It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of Year! 38 Most-Anticipated Holiday Movies For 2021
Lifetime and Hallmark used to own the Christmas season, but now, with over 135 holiday movies from Netflix, Disney Channel, VH1, BET+, and even Discovery+, there’s even more holiday competition. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with so many options, so I’m sharing 38 of my most anticipated films that are sure to be must-watches to get you in a festive mood. Which ones are you most excited for?
A Boy Called Christmas (Netflix)
Netflix’s A Boy Called Christmas follows Nikolas on a search for his father who is looking for a fabled village of elves.
A Christmas Dance Reunion (Lifetime)
It’s a High School Musical reunion as Monique Coleman and Corbin Bleu take a risk on love — and dance! — in A Christmas Dance Reunion.
A Christmas Village Romance (Lifetime)
Sparks fly between a romance novelist (Jeni Ross) and a blacksmith (Jake Epstein) in A Christmas Village Romance.
An Ice Wine Christmas (Lifetime)
Roselyn Sanchez leads An Ice Wine Christmas. It follows a top wine sommelier who shares her passion with a new wine specialist at her hometown’s annual Ice Wine Christmas Festival.
A Very Merry Bridesmaid (Hallmark)
Emily Osment and Casey Deidrick star in A Very Merry Bridesmaid about a girl celebrating both her birthday and her brothers’ wedding on Christmas Eve.
Baking Spirits Bright (Lifetime)
In Baking Spirits Bright, Mira Varma runs her family’s fruitcake business and pairs up with the head of a high powered marketing company to boost sales for the holiday and possibly find love.
Boyfriends Of Christmas Past (Hallmark)
In Boyfriends of Christmas Past, a marketing executive is visited by the ghost of her ex-boyfriends to encourage her to open up her heart or lose her best friend. The minute I saw Raymond Ablack was in this cast, I was in. Catherine Haena Kim and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee also star.
Candy Cane Candidate (Lifetime)
Jacky Lai and Jake Epstein play former rivals who face off once again during the holiday season when their towns mayor resides in Candy Cane Candidate. Yup, that’s a second holiday movie with Jake Epstein.
Christmas Again (Disney Channel)
In Disney Channel’s Christmas Again, Rowena (Scarlett Estevez) gets a holiday do-over when her family traditions fall apart due to new changes.
Christmas CEO (Hallmark)
Riverdale fans rejoice, Marisol Nichols stars in Christmas CEO! The film follows the CEO of a small toy company who gets the opportunity to merge with a mega toy company, but needs her ex-business partner’s approval to seal the deal.
Christmas Deja Vu (BET+)
With Amber Riley and Loretta Devine, Christmas Deja Vu follows a woman who gets her wish of being a singer granted by an angel.
Christmas In Harmony (Hallmark)
With Ashleigh Murray, Loretta Devine, and Michelle Williams, Christmas In Harmony follows Harmony, a woman tricked into auditioning for the holiday chorus by her ex-flame.
Christmas In My Heart (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
Heather Hemmens of Roswell, New Mexico leads Christmas In My Heart about a convert violinist who tutors the daughter of a country music star. Talk about the power of music!
Christmas Movie Magic (Lifetime)
With Holly Deveaux and Drew Seeley, Christmas Movie Magic follows an entertainment writer covering the anniversary of a classic Christmas movie that was filmed in a small town and leads to some holiday mysteries.
Coyote Creek Christmas (Hallmark)
In Coyote Creek Christmas, Pretty Little Liars star Janel Parrish and Ryan Paevey find love at a “Christmas Around The World” party.
Eight Days Of Hanukkah (Hallmark)
That’s right… a THIRD holiday film starring Jake Epstein! In Eight Gifts of Hanukkah, we tackle the festival of lights as a woman looks into a secret admirer during Hanukkah.
Five More Minutes (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
Nikki Deloach stars in Five More Minutes. Inspired by the Scotty McCreery song, a woman’s late grandfather’s journal reveals an untold love story.
Ghosts of Christmas Past (Lifetime)
In a modern take on the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Annie Clark plays a serial “ghoster” on dating apps who has to make amends with everyone she’s ghosted before Christmas if she wants to find true love.
Kirk Franklin’s A Gospel Christmas (Lifetime)
Kirk Franklin’s A Gospel Christmas is about a woman assigned to be a lead pastor at a new church, but worries that she can’t manage with all the responsibilities of Christmas. It features a special appearance and songs by the legendary Kirk Franklin.
