Just My Favorite Christmas Movies of All Time (in Case You Were Wondering)
Christmas movies ... They help to lift my spirits in a way that I find hard to explain. Though there's a running joke between my wife and sons about how in each movie, "First it snows and then they kiss".
I will say that I'm one of the few who doesn't go running for the hills when LITE FM (93.9) begins playing Christmas tunes right after Thanksgiving.
So imagine my delight when my friendly neighborhood cable provider decided to bring the HALLMARK CHANNEL back into my life. Then to double my pleasure/ double my fun, the network was kind enough to begin airing Christmas movies at least once a week. And now that the season is upon us again, new flicks began airing on October 24th. How cool is that?
1. Comfort & Joy - Nancy McKeon (Lifetime, 2003)
2. Holdiay Affair - Cynthia Gibb (USA Network, 1996)
Miss Gibb (from the 80s classic tv series, Fame) plays a widowed mom ready to marry again to give her young son stability. That is until an attractive department store clerk offers her an alternative.
3. 2nd Day Of Christmas - Mary Stuart Masterson/Mark Ruffalo (Lifetime , 1997)
4. Boyfriend For Christmas - Kelli Williams (Hallmark, 2004)
5. Christmas In Boston - Marla Sokoloff/Lindy Booth (ABC Family, 2005)
6. A Christmas Romance - Gregory Harrison/Olivia Newton John (CBS, 1994)
7. Borrowed Hearts - Roma Downey/Eric McCormick/Hector Elizando (CBS,1997)
8. What I Did For Love - Jason London (Hallmark, 2006)
A big city attorney goes home for the holidays with his beautiful doctor girlfriend. Simple right? A small town Christmas with horses and ranches and cows? Well, there's one slight problem. The city slicker bends over backwards to impress her cowboy father, who just doesn't want to be impressed. Pandemonium ensues.
9. Dear Santa - Amy Acker (ION, 2011)
10. Christmas Belle - Hayley Duff (ION, 2013)
11. Karen Kingsbury's The Bridge - Ted McGinley (Halmark, 2015)
12. The Family Stone - Craig T. Nelson, Diane Keaton, Sarah Jessica Parker (20th Century Fox, 2005)
13. The Perfect Holiday - Gabrielle Union, Morris Chestnut, Charlie Murphy (Destination Films, 2007)
Annoying interludes from QUEEN LATIFAH and TERRANCE HOWARD threaten to spoil this heartwarming tale. But with the underrated RACHEL TRUE and JILL MARIE JONES as supporting characters, its not so annoying that I don't continue to watch this modern classic every year.
14. Crown For Christmas - Danica McKellar (Hallmark, 2015)
15. Almost Christmas - Gabrielle Union, Kimberly Elise (Universal Pictures, 2016)
16. Love At The Christmas Table - Danica McKellar (Lifetime, 2012)
17. It's A Wonderful Life - Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed (RKO Radio Pictures, 1946)
You know the story ... George Bailey .. Clarence the angel ... Yadda Yadda Yadda. But nowadays it doesn't come on 20 different channels like it did when I was kid. So I had to get my own copy so I could watch it whenever I wanted.
Last year, I took my kids and my wife to see it on the big screen at MARCUS THEATER. What an amazing idea. It was the boys' first time seeing the movie. And for me, it was like seeing it for the first time.
18. It Happened On 5th Avenue - Don DeFore (Allied Artists, 1947)
19. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - Chevy Chase (Warner Brothers, 1989)
20. Jingle All The Way - Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad (20th Century Fox, 1996)
21. The Shop Around The Corner - Jimmy Stewart (MGM, 1940)
22. This Christmas - Idris Elba, Delroy Lindo (Rainforest Films, 2007)
23. The Preacher's Wife - Whitney Houston, Denzel Washington (Buena Vista Pictures, 1996)
One of Miss Houston's shining moments. Here she is in the remake of the classic CARY GRANT film, The Bishop's Wife. Good story. Good music ... And beautiful Whitney.
When the pastor of a financially struggling church has a crisis of faith, help comes in the form of a angel disguised as a personal assistant. The only problem is, Dudley the angel begins to fall in love with -- you guessed it -- the preacher's wife.
24. Christmas In Connecticut - Barbara Stanwyck (Warner Brothers, 1945)
She comes off as an old school RACHEL RAY/MARTHA STEWART type. But in actuality, she doesn't cook, clean, have a family or live in a country home like her magazine column suggests. But when her publisher demands that she hosts a war hero over the holidays, she has to come up with a plan -- and quick.
25. Christmas Shoes - Rob Lowe, Kimberly Williams Paisely (CBS, 2002)
26. Christmas In Mississippi - Jana Kramer (Lifetime, 2017)
27. A Dad For Christmas - Louise Fletcher (Lifetime, 2006)
28. Home By Christmas - Linda Hamilton (Lifetime, 2006)
29. Merry Liddle Christmas - Kelly Rowland (Lifetime, 2019)
30. My Christmas Prince - Pamela Sue Martin, Parker Stevenson (Lifetime, 2017)
Lacey Chabert
Before she was Victoria Barkley on THE BIG VALLEY ...
