It is your resident Hallmark enthusiast and expert here to put a nice bow on this year’s Countdown to Christmas now that Christmas is over. Every year, my wife and I look forward to grabbing that bottle of Biltmore Christmas wine and watching what Hallmark has to deliver, and this season did not disappoint! They broke from their usual formula and really delivered some hidden gems and new favorites, so let’s break down my top 10 movie releases this Holiday season!
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10: Christmas Above the Clouds. This is a classic re-telling of Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol, in which Erin Krakow plays Ella Neezer and is off to Australia, dragging her assistant along on Christmas Eve, so that she misses Christmas! What she didn’t plan on was her ex-fiancé, Jake Phelps (Tyler Hynes), being aboard the same flight, and as you can imagine, she is visited by three ghosts and more.
Now, I did enjoy this film, and Erin plays her part perfectly, as I found myself ready to explode at times due to how mean she was to everyone! I am a sucker for any re-imagining of A Christmas Carol, and this put a relatively fun spin on things. The chemistry with the cast was all there, and for the movie taking place largely on a plane, it worked well for me.
9. An Alpine Holiday. Faith (Hallmark legend Ashley Williams) and her sister Kelly (Laci J Marley) are two sides of very opposite coins! They reunite for Christmas in the French Alps due to the loss of their grandmother, who had one last wish for them to recreate her first trip with their grandfather. Frederic (Julien Marlon Samani) is their guide, and he may be quickly rethinking this one as the two sisters must learn how to overcome their past differences.
Ashley is a legend in Hallmark, so anytime she is in a film, you already know that I will be sitting and watching. I loved that this was shot in France, making the scenery different while also standing out from the usual Holiday market and small towns we visit. The chemistry between her and Laci stood out to me, even more so, I loved Laci and Julien together. This is a departure from the classic lead falling in love because it is focused on Faith and Kelly finding their way back as sisters. Don’t worry, though, you still get your Hallmark romance in!
8. A Keller Christmas Vacation. Brandon Roth, Jonathan Bennett, and Eden Sher are three siblings who reluctantly agree to accompany their parents on a Christmas river cruise across Europe while they each deal with personal issues of their own.
Brandon Routh back in Hallmark? Say no more, BUT to also have Jonathan Bennett involved, I knew this would be a fun one to watch, and I was not wrong. The siblings have a lot of fun together as they are put on a perilous journey of bonding and trying to find their way through Europe despite every obstacle thrown their way. It was another film shot in Europe, filmed in Bulgaria, and the settings they craft and take us to are beautiful in their own ways. Eden Sher, who plays Emory, was a standout in this film as she brings a lot of joy and wonder to the film. The three are amazing together in this film, bringing out a lot of laughs and an unsuspecting amount of heart in this film.
7. Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story. Morgan Quinn (Holland Roden) has lived Nextdoor to Gabe DeLuca (Matthew Daddario) her whole life, and the two families have been joined at the hip for as long as they can remember. They share their love of the Buffalo Bills and are deeply rooted in the culture of Bills Mafia. However, Morgan’s uncle Tommy (Joe Pantoliano) receives a mysterious gift annually from an anonymous source. Since Tommy raised Morgan due to her father passing at a young age, she feels that it is her responsibility to find out who this mysterious admirer is while navigating her complicated feelings for
Gabe.
Football and Hallmark Christmas are the two things that I need, and I will be set. This was a step up from last year’s intro into combining the two, and I found myself really enjoying this film. They leaned into the wacky culture that Buffalo Bills fans have and delivered on a ton of fun cameos from Jim Kelly and Scott Norwood to Sean McDermott himself! While it is clear Josh Allen hates Christmas (only kidding), this movie has a ton of heart and is a joy to watch. Now, who do I talk to about getting Leaping For Love: A Green Bay Packers Love Story going for next season? I mean, we have players named Love and Valentine, it writes itself and features a historic franchise!
6. The Christmas Baby. Erin (Ali Liebert) and Kelly (Katherine Barrell) are a couple with very busy lives who are left with a baby and a note during the Holidays. They must navigate sudden parenthood, an angry neighbor, and their relationship in this new addition to Hallmark.
Hallmark has broken from their normal formula, and I am here for it! They lean into modern-day progression, and this film was a lot heavier than I could have ever expected. Erin and Kelly have such chemistry together, and when it comes time to dig into the heavier emotions, they deliver massively. The final minutes of this movie were a roller coaster of emotions I did not expect to be hit with so hard.
