Who loves Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Name: Andrea Claassen
Price range: $$

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.

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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!

@hallmarkchannelmovies

Want Christmas Tunes?

Find the Hallmark Christmas movie 2026 playlist here. I will add songs to this playlist through the entire 2026 movie lineup.

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Our third annual YouTube top 5 most looking forward to movies, and least looking forward to movies of the season!

My top 5 most looking forward to movies:

The Nights Before Christmas
Save the Date for Christmas
Holiday Unplugged
Return to Santa
Noelle Nomads

My Sleeper Pick

What if Christmas

Pairings Most Looking Forward to:

Autumn Reeser and Wes Brown

Andrew Walker & Erin Cahill

Two Movies I am not looking forward to:

Winter Wonderlanes- Rating 1 star

Who's Coming for Christmas

2026 Movie Rankings in order that I would watch again

A Season of Promises
A Danish Christmas
Adopting St. Nick
Tis the Season for Set-ups
Who's Coming for Christmas
What if Christmas
Forgotten Holiday
Holiday Touchdown- A Bears Love Story
Unplugged Christmas
Merry Memories
Winter Wonderlanes
Mr. & Mrs. Christmas

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Must Watch Movies this season

A Danish Christmas
Adopting St. Nick

Middle of the road movies

Who's Coming for Christmas
Tis the Season for Setups
Forgotten Holidays
A Holiday Touchdown- A Bears Love Story

Not my favorites

Winter Wonderlanes
Mr. & Mrs. Christmas

Hallmark TV Shows

Mistletoe Murders-Season 3

Non-Hallmark Christmas Movies

Tis the Season for Setups

It’s always hard to rate the first movie out of the gate. I feel like I have been pretty low on them in the past so maybe I’m going a bit generous this year but did I enjoy this movie? Yes. So for me the lodge Christmas feels were wonderful.

The opposites attract tropes always work for me and I think that Victor and Amanda both played their roles perfectly. I bought them as a couple. I thought they had good chemistry and I’m quite pleased with the start of the season.

3.5/5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️.5

Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story

For me this was a strong cast and two great leads. I loved all of them but as soon as the football was on the screen I just didn’t care. I think they would have had something here if it would have been a different theme instead of one of the Holiday Touchdown movies.

3 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mr & Mrs. Christmas

Well they all can’t be winners. The first Sunday night movie premiere and I think that will be the slower more heart warming feel movies. I think I will taper my expectations going forwards.

I thought Brendon and Pascale were good just the movie didn’t strike a cord for me.

Overall I never got into this movie, if you are not someone who sees all the movies this would be a skip. If you are someone who watches them all this is a good multi-tasking movie. Which hurts my heart as you know I love Brendon!

2 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️

Winter Wonderlanes

There was a reason both Eric & I put this in our least looking forward to movie category this season. It didn’t disappoint from that category, lol..

The fake snow, the bowling alley as a centerpiece to a Christmas movie. the very Ken doll like hair from the male lead. Poor Ashley always ends up with these acquired movies.

It was slow and boring all at the same time. I kept checking the time every 10 minutes. It felt like something should be coming into the plot and it never quite got going.

My grandpa paid so much money to keep our local bowling alley alive- spoiler it only made about 5 years (the owner started selling drugs out of the bowling alley.. big bummer) so bowling alleys do hold a special place in my heart and I still didn’t enjoy this movie..

1 out of 5 stars ⭐️

Forgotten Holiday

I wish I had $25,000 to bid at an auction…

This movie felt like a bright sunny day at the start of the movie and then the clouds rolled in and became a bit subdued and slow.

I enjoyed the new plot for Hallmark for a Christmas movie. I thought the leads did their thing. I had problems with the not telling him she said no right away so that was an odd decision by the family and Kathryn.

Overall it’s one I wouldn’t skip if it was on but wouldn’t seek out to watch on my own. I will be in the minority on this though. Most this will be a hit!

