Hallmark holiday movie-watching has become a sport, with checklists and bingo cards surfacing faster than a city girl can leave behind her fast-paced life for a hunky dude in a quiet, snow-filled town.
With mounting mockery of the formulaic films and their predictable storylines in recent years, the 2023 crop of romantic Christmas movies is switching it up while doling out more of what works: happily ever afters. From Hallmark offerings to new Netflix entries, here are five new romances worth checking out this season.
A Biltmore Christmas (W Network)
Bethany Joy Lenz, left, and Kristoffer Polaha in a scene from A Biltmore Christmas on W Network.W Network
Pour yourself a gimlet because there’s a touch of old Hollywood and studio magic that brings this time-travelling Christmas story to life. Bethany Joy Lenz (Pearson) plays a screenwriter named Lucy Hardgrove who is hired to rewrite a classic holiday movie. She has the ending firmly in mind until her boss sends her to Biltmore, where the original flick filmed, for inspiration.
Lucy’s imagination was certainly spurred when an hourglass throws her back to 1946 and into the path of the original movie’s star, Jack Huston, played by Kristoffer Polaha. Whether this couple earns a happy ending isn’t clear until the last possible second, but the real fun of this movie comes courtesy of the era itself and how old timey movie charm is represented.
Stream it on STACKTV W Network.
A Merry Scottish Christmas (W Network)
Lacey Chabert, left, and Scott Wolf in a scene from A Merry Scottish Christmas on W Network.W Network
If you’re staying put this December but crave international scenery, Hallmark is taking flight. Production on this movie took place in Ireland and Scotland to create the fictional town of Glencrave, a small but picturesque place where one family discovers its true heritage.
Location isn’t the only recipe change. A Merry Scottish Christmas stages a reunion between Party of Five stars Lacey Chabert (the unofficial Queen of Hallmark movies) and Scott Wolf, who once again play siblings. While there is a romance, the heart of the plot is familial as the brother and sister repair their fractured relationship over the holidays.
Stream it on STACKTV W Network.
Catch Me if You Claus (CTV Life)
Luke Macfarlane, centre, and Italia Ricci in a scene from Catch Me if You Claus on CTV Life.CTV Life
This whimsical holiday twist reminds us that even Santa Claus deserves love. Particularly when Santa Claus is actually Old Saint Nick’s sleigh-training son, Chris, played by Canadian Luke Macfarlane. Chris bungles his first night of deliveries when an aspiring news anchor named Avery (fellow Canadian Italia Ricci) mistakes him for a burglar.
What follows is an old-fashioned caper as the pair evade goons and attempt to save Christmas, all while trying to salvage their respective jobs. It’s full of the cheese you’ve come to expect from a Hallmark movie, but at least there’s more action and actual stakes that drive it forward.
Stream it on CTV Life Channel.
A Royal Date for Christmas (Super Channel)
Damon Runyan and Danica McKellar, right, in a scene from A Royal Date for Christmas on Super Channel.Super Channel
Is it really a season of holiday romance without at least one royal offering? Not according to the newly owned Great American Family network, headed up by former Hallmark CEO Bill Abbott. Danica McKellar stars as personal stylist Bella Sparks, who falls for a mysterious man (Damon Runyan) whose luggage has disappeared. Naturally he needs some outfits – and a date – for his upcoming engagements.
The man turns out to be an unlucky-in-love Duke, one who slowly learns to open up and trust again as he and Bella bond. There are plenty of heart-warming Christmas scenes along the way, from tree-cutting to party planning, which help set the tone of this snow globe come to life.
Debuts Dec. 20 at 8 p.m. on Super Channel Heart & Home.
Best. Christmas. Ever! (Netflix)
Brandy Norwood, left, and Heather Graham in a scene from Best. Christmas. Ever! on Netflix.Netflix
What happens after you find that person with whom you’ll knock back eggnog for the rest of your life? This coupled-up rom-com attempts to answer that with the help of Heather Graham and Brandy Norwood. They play former friends whose families accidentally spend Christmas together after Jackie (Norwood) mails out a bragging Christmas letter.
The 82-minute offering is full of cheesy twists and musical moments, as you’d expect with Brandy as one of the leads. But it also delves into the deeper meaning of Christmas and family and learning to be grateful for what you’ve got. Jason Biggs and Matt Cedeño also star.
Stream it on Netflix.