31. Recipe For A Perfect Christmas - Carly Pope/Bobby Canavale (Lifetime, 2005)
32. The Road To Christmas - Jennifer Grey, Clark Gregg, Megan Park (Lifetime, 2006)
33. Snowed Inn Christmas - Bethany Joy Lenz (Lifetime, 2017)
34. A Very Merry Daughter Of The Bride - Luke Perry (Lifetime, 2008)
35. Will You Merry Me? - Wendie Malick (Lifetime, 2008)
36. Desperately Seeking Santa - Laura Vandervoort (Lifetime, 2011)
37. A Royal Christmas - Lacey Chabert (Hallmark, 2016)
38. Hats Off To Christmas - Haylie Duff (Hallmark, 2013)
39. The Holiday Calendar - Kat Graham (Netflix, 2018)
40. A Christmas Detour - Candace Cameron Bure (Hallmark, 2015)
Bobby Cannavale and Carly Pope in RECIPE FOR A PERFECT CHRISTMAS
41. Christmas Cookies - Jill Wagner (Hallmark, 2016)
42.My Christmas Dream - Danica McKellar (Hallmark, 2016)
43. Christmas Land - Nikki Deloach (Hallmark, 2015)
44. Best Christimas Party Ever - Torrey DeVitto (Hallmark, 2014)
45. Ice Sculpture Christmas - (Hallmark, 2015)
46. Christmas In Homestead - Taylor Cole (Hallmark, 2016)
47. Merry Matrimony - Jessica Lowndes (Hallmark, 2015)
48. Baby's First Christmas (Hallmark, 2012)
49. Love At The Thanksgiving Parade - Autumn Reeser
50. A Very Merry Mix Up - Alicia Witt (Hallmark, 2013)
Autumn Reeser
51. 12 Gifts Of Christmas - Katrina Law (Hallmark, 2015)
52. The Nine Lives Of Christmas - Brandon Routh (Hallmark, 2014)
53. One Starry Christmas (Hallmark, 2014)
54. Naughty Or Nice - Hillarie Burton (Hallmark, 2012)
55. A December Bride - Jessica Lowndes (Hallmark, 2015)
56. The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year - Brooke Burns, Henry Winkler (Hallmark, 2008)
57. Hitched For The Holidays - Joey Lawrence (Hallmark, 20120
58. Snow Bride - Katrina Law (Hallmark, 2013)
59. Let It Snow - Candace Cameron Bure (Hallmark, 2013)
60. A Bride For Christmas - Arielle Kebbel (Hallmark, 2014)
Alice Evans and John Haymes Newton from "The Christmas Card"
61. A Cookie Cutter Christmas - Erin Krakow (Hallmark, 2014)
62. One Christmas Eve - Anne Heche (Hallmark, 2014)
63. Moonlight & Mistletoe - Candace Cameron Bure (Hallmark, 2008)
64. A Nutcracker Christmas - Amy Acker (Hallmark, 2016)
65. The Christmas Card - John Haymes Newton, Ed Asner (Hallmark, 2006)
Sgt. Cody Cullen gains access to a Christmas card sent from a small town citizen. On leave, Cody decides to visit the town to experience the true Christmas spirit. But will he find love as well?
66. The Christmas Choir - Jason Gedrick (Hallmark, 2008)
67. The Christmas Ornament - Kellie Martin (Hallmark, 2013)
68. The Christmas Shephard - Terri Polo (Hallmark, 2014)
69. The Christmas Secret - Bethany Joy Lenz (Hallmark, 2014)
70. Debbie Macomber's Dashing Through The Snow (Hallmark, 2015)
71. Love Always Santa (MarVista Entertainment, 2016)
Originally aired on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. A Little girl writes to Santa, hoping to find her widowed mother a new love.
72. Operation Christmas - Tricia Helfer (Hallmark, 2016)
A single mother and her daughter try to bring joy to other military families.
73. A Christmas To Remember - Mira Sorvino (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, 2016)
A celebrity chef gains amnesia and winds up in a small town for Christmas.
74. Marry Me At Christmas - Rachel Skarsten, Trevor Donovan (Hallmark, 2017)
A bridal boutique owner is gung ho about planning a wedding, until the bride's superstar brother intervenes.
75. Christmas Festival Of Ice - Taylor Cole (Hallmark, 2017)
76. The Sweetest Christmas - Lacey Chabert (Hallmark, 2017)
77. Coming Home For Christmas (Hallmark, 2017)
78. Christmas Next Door Jesse Metcalf (Hallmark, 2017)
79. Christmas Getaway (Hallmark, 2017)
80. A Bramble House Christmas - Autumn Reeser (Hallmark, 2017)
81. Christmas Connection - Brooke Burns (Hallmark, 2017)
82. Christmas In Conway - Andy Garcia, Mandy Moore (Hallmark, 2013)
84. Naughty & Nice - Haylie Duff (UpTv, 2014)
85. To Grandmother's House We Go - The Olsen Twins (ABC, 1992)
Originally airing on ABC, this tv movie breaks one of my rules about Christmas and kids movies -- it has a sprinkling of profanity in it. The kind that some would choose to ignore. However I make a slight exception due to those cute little moppets who anchor this film.
The girls think that they are too much trouble for their single mom, so they decide to run away. The only problem is Christmas bandits carjack the delivery truck they are stowing away in. Oh ... and there is a winning lottery ticket in one of the girls' purse. Look for cameos by Full House co-stars CANDACE CAMERON BURE, LORI LOUGHLIN and BOB SAGET.
86. Bachelor Mother - Ginger Rogers, David Niven (RKO Radio Pictures, 1939)
A single woman tries to prove to everyone that comes across her path, that the baby left on her doorstep is not biologically hers.
Candace Cameron Bure
This content reflects the personal opinions of the author. It is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and should not be substituted for impartial fact or advice in legal, political, or personal matters.
© 2020 LaZeric Freeman
