Who loves Hallmark Christmas Movies?
I love catching Hallmark Christmas movies each season. I've had several friends ask if I could review them so they know what movies to watch and what movies to skip. Here is my annual Hallmark rankings of each movie!
Now as the season goes on sometimes the way I rank movies, I end up liking one's better vs how I initially ranked them. My rankings list is the go to order I would watch them again in.
Love Podcasts?
Hear my thoughts along with my co-host Eric Rutin on our weekly Hallmark Mysteries & More Podcast. You can find it where ever you tune into podcasts.
On Instagram?
Follow my Hallmark account to get live updates following each movie and stay up to date on what new movies are coming each weekend!
2024 Movie Rankings in order that I would watch again
- The Christmas Charade
- Jingle Bell Run
- Holiday Crashers
- Christmas with the Singhs
- Holiday Mismatch
- 'Twas the Date Before Christmas
- A Carol For Two
- Santa Tell Me
- 'Tis the Season to Be Irish
- Trivia at St. Nick's
- A 5 Year Christmas Party
- Our Holiday Story
- Confessions of a Christmas Letter
- This Time Each Year
- Scouting for Christmas
- My Sweet Austrian Holiday
- Five Gold Rings
Most Watch Movies this season
- The Christmas Charade
- Jingle Bell Run
- Holiday Mismatch
- Christmas with the Singhs
- Holiday Crashers
Middle of the road movies
- 'Twas the Date Before Christmas
- A Carol for Two
- A 5 Year Christmas Party
- Santa Tell Me
- Trivia at St. Nick's
- 'Tis the Season to be Irish
Not my favorites
- This Time Each Year
- Confessions of a Christmas Letter
- Scouting for Christmas
- My Sweet Austrian Holiday
- Five Gold Rings
Netflix Christmas Movies to watch
Meet Me Next Christmas was a fun wild ride that took you through New York City trying to find the elusive Pentatonix tickets. It brought you through fun challenges that were entertaining and fun supporting characters throughout the movie. This is one of my favorite Christmas movies I’ve seen this holiday season.
Hot Frosty was a fun journey where a snowman comes alive. Lacey is wonderful with little winks at past movies she’s been in. I loved the sheriff component as the “bad guy” going to ruin Christmas.
Both you need to suspend disbelief but that is what I want from my Christmas movie. Showcasing a little Christmas magic.
What did you think of the first two Netflix Christmas movies?
Hallmark +
I must say Hallmark + is crushing the Christmas content when it comes to a series.
Mistletoe Murders- If you want to hear a full breakdown listen to Eric and I on the @hallmarkmysteriesandmore podcast. Both of us love this series. It should be aired on Hallmark Mystery this series is wonderful. It feels like it was produced for primetime tv.
Finding Mr. Christmas- I have been loving this fun series and getting to know the possible new Hallmark star. This is making me very excited for the last movie this season with Jessica Lowndes and whoever wins this series.
Holidazed- The first episode showcased the families they will be following throughout this series and it was so much fun. This is where the diversity is this season. This series made me laugh out loud and felt so relatable to real life.
The only thing I haven’t been loving is the Unwrapped Christmas movies I watched 30 minutes of the first one and decided I would skip that series.
What have you been loving on Hallmark + this Christmas season?
'Twas the Date Before Christmas
Amy Groening was such a delight I think she played the character very realistic. I felt like this was truly her family by the way she talked, acted and her overall vibes were perfection for this comedic movie. I’m a big fan of Robert Buckley and he didn’t disappoint. Their chemistry was such a playful energy and really felt like they were getting to know each other throughout the movie and building up a true relationship.
I also love the family Olympic game idea. I kind of want to make my family do this 🤔
What’s not to love about a little family drama at the end and I think for me it worked because everyone knew something about some form of a secret being kept. It wasn’t a blow up just a mess which felt believable 🤷🏼♀️
The past relationship ending in a death brought some depth to the movie which I think really worked for me.
I always find this first movie tough to rate you don’t want to overdo it but I also have been known to undershoot it. I’m going middle of the road and will circle back mid-season to see where it actually will land on my overall list.
Also I double screened it with the WNBA Finals so take this review with a side of 🏀 #letsgolynx
3.75 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Holiday Crashers
Loving the friendship dynamics of the leading ladies. Snagging the extra invites from your workplace is bold and makes a really fun movie concept. The lawyer retreat was a ton of fun. If I worked for a company that would be a fun perk of the job!
I loved both leads and their romantic relationships. I was equally invested in both relationships. Plus the friendship between Bri and Toni was such a great plot point. The lodge setting I loved it was full of Christmas cheer and fun. I also loved the hot chocolate barista and that plot point as well in showing us Bris event planning ability.
