The Best Hallmark Movies To Watch This Christmas

When the nights get longer and the days get colder, it can only mean one thing — Christmas is coming! The festive season brings skating, skiing, Christmas markets, mulled wine, gingerbread lattes, and a whole host of must-watch Christmas movies. In addition to the classics, we love adding a few Hallmark holiday films to our festive watch lists. After all, no one does saccharine, sincere Christmas romance quite like the famous TV movie channel. In fact, according to Forbes, the channel has made over 300 Christmas movies since 2009 alone — and over 80 million people watch at least a little bit of a Hallmark Christmas movie every year. 

You've probably seen a few of Hallmark's most popular holiday movies yourself, such as a newer film like "Christmas at Castle Hart," "My Christmas Family Tree," or a classic like "Time For Them to Come Home for Christmas." Looking for another Hallmark holiday movie to add to your list? Here are our top picks.

What's even better than a Christmas romance? A Christmas romance with a Prince in it. And naturally, Hallmark has plenty of royal holiday romcoms to choose from. One of the best is "Crown For Christmas," a 2015 movie starring Danica McKellar of "The Wonder Years" and British actor Rupert Penry-Jones of "Spooks," "Silk," and "Whitechapel." The movie follows the story of a hotel maid who is fired shortly before Christmas and takes a job as a governess for a widowed King. Of course, romance ensues. 

As Penry-Jones explained to Hallmark, he instantly thought of "The Sound of Music" when he saw the script. Just like Captain Von Trapp, Penry-Jones' character is a reserved, grieving father who finds love. "He falls in love and becomes kind of human again," he said. 

It turns out "Crown for Christmas" is one of McKellar's favorite holiday movies from her very large repertoire. "'Crown for Christmas,' I always thought that could use a sequel," she told Us Weekly. "It's a fan-favorite, and it's also a favorite of mine, and it's just so royal and fun and, you know, a Cinderella story."

In the 2014 Hallmark holiday classic "Christmas Under Wraps," Candace Cameron Bure plays a type-A medical student who is devastated when she is put on the waitlist for her dream hospital fellowship. Instead, she decides to work as a doctor in a small town in Alaska. There, she meets Andy (David O'Donnell), a carefree local who helps her learn to enjoy life regardless of whether everything goes to plan. However, she soon uncovers a festive secret about Andy's father.

What makes this Christmas movie so unique? Well, for one thing, the Alaskan scenery is unbeatable. The film is set in a charming small town where they "are really into Christmas," as Bure said in a Hallmark Channel interview for the film. And then there's the lovely love story. "I think Andy shows Lauren just what Christmas can be about and brings Lauren's attention to Christmas, and she enjoys it for the first time as an adult." She added, "Christmas is a time of good cheer and goodwill and love, and so when you wrap that all up in a movie, how can you not love that?" We have to agree!

Want to get swept up in a good old-fashioned Christmas love story? "Christmas Waltz" should be right up your street. Starring Lacey Chabert, aka Gretchen from "Mean Girls" and Hallmark Channel regular Will Kemp, this 2020 film tells the story of a young woman who finally faces her fears and takes dance lessons. "I hope the viewers love the romance and they're swept away in the romance of the story," said Chabert in a Hallmark Channel interview. We think it would be hard not to. This gorgeous, luscious movie is like old Hollywood meets Christmas, and we love every second of it.

"What makes the film very unique is that we don't often see a Christmas film with all the magic that that brings, plus also on top of it bringing the spirit of dance," added Kemp. Imagine if "Singin' in the Rain" was set during Christmas, and you get "Christmas Waltz." And what could be better than that?

The 2020 Hallmark movie "One Royal Holiday" is another classic-in-the-making that combines two of our favorite things — Christmas and single princes. In this charming film, Broadway's Laura Osnes plays Anna, who helps a woman and her grown-up son during a blizzard, only to learn they are members of a fictional European royal family. When Anna meets the Prince (played by another Broadway star, Aaron Tveit). Sparks soon fly, and — you guessed it — the pair fall in love. What makes this royal romance extra special is the music. With two Broadway stars in the cast, Hallmark managed to fit in a few gorgeous renditions of Christmas songs, including "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." "Laura and I have known each other for a long time," said Tveit.

Anna and the Prince don't initially hit it off like all great romances. However, her fun, sassy personality soon brings him out of his shell. "He eventually, kind of, opens up, and I think she sees the humanity in him," Osnes said in an interview with the Hallmark Channel, adding, "This movie is a perfect Christmas romance because it really is about love surviving all odds." Sign us up.