3 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

What If Christmas

I have a regular coffee shop I go to daily and the way the barista was staring at them so good. I liked the coffeeshop meet-cute as their origin story. The faux fur coat Erin wears as she enters her office for the first time so fabulous.

This was my sleeper pick of the year but unfortunately was more on the sleeper side of things. It was a bit slow.

The leads were wonderful, the premise of the gala and fundraising maybe not the most interesting plot point for a Christmas movie so I think that’s where you lost me.

I think I gave it a generous bump because I love the leads so 3 out of 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Who's Coming for Christmas

11:11 is having a moment on Hallmark this year! Another movie referencing it. The his movie really had absolutely no stakes to it. Would she have the 8 people over or not?

It was about a girl finding her new community and love.

I’m a horrible wrapper and was hoping she was going to demonstrate the proper way to wrap a present in more detail than we got.

Julie seems desperate for attention making everyone come over..

I thought they missed the mark on playing The Highwomen- Crowded Table song at the end. That would have brought it up a whole star for me.

Overall it was an okay for me not one I would seek out but not the worst I’ve seen this year.

2.5 out of 5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️.5

Adopting St. Nick

This movie was so endearing and charming. It had a quietness about it but one that I loved. The leads were so good they carried a plot that I think I would have disliked with other leads.

Renovating a senior care facility which is a setting I enjoyed. Chris playing a magical Santa who brought such joy and cheer to those around him worked for me as well. The little girl Leah was adorable.

The hardware store Maren owned was gorgeous and decked out in holiday gear. That’s the Christmas decor I need in my movies!

I would now like some Rosettes my grandma used to make the best ones. I might give this a whirl this Christmas season!

Back when Hallmark used to do the more serious movies on the Drama channel I actually really enjoyed them. This had similar vibes and it was a winner for me. Did I even tear up a few times, I did.

I can do slow if it’s done right and this worked for me.

4 out of 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Danish Christmas

One word for this movie- adorable. This movie is right up my alley. Hygge and lots of it, Emillie Ullerup one of my favorite actresses and Corey who I thought nailed his role. I'm so used to seeing him as a crumagin that it was nice seeing him as a fun loving guy.

We got all the Christmas feels and sense of a Denmark Christmas. I truly enjoyed this movie. We had a little mistaken identity that never really caused an issue which I also love. A good grown up misunderstanding no hard feelings. A grown up conflict should I move to a new country or not that's not an easy decision.

It felt like an educational movie about Denmark Christmas mixed in with a love story. What's not to love about a movie like this. All the Danish Christmas feels to boot!

4 out of 5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Merry Memories

I so wanted to love this one but it really feel flat. You know I love Brendan Morgan but at times it felt like I was watching Finding Mr. Christmas and he was trying to win a leading man role 😬 Lindura was wonderful she was trying so hard to keep things together but overall this movie is full of all the old Hallmark troupes and awkward pauses, and shnanagins.

We had baking, skating (roller), lots of coffee talk, tree cutting and dumb half overheard conversation to make a fight out of nothing, troop homecoming just in time for Christmas.

If you like that classic feel in your movies this might work, if not I would skip it sadly..

1.5 out of 5 ⭐️.5

Holiday Unplugged

The no tech Christmas and the family challenging themselves to get off-line. I liked the father/daughter relationship it felt very in alignment with each other. Sally calling her daughter boo- I call my little guy boo. In theory I enjoy caroling but the practice can be a bit weird as you sing to those just standing and listening.

Overall I felt like I wanted more no tech drama the kids felt very friendly and kind not a ton of sass and tude which I guess is nice but not realistic.

It was a bit slow, and the watching old film/memories in her mind as she was getting ready for Christmas felt like it didn't work for me.

3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Season of Promises

All three stars- Ali, James and Brooke were wonderful. I laughed, cried, got angry was feeling all the feels right now. James Denton performance was spectacular. This is about grief and healing from losing a loved one so if that isn’t your jam this season you might want to skip this one.

The ending made me cry I thought it was such a great ending with the voiceover and seeing everyone get their happy endings.

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️