Each movie listed includes: 

(1) Title (2) Rating (3) Genres (4) Starring (5) Synopsis (6) My Personal Review (7) Scoring 1-5

 

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A Christmas Tail (2014)

Rated: NR

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Antonio Cupo and Chandra West

Synopsis: Two single parents fall in love while fighting over a puppy to give to their children for Christmas.

Review: While this movie takes place at Christmas and the occasional decoration is in view, it’s not really about Christmas.  This is primarily a movie about two single adults developing a relationship.  It’s a sweet story that’s well acted.  The dog is really funny and keeps the movie light and keeps the pace going.

Scoring: 3

Christmas Takes Flight (2021)

Rated: G

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Evan Williams and Katie Lowes

Synopsis: Matt, a number-crunching CEO, purchases Jenny’s family-owned, regional airline.  Matt’s cost-cutting initiatives threaten Christmas when he cancels the airline’s annual holiday charitable benefit for underserved children.

Review: I have to say, there were Christmas decorations, Christmas music, and the whole creating Christmas story, but it still doesn’t feel like Christmas to me.  It’s a cute movie and worth watching.  I’m just not sure exactly where they’re lacking but it’s like a plate of food that just needs a little salt.

Scoring: 3

Christmas Tears (2014)

Rated: TV-14

Genres: Drama, Family, Fantasy, Religion

Starring: Andre DeLeon, Kyle Grant, and Will Mercado

Synopsis: Story of 3 best friends hitting rock bottom on Christmas Eve. The toll it takes on their family and the chooses they make leads them on a magical day that they will never forget.

Review: While it is clearly a low-budget film, the story is pretty good and so is the acting.  They do a good job of letting us know the histories and pain of the characters.  The only thing I didn’t like was that everything finished with a perfect happy ending.  That’s not real life but that’s where the fantasy part comes in.  It’s not one I’d watch again but it if you like redemption stories this is for you.

Scoring: 2.5

The Christmas Temp (2019)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Starring: Sara Canning and Robin Dunne

Synopsis: An out of work artist discovers a special Christmas temp agency that matches her with a handful of festive jobs, but falls into a creative rut while juggling holiday preparations and feelings for the agency’s HR manager.

Review: This is a fun movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously.  The relationships are playful and loving.  I enjoyed how they poked at little fun at how pretentious some in the art world can be.  Of course, it’s a happy ending, but there was lots of fun getting there.  It’s more focused on art than Christmas but there’s enough talk of it and the feeling of it to get the point across.

Scoring: 3

The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t (1966)

Rated: G

Genres: Family, Fantasy

Starring: Paul Tripp

Synopsis: Santa has to get a job as Santa to earn money to pay his overdue rent bill

Review:  My biggest problem with this movie is it stripping the magic away. How can someone else own the North Pole and charge rent?  How can the all-knowing Santa get stuck owing rent and facing possible eviction?  I don’t want to see Santa as human. He’s immortal and magic. I don’t want to see the North Pole as real estate but rather a magical wonderland. The music is okay but I’d pass on this one. 

Scoring: 1

 

The Christmas Thief (2021)

Rated: PG

Genres: Romance

Starring: Jarrid Masse and Rachel Cerda

Synopsis: A private eye investigates a string of local burglaries where the main suspect is Santa Claus.

Review: Quite cheesy and seems low budget. The acting is pretty good, and the characters are mostly likable, but the story is odd and at times it’s just so slow. 

Scoring: 2

Christmas Time (2017)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Family

Starring: Maclain Nelson, Jake Van Wagoner, and Clare Niederpruem

Synopsis: Two estranged brothers try to reconnect at Christmas but there's something that one of them can't get past...the other thinks he's a time traveler.

Review: I wouldn’t have children watch this even though it’s PG.  It’s a little odd.  Maybe very odd.  By the end I couldn’t figure out if he really was a time traveler.  It’s funny, it’s moving, and I loved the brothers reminiscing.  It ends with to be continued so I guess we will see. 

Scoring: 3

Christmas Time Capsule (2023)

Rated: G

Genre: Romance

Starring: Franco Lo Presti and Emily Alatalo 

Synopsis: James left a family heirloom engagement ring with his best friend, Tiffany, for safekeeping. He asks Tiffany for the ring, intending to propose to another woman. Tiffany has other ideas on who James should marry.

Review: Lo Presti’s somewhat poor acting aside, this was a sweet movie. Emily Alatalo as Tiffany made up for his shortcomings evening the pair out. It managed to be sweet but not corny which is rare. I wouldn’t mind watching again but it wouldn’t be on the top of the list.  

Scoring: 3

Christmas Time Is Here (2021)

Rated: G

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Rukiya Bernard and Dewshane Williams

Synopsis: A real estate agent desperately tries to convince her widowed father not to sell the family resort.

Review: I was already familiar with Rukiya and Dewshane as a couple from the “One Winter” movies. I enjoyed this movie. I liked the occasional reference to magic, like her mother’s watch as well as the importance of history and memories. It was a sweet love story and I was rooting for them and the inn. 

Scoring: 3

Christmas Together (2020)

Rated: PG

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Vivica A. Fox, Anna Marie Dobbins, and Marc Herrmann

Synopsis: A woman leaves  New York for LA after a break-up and falls in love while renting the guest house of a young father.

Review: While parts of it seem blah and a little amateur, even the eventual kiss was sort of anticlimactic, it’s still a sweet story.  I enjoyed the little girl who is quite a handful.  What young child rents out the guest house to show she’s ready for a dog? Vivica A. Fox is at her best on this role.

Scoring: 3

Christmas Together With You (2021)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Laura Vandervoort, Niall Matter, and Harry Lennix

Synopsis: During the Christmas season, Megan and her father-figure Frank head out on a road trip to find his long-lost love.

Review: While I love the actors and they made me care about the characters, the movie moved at what felt like a glacial pace then suddenly wrapped up in the last eight minutes. The stories are sweet but it felt like there was too many moments waiting for something to happen. 

Scoring: 3

A Christmas To Remember (2019)

Rated: NR

Genres: Drama, Family

Starring: Robin Givens

Synopsis: Two families that hated each other for years are forced to spend Christmas together.

Review: I did not enjoy this movie.  I think a main problem is there are so many characters and they don’t take the time to really let you get to know or care about any of them, even the parents who are the center of the film.  It’s just a bunch of people working out a lifetime of family issues.

Scoring: 1

A Christmas to Remember (2016)
Rated: G
Genres: Drama, Family, Romance
Starring: Mira Sorvino, Cameron Mathison, and Steve Bacic
Synopsis: A TV personality drives to a small town mountain retreat. On her way, a blizzard veers her off the road and she crashes. When she awakens, she has complete amnesia, and a friendly passerby takes her in. Jennifer is a stressed out TV chef, the Martha Stewart type, who needs to relax and reset her priorities. John is the widower who is just going through the motions of life since losing his wife.
Review:  Seeing Jennifer discover her true self and what truly matters to her as John learns to love again is lovely. It sounds like very heavy subject matters but the movie is light and family-friendly.
Scoring: 4.5

A Christmas to Treasure (2022)

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Starring: Taylor Frey, Kyle Dean Massey, Katie Walder, Roberto Aguire, Nikki McKenzie and Clay King

Synopsis: The passing of a beloved old neighbor reunites six friends for a hometown holiday treasure hunt, where sparks fly once again between brand strategist Austin and his former best friend Everett.

Review: I loved seeing the old friends reminisce and search for the treasure.  All the relationships are very interesting.  I went to fast forward through a commercial and couldn’t believe I was already half-way through.  It kept moving and I really loved all the characters.

Scoring: 3

A Christmas Too Many (2007)

Rated: PG-13

Genres: Comedy, Family

Starring: Mickey Rooney, Andrew Keegan, Sam McMurray, Marla Maples, and Gary Coleman

Synopsis: A Hollywood legend invites her not-so-normal family home for the holidays.

Review: This movie is just so, I don’t know, I guess I’d say ridiculous.  Each character is almost like a caricature of a stereotype.  I didn’t find it funny at all.  The dad not wanting to give up his annual hunting for dinner, even though they’re in Malibu, so he’s outside hunting guinea pigs that got loose.  I could go on, but why bother.  Skip this one.

Scoring: 1

Christmas Town (2008)
Rated: G
Genres: Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Romance
Starring: Nicole de Boer, Patrick Muldoon, and Garry Chalk
Synopsis: A week before Christmas, Liz McCann (and her young son Mason) visit her estranged father, who strangely lives in a town decked out for the holidays and full of Christmas spirit. Strange events immediately occur when they arrive, challenging everything Liz had once believed in.
Review:  The spirit of Christmas is throughout this movie. The non-believer mother with the son, and father, pushing her to open her mind and believe. I love all the little touches and occurrences that hint at Santa magic. 
Scoring: 4.5

Christmas Town (2019)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Candace Cameron Bure, Tim Rozon, Beth Broderick

Synopsis: Lauren Gabriel leaves everything behind in Boston to embark on a new chapter in her life and career. But an unforeseen detour to the charming town of Grandon Falls has her discover unexpected new chapters - of the heart and of family - helping her to embrace, once again, the magic of Christmas.

Review: Once again a Bure movie is filled with magic. From the name of it you know it’s filled with Christmas. The addition of the angel tree topper, Dylan, and all her father’s letters, make it so very moving and special. Don’t miss it. 

Scoring: 5

The Christmas Toy (1986)

Rated: G

Genres: Family, Fantasy, Musical

Starring: Brian Henson

Synopsis: It’s Christmas Eve and the playroom is alive with excitement for the new toys that will arrive the next day.  Balthazar, the old and wise bear, explains to the other toys that they must welcome the newcomers even though each of them may be replaced as one of the children’s new favorite toys.