"Christmas in Evergreen" ended up being an amazing Hallmark series about a small town in Vermont that loves Christmas, but the third film, "Tidings of Joy," remains one of the channel's best holiday movies. The 2019 movie follows a young writer who comes to town to cover an unfolding time capsule mystery, only to get swept up in the town's contagious spirit of Christmas, uncover a few Christmas miracles, and find love on the way with a local man.

As actor Maggie Lawson told the Hallmark Channel, many of the cast returned from previous "Christmas in Evergreen" movies. "It's quite a sisterhood, like, it really is, it's so much fun, and they welcomed me right in." Lawson also explained how she and her co-star Paul Greene. "He's so kind... he was so patient and so loving and so kind," she gushed. No wonder the pair have such good chemistry!

The lovely 2020 Hallmark movie "Jingle Bell Bride" tells the story of Jessica, a wedding planner from New York City who sets off for Alaska during the holidays to help a demanding celebrity client. When she meets a sweet local guy, Matt, she falls in love with the town and the man. The movie stars Julie Gonzalo and Ronnie Rowe Jr. in the leading roles. 

This is one of those movie couples you'll love to watch. The pair meet when Jessica comes to Matt's greenhouse searching for a rare flower. "They develop such a beautiful little friendship," said Gonzalo in an interview (via YouTube). "Jessica and Matt's relationship is very organic," added Rowe. "And it builds very smoothly throughout the film, I guess because Matt is such a charming, loveable guy."

Gonzalo also explained that she had great chemistry with Rowe, which they brought to their characters. And, as Rowe agreed. As he told the "Hallmarkies" podcast, what makes this relationship extra fun to watch is that the director allowed the actors to bring their own spin to the characters. "They allowed Julie and I to play within the words." 

Jane Austen fans, this one is for you. Chances are, if you're a fan of holiday rom-coms, you're also a pretty big fan of a good old-fashioned period drama romance. With "Christmas at Pemberley Manor," you get the best of both worlds. This 2018 Hallmark holiday flick is inspired by the famous Austen novel "Pride and Prejudice." In this film, Elizabeth Bennett, an event planner, arrives at the historic Pemberley Manor, where she is hoping to hold a Christmas event, only to find that its reserved, snobbish owner, William Darcy, is planning on selling the home. Against all odds, the pair started working together, and soon an unlikely romance brewed.

"This is a perfect Christmas movie because it's based on two characters that are very famous in literature, which I love," actress Jessica Lowndes told the Hallmark Channel. "It's also about love ... it's really beautiful, I think the chemistry's great." But the main couple aren't the only ones who audiences love. The character George also makes the film worth watching. "I have been getting a whole lot of positive responses on my character, George," said actor Cole Gleason to My Devotional Thoughts. "People have been demanding that George appear in another film so he can find love." Who knows, maybe there's a sequel in the future!

"Road to Christmas" is a 2018 Hallmark Christmas movie with everything you could want — love, scandal, mystery, and even a Y2K heartthrob in the form of Chad Michael Murray. The film tells the story of a Los Angeles television production company. When Maggie Baker (Jessy Schram) is producing Julia Wise's Christmas special, Julia's son appears to help her. The pair have a few disagreements about the show, but eventually, they realize that together, they can make a better show than ever. Maggie also comes up with a plan to get all of Julia's sons together live on air. "I think the heart of this film ultimately is about family," said Murray in an interview with the Hallmark Channel. "To get your family together."

If you're looking for the ultimate Hallmark Christmas movie, this one might be it. As actress Rebecca Staab, who plays Julia, told My Devotional Thoughts, "'Road To Christmas' is an interesting one because you know how there are typically the quintessential things that Hallmark tries to squeeze into their movies. This one was the perfect premise to get everything in." Sounds like this is one Hallmark movie that should be on everyone's list.

This holiday rom-com centers around one lucky mistake. When Alice (Alicia Witt) ends up at the wrong house for Christmas after trying to get to her fiance's home, she begins to question her relationship — and falls for the kind couple's son (Mark Wiebe), who take her in. Soon, she has to decide whether to forget about her Christmas adventure or follow her heart — and as this is a Christmas romance, you don't have to worry too much about what decision she'll make!

"A Very Merry Mix-Up" was Witt's first Hallmark Christmas movie, but it was far from her last. In fact, she became one of the go-to stars of the channel's festive films. "This is the fifth year in a row I've had a Christmas movie on Hallmark," she told MediaVillage in 2017. "It really is an honor. I love how happy these movies make people." Curious to see Witt's very first appearance in the world of Hallmark Christmas? You will love "A Very Merry Mix-Up."

