Here's Our Definitive Guide to Hallmark Christmas Movies of 2023
Ding dong! It's the holiday season.
Time to hang the mistletoe, pour the eggnog, and prepare for the delirious insanity that is the Hallmark Christmas Movie Onslaught.
There will be approximately four and a half million holiday movies debuting on television this year (a conservative estimate), so we waded through the tinsel-strewn hellscape of Santas, puppies, and small town baking competitions to bring you our definitive guide to 2023's Hallmark fare. While you can expect many of the usual tropes, we've focused on movies with an unexpected or fresh element.
We considered adding a drinking game (take a shot everytime an uptight heroine says defensively, 'I know how to have fun!'), but we didn't want you to die. Happy Holidays, and stay warm out there.
Mystery on Mistletoe Lane
7.1 on IMDb
Hallmark Christmas movies don't often come with a detective-story twist, and we are here for it! Single mom Heidi moves to a small town (natch), where her kids discover the remains of an old scavenger hunt that's been set up in the historic manor where she works. The son of the former owner, a handsome handyman, helps solve the case as he and Heidi fall in love.
The Santa Summit
7.0 on IMDb
It's refreshing to see a Hallmark movie that features an ensemble of young actors – though of course there is still some romance front-and-center. Three friends embark on 'The Santa Summit', a holiday event that sees just about everyone in their small town (of course it's a small town) dressed up as Kris Kringle. Hijinks, true love, and music ensue!
Where Are You, Christmas?
6.5 on IMDb
A wish gone awry causes everyone in Addy's hometown (we're willing to bet it's a small town) to forget Christmas. This twist on 'Pleasantville' sees everything go black-and-white, with colour slowly coming back to characters as they discover the holiday spirit. Of course, Addy also finds love on the way.
Christmas on Cherry Lane
Three different couples deal with major life events in Christmas on Cherry Lane, which promises to be a refreshingly original Hallmark story. One pair is preparing for their first child; an empty nester becomes engaged; and a couple gets an unexpected chance to grow their family on Christmas Eve. Jonathan Bennett and Vincent Rodriguez III look to have promising chemistry as one of Hallmark's first gay couples.
Our biggest question: where exactly is Cherry Lane? Is it in a small town? It's in a small town, isn't it.
Christmas Island
6.8 on IMDb
Kate, a pilot, is on her first-ever private flight gig when bad weather re-routes her plane to – this is going to blow your mind – a small town. There, she butts heads with Oliver, a handsome air traffic controller. Sparks fly between Kate and Oliver as her stranded passengers, a wealthy but bickering family, begins to knit itself back together.
A Merry Scottish Christmas
7.0 on IMDb
'Party of Five' fans rejoice: Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf are playing brother and sister once again. Estranged siblings Lindsay and Brad travel overseas to reunite with their mother. In the meantime, Lindsay begins a new relationship and Brad must mend his marriage. There are some very cosmopolitan areas in Scotland, but this takes place in (checks notes) a castle in a small town.
A Biltmore Christmas
When a screenwriter working on the remake of a Christmas classic gets sent back in time, she finds herself on the set of the movie she is meant to be re-writing. As she struggles to find her way back to the present, she also falls for one of the movie's stars.
No word yet on whether A Biltmore Christmas takes place in a small town, but we have our suspicions.