Cuddle Up for my Christmas Movie Favorites

For those of you that personally know me, you know I counted down the days to Hallmark Christmas movies being shown round the clock. I had it marked on my calendar and waited in anticipation for my old friends to return. I know most of these movies have the same plot. One of the following happens:

1 – the rich girl chooses the coffee barista, or something like it, over the successful CEO

2 – the CEO chooses the girl who wants to sculpt ice for a living over the successful woman with the big heart

3 – there is always some type of royal one, the royal, typically a prince, falls in love with a commoner much to everyones dismay and well, you can just guess how it all ends

4 – any other goofy plot you can think of is in a Christmas movie

I guess I still believe in the magic of Christmas. I still believe that miracles can happen and wake up everyday during this season with anticipation that my miracle is on the way and these movies just make it feel possible! I know that sounds crazy, but let’s face it, do most of these ever have a sad ending? No, I cannot think of one that ends sadly, they always have a happy ending, which I think is what makes everyone like them so much. I am going to review some of my favorites, from new to black and white. I am going to also list some faves that are at least worth a watch if you see it on TV. So cuddle up, read my reviews and get ready for some serious watching.

Netflix came out with a Christmas movie this year called A Christmas Prince. It is everything. I cried! It is a typical fairy tale, commoner falls in love with a prince, but there is something about it that was just so worth the 1 and a half hours it is. If you have Netflix, this is a must see for an escape!

Freeform

Freeform – used to be ABC Family – has quite a few that I like. When it was ABC Family, they used to have an original Christmas movie each year. These were goofy and fun and just what you would want to see at Christmas. You can still catch them on the new Freeform or you might have to venture to Netflix and you can catch them there. Here is my roundup from Freeform:

12 Dates of Christmas – I love this one! This girl starts out cynical and trying to recapture an old love because she does not want to be alone. She also has a hot blind date on Christmas Eve. She has to relieve Christmas Eve over and over until she learns that she has happiness within herself and she learns to open up to new experiences.

Snowglobe – this one has a girl who is just sick of everything and thinks her family is so weird. She longs for an old fashioned, traditional Christmas, like the one she envisions of the scene in her snow globe. You can only guess what happens here!

Santa Baby 1 and 2 – super cute starring Jenny McCarthy

Christmas Cupid – I think you can kind of guess what this is about, but it is cute and worth a watch, or two

The Christmas List – this one is from 1997 and stars Mimi Rogers, Tom Cruise’s first wife! It is dated, but so cute and worth a watch!

Three Days  – This one stars Kristin Davis and is great!

Lifetime

Lifetime has ventured into the Christmas movie world. I have tried to watch several of them and just cannot get through them. For me to say that, they must be pretty bad. Here are a few originals and some classics that seem to only be found on Lifetime:

Dear Secret Santa – this movie is like the Lakehouse, the one that starred Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. This involves a Christmas letter in a mailbox and it is just a sweet movie to watch.

Four Christmases and a Wedding – this one is a new one to Lifetime this year. I liked it. It was so cute about a girl and a guy who like each other, but the timing is just screwed up until finally…….

12 Men of Christmas – cute, worth a watch – Auburn alum Josh Hopkins, stars in this, he is worth watching for!

Hallmark Movies and Mysteries

Hallmark now has two channels for your Christmas movie enjoyment. If you have this one, here are a few that are regulars on this channel:

The Christmas Shoes, The Christmas Blessing and The Christmas Hope – these are all based on the song Christmas Shoes, which makes you want to bawl your eyes out. They are all three very heartwarming, but bring plenty of Kleenex!

The Christmas Heart – this one has two intertwined families, the first one has a high school son who needs a heart transplant, desperately. The other one has a son who is addicted to drugs, has a pregnant girlfriend and just not living the best life. Their lives intertwine when the boy needs a heart by Christmas and at that time the drug addict gets admitted to the hospital and is about to die. Guess what, his heart is a perfect match! You can guess what happens, but this is a great movie about having faith until the very end, because God always comes through and about how God can turn something bad into something wonderful!

Angel in the Family and the Christmas Visitor – both great movies, both older, both will make you cry, but have those great endings that leave you with a smile.

Mrs. Miracle – super cute and will make you smile all the way through!

A Season for Miracles – older and dated, but cute. Yes, it features the girl who ends up in the small town and the one eligible bachelor falls for her, but she has a trouble past. (I think I forgot to mention this as another typical plot). You can guess how this turns out!

Northpole – this one started out on Hallmark, but has moved here. Super cute, fantasy, about an elf who needs to restore the Christmas spirit to a town that has lost it.

Hallmark Channel

Here we go. This is the big daddy. They have begun to show their older movies, as well as have new ones that they show each year. I have a long list, but here it goes:

A Gift to Remember – think While you were Sleeping, Christmas version

Marry Me at Christmas – a girl ends up planning a wedding for a movie stars sister. This is in a small town and you can just what happens. This one is actually cute and heartwarming.

A Bride for Christmas, The Christmas Cure, Christmas in Homestead, I’m not ready for Christmas and My Christmas Love are cute to watch. They are fun, sappy and just an escape!

On Hallmark, there are several stars that I would call regulars. Meaning if you watch Hallmark, they have been in their share of movies. Here are a few of those:

Candace Cameron Brue – Switched for Christmas, Journey Back to Christmas, Christmas under Wraps. She is in more, but these are my favs!

Danica McKellar – Coming Home for Christmas and Crown for Christmas – both fantasies, but great for the holidays!

Also Lacy Charbet has quite a few that are cute as well!

The Classics 

I know that some of these are not really classics, but these are older movies that deserve a nod and a watch:

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Christmas Vacation

Love Actually

Scrooged

The Holiday

Christmas in Connecticut – old and black and white

The Bishop’s Wife  – old and black and white

Meet Me in St. Louis – technicolor, musical, but great for the holidays!

I know that I have left many off. I might have even left off your favorites. The list can go on and on, so I had to just trim it down! Be sure to share with me your favorite Christmas movies!