5. The Snow Must Go On Isaiah (Corey Cott) is looking to return to Broadway after hitting some struggles and falling flat on his face. He thinks his big break can come from directing and starring in his niece’s school play, in which a big-time Broadway producer’s daughter will star. Unfortunately for him, he must navigate coming to terms with his career, navigating love, and putting himself second for a change.
Corey is stellar in this movie, and I love a good musical. This felt as though they were taking School of Rock and putting a fun Hallmark spin on it. The musical numbers were hits, and the cast all around was a joy to watch!
4. Christmas at the Catnip Cafe. Olivia (Erin Cahill) is on a quest to purchase her dream condo in the Bay Area of California when she learns of her aunt’s passing in New York. Along with her passing, Olivia was left with half ownership of the cat cafe her aunt owned, and she hopes to sell it to afford her down payment. Things hit a snag when renowned town veterinarian Ben (Paul Campbell) refuses to sell and hopes to convince her to keep it.
Erin is another long-time staple in the Hallmark community, so seeing her on screen was a welcome sight! Additionally, I love cat cafes, as my wife and I frequently visit them in our area. These things combined sold me instantly. There were plenty of funny moments such as an awkward puppet show, and the heart and spirit are on full display in this film!
3. Oy To the World. Josh (Jake Epstein) gets word of his grandmother slipping and falling after his family’s synagogue experienced a pipe bursting, which leads him to return home amidst his band’s possible big break. He gets roped into leading a joint Christmas-Hanukkah choir with childhood rival Nikki (Brooke D’Orsay), causing the two to set aside their differences and bring these two Holidays together.
Another musical-based story in which I was skeptical at first; however, Jake and Brooke’s chemistry was infectious, and I loved seeing these two differing Holidays come together. It really showed us how similar we all are, whether you believe in the same thing or not, which is something I feel much of the world needs to be reminded of now more than ever!
2. A Make or Break Holiday. It was love at first sight for Liv (Hunter King) and Daniel (Evan Roderick), with them hosting their families for Christmas, the duo must decide if they are ready to move forward and in together or if this is the end of their relationship.
Spoilers if you are a fan of Finding Mr. Christmas and have not finished this year. If you are reading this, then I assume you are caught up. Mr. Christmas himself, Craig Geoghan, makes his Hallmark debut! I want to shout out his performance because he is not playing the romantic lead; Craig does an incredibly hilarious job playing Liv’s brother, Reid. His desire not to be involved and being roped into conversations with Grandma brings so much hilarity to this movie. Speaking of Grandma, we got her quoting Dominic Toretto and Fast 5 in this movie, which is an instant 10/10 for me and the greatest thing I have seen in a Hallmark movie, perhaps ever. Brittney Wilson (Kim, Daniel’s sister) and Craig both carried this movie overall, making it to the top of my list.
1. She’s Making a List. Isabel (Lacey Chabert) is a naughty or nice inspector who finds herself evaluating Charlie’s (Cadance Compton) status on the naughty list. Of course, she falls for Jason (Andrew Walker), and this causes her to reevaluate everything she has ever thought about the naughty or nice list.
This was a classic, barely beating out A Make or Break Holiday as number one for me. Lacey is on the Mount Rushmore of Hallmark stars, as is Andrew for male leads in these movies. The two are extremely great together in this one, but Cadence stands her own, being the focal point of the movie. Her inquisitive nature leads to a lot of great moments for Lacey and Andrew, bringing them closer together during Christmas. Above all else, however, is the fact that they raise a lot of great questions to think about personally with the naughty or nice system. Kids are not inherently good or bad, and they base a lot of what they do on emotion or learned behavior. There is a lot of depth to this movie, and as such, it makes the top of my list for 2025.
The Last Word
There we have it, folks, my top 10 Hallmark Christmas movies for 2025. The brand took a bunch of big swings and tried switching up its usual formula, which came as a surprise to me. To me, it was a risk (if you can call it that) that pays off as fresh ideas are breaking free of the routine formula. Of course, there are a few films with the tried and true method; however, the vast majority brought new faces, returning faces, fresh ideas, and a ton of heart to this Holiday season.
So let us know, did you have a favorite this year? I can tell you my eyes are already glued to Hallmark 2025 as we are getting Disney and Hallmark together, which I am a Disney adult to my core so you know I will be sitting with some eggnog ready to go!
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