#50 | the holiday movies I've been watching this season
They're not GOOD but they're still good, ya know?
I got hooked on cheesy Hallmark holiday movies back in 2018 or 2019 when I was traveling a lot for work. End of year travel was always the most trying — bad weather, lots of people, and time away from home during an already busy season of parties & shopping & time with loved ones.
These trips were often just for a single night or two, so I packed as little as possible with no intention of exploring my surroundings. (Sorry, Salt Lake City — December is not my favorite month to visit!)
Instead, I would hunker down in my hotel room with room service (caesar salad with grilled chicken & a side of fries or grilled cheese & tomato soup, of course) and bad TV shows. My usual hotel go-tos are HGTV or any channel showing Law & Order: SVU — there’s always one! — but one year, as I was scrolling through the guide, the Hallmark channel caught my eye. I turned it on & it wasn’t great but it was festive & cozy & made me miss being home a little less!
The love affair has continued & while Netflix has outpaced Hallmark in the battle of holiday movies (IMO), they all epitomize the spirit of the season for me. Yes, they are low budget with some cringy acting and plot holes you could drive a bus through, but I’m watching for saccharine escapism with a happy ending, not for high brow entertainment!1
I started early this year & have watched more than 25 of these masterpieces so far. Some new releases, some older ones I missed, & even some rewatches (don’t judge me!)
In no particular order, here are the ones I think are delightful enough to warrant 90 minutes of your time:
The Merry Gentlemen // Netflix
A Rockette-style dancer returns to her hometown after she is unceremoniously dismissed and ends up creating a male revue to help save her parents’ bar/music venue. (Chad Michael Murray is shirtless.)
Our Little Secret // Netflix
Two exes bump into each other for the first time in a decade when their respective significant others turn out to be siblings & bring them each home for the holidays. Lindsay Lohan is delightful, Ian Harding & Kristen Chenoweth also star.
Christmas in Notting Hill // Hallmark via Netflix
An American teacher has a meet-cute with a famous English footballer, but she has no idea who he is (or that his brother is about to propose to her sister). Not cinema but decent acting & minimal plot holes.
Holiday Crashers // Hallmark
Two friends decide they’re going to spend the holiday season crashing fancy parties & making up fake identities for entertainment (count me in, sounds fun!). Their plan goes awry when they run into someone they know & get roped into helping her company under false pretenses.
The Five-Year Christmas Party // Hallmark
Theater kids rise up! The story follows our leads over the course of five years as they navigate their careers post-college but keep running into each other over Christmas & find themselves drawn to one another.
Meet Me Next Christmas // Netflix
A woman enlists the help of a boutique concierge to help secure a ticket to a sold-out Pentatonix concert so she can reconnect with the man she met last year & has been thinking about all year. I don’t know who does PR for Pentatonix but honestly well done as this movie is half-propaganda for them (but still cute!)
The Princess Switch series // Netflix
The original foray into holiday movies for Netflix! Vanessa Hudgens stars as a baker who meets her doppelganger, who just so happens to be a princess. They swap lives & romance ensues (and continues for 3 movies, somehow!)
Please do me a favor & skip I Believe in Santa2 and Christmas With You3 as they were extremely painful to get through.
Some honorable mentions are Hot Frosty (cute concept, poor execution), The Noel Diary (actually has some substance & grit), A Heidelberg Holiday (extremely implausible but the setting is picturesque), and the whole collection of A Christmas Prince, A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding, and A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby (all extremely stupid but easy to watch).
If you’re looking for more recommendations, check out my friend Alex’s comprehensive reviews on her Instagram stories & highlights — she’s even more devoted than I am.
Now drop me your favorites so I can keep watching corny festive movies!
ICYMI: Recent Posts to Catch Up On
I watched both Saltburn and Poor Things this year; if those movies can get critical acclaim & win awards, we can ease up on the holiday romcom!
A single mom meets a nice guy but discovers he still believes in Santa as a grown man. Even worse than the plot was the chemistry between the two leads, who are actually married in real life. Yikes!
That deep, lingering stare that we loved from Freddie Prinze Jr. back in the early aughts just doesn’t hold up the same way in his 40s, sorry! Not everyone is meant to age well!
I have watched many of these and agree with you! 🙌🏾🎄
cute concept, poor execution is the perfect way to describe Hot Frosty