Let’s Get Merried (VH1)
A bachelorette weekend at a Christmas themed adventure park gets wild in Let’s Get Merried when a partying holiday hater plans to marry a man she hasn’t even met.
Love Hard (Netflix)
You don’t want a Catfish under your Christmas tree… Nina Dobrev, Darren Barnet, Jimmy O. Yang, and Harry Shum Jr. star in Netflix’s Love Hard about a journalist who takes a flight to surprise her crush for the holidays only to learn she’s been catfished.
Maps and Mistletoe (Lifetime)
Humberly González stars in Maps and Mistletoe about a cartographer who gets assigned to make a novelty treasure map of the North Pole with the help of a North Pole explorer.
Merry Liddle Christmas Baby (Lifetime)
Kelly Rowland returns for the third Liddle movie Merry Middle Christmas Baby. A baby’s on the way and the Liddles are gearing up for a wild Christmas.
Miracle Across 125th Street (VH1)
In Miracle Across 125th Street, a Harlem rapper must confront his past on Christmas Eve. This VH1 film stars Nick Cannon, Lil Kim, Tommy Davidson, Teyana Taylor, DC Young Fly, Todrick Hall, and more.
Miracle In Motor City (Lifetime)
Tia Mowry reunites with Seventeen Again star Mark Taylor to find Smokey Robinson for their church’s annual Christmas pageant in Miracle In Motor City.
Next Stop, Christmas (Hallmark)
It’s a Back To The Future reunion on Next Stop, Christmas! Lea Thompson and Christopher Lloyd round out the cast that follows a woman who wonders what her life would be like if she made different choices and ends up 10 years in the past for Christmas.
Secretly Santa (Lifetime)
Degrassi’s Alicia Dea Josipovic stars in Secretly Santa about two business rivals who meet at a costumed Santa crawl and start a romance without learning the others identity.
Single All That Way (Netflix)
Netflix’s first gay Christmas film Single All That Way brings Michael Urie, Jennifer Coolidge, and Kathy Najimy together for the holidays. It’s centered around a perpetually single guy who convinces his best friend to pretend to be his date for the holidays… but plans go off the rails when his mother sets him up on a blind date.
The Bitch Who Stole Christmas (VH1)
The perfect way to drag up your holidays, The Bitch Who Stole Christmas features a Christmas-obsessed town, a high-stakes “Winter Ball,” and a plot to destroy Christmas. With RuPaul, Krysta Rodriguez, Charo, Kim Petras, and a ton of Drag Race alums, what could be better?
The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls (Hallmark)
In The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls, the whole crew is back together again as the Mitchell brothers compete to create the best Christmas House.
The Christmas Promise (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
Another Pretty Little Liars star Torrey DeVitto gets in the Christmas spirit with the help of her grandfather and a carpenter who help renovate the home that was originally meant for her and her late fiancé in The Christmas Promise.
A Loud House Christmas (Nickelodeon, Paramount+)
Nickelodeon is bringing The Loud House into live-action for Christmas! In A Loud House Christmas, Lincoln Loud and his best friend Clyde McBride work to keep the entire Loud family together for the holidays.
The Princess Switch 3: Romancing The Star (Netflix)
Netflix brings back three times the fun with Vanessa Hudgens in The Princess Switch 3: Romancing The Star. In the third film of the franchise, cousin Fiona gets the spotlight as she helps when a priceless relic is stolen for the holidays.
The Real Housewives of the North Pole (Peacock)
In The Real Housewives of the North Pole, Kyle Richards and Betsy Brandt star as the Christmas Queens of North Pole, Vermont. These two women had won the Best Holiday House decorating competition every year in their hometown, but now find themselves in a friendship-ending feud.
The Santa Stakeout (Hallmark)
The Santa Stakeout finds Tamera Mowry-Housley as a detective who goes undercover with her partner for the holidays.
Who Is Christmas Eve? (Bounce)
Eve, a woman who was left on the steps of a church on Christmas Eve, goes on a journey 30 years later to discover the mystery of her birth.
Welcome To The Christmas Family Reunion (Lifetime)
An event planner helps a rising singer plan her holiday reunion in Welcome To The Christmas Family Reunion. A film with Vanessa Williams in it? Count me in!
Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas (The Roku Channel)
The cast of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist returns in their final outing in Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas. In the film, Zoey attempts to create a magical holiday for her family like her father used to.
Catch reviews of holiday films and more, here.
