Best Hallmark Christmas Movies To Watch This Holiday Season

It’s the holiday season once again and Hallmark is already ready with its extensive library of Christmas-themed romantic comedies to close out the year. With a growing number of Hallmark Christmas movies to choose from, yuletide viewing can get a little overwhelming. Here are the best Hallmark Christmas movies.

Best Hallmark Christmas Movies to Watch This Holiday Season

Christmas at the Plaza

More than just a major setting in Home Alone 2, Manhattan’s palatial Plaza Hotel is the primary setting for the 2019 Hallmark Christmas movie Christmas at the Plaza. Elizabeth Henstridge stars as an archival historian cataloging the history of Christmas celebrations at the Plaza Hotel where she meets a handsome decorator, played by Ryan Paevey, hired to provide the hotel’s yuletide designs for the year.

What makes Christmas at the Plaza stand out is the natural, easygoing chemistry between Henstridge and Paevey, with the likable couple lighting up a scene whenever they’re together.

Marry Me at Christmas

Audiences get double the romance with the 2017 movie Marry Me at Christmas, when a wedding planner Maddy (Rachel Skarsten) finds herself falling in love with the bride’s handsome brother, Johnny (Trevor Donovan). More than just being the sibling of her client, Johnny has built up an impressive career of his own as a successful Hollywood film actor who is looking for something more genuine than tinseltown can offer. This, along with the small town wonders of the planned wedding venue, make for a romantic match made perfect by Christmas.

Christmas at Pemberley Manor

For those looking for a more distinctly rustic take on the Hallmark Christmas genre, the 2018 movie Christmas at Pemberley Manor certainly covers all of those bases and more. The movie has event planner Elizabeth Bennett (Jessica Lowndes) looking for a venue for an upcoming job before convincing the owner of a beautiful country home, William Darcy (Michael Rady), not to sell his property as they fall in love.

With obvious nods to Pride & Prejudice, Christmas at Pemberley Manor feels a bit more dignified in its delivery.

The Christmas Cottage

Another take on the wedding planner falls in love while on the job formula is 2017’s The Christmas Cottage, this time with a bit of remote cabin in winter approach. When designer Lacey (Merritt Patterson) decorates her friend’s cottage for Christmas ahead of her wedding, she is assisted by the bride’s brother Ean (Steve Lund). As a blizzard sweeps across the cabin and surrounding areas, Lacey and Ean grow closer as Lacey finally finds true love in the arms of her handsome companion.

A Royal Christmas

A holiday Cinderella story, 2014’s A Royal Christmas has an American seamstress named Emily (Lacey Chabert) learn that her European boyfriend Leo (Stephen Hagan) is actually a crown prince. When Emily joins Leo at his home for the holidays, she meets his mother, Queen Isadora (Jane Seymour), who instantly disapproves of her son’s girlfriend. With a solid cast and timeless premise, A Royal Christmas gives the usual Hallmark Christmas formula a winning regal touch.

Lights, Camera, Christmas!

A modern Cinderella story of sorts, 2022’s Lights, Camera, Christmas! takes place during the production of a holiday-themed romantic comedy in a small town. Kerry (Kimberley Sustad) is a costume designer for the movie who finds herself falling for the production’s lead actor Brad (John Brotherton). A self-aware twist on the usual Hallmark yuletide romantic comedy, Lights, Camera, Christmas! is a fun freshen-up to the formula led by engaging leads.

Where Are You, Christmas?

Lyndsy Fonseca stars as Addy Dean in 2023’s Where Are You, Christmas?, a working professional whose holiday season-oriented job has officially left her burned out on Christmas. When Addy returns to her hometown to help her brother propose to his girlfriend, she not only is reminded of the spirit of Christmas but finds love with the town’s mechanic Hunter. Fonseca makes for a great protagonist, as does the movie’s overall premise and presentation, making Where Are You, Christmas? an understated standout.

A Wish for Christmas

There’s a reason why Lacey Chabert stars in so many Hallmark movies, it’s because she fully understands the assignment and elevates what could have been a substandard formula in lesser hands. 2016’s A Wish for Christmas stars Chabert as Sara Thomas, who makes a wish to Santa Claus after her Christmas business initiative is stolen by an unscrupulous co-worker. Now with the courage to stand up for herself, Sara goes on a business trip to Seattle where she falls for another co-worker who has become disillusioned with Christmas.

Three Wise Men and a Baby

Romance and comedy collide in 2022’s Three Wise Men and Baby, which has three estranged brothers suddenly taking care of an infant over the holiday season together. Along the way, the brothers not only repair their own relationships but find love and a newfound appreciation for Christmas. Buoyed by its three leads, Three Wise Men and a Baby puts familial comedy front and center to great effect.

An Unexpected Christmas

A romantic rupture gets a second chance in 2021’s An Unexpected Christmas, which revolves around recently broken up couple Emily (Bethany Joy Lenz) and Jamie (Tyler Hynes). When the former lovers are unexpectedly paired up at the train station in Jamie’s hometown, they decide to pretend to still be together for Christmas rather than dampen the holiday mood for Jamie’s family, leading to romantic results. One of the stronger Hallmark Christmas movie premises, An Unexpected Christmas benefits greatly from the natural chemistry between Lenz and Hynes throughout the film.