I totally get why Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movies have such a cult like following. Watching these Christmas movies is the equivalent to going to Disney World as a kid- its pure magic. The little towns are perfect, the leading actors are beautiful and there is ALWAYS a happy ending.
I took it upon myself and did some research. By research, I mean, I have been watching these movies since October and I found out some pretty interesting things. For one, there is ALWAYS hot cocoa somewhere and its usually on a cute date. Hallmark and Lifetime have also perfected the meet cute- the two lead characters ALWAYS have the most memorable and cutest first meeting. There is also always some cute holiday activity- ice skating, snowman building, snowball fights, outdoor Christmas market, decorating the tree (together) and the list goes on. Hallmark and Lifetime have perfected this down to a science- yes the science formula is used over and over and OVER again but hey! Why fix something that isn’t broken?
These movies have definitely been one of the highlights of this season and I am so excited to share with you the movies I’ve watched. Here are my short and sweet notes:
Lifetime Movies
Christmas Unleashed – Vanessa Lachey plays the main character in this movie
Christmas Unwrapped “Let yourself believe in what you cannot see”
A Crafty Christmas Romance – Ugly sweater decorating date
Hometown Christmas – Stephen Colletti from Laguna Beach is the main characters love interest
Christmas on Ice – Mean Mayor cancels Christmas Carnival
Candy Cane Christmas- Lucy from 7th Heaven is the lead character
A Welcome Home Christmas *
A Christmas Wish – Ryan Caberra is the musical guest.
Christmas on Wheels – Classic car tradition
Christmas Hotel – Going home can help spark new ideas
Feliz NaviDAD- Mario Lopez is the main character
A Homemade Christmas- Christmas for Hire
Dear Christmas – Reminded me of Deliah (remember her, the soft spoken radio host?)
Too Close For Christmas-Chad Michael Murray
Christmas Ever After- Novelist finds the real life actor from the cover of her books
The Christmas Setup- Fran Drescher is the very loving (& loud) mother
Hallmark
Christmas Under Wraps – Northern Lights Picnic Date
Christmas at Pemberly Manor – a fun spin of Pride and Prejudice
Christmas at the Plaza – pure magic
Christmas with the Darlings – “You should do the right thing because its the right thing to do”
Christmas at Grand Valley –Danica McKeller
Merry and Bright –centers around a candy cane company
A Veterans Christmas *
Return to Christmas Creek- Fly by Santa
Christmas Connection – unaccompanied minor and meet cute
Christmas by Starlight – Adoption is intertwined throughout this story
The Christmas House – Christmas EVERYWHERE
Christmas Homecoming- Military themed
The Christmas Ring– antiques and journalism
Christmas in Rome –Italian Christmas
Christmas Waltz –Lacey Cherbert and finding what brings you joy
USS Christmas – Military themed
Christmas in Montana- “Its who you want to experience Christmas with that makes all the difference”
A Glenbrooke Christmas- The Christmas Bells
Once Upon a Christmas Miracle – True Story
*same plot line different networks (no I am not kidding)
I love seeing fun locations, actors who decided to jump back into acting after a long hiatus (Chad Michael Murray, Lucy from 7th Heaven, Lacey Chabert, Fran Drescher etc), the pure joy of the Christmas spirit. These movies can warm the coldest hearts and make you smile and forget about the craziness that 2020 actually is. I am so glad I let myself get lost in these movies this season.
If you want to create your own Hallmark Christmas Movie check out the Hallmark Movie Mad Lib or for a quicker result, see below.
I know you are all wondering, “Gab, you watched all these movies, which ones are your favorites? Now picking favorites is like picking a favorite child, impossible to pick and someone’s feelings is going to be hurt. BUT I am totally going to pick my top 10 favorites (in no particular order)(The first five are probably my VERY favorites)
-
-
Hometown Christmas
-
Christmas at the Plaza
-
A Veterans Christmas/Welcome Home Christmas
-
A Christmas Wish
-
The Christmas Set Up
-
Feliz NaviDAD
-
Christmas Hotel
-
Christmas by Starlight
-
Christmas in Montana
There were so many other movies that I wanted to watch but you know real life has to happen at Christmas time too. There are a few more on my list, I am hoping to catch:
-
-
Let It Snow
-
Christmas Under the Stars
-
Sense, Sensibility and Snowmen
-
Christmas Card
-
Christmas Ornaments
-
The Perfect Christmas Gift
-
Holly and Ivy
-
Christmas Tree in Colorado
-
The Christmas Secret
Did you watch any of these fantastic movies this season? Any movies I missed? Let me know below!
[[Candy Cane Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses]]
-gabrielle
PS. This made me laugh so hard