The injury law firm commercials were so great and way more fun than the injury commercials I see on our local tv. The wedding at the end was so beautiful loved both the dresses.
I would have liked a little more time spent with Toni and Justin besides the final 3 minutes. If lying isn’t your favorite troupe this movie probably won’t be your favorite. I personally didn’t mind the lying in this one it worked especially if you were doing a holiday party crashing theme.
Overall I really enjoyed this one and would watch again.
4 out of 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Scouting for Christmas
The cute bakery/coffeeshop is a dream location for me. I love a fun, vibrant bright or vintage decor coffeeshop.
Now the actual premise of the movie..🫠
Love Tamara and Carlos and Jaycie. The little girl trying to set her mom up just isn’t a favorite troupe of mine when the mom hasn’t shown any signs of wanting a relationship. She is busy with her career, being a single mom, and Christmas time. Let’s add one more thing to her plate and try to date on top of everything else.
Sir Bakes A Bunch is a fun name and the baked goodies looked yummy!
The ending 😂 clearly he’s not a manager can’t even sit still through signing a contract meeting. Don’t think he would make a good manager. Also the stakes don’t seem to reflect the Girl Scouts holiday ball situation. The ex husband moment at the end was meant to work but just felt a little off. That was a quick turnaround for someone to still want to get back with his ex to being okay with a new guy. It is Hallmark so we roll with it.
I also watched the Lynx game which ended in a tough loss so maybe I’m being too harsh but this will probably be in my bottom half this year.
2.5 out of 5 ⭐️⭐️.5
This Time Each Year
I really enjoyed the introduction to this movie with the Christmas card photo ops through the years. That might be one of my favorite unique ways to set up a movie that I’ve seen in awhile.
The actual movie wasn’t really for me. I enjoyed both actors and would love to see Allison and Niall in a movie int he future. They were really good together.
I enjoyed the brothers dynamics and the casting with Allison and the actress that played her mom was perfection.
That was a fun Crystal Lowe cameo since she also directed this movie.
Now overall it was a mature more serious storyline. For me it’s not a bad movie just not one I would seek out to watch again and again since I usually go for the more uplifting ones to watch multiple times during the holiday seasons.
I think this is not going to land for everyone. It is a realistic in some ways family dynamics. The daughter thinking she was a disaster after hearing her mom tell her this as a child. The relationship dynamics were off that I never quite understood why.
2.5 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️.5
The Christmas Charade
Wow, this was a wonderful movie! Kicking it off with Kristin Booth & Jefferson Brown (The Way Home) it just got better and better from there!
Rachel and Corey were wonderful and if this was how they would have made Jazz Ramsey I would be all in on that series. The mystery element to this one, the action, the love story, the twists and turns were so much fun!
This is the best I’ve seen Hallmark do an action packed Christmas movie. I will watch this one again and again. This is as close to a mystery movie as I’ve seen from the Christmas genre that they actually nail. The cute lady who created the fake necklace her shop was perfection, her Ms. Clause attire.
The meet cute of thinking the other person is who you’re meant to meet was great. I loved all the actors, the dialogue was snappy, this movie will keep you invested all the way through and than you will want to watch again!
5 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The 5-Year Christmas Party
This movie was a bit slow moving for me and hard to watch in terms of the story. Watching them clearly have feelings for each other but taking 5 years to get there. Now When Harry Met Sally also took some time to get there but there was more chemistry there and a better movie overall. So it just fell a bit flat for me.
I could feel the pain of the leads needing to make money but also wanting to follow their dreams. Party planning seems to be the themes of these early movies and I might be over them already.
I did enjoy both leads as they had to really carry this movie since they didn’t have a ton of things to work with besides party planning every year around Christmas.
I enjoyed the Ashley Williams shout outs and watching the Hallmark Christmas movie scenes. A cute wink at Hallmark itself!
I did enjoy the quiet NYC Christmas morning on year 4 that felt so peaceful and realistic everyone tucked in at home enjoying Christmas mornings with their families.
I think I was missing a little more action, if you want a slower burn of a movie this might be the one to pour a cup of hot cocoa on a snowy weekend day having it on as a background watch. It was quite repetitive so an easy movie to dip in and out of.
2.5 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️.5
A Carol for Two
f you enjoy singing movies this one will hit all the notes! This movie was one I was excited to watch and it ended up being an okay for me. I enjoyed the leads and their singing was great until that final song.
It has the traditional troupes of misunderstanding at the end that was an overreaction I thought. The daughter feeling like a failure to her father for not being in Broadway and running off stage because the guy she went on dates with was lying. Plus they had no chemistry and weren’t great together so who cares if there were lies involved. At least it showed the guy she really liked was paying attention to her.
