Joyelle Ronan
For years the Hallmark Channel has been… well, the hallmark of Christmas romantic comedies. With hundreds of holiday titles (they’ve very recently started including Hanukkah films in the lineup), there is bound to be some overlap. For example Finding Father Christmas was released in 2016 and the following year Finding Santa debuted and the two films have absolutely no relation. Studios like Netflix and Freevee have cashed in on the holiday fun and Hallmark alone has 40 movies this season, so it’s nearly impossible to watch every new film where a woman goes back to her hometown and falls in love with Santa. So, here are five holiday films to look out for in 2023.
EXMAS
At the last minute, Graham (Robbie Amell) decides to go home for Christmas and discovers his ex-fiancée Ali (Leighton Meester) has joined the family festivities in his absence. With EXMAS, the only thing better than a Christmas love story, is a Christmas “enemies to lovers” story. Judging from her performance as Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl, Meester knows how to deliver an iconic love/hate relationship. Her chemistry with Amell might have the perfect balance of naughty and nice for a sexy holiday romcom. Release Date: Nov 17 on Freevee.
A Holiday I Do
A farm that’s in trouble. A Christmas wedding. A second chance at love for a single parent. A Holiday I Do is like the result of a randomized Christmas movie plot generator. Jane (Lindsay Hicks) is the “best woman” at her ex-husband’s wedding. Despite her mother’s encouragement to start dating again, it seems Jane is destined to spend Christmas single—until she keeps running into her ex’s wedding planner, Sue (Rivkah Reyes.) Through tasting catering menus and sleigh rides, the two fall for each in this film that “can be described as lesbian horse farmer looking for love at Christmas.” Release date: Nov 10 (Theatrical).
Best. Christmas. Ever!
Taylor Swift once said, “It came like a postcard // Picture perfect, shiny family // Holiday, peppermint candy // But for him it’s every day.” But, how perfect can any family be with the stress of the holidays? What’s what Charlotte (Heather Graham) asks herself each year when she reads the Christmas newsletter of her college frenemy, Jackie (Brandy.) When the two accidentally end up spending the holiday together, Charlotte sets out to prove Jackie’s life isn’t as perfect as it seems in Best. Christmas. Ever! Not so spoiler alert: Brandy actually is perfect. She is releasing her first Christmas album, “Christmas with Brandy,” right before the film premieres. Release Date: Nov 16 on Netflix.
Christmas in Notting Hill (Hallmark)
Sarah Ramos has taken a break from perfectly recreating cinema scenes to once again grace the world with a Hallmark Christmas movie. Following up her debut, A Kismet Christmas (2022), Ramos stars as Georgia — an American visiting London during the holidays. She humbles famous soccer star, Graham (William Moseley), by having no idea who he is. There is a 99% chance at some point she will say the word “soccer” and he will correct her with “it’s called football.” Ted Lasso would love Christmas in Notting Hill. Release Date: Nov. 25 on The Hallmark Channel.
The Holiday Shift
While it’s not technically a Christmas movie, what is a limited series if not just a long movie divided into shorter chunks. With shopping for presents and Santa photos, a mall is the perfect breeding grounds for a holiday rom com. Over the course of five episodes, The Holiday Shift follows an ensemble cast (Varun Saranga, Jean-Luc Bilodeau, Devyn Nekoda, Nadine Bhabha, Brielle Robillard, and Michael Delleva) as they navigate love, heartbreak, and working retail during December (which honestly might be worse than heartbreak.) Release Date: Nov 17 on The Roku Channel.