Did someone say Christmas in New York? New York City is one of the most exciting cities for Christmas. From their famous tree at Rockafeller Center to the window shopping to their many holiday markets, New York has everything fans of Christmas could want. And in Hallmark's 2019 movie "Christmas at the Plaza," the magic of Christmas in New York comes to life on the screen. The movie follows Jessica (Elizabeth Henstridge), a historian tasked with researching the history of Christmas at the famous Plaza Hotel. She ends up working with Nick (Ryan Paevey), a decorator, and pretty soon, romance is in the air.

"If you've never been to New York and you don't know anything about the Plaza, the Plaza is stunningly beautiful," Paevey gushed during an interview with the Hallmark Channel. "And it's a historic landmark, I mean Frank Sinatra was here, this is an old hotel." If you're craving a chic, sophisticated Christmas movie set in one of the most interesting buildings in the country, "Christmas at the Plaza" is the perfect pick for you.

Starring Hallmark regular Candace Cameron Bure, "Journey Back to Christmas" is a 2016 movie that takes us to the 1940s and then back to the present. In this film, a World War II nurse finds herself in 2016 when she learns about the real meaning of Christmas. 

After you've seen the movie, or maybe even before, you can also get Hallmark's companion book written by Leigh Duncan. "While I love movies, I think a book usually provides a richer experience," the author explained to My Devotional Thoughts, adding, "In writing 'Journey Back to Christmas,' I was able to dig deeper into the reasoning behind Hanna's and Jake's actions, to show their histories and why they worked together to solve, and re-solve, her mysterious appearance. Plus, a lot of viewers had asked what happened after the end of the movie. To answer their questions, I added a lovely little epilogue." 

Whether you pick up a copy of the book or not, we definitely recommend watching the touching and timeless "Journey Back to Christmas" this holiday season.

Based on a novel by Richard Paul Evans, the 2017 Hallmark movie "The Mistletoe Inn," Alicia Witt plays a young romance novelist called Kim, who meets a slightly annoying writer named Zeke (David Alpay) at a writer's retreat. In this enemies-to-lovers story, Kim and Zeke soon fall for each other just in time for Christmas.

Unlike most Christmas movies from Hallmark, "The Mistletoe Inn" is based on a book. "Most of the movies that I've been a part of at Christmastime are not stories that are familiar to people, so I think this will be really neat," Witt explained during an interview with the Hallmark Channel.

Even if you're unfamiliar with the novel, there are still plenty of reasons to add this film to your Christmas list. For one thing, the leading man is nothing short of dreamy. "Zeke is from another era, I think," Alpay said. "You know he's like an old-fashioned, romantic kind." And the love story he shares with Kim is pretty special, too." Witt said, "It's just one of those magical connections I think we would ideally wish for." 

If you're a fan of Dolly Parton, you've probably already heard of her theme park, Dollywood. Well, in the 2019 Hallmark movie, we get an inside glimpse into the planning of the thirtieth annual Christmas at Dollywood event. The fictional film follows an event planner (Danica McKellar) who comes to Dollywood to plan the celebrations. There, she meets the difficult head of operations (Niall Matter). Tensions rise, and eventually, sparks fly, too. Oh, and Dolly Parton herself even makes an appearance. If you've ever dreamed of falling in love at Dollywood, we definitely recommend this film. 

"This is huge, I am so excited that I get to be a part of this movie," gushed McKellar in a Hallmark Channel interview. "It's a love letter to Dolly Parton and all of the wonderful things she's done." And Parton isn't the only reason to tune into "Christmas at Dollywood." "It's a classic romance in Hallmark fashion — it's boy meets girl in Dollywood," said McKellar. It's hard to imagine anything better than that for a Christmas movie.

In Hallmark's 2018 movie "Memories of Christmas," we meet Noelle (portrayed by musician and actress Christina Milian), a businesswoman who finds out that she's inherited her late mother's home. Noelle visits her childhood hometown for a family Christmas gala and decides to sell the home while she's there. During her stay — which was initially intended to be brief — she re-discovers the magic of Christmas and naturally finds love with Dave (Mark Taylor), a local handyman who has always embraced the holidays and maintained his small-town mentality and appreciation for Christmas.

This is easily one of the sweetest holiday stories from Hallmark. In fact, even the actors recalled falling in love with it. "It's just the sweetest story ... When I read the script, I was drawn in. .. I was just like, 'This feels real,'" Milian told the Hallmark Channel of her time portraying Noelle in the heartfelt film.