If you’ve been here a while, you know how much I love my Hallmark Christmas movies. Like… I know it’s somewhat trendy to love Hallmark Christmas Movies. But I definitely loved them before it became popular when it was mainly ABC Family Christmas movies.
Well, it’s that time of year again! Last weekend the channel released its first 2 movies! This may be the first year that the launch happened prior to Halloween. I believe last year was close, if not slightly before Halloween, but I’m totally on board with it. Not that you would think anything less from me.
Checklist App
Last year the company also released a checklist app to help you make sure you don’t miss a single movie. The app left a bit to be desired last year, but this year is super on point!
The app has all of the new movie premieres with the dates they will be airing. It also allows you to set reminders for specific movies as well! Last year’s version only had the new movie premieres, but now you can see the entire list of movies they will be airing and when; even the older movies.
You can add the movies you want to make sure you see to your “checklist” of movies you want to watch and check them off as you go. I have always kept a special to-do list in my TickTick app specifically for holiday movies. I clear the checks every year and start fresh. This checklist also includes movies that are NOT from Hallmark as well, so I will probably just remove the plethora of Hallmark movies from the checklist and use this app for keeping track of those.
The app also releases new phone wallpaper every week you can download and use for your phone, and has video previews of some of the movies coming out. The only thing I feel is missing is a better way to see which movies you have watched. When you click on the tab, the movies are separated into “sections” and if it’s an older movie that maybe I own and is not airing this season, it doesn’t appear until WAY down on the list.
Now, as much as I love Hallmark Christmas movies, there are definitely some titles that even I can’t stand. There are generally a few stand-outs every year.
My top 10 MUST SEE every-year Hallmark Movies.
- Just in Time for Christmas – I LOVE time travel movies, and this one is one of my favorites. The lead girl is transported into the future after her boyfriend proposes to her so she can see what her life would be like.
- Snow Bride – This one is just super fun, and if you love it, you will also love the lead’s other Christmas movie “12 Gifts of Christmas” that ALMOST made this list too. A girl pretends to be a runaway bride in order to get the scoop on a famous family.
- A Boyfriend for Christmas – This movie is probably one of the first Hallmark Christmas movies, but it’s still excellent! Santa is trying to fulfill a wish made by a little girl many years later.
- Maggie’s Christmas Miracle – I honestly don’t quite know what it is about this movie that I love so much, but it’s so great! A single mom gets help from a local teacher for her son, but gets more than she bargained for!
- Naughty or Nice – Kris Kringle (no relation to Santa) is sent his Naughty or Nice list! Will she use the knowledge for good or for ill?
- Catch a Christmas Star – Starring Shannon Elizabeth as a famous singer, this movie brings two high school sweethearts back together!
- Journey Back to Christmas – Another time travel movie with a GREAT twist! A woman gets lost in a snowstorm and ends up 50 years in the future!
- Hitched for the Holidays – My 12-year-old self would be mad at me for not including a Joey Lawrence movie in the mix. A guy and a girl pretending to be dating to get through all the holiday gatherings and parties.
- Crown for Christmas – Winnie Cooper (Danica McKeller) stars as a New York girl just trying to keep her family afloat who gets hired to be the nanny to the King’s daughter in some random country.
- A Holiday Engagement – A girl gets broken up with right before the holidays and hires a replacement so she doesn’t have to face her family alone!
The OTHER Channels
This post wouldn’t be complete without showing some love to my other favorite made for TV non-Hallmark Holiday Movies.
- Three Days – (originally on ABC Family, now available on Hulu) This is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE Christmas movies. A woman is killed on Christmas Eve. Her husband is given the last three days back to show her how much he loves her before she dies.
- 12 Dates of Christmas – (originally on ABC Family, I bought it on Amazon Prime) Featuring Zack Morris, a girl relives Christmas Eve 12 days in a row.
- Eve’s Christmas – (originally on Lifetime, now available on Hulu) – A girl is transported back in time to right before the wedding she ran out on.
- Kristen’s Christmas Past – (originally on Lifetime, I bought the DVD, and then also bought it on Vudu) – A girl is transported back in time to Christmas when she was a teenager, except it’s actually her interacting with her teenage self. SO GOOD.
- Dear Secret Santa – (originally on Lifetime, still replays, I purchased it on Vudu) – A girl corresponds with a mysterious person through her mailbox.
- Back to Christmas – (available on Hulu) – A girl is transported to the past to relive Christmas at home where she made a huge decision.
- Christmas Bounty – (originally ABC Family, available to purchase on Vudu) – in maybe one of the cheesiest movies ever, a girl goes back to help her bounty hunter family catch a criminal.
- Love Under the Christmas Table – (Available for free on Vudu) – A girl and a guy spend every Christmas together since they were kids.
- Four Christmases & a Wedding – (Lifetime original, purchased on Vudu) – A girl and a guy keep meeting at Christmastime, but the timing seems to be off for them to get together.
- Holiday in Handcuffs – (ABC Family original, now available on Hulu) – A girl kidnaps AC Slater to bring him home as her fiancee.
The Classics
And honestly, how could I leave out the truly classic Christmas movies that I MUST watch every year! These movies my husband will actually watch with me as well.
- Christmas Story
- Christmas Vacation
- Elf
- Four Christmases
- The Santa Clause (1, 2 & 3 but we’ll lump them all together here)
- The Family Man
- Home Alone
- Miracle on 34th Street (the newer one)
- Christmas with the Cranks
- Scrooged
- HONORABLE MENTION: Die Hard
Even though Halloween hasn’t even happened yet, I hope you will get your holiday Hallmark movie checklist ready to go. I know mine already is. Don’t ask how many I’ve already watched. I refuse to come clean.
If you need help figuring how to watch your list of Hallmark movies check out my post from last year “Everything You Need to Know About Hallmark Channel Streaming”.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive compensation if you make a purchase using the links.
Add Comment