5 Hallmark Christmas Movies We Can’t Wait to See in 2022
Christmas movie season is nearly here, and there’s no shortage of holiday-tastic movies to watch in 2022. Hallmark leads the pack with 40 premieres split across Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. (Lifetime, UPtv, OWN, Netflix, BET, Great American Family, and more are delivering dozens of movies of their own, if Hallmark’s offerings are not to your taste).
Hallmark excels at delivering reliably cozy, feel-good Christmas movies. You can expect to see plenty of snowy meet-cutes, first kisses in front of the tