15 Best New Holiday Movies to Binge Watch This Weekend

Falling For Christmas

In need of a feel-good movie that doesn’t require too much emotional investment? (There’s a time and a place to watch Titanic, and a random Tuesday in December might not be it.) Everyone’s favorite late-90s/early-aughts actress is back with an enemies-to-lovers trope that’s pure Christmas gold. A hotel heiress catches a bad case of memory-sweeping amnesia and ends up in the care of a handsome lodge owner (Chord Overstreet of Glee fame). Can she help him and his adorable daughter save the derelict but charming lodge before Christmas—and maybe fall in love along the way? Watch and find out.

Something from Tiffany’s

You may know him as the easygoing Nathan in Insecure or as the disarmingly sweet Jesse in The Vampire Diaries, but Kendrick Sampson is back and just as handsome as ever in this Reese Witherspoon-produced film. Based on the novel by Melissa Hill, prepare to watch what happens when a simple jewelry swap determines the fate of two couples’ love lives.

Release date: December 9 on Amazon Prime

A Christmas Story Christmas

I’m not sure whether to say I’m proud or horrified that every member of my family knows A Christmas Story by heart. But when you’ve seen it upwards of 25 times, the lines are bound to catch on. Now, nearly 40 years later, Ralphie is all grown up and hosting a holiday of his own. After his father’s passing, Ralphie is tasked with giving his children the magical Christmas he knew as a kid. Is he up to the challenge? Did the famed first film need a follow-up? How do you really pronounce “fragile”? It’s up to you to decide.

My Christmas Fiancé

The recipe for a perfect Christmas rom-com: Italy + fake-to-real-love + a beautiful restaurant as the backdrop. The magic of the season is very much alive in this romance-driven film. This movie gives major The Wedding Date vibes—and if you’re a fan of Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney’s on-screen chemistry, I have a feeling you’ll fall for My Christmas Fiancé as well.

Spirited

I’m going to come out and say it: I can’t really get on board with musicals. I know, I know: I should expect a lump of coal in my stocking, but there’s something about the spontaneous cut to a song that always feels a bit… unnecessary. But man oh man, there’s something about Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell, and Octavia Spencer getting on stage that makes me want to… sing along? This comedic take on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol does the classic justice. Get ready for all the songs to be stuck in your head.

Menorah in the Middle

Is there ever a more appropriate time for a little family drama than the holidays? When Sarah goes home to introduce her fiancé Chad to her parents, chaos ensues. On top of her father having a heart attack, she learns that her family’s bakery might have to close. Will reconnecting with her childhood friend Ben help Sarah save the bakery—and show her the true meaning of Hanukkah? (Hint: Expect to have all your predictions come true.)

Hannukah on Rye

Set up by a matchmaker, Molly and Jacob are blissfully enjoying the warm coziness of a new romance. But their budding relationship is threatened when they discover that they’re competing deli owners—yes, really. Can their love survive the test of lox and schmear? It might just take a Hanukkah miracle to save this love story.

A Merry Christmas Wish

Hulu’s doing its due diligence to ensure the selection of holiday offerings runs the gamut of rom-com tropes. Enter: Successful career girl returns to her small hometown following the death of a close relative. In A Merry Christmas Wish, Janie comes home to Woodland Falls after her great-uncle leaves her the family homestead. While she initially plans to sell it, Janie is instead suaded by a childhood friend to organize the annual Winter Wonderland, giving her an opportunity to reconnect with her past. And we all know what happens when a city girl is tasked with organizing a small town festival…

The Noel Diary

Here comes Justin Hartley again, ready to steal our holiday hearts (nothing puts me in my feels quite like an episode of This Is Us). In The Noel Diary, Hartley plays Jake Turner, an author returning home for the holidays who’s tasked with settling his mother’s estate. Discovering a journal may connect Jake to untold parts of his story—and is the perfect introduction to a mysterious love interest. Can piecing together their past unlock the key to their future… together?

Christmas on Repeat

Is it just me, or does it seem that at least half of the protagonists involved in holiday rom-coms are ad executives? Regardless, a workaholic gets the opportunity to change her over-scheduled ways when Santa grants her a Christmas do-over wish. Suddenly, she’s set in a repeating time loop, balancing Christmas day between family and work. Will she learn the true meaning of Christmas—and what’s really important?

Scrooge: A Christmas Carol

There’s something about the holidays that makes me crave a good old animated family film. While there are plenty of remakes of the Ebenezer Scrooge Christmas story (see Spirited above), this is destined to be a favorite. Oh, and for the film buffs out there, the cast is fantastic: Jessie Buckley, Luke Evans, and Olivia Coleman?! All my favorites, all in one soul-satisfying movie.

All I Want for Christmas

Apologies for the cynicism, but I’ve always believed that wishing for your parents to get together following a divorce is a little… immature. (I say this as someone whose parents got divorced years ago and they’re both living their best lives.) But in the spirit of embracing holiday magic, I’ll go along with the All I Want for Christmas vibe. Thankfully, I was surprised to discover that a plot where a young girl wishes for her parents to get back together is handled with a healthy dose of realism—and a few laughs along the way.

The Holiday Dating Guide

I won’t lie—a Lifetime moving with “Dating Guide” in the title is my idea of a winning holiday film. Maybe it’s because I’m feeling particularly cozy this time of year or perhaps I’m just in the mood to watch other people fall in love by the warm glow of the tree lights. Whatever the reason, The Holiday Dating Guide fulfills my admittedly not-so-high standards. Abigale Slater finishes her first book: a modern dating guide. But to make her publisher happy, she has to prove her advice’s validity by making someone fall in love with her in 12 days. It gives How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days vibes—and I’m here for it.

Release date: December 17 on Lifetime

Disenchanted

File this under movies to watch when you’re in desperate need of a pick-me-up. I’m not typically one for sequels—and thought Enchanted was a good stand-alone film—but Disenchanted delivers. While it isn’t strictly a holiday film per se, seeing Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, and Idina Menzel continue their characters’ stories is an absolute holiday season delight. I love that the film asks the question: what comes after happily ever after? It offers a healthy dose of emotion and realism that’s been absent from fantasy films for too long.