Christmas Next Door (2017)
Rated: G
Genres: Drama, Family, Romance
Starring: Jesse Metcalf and Fiona Gubelmann
Synopsis: Eric Randall, an author of bachelor lifestyle books, is left in charge of his young niece and nephew for the holidays. Unsure of himself, Eric turns to his neighbor, April, a lover of all things Christmas, for help. 
Review:  The movie is interesting but a little slow. There are lots of Christmas traditions that April and the children participate in.  I enjoyed watching Eric and April, with the help of the kids, transform their lives for the better. 
Scoring: 3
The Christmas Note (2015)
Rated: G
Genres: Drama, Family
Starring: Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Leah Gibson
Synopsis: Having just moved back to her hometown without her serviceman husband but with her young son, Gretchen finds her life in disarray as Christmas approaches. She discovers new purpose when she helps to deliver a message to her neighbor, Melissa, which makes her an ally in the quest to find the neighbor's sibling she never knew she had. The women become bonded not only by the search, but by the understanding that being there for each other means they're no longer alone. This friendship becomes the greatest Christmas gift of their lives.
Review:  I experienced a roller coaster of emotions. There are sad moments but so many happy ones. Both Melissa and Gretchen’s stories are interesting and moving. You’ll be happy for sharing their journey with them. 
Scoring: 4
Christmas On Chestnut Street (2006)
Rated: PG
Genres: Comedy, Family, Romance
Starring: Kristen Dalton, Robert Moloney, and Garry Chalk 
Synopsis: A store decides to start a contest to sell off 60,000 Christmas lights, ordered by accident. The competition soon causes unrest among the locals, but the store's owner, Diane, wants to keep what has become a very profitable competition going, at all costs and sets up her own display at employee Lou’s house. 
Review:  It’s a corny story but I can’t help but love it. The craziness of competition with the neighbors is fun. Lou’s father’s Alzheimer’s adds a relatable touch that keeps it grounded. In the end we see the true meaning of Christmas minus all the trappings.
Scoring: 4
 

Christmas On Division Street (1991)

Rated: PG

Genre: Drama

Starring: Fred Savage and Hume Cronyn

Synopsis: A boy moves to Philadelphia where he’s taught by a homeless drifter. 

Review:  It’s hard to put what makes this movie so special into words. It’s a feeling you get. While I don’t advise young children becoming friends with strangers, the friendship between these two is heartwarming. The movie reminds us that people who are homeless are exactly that. People. People in need of a home and kindness. Keep your tissues handy for this tear-jerker. 

Scoring: 4

Christmas On Holly Lane (2018)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama, Family

Starring: Sarah Lancaster, Karen Holness, and Gina Holden

Synopsis: Three childhood friends, Sarah, Riley and Cat, with fond memories of Christmas at Sarah's house, come together as adults to save Sarah's home in the hopes of having many more beautiful Christmases together.

Review: The synopsis doesn’t begin to cover every situation and circumstance in the movie. I did know how it would end but there were some twists along the way. It’s a charming story of recovering from past and present pain in order to have a better future. I hope there’s a sequel. 

Scoring: 3

 

Christmas On Honeysuckle Lane (2018)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Family, Romance

Starring: Colin Ferguson, Laura Leighton, and Alicia Witt

Synopsis: Emma returns home to celebrate Christmas for the last time with her siblings in the house they grew up in. After their parents' recent passing, the siblings reluctantly agree to sell the family home on Honeysuckle Lane.

Review:  This movie was quite surprising. Rather than a typical love story it was siblings sharing Christmas and Emma solving a mystery. It's hard to explain without spoilers just know I thought it was really charming. 

Scoring: 3

 

Christmas On Ice (2020)

Rated: G

Genre: Romance

Starring: Abigail Klein and Ryan Cooper

Synopsis: A former figure skater and a former hockey player work together to void the mayor from closing the local skating rink.

Review: Did I know how it was going to end from the beginning?  Pretty much.  That didn’t stop them from throwing in a few surprises and keeping it interesting.  It had some really touching moments.  The conversation about the angel on the tree will stay with me.  Lovely movie.

Scoring: 3

Christmas On My Mind (2019)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Family, Romance

Starring: Ashley Greene, Andrew Walker, and Jackée Harry

Synopsis: When Lucy wakes up with a wedding dress in hand, she believes that she is late to her wedding with her ex-boyfriend Zac. However, she has no recollection of the past 2 years, including the fact that she is engaged to another man.

