5 Holiday Movies You Can’t Miss on Hallmark in 2023

Christmas content has been going strong on Hallmark since late October, but that doesn’t mean that they’ve already used up all of their best ideas. Quite the opposite! This year, The Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and Hallmark Movies Now are serving up a little over 40 fabulous holiday titles, with some of the cream of the crop dropping over the next few weeks.

We do know, however, that having so many titles at one’s disposal can be overwhelming, which is where we at Decider come in. Though we hope you get in the holly jolly spirit by checking out as many Hallmark holiday films as you can, we’ve narrowed things down to these top five films to keep an eye out for to get your seasonal streaming started.

There really is a lot for Christmas movie fans to look forward to, here. We’re talking terrific tropes galore, with enemies to lovers, time travel, family secrets, and more, so do yourselves a favor and check these titles out as soon as they premiere.

1. ‘Christmas Island‘

   Release Date: November 17

   Starring: Rachel Skarsten, Andrew Walker, Jefferson Brown

   Hallmark Synopsis: When a snowstorm diverts Kate’s first private flight en route to Switzerland to Christmas Island, she must team up with an air traffic controller to secure her dream job as the family’s pilot.

   Why You Can’t Miss It: If you love an enemies-to-lovers story then Christmas Island is the film for you. Prepare to be charmed as you’re swept away to Nova Scotia, where the romance that blooms between the leads, played by Rachel Skarsten and Andrew Walker, is a joy to watch thanks to their natural charisma and chemistry. And if you want more than just a love story, you can also enjoy watching a wealthy, slightly disconnected family learn and grow together, all against the backdrop of a cute small town that loves lobsters.

   Premiere Date: Friday, November 17 at 10 p.m. ET on the Hallmark Channel

3. ‘A Merry Scottish Christmas‘

   Release Date: November 18

   Starring: Lacey Chabert, Scott Wolf

   Hallmark Synopsis: When estranged siblings, Lindsay and Brad Morgan travel to Scotland at Christmas to reunite with their mother Jo, a big family secret is revealed.

   Why You Can’t Miss It: If you’re a Party of Five fan, A Merry Scottish Christmas is definitely going to be serving up some sweet nostalgia as it reunites Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf to play siblings once more, over two decades since they did in the Fox teen drama. And if you aren’t a Party of Five fan, then you can still find plenty to get excited about in this fun Christmas film that will take you overseas to Scotland from the comfort of your couch.

   Premiere Date: Saturday, November 18 at 8 p.m. ET on the Hallmark Channel

4. ‘Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up‘

   Release Date: November 25

   Starring: Lacey Chabert, Wes Brown, Stephen Tobolowsky, Ellen Travolta, Melissa Peterman, Seth Morris, Jennifer Aspen

   Hallmark Synopsis: As the holidays approach, Emily and Jared are looking forward to celebrating the holidays together again, this time as a couple. Emily, now embracing Evergreen Lane’s uniquely festive spirit, is ready to work with Jared, Ned, Mary Louise and Pamela to make this year’s Christmas celebrations the best yet – even if being the HOA president’s girlfriend doesn’t stop those dreaded decorating citations. When a house on the block goes up for sale, it causes quite a stir with residents. When the soon-to-be neighbors turn out to be holiday royalty, it looks like this year’s competition is about to heat up. As the welcoming committee prepares for the new arrivals, only one thing is certain – this Christmas, Evergreen Lane is going to sleigh!

   Why You Can’t Miss It: This is a sequel to last year’s original film that was such a success it led our Brett White to dub Lacey Chabert the “holiday romcom queen.” If you somehow need any more encouragement than that, you can rest assured that the first film’s cast will continue to build on their established successful track record with the help of brand new holiday shenanigans driven by a little competition between neighbors for who can be crowned the most festive of them all.

   Premiere Date: Saturday, November 25 at 8 p.m. ET on the Hallmark Channel

5. ‘A Biltmore Christmas‘

   Release Date: November 26

   Starring: Bethany Joy Lenz, Kristoffer Polaha, Jonathan Frakes

   Hallmark Synopsis: Lucy Hardgrove (Joy Lenz) is a screenwriter who lands the job of a lifetime when she’s hired to pen the script for a remake of the beloved holiday movie, His Merry Wife! First filmed in 1947 at beautiful, historic Biltmore House, it has long been considered a Christmas classic. When the head of the studio isn’t satisfied with the ending Lucy wrote because it deviates from the original’s feel-good conclusion, he sends Lucy to Biltmore Estate for research and inspiration. While there, she unwittingly discovers the ability to travel to the 1947 set of His Merry Wife! through the help of an hourglass. After shaking off the initial shock of this turn of events, Lucy embraces this as her chance to uncover the truth about the movie’s original ending. While on set, she and Jack Huston (Kristoffer Polaha), one of the film’s stars, spend time together and become close. But her sudden appearance has set off a chain of events that put the production in jeopardy. Before she can return to the present, Lucy must make things right or threaten to alter the future forever.

   Why You Can’t Miss It: It wouldn’t be a Hallmark holiday movie without a certain amount of cheesiness and what fits that bill more than a meta Christmas movie about the making of a Christmas movie that also includes time travel? Let loose and enjoy yourself as One Tree Hill‘s Bethany Joy Lenz heads to the past to spark a romance that defies time and space. This is for the whimsical holiday title lovers out there who want some magic in their movies and don’t mind a little suspension of disbelief.

   Premiere Date: Sunday, November 26 at 8 p.m. ET on the Hallmark Channel

6. ‘Christmas on Cherry Lane‘

   Release Date: December 9

   Starring: Catherine Bell, Jonathan Bennett, John Brotherton, Erin Cahill, James Denton, Vincent Rodriguez III

   Hallmark Synopsis: A young couple preparing to welcome their first child; an empty-nester and her fiancé ready to start a new chapter; and a couple who unexpectedly have the chance to expand their family on Christmas Eve celebrate the holiday as they navigate these turning points in their lives.

   Why You Can’t Miss It: You may recognize Jonathan Bennett as Aaron Samuels from Mean Girls, but in more recent years, he has also been making a splash in different Hallmark holiday films by leading the way in helping them create more LGBTQ+ inclusive content. Bennett continues to show us how a real modern family looks, this time with the help of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend‘s Vincent Rodriguez III as his partner in a film that sees three couples experiencing major life moments over the holidays.

   Premiere Date: Saturday, December 9 at 8 p.m. ET on the Hallmark Channel