Review: This is amusing but also a bit magical. The toys are all familiar and their experiences mirror what we face in our daily life. Children should be captivated by the toys coming to life. I loved the poor cat toy who smelled like catnip. 

Scoring: 3.5

Christmas Trade (2015)
Rated: PG
Genres: Comedy, Family, Romance
Starring: William Baldwin, Denise Richards, and Tom Arnold
Synopsis: A career-oriented single father and his 11-year-old son are forced to see their worlds through each other's eyes when some Christmas magic switches their bodies. The pair find themselves growing closer as they scramble to figure out the secret of the magic that caused their predicament in time for Christmas.
Review:  Another Freaky Friday rip-off. The only difference is it takes place at Christmas. It’s not bad but it’s one I’d only watch once. I did enjoy the evolution of the relationship between the father and son. The highlight for me was the work party planned by the son.
Scoring: 2
The Christmas Train (2017)
Rated: G
Genres: Drama, Romance
Starring: Dermot Mulroney, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Danny Glover, and Joan Cusack
Synopsis: A writer takes a four-day trip on a train hoping to get ideas for a book he's writing in memory of his father. His true love happens to be on the train writing a script. They bond with different people along the way. It's obvious the two are still in love.
Review:  The movie was a little better the second time I saw it. It’s feels super slow. While it has an interesting group of characters, it just seems to have too many moments where you’re waiting for something to happen.  It does have an all-star cast.
Scoring: 3

Christmas Train Spectacular (2010)

Rated: NR

Genre: Documentary

Synopsis: Five amazing Christmas train displays, all with sparkling lights, glistening snow, trains zipping around Christmas villages - and marvelous stories that will tug at your heart, train buff or not.

Review: This is definitely a great documentary for train enthusiast.  I appreciated the stories and the connection between trains and Christmas.  It did get boring for me after a while, especially when naming trains or using technical terms, but if you like trains you’ll like it.

Scoring: 2

A Christmas Treasure (2021)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Jordin Sparks Thomas and Michael Xavier

Synopsis: Lou and Kyle met in the Pine Grove, they both have doubts about their future, but the magic of the holiday season and the connection they have helps each of their journeys.

Review: This movie seems to only superficially scratch the surface of the characters and their emotions. There’s so much more that could have elevated the story. That being said, the cast was amazing, especially Sparks, and there was plenty of Christmas. It was like a warm blanket on a chilly night. Soft and comfortable. It’s one I wouldn’t mind seeing again. 

Scoring: 3

A Christmas Tree Grows in Colorado (2020)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Family, Romance

Starring: Rochelle Aytes and Mark Taylor

Synopsis: A woman in charge of a Christmas festival must win over a firefighter to obtain a magnificent tree.

Review: This story had the required happy ending but it managed to throw in a few plot twists that had me questioning what would happen.  The little girl was precious.  I loved how much they emphasized adopting older children out of foster care and community outreach.  There’s tons of Christmas fun in this movie.

Scoring: 4

Christmas Tree Lane (2020)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Alicia Witt and Andrew Walker

Synopsis: When music store owner Meg spearheads community efforts to save her street from demolition, she is shocked to find out that the man she’s falling for is working for the company that she is fighting.

Review: Other than the always wonderful performances of Witt and Walker, the first half of the movie was very average.  It picked up a little steam as it went on and the ending was wonderful.  If for no other reason, Witt’s performance at the end makes this worth watching.

Scoring: 2.5

A Christmas Tree Miracle (2013)
Rated: G
Genres: Drama, Family, Religion
Starring: Kevin Sizemore and Anne Whelan
Synopsis: A warm-hearted Christmas tale to remind us that in the holiday season, the best gifts in life are the simple ones, and that miracles do happen, if you believe.
Review:  This movie truly embodies the meaning of faith and the Christmas spirit. The beginning is okay but as it goes on it gets better. The kindness of a stranger and learning the true value of things and people are clearly, but gently, expressed.
Scoring: 3.5
 
Christmas Truce (2015)
Rated: PG
Genres: Drama
Starring: Craig Olejnik and Ali Liebert
Synopsis: An American soldier and a Belgian woman fall in love during a brief holiday truce amid the Battle of the Bulge. When fighting resumes, they promise to reunite on the first Christmas after the war ends if they're both alive.
Review:  I like the backdrop of the difficulties of war and how Christmas brought out people’s humanity. The love story had me rooting for them. Knowing it’s based on a true story, albeit with some changes, makes it so much more special. 
Scoring: 3.5
 

Christmas Twister AKA F6 Twister (2012)

Rated: PG

Genres: Adventure, Drama

Starring: Casper Van Dien, Victoria Pratt, and Richard Burgi

Synopsis: On Christmas Day the Texas area to the South West of Forth Worth is struck by a massive storm system sprouting several severe tornadoes.

Review:  Truly cheesy. If you want an enjoyable Christmas movie this isn’t for you. If you want a so-so tornado movie you’ll like it. 

Scoring: 1