Review: From the synopsis, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  The story wasn’t cheesy or slow.  It was interesting.  I enjoyed how the story unfolded.  I started to get worried that they were building up how the couple broke up so much that it would be anticlimactic and ruin the story.  It didn’t but it wasn’t exactly clear either.  I still loved the romance and the Christmas traditions here.  Greene and Walker have great chemistry. 

Scoring: 3

Christmas On Salvation Street (2015)

Rated: PG

Genres: Family, Religion

Starring: Joe Pacheco

Synopsis: Noah Davis is a Pastor in an affluent community. Depressed after losing his wife to illness, he is contacted by an old friend who has opened a mission in a rough inner-city neighborhood. With Christmas approaching, he packs up and together with his two daughters, moves into Salvation Street Mission. Now the family must struggle with the challenges they face in the crime ridden community.

Review: The movie had an overall nice message of faith and family.  Besides that, it was filled with racial stereotypes, a father who put himself before his children, and unrealistic personal transformations.  If you just want the Christian message, you may like it.  Other than that, skip it.

Scoring: 2

Christmas On The Bayou (2013)
Rated: PG
Genres: Drama, Family, Romance
Starring: Hilarie Burton, Tyler Hilton, Edward Asner, Markie Post, and Randy Travis
Synopsis: A divorced workaholic executive goes back to her home town to spend Christmas with her son and mother. Through a rekindled romance and a small miracle, she discovers where her heart truly belongs.
Review:  An interesting look at a different culture and its Christmas traditions. I also liked seeing a mother and son reconnect and prove you can go home again. 
Scoring: 3

Christmas On The Coast (2018)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Julie Ann Emery, Burgess Jenkins, and Bonnie Bedelia 

Synopsis: Hard-hearted New York novelist Dru Cassadine...known for her holiday romance stories (even though she is antilove and anti-Christmas)...is desperate to get her mojo back after a string of flops (and a not-so-subtle threat by her publisher that he'll drop her if she has another failure). She decides that a change of scenery might get her creative juices flowing and heads south for the winter, landing in a place known as Harbor Pointe. She doesn't quite get what she came for. She gets much more.

Review:  There’s something about this movie that takes what could’ve been a lovely story and makes it very hum drum. I don’t know if it’s the casting, directing, or all the lulls in the story but I was bored. I didn’t particularly care what happened I just wanted it to end.

Scoring: 1

 

Christmas On The Range (2019)

Rated: NR

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance

Starring: Erin Cahill, Nicholas Gonzalez, Lindsay Wagner, and A Martinez

Synopsis: Kendall's one holiday wish is to keep the family ranch solvent. Her rival's charming son offers help-and maybe more-but can he be trusted?

Review: This movie has it all. I felt sad, happy, sentimental, and pretty much all the feels. I even laughed out loud numerous times. The beauty salon scenes are hysterical. The dramatic scenes are riveting.  The romance is beautiful. I won’t ruin the ending but this is one to watch. 

Scoring: 4

Christmas On The Vine (2020)

Rated: PG

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Julianna Guill, Jon Cor, and Meredith Baxter

Synopsis: A young marketing executive is assigned to help a struggling family-owned winery.

Review: I was disappointed in how lackluster this movie was. I don’t know if it was how abstract the concept of the villain was (it didn’t have the tug of war for the vineyard the movie needed), the lack of chemistry between the romantic leads, or the story getting bogged down in wine facts. It’s worth watching once but I may not watch again. 

Scoring: 2

Christmas on Wheels (2020)

Rated: PG

Genre: Romance

Starring: Tiya Sircar and Michael Xavier

Synopsis: Ashley enlists the help of her uncle’s attorney to find her mom’s convertible after it was sold.

Review: Insert dumb car pun here. I’ll spare you. Lol. The movie is fairly ho hum despite a wonderful performance by Sircar. The meaning behind the car and the good her mother did was sweet but it wasn’t enough to drive the movie (oops I did it again). It felt like there were lots of puzzle pieces missing and we couldn’t see the whole picture. It was okay to watch once but I probably won’t watch it again.