This is a slower paced movie with some great songs thrown in and leads that were enjoyable.
My expectations were higher for this one than it turned into being for me. I did enjoy the singing and music throughout plus I thought the final number was solid.
Middle of the road movie for me!
3 out of 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
My Sweet Austrian Holiday
Vienna is gorgeous, and if you love old school Hallmark movies this will be the one to watch! You aren’t going to get anything fancy or different. Very standard girl and boy fall for each other but their businesses interests might get in the way.
Did love the eminent domain scene? Yes, is that a bad thing that it was a standout fun scene? Yes 😂.
Catherine Disher as the sidekick yes please she was a delight like usual. Did I love seeing the fancy chocolates? Yes. The chocolate shop itself was gorgeous.
A quick wink at the Danube movies by calling it Danube Developments.
He’s never decorated a Christmas tree?? That feels hard to believe as a grown adult unless he had people do it for him each year which is 😬.
It’s a bad sign when I’m making random comments on the movie so it means it was a bit of a snooze fest.
The dance at the end was fun though maybe fast forward to that part 😀
1.5 out of 5 stars ⭐️.5
Our Holiday Story
Listening to their love story I might be thinking fate does not want me to be with this person 😂 it’s all perspective I guess 😂
I loved seeing Nikki in a more fun role. Warren Christie is always a joy to watch. I thought this movie was a good time. I was watching as I watched my beloved Timberwolves the game didn’t go our way.. so I enjoyed the movie more in spite of the 🏀outcome.
Opposites attract in this one not a new premise but it works. I was invested in the daughter’s relationship as a secondary storyline as well.
Overall this was another okay one for me. I wanted a little more Christmas feels, the story was fun but felt similar to the 5 year Christmas Party premise of meeting each other and seeing that play out again and again.
3 out of 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Holiday Mismatch
This was a movie I was really looking forward to this holiday season and it didn’t disappoint. I laughed out loud several times during this movie. It was so cute and fun.
Having Beth and Caroline back together was such a natural chemistry they even said it’s like magic in this movie such a great wink 😉 to Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
I enjoyed the storyline with Shane and Lauren falling for each other as well. They are opposites just like their moms. It really was a great dynamic throughout the movie that you ended up really rooting for them.
The retirement struggle with who am I now am I just a wife and mom. Her husband’s response was great. The argument at the ball felt real and didn’t annoy me it felt like a normal response to the situation.
The line at the end- What are you a witch? 😂😂 so good!
Overall this was my favorite of the weekend. I really enjoyed this one!
4 out of 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Five Gold Rings
My first thought was guess we are in a beach town just to remember it’s supposed to be Minnesota. Maybe the location is Duluth? Otherwise nobody is beach walking in December in Minnesota or even saying we are going to the beach, we are going to the lake.
This movie was really boring to me. I actually found the start of the movie before she grew up to be my favorite part. Trying to find the missing ring pieces owners entire storyline just fell flat for me.
I wasn’t interested in the mystery of finding the owners. The leads were good but this movie isn’t for me.
I basically had it on as background noise after the first 45 minutes.
.5 ⭐️ out of 5
Trivia at St. Nick's
Quick snappy dialogue, scenes that move along felt like a breath of fresh air after the last few movies for me.
But unfortunately there was a lot of trivia and I needed a little more antics and fun outside the trivia bar, or trivia talk in general. The leading lady was a bit to overly attached to a trivia outcome vs living her own life.
Brant has a fun puppy dog feel to himself in this movie. He just is a lovable actor who draws you in, and someone you are rooting for. I also enjoyed the leading actress and thought they had pretty good chemistry.
The Hallmark Christmas movie trivia at the end of the movie such a great wink 😉 at Hallmark loved that!
Overall this is a good middle of the road movie, not a must see but a solid middle of the pack movie this year for me.
3 out of 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Santa Tell Me
The start of the movie had excited to dive in. It was a cute fun premise and loved the meet cute between Olivia and all the Chris’s.
I love that it was her old childhood home that they were remodeling. I thought the sisters were a great combo pair and added to the movie.
The evolving relationships between Olivia and all the Chrises was a great plot point. I would say I would have loved Christopher Russell and Benjamin Ayres. They had such a stellar cast that not everyone will have the equal screen time.
This is a fun, light hearted movie. It is one you know what will happen along the way but that’s not always a bad thing.
For me another middle of the road movie but based on the movies this year this is one of the better ones for me.
3.5 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
'Tis the Season to Be Irish
‘Tis the Season to be Irish
Did this movie make me want to move to a renovated cottage in Ireland? Yes, especially if you make new friends as easily as they did. I love seeing the movies set in other countries. Seeing how people celebrate the holidays, the Irish sayings and mythology.
