Guide to Holiday Movies Releasing in 2020

Welcome to the first and earliest installment in my holiday series on the blog! Everyone knows that this season begins for me basically on Halloween or the day after. I just want to enjoy my Christmassy stuff for two full months instead of one, and it costs you $0 to mind ya business and let me be happy. I normally refrain from making blog posts until we’re nearing the end of November, but I thought it would be fun to do a holiday movie round-up post BEFORE posting any of my holiday movie reviews, which always come throughout December. This means I’m sharing ALL of the holiday movies on my radar that are releasing this year. I wanted to get this post out early enough for people to make plans, set their DVRs, and order Disney+ in preparation. Without further ado, here are all the movies you could see this year and where to find them!

Again, these are broken down by where you can find them. I thought I would get the smaller lists done first, so if Hallmark and Lifetime movies aren’t your thing, you’re able to skip out of this post before reading through them 😉 Anything you see in the purple boxes are synopses pulled from the relevant websites.

For complete lists on other websites, I used THIS and THIS.

Theaters

Disney+

None this year! It seems like they opened last year with Noelle, since the service was just getting started, but most not plan to make as many holiday originals as other services! They obviously have Christmas movies though (plenty of classics) to check out.

Hulu

Happiest Season (11/25) was supposed to come to theaters, but Hulu acquired it this month. I’m so excited! It stars Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis (plus a ton of other wonderful people like Aubrey Plaza and Daniel Levy). They head to one of their family’s houses for the holidays and proposal plans are put on hold once she learns her partner isn’t out to her conservative parents.

Netflix

As always, Netflix is bringing a ton of holiday movies! They’re releasing as early as Hallmark this year too, which is nice.

Holidate (10/28) stars Emma Roberts and looks to be the closest to a Hallmark movie this year too 😉 They both want/need a fake holiday date to bring to all of the parties and events, and we all know what that’ll lead to. Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (11/13) seems like a really cute musical that should be on people’s radars. I’m not really a musical kind of gal frankly but I’ll probably watch. I’m actually pretty pumped for The Princess Switch: Switched Again (11/19) because the first one was pretty fun!

I’m not a huge Dolly Parton fangirl but totally appreciate her talent! I may give Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square (11/22) a try for that reason. I actually haven’t seen the first one, but I’d like to watch it before catching The Christmas Chronicles 2 (11/25). And finally for Netflix, I’m pretty excited about the Dash & Lily (11/10) miniseries. I have super mixed (kinda negative) feelings about the books but will definitely want to see this come to life.

Operation Christmas Drop (11/5) keeps getting left off Netflix holiday lists so here you go. I would imagine it’s about the real life operation Christmas drop situation? I guess it was filmed in Guam too, so that’s cool. Netflix is adding The Holiday Movies that Made Us (12/1) to their lineup as well – we’ve watched a few episodes in this series (about movies or shows) so I’m excited for this!

Hallmark

Hallmark finally caught up to the rest of damn world and they have interracial couples and a gay couple in their lineups this year. I’m pumped! I usually go through and highlight all of the movies, but I’m just going to feature a few I’m most excited for and/or include my favorite Hallmark leading people.

Chateau Christmas – I’m a big fan of Luke Macfarlane and this one involves the second chance romance/ returning home for Christmas plotline I love so much.

Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater – The leading folks in this one are two favorites from other Christmas movies, or the Aurora Teagarden movies I love so much! The premise sounds fine but I’m sold on the actors haha.

A Timeless Christmas – This one reminds me of the weird Knight-related Christmas movie that came out on Netflix. I like that it involves a time traveler falling in love in present day, plus the two actors are decent Hallmark stars.

The Christmas House – This one features a gay couple (the guy from Mean Girls!!!) and one of their brothers heading to the family house for the holidays. There’s some big problem to resolve and they hope to capture the Christmas spirit again. The brother also rekindles a relationship with his HS girlfriend.