Scoring: 2

Christmas Oranges (2012)
Rated: PG
Genres: Drama, Family
Starring: Edward Hermann and Nancy Stafford 
Synopsis: Experience the journey of Rose, an orphan who teaches the meaning of hope to all those around her. Share a slice of Christmas sweetened with friendship in this poignant story based on a classic holiday tale.
Review:  When I watched this I walked away with the feeling that we need to remember to appreciate what we have. The children are interesting characters but the story is slow moving. I think it's a good movie for children to watch to see how much they really have.  Not just materially but family and love.
Scoring: 3

The Christmas Ornament (2013)

Rated:  G

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Kellie Martin and Cameron Mathison 

Synopsis: A widow plans to give Christmas festivities a miss, as they bring back too many memories of her late husband.

Review:  A very moving and sweet film. Kathy’s dealing with letting her husband go and moving forward with her life with the love and support of others is touching. I appreciated that they handled such a heavy subject with many positive and inspirational moments. 

Scoring: 4

 

The Christmas Pact (2018)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Kyla Pratt and Jasmine Guy

Synopsis: As childhood friends and neighbors, Sadie and Ben planted a scrawny Christmas tree and promised to always keep the spirit of Christmas alive in their hearts. 

Review:  The story is interesting but Pratt’s disingenuous performance distracts from the tale. It’s good but had the potential to be much better. 

Scoring: 3

 

The Christmas Pageant  (2011)
Rated: G
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance
Starring: Melissa Gilbert, Robert Mailhouse, Edward Herrmann, and Kate Flannery
Synopsis: A rural small-town counts itself lucky when famous, temporarily unemployed, director Vera Parks is hired, actually by secret admirer Jack Harmon, to direct their annual Christmas 'pageant' play. It's an uphill battle against amateurism and traditionalist conservatives, but townsfolk -among whom unsuspected talent is discovered- and Vera end up bonding, just when she gets a dream offer to direct a recluse star's come-back.
Review:  The movie has many endearing moments. The townsfolk are a varied and special group of people. Jack’s daughter playing matchmaker is very sweet. Vera’s personal changes are predictable, the movie sometimes feels a little slow, but it is still an enjoyable movie. 
Scoring: 3
The Christmas Parade (2014)
Rated: PG
Genres:  Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance
Starring: AnnaLynne McCord, Jefferson Brown, and Drew Scott
Synopsis: Hailee Anderson, the famous talk show host, is preparing for the holiday season by working; she's planning her very important TV show, her Christmas special. Already a scrooge, Hailee is even more miserable when she finds out, on air, that her real-estate fiancée Jason is cheating on her. To clear her head, she goes on a drive and ends up in Carver Bend, Connecticut, unfortunately crashing through a local judge's fence. Forced to do community service, she helps out her rescuer Logan by building a float for the town's annual Christmas parade to help save the town's youth art center. While Hailee bonds with the locals, the art center kids, and grows closer to Logan, she re-learns why the holidays are important. 
Review:  While a sweet movie, seeing someone heal and bounce back while discovering the magic of Christmas is a little predictable and corny. The children are the bright spots.  They are a good reminder of the kindness children so often possess.  The way the story progresses, you’ll find yourself rooting for the art center more than Hailee. 
Scoring: 3

Christmas Pen Pals (2018)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Niall Matter, Sarah Drew, and Michael Gross

Synopsis: Following an unexpected breakup week’s before Christmas, a tech wiz heads back to her hometown for the holidays. She signs up for an anonymous pen pal service and becomes enchanted by each beautifully written letter she receives. 

Review:  This movie is more about finding a soulmate than it is Christmas. It’s still an original and enchanting movie. No spoilers but it’s a happy ending for all. 

Scoring: 4

 

Christmas Perfection (2018)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Romance

Starring: Caitlin Thompson

Synopsis: As a kid, Darcy had no control over her family's holidays and thus, has grown up to be a Christmas control freak - so much so that she loses sight of what the holidays actually mean. Suddenly, she finds herself magically transported into her idea of the perfect Christmas Village and learns that 'perfection' isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Review:  This is sort of like Groundhog Day and the Wizard of Oz meshed. The main idea is one that’s overused but it’s done so well in this movie it feels fresh and new. Truly enjoyable. My favorite part was random Christmas words coming out when she tried to curse.

Scoring: 4

 

A Christmas Prince (2017)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Starring: Rose McIver and Ben Lamb

Synopsis: When a reporter goes undercover as a tutor to get the inside scoop on a playboy prince, she gets tangled in some royal intrigue and ends up finding love - but will she be able to keep up her lie?

Review:  This movie was the hit of 2017. There were articles about people watching it over and over again. Because of this, I went into it with high expectations and I wasn’t disappointed. Yes, there’s lots of girl marries a prince movies but this one is special and one I’ll watch again. 

Scoring: 4

 

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby (2019)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama, Family, Romance

Starring: Rose McIver and Ben Lamb

Synopsis: Christmas brings the ultimate gift to Aldovia: a royal baby. But first, Queen Amber must save her family and kingdom by unwrapping a monarchy mystery. 

Review: Being the third in the series, I wasn’t sure how they’d make the story new. Adding in another country, their monarchy, the stolen truce, and and a possible curse, it felt like a new story. It was more mystery than romance but still held the same feel as the first two. Thanks to a thorough recap at the beginning, you don’t have to watch the first two to appreciate this one but I would suggest it for the full emotional story and impact. 

Scoring: 3

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding (2018)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Starring: Rose McIver and Ben Lamb

Synopsis: A year after helping Richard get to the throne, Amber is about to become his wife. But is she really made to be queen?

Review:  This had the same feeling as the original and it was as predictable. That being said, I enjoyed it. It delivers the American commoner marrying into the royal family of some small European nation love story as promised. It could’ve done without the over the top stereotype of a New Yorker dad and the ridiculous wedding planner. 

Scoring: 3

 

Christmas Princess (2017)
Rated: PG
Genres: Drama, Family
Starring: Nicole Muñoz
Synopsis: Against the backdrop of Christmas in Southern California comes Christmas Princess, a heart-warming story inspired by true events about one brave high school girl who overcomes her difficult past to become one of the elite princesses in the world-renowned royal court of the Tournament of Rose Parade presented by Honda.
Review:  While the main plot of the movie is a girl who works for and becomes a Rose Princess with Christmas only as a backdrop, the fact that it’s based on a true story makes it so much more engaging. An endearing story about working hard, learning to believe in yourself, and never giving up. 
Scoring: 3
 

A Christmas Princess (2019)

Rated: G

Genre: Romance

Starring: Shein Mompremier, Erin Gray, and Travis Burns

Synopsis: A prince from a small European country arrives in New York City to plan his family’s annual Christmas charity dinner. 

Review: This movie is okay. Yes, it’s the standard commoner meets Prince and she’s the only one who doesn’t know who he is and romance ensues. And, of course, his parents don’t approve. I did like the catering aspect and it was interesting enough. It just needed a little more oomph. It’s still not a bad watch. The reunion at the end was a tearjerker. 

Scoring: 3

The Christmas Project (2016)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Family

Starring: Jacob Buster

Synopsis: A writer looks back on his memorable 1986 Christmas, dealing with brothers, bullies, first love, pregnancy and family "elving."

Review:  A sad attempt to recreate A Christmas story including Mom, younger brother, and grouchy dad. It might have been a decent movie if the imitation wasn’t so blatant. 

Scoring: 1

 

A Christmas Project Reunion (2020)

Rated: NR

Genres: Family, Comedy

Starring: Corbin Bernsen, Daniel Baldwin, and Brian Bosworth

Synopsis: An awkward high school boy is forced to break out of his shell, when his elementary school nemesis moves back into town and tries to steal his girlfriend.

Review: While still cheesy, corny, and juvenile, this is much better than the first movie.  It starts out borderline ridiculous but it actually gets pretty good towards the end.  It has a great message about family and giving to others.

Scoring: 2

A Christmas Proposal (2008)
Rated: PG
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Starring: Nicole Eggert, David O’Donnell, Tom Arnold, David Deluise, and Sarah Thompson
Synopsis: Two lawyers dueling over a proposal to turn a quaint mountain town into a ski resort discover they are former childhood sweethearts. Lisa is fighting to protect the hamlet; big city attorney Rick represents the developer who wants to plow it under. But when a car accident forces Rick to stick around, the small town, and his former beloved, begin to work their magic on him.
Review:  I found this movie to be awkward and a little boring.  It was missing heart. In addition, it was another movie taking place at Christmas and not really about Christmas. 
Scoring: 2