I enjoyed both leads and the family and friends dynamic of this movie. Now overall this is another slow burn movie but I enjoyed it more solely based on the fact it was set in Ireland.
The romantic relationship was a build up of can they learn to trust others and ultimately themselves.
If this is the best we get this year I’m in trouble..
3 out of 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Reason for the Season
This was a more classic Hallmark Mystery movie feel to it. It had more heart in it and the strangers coming together to live in this town that support one another.
I enjoyed the mothers mission to her daughter to help her grow up a little. Though someone inheriting a trust fund is a little rough to get behind as a plot point.
I enjoyed that the mother was already in touch with the people from the small town and tried to offer her help through the years.
I wish we had more time to spend with each of the supporting characters who helped bring Evie into this world. But I know it’s a Hallmark movie and they only have so much time.
The diner owner has been my favorite stand out character Eric Keenleyside so shoutout to him always a great time to see him in another movie.
I enjoyed the relationship between the leads and found their characters to really work together. If you are wanting a slower paste movie with a little more heart, this is the movie to watch this season.
3.5 out of 5⭐️⭐️⭐️
Christmas with the Singhs
I really had a fun time with this movie. I enjoy the meet the parents style movies so this one worked for me. I liked how they explained the father was a Christian and not a Hindu as that took away some questions that could have been raised.
Both leads had great chemistry. I think this might have been my favorite Benjamin Hollingsworth role I thought he really shined in his part.
The family dynamics felt fun and great questions asked and solutions resolved by working together. I thought the supporting actors families worked really well together and had good chemistry.
For me this movie is towards the top of my list this season. I almost skipped this movie and I’m glad I gave it a watch!
4 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jingle Bell Run
This is what I was looking for in my Christmas Hallmark movies. A fun, light movie with great leads that kept you entertained.
I loved the premise of touring the United States to solve Christmas trivia. The supporting teams were interesting to me and brought some fun to the event.
I loved seeing Andrew playing a different style of character to start this movie that slowly melts throughout the movie. Ashley Williams plays a fun, bubbly character better than anyone. I thought they worked as a dynamic duo in this movie.
The half overheard conversation is my least favorite troupe so that knocked it down a bit at the end but it was still a great movie. Since the overheard conversation was handled so quickly.
Did I tear up at the end? Yes. It was so special.
4.5 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Confessions of a Christmas Letter
Well 30 minutes in it’s kind of a hot mess. The over the top comparison game of a Christmas letter is like people only sharing highlight reels on Instagram 🤷🏼♀️
Now don’t get me wrong I love a good letter but trying to change your life to make yourself sound more impressive not my thing..so I had a touch time with the whole premise of this movie.
Now Settie Rose is an over the top character who will drive you crazy for the first half of the movie. Then it takes a turn and gets a little slow at times. Just overall not my favorite it is kind of hard to follow all what’s going on.
It was fun seeing Kevin from The Office a few times throughout the movie. The tree falling over gave me feelings of childhood as our tree always fell down until my dad bolted it to the wall 😂
Overall it’s a miss for me not one I will seek out to watch again.
2 out of 5 ⭐️⭐️
Novel Noel
Airing on Nov. 21st at 7pm CST
Christmas on Call
Airing on Nov. 22nd at 7pm CST
Three Wiser Men and a Boy
Airing on Nov. 23rd at 7pm CST
To Have and to Holiday
Airing on Nov. 24th at 7pm CST
Christmas Under the Lights
Airing on Nov. 27th
Debbie Macomber's Joyful Mrs. Miracle
Airing on Nov. 28th
A 90's Christmas
Airing on Nov. 29th
Deck the Walls
Airing on Nov. 29th
Believe in Christmas
Airing on Nov. 30th at 5pm CST
Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story
Airing on Nov. 30th at 7pm CST
The Finnish Line
Airing on Dec. 1st at 5pm CST
The Christmas Quest
Airing on Dec. 1st at 7pm CST
A Dance in the Snow
Airing on Dec. 5th at 7pm CST
Private Princess Christmas
Airing on Dec. 6th at 7pm CST
Sugarplummed
Airing on Dec. 7th at 7pm CST
Leah's Perfect Gift
Airing on Dec. 8th at 7pm CST
All I Need for Christmas
Airing on Dec. 12th at 7pm CST
Hanukkah on the Rocks
Airing on Dec. 13th at 7pm CST
The Santa Class
Airing on Dec. 14th at 7pm CST
Following Yonder Star
Airing on Dec. 15th at 7pm CST
Trading Up Christmas
Airing on Dec. 19th at 7pm CST
Happy Howlidays
Airing on Dec. 21st at 7pm CST
view + leave comments . . .