Christmas by Starlight – I don’t recognize either of the leads for this one but I love a “our family restaurant needs to be saved, we need the big mean lawyer to change their plans while we fall in love” story.

Five Star Christmas – This has me written all over it. Bethany Joy Lenz is a lead! Takes place at a bed and breakfast! Secret travel critic staying there! Love!

Christmas Waltz – I’ll probably always watch the Lacey Chabert holiday movies. Here, her Christmas wedding is unexpectedly cancelled and a dance instructor helps her ~rebuild her dreams.~

If I Only Had Christmas – Christmas queen Candace Cameron Bure is here as always on the top of my list. There’s some team-up for a charity, one hates Christmas, etc. – you know the deal.

Christmas in Evergreen: Bells are Ringing – Yesss, another Evergreen movie! Yes please. Thank you. I love these characters and this cute town.

Christmas She Wrote – Danica McKellar is here as always. She’s a romance writer that comes home to see her family, only to encounter the man who cancelled her column.

Cross Country Christmas – Major sucker for any holiday travel “we’re stuck because of a snowstorm and need to get home” story. This one sounds fun.

Christmas Comes Twice – Tamera Mowry is also here for me this year, thank you. I love a time travel story: she regrets letting the guy get away five years before at a Christmas carnival and ends up going back in time to get her second chance.

Love, Lights, Hanukkah – HEY lookie here. Cory from Boy Meets World (yes Ben Savage) is on Hallmark channel! In a Hanukkah movie! This seems like an interesting premise: a girl gets DNA results back and learns she’s Jewish lol.

Lifetime

I usually don’t mess with Lifetime but they have a good-looking lineup this year! There’s no fancy graphics like Hallmark provides above, so HERE is a list. I’m also going to do a runthrough like I did above: some of my favorite people or premises I’m looking forward to below!

 

Christmas Unwrapped – This one has Amber Stevens West, who I loved from Greek, so I’m pumped here.

Crafting Christmas – This one has a different title on the website compared to IMDb but either way, it sounds great. It’s about a used bookstore owner finds a letter to Santa and decides to answer it 70 years later, as well as find who wrote it.

Candy Cane Christmas – Beverly Mitchell is on Lifetime and I’m definitely here for it. She’s sad about a local tradition not happening but finds love instead, y’all.

Feliz NaviDAD – Mario Lopez, AnnaLynne McCord, directed by Melissa Joan Hart? Too many good things going on here.

Dear Christmas – There are too many people in this one to list but I’m excited. It’s about a holiday romance podcaster who heads home for the holidays before beginning a promo tour for her book.

Merry Liddle Christmas Wedding – Kelly Rowland is the reason to watch here, no? It’s apparently a sequel (the first one Lifetime has done!) so I’ll have to watch Merry Liddle Christmas first.

Once Upon a Main Street – Vanessa Lachey, y’all. She’s excited when she buys a storefront for her year-round Christmas shop but apparently someone else has bid on the property as well.

Let’s Meet Again on Christmas Eve – I’m excited to watch Kyla Pratt in this one! The synopsis sounds awesome: college sweethearts have to separate for two years and decide to meet on Christmas Eve if they want to come back together. One returns, the other doesn’t. They see each other years later and I think we can all guess what happens!

Christmas Ever After – A romance novelist is at a snowy bed and breakfast, partaking in Christmas activities and dealing with writers block. That’s all I need to hear.

The Christmas Setup – This one is Lifetime’s gay romance and also has Fran Drescher haha.

A Sugar & Spice Holiday – Omg, the first Christmas movie on these channels to have an Asian American lead! She returns to her small hometown in MAINE where her parents own a LOBSTER SHACK. I mean, come on. I need it.

Christmas on the Menu – I can’t believe I’ve been sleeping on Lifetime movies for this many years?? This one involves another bed and breakfast, plus restaurants and food

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