay Jackson , Heather-Claire Nortey
4 ‘Three Wise Men And A Baby’ (2022)
Directed By Terry Ingram
Image via Hallmark What could possibly go wrong when a baby is left on the doorstep of a single man’s business? The answer: three brothers taking care of a strange baby during the holidays, something none of them know how to do. Stephen (Paul Campbell), Taylor (Tyler Haynes), and Luke (Andrew W. Walker) are in for the Christmas of their lives as they are completely uprooted, and they are forced to work together in order to get through the holiday season with a very unexpected guest. Yeah, that’s the issue. The three brothers were very estranged from one another before this entire escapade.
While the movie definitely has a sad undertone and theme, it doesn’t encapsulate the entire narrative, one that has one of the best movie families. The chemistry between the actors is comedic and realistic enough that people are able to relate to the “I love to hate you but really need your help right now ”,which is the sibling dynamic between the three Brenner brothers. Three Wise Men and a Baby is one of Hallmark’s most popular movies, becoming the most-watched made-for-TV movie on cable the year of its release. It is funny yet dramatic and a good film to watch, no matter the time of year.
Three Wise Men and a Baby
Release Date November 19, 2022
Cast Paul Campbell , Tyler Hynes , Andrew W. Walker , Margaret Colin , Matt Hamilton , Nicole Major , Felicia Simone , Paul Almeida , Ali Liebert , Fiona Vroom , Jill Teed , Danny Wattley , Chris Gauthier , Geoff Gustafson , Arran Henn , Faith Wright , John Shaw , Nathan Parrott , Christina Lewall , Ellen Kennedy , Preston Vanderslice , Michasha Armstrong , Emily Maddison , Miguel Castillo , Emma Lowe
3 ‘Santa Tell Me’ (2024)
Directed By Ryan Landels
Image via Hallmark Santa Tell Me follows the story of Olivia Spencer (Erin Krakow), a successful interior designer who, when she was younger, asked Santa for the name of her one true love. Years later, she gets her wish in the form of a letter from Santa, telling her that her true love is named Nick. Enter Nick’s A, B, and C (Benjamin Ayres, Christopher Russell, and Kurt Szarka). The three Nicks all begin to date Olivia, and, in true Hallmark fashion, there are silly mortgages, over-poured glasses of wine, and magical letters that change the pace of the narrative. But is it really going to come down to the One Nick to Rule Them All? Or is Olivia going to find love in someone else entirely?
The Hallmark film is very entertaining, with Olivia trying her hardest to follow a magical letter while getting into a lovely will-the-wont-they trope with a coworker she can’t stand, or so she thinks. While Santa Tell Me is technically set during the Christmas season, it is a love story that can be enjoyed during any time of the year. It is a feel-good movie full of fun characters and a laugh-out-loud narrative that people can curl up on the couch and smile along with.
Cast Erin Krakow , Daniel Lissing , Benjamin Ayres , Christopher Russell , Kurt Szark
Runtime 84 minutes
Main Genre Holiday
Director Ryan Landels
Character(s) Chris , Nick A. , Uncredited
2 ‘Falling Like Snowflakes’ (2024)
Directed By Max McGuire
Image via Hallmark Going on a journey to find and photograph an elusive 12-sided snowflake, Teagan (Rebecca Dalton) begrudgingly enlists the help of her ex-boyfriend, Noah (Marcus Rosner), in the Hallmark movie Falling like Snowflakes. Trekking up the mountains, Teagan and Noah quickly realize they are about to get caught in a horrible storm and have to scramble to find shelter, something neither of them necessarily wants to do with the other as it will put them in very close proximity to one another for an unforeseen amount of time. Of course, the close proximity trope is exactly what the doctor ordered, as the two begin to form an unexpected connection.
In a very Twister-like way, this movie is all about storm chasers and lovers who bite off a little more than they can chew when traveling into the eye of a storm for nothing more than a photograph and a snow plow. Even so, it is a fun romance with enough chaos to make it wildly entertaining. And, even though there is snow, this holiday film can definitely be watched during any time of the year, especially if viewers are looking for a rekindled romance with two exes who never really spoke after their breakup and are now stuck in a blizzard with nowhere to go.
Release Date June 29, 2024
Cast Marcus Rosner , Rebecca Dalton , Ava Weiss , Madeline Leon , Michael Gordin Shore , Jayd Deroche
1 ‘A Very Vermont Christmas’ (2024)
Directed By John Stimpson
Joy Keogh (Katie Leclerc) is a former professional skier who decides to give up the sport and move back home to Vermont in order to help her family’s microbrewery and bar business. Sadly, their competition, Frosty’s, is pretty much putting them out of business, and it is up to them to win an IPA competition hosted by major beer company representative Zac Chase (Ryan McPartlin) to get their bar’s name back on the map. The only thing is that Frosty’s is owned by Joy’s ex-boyfriend, Greg (John Forest), a guy who will do anything to win, including cheat.
The film is one of the best holiday movies that isn't actually about Christmas.
A Very Vermont Christmas might have the same holiday romance formula as a lot of other Hallmark films, but it makes itself stand out due to the interesting twist of adding a beer competition on a ski slope. The film is one of the best holiday movies that isn't actually about Christmas. It is a very different plot point for Hallmark and one that will not only gain the interest of romance lovers, but also beer drinkers, as the characters churn out microbrew after microbrew in hopes of creating the best-tasting beer on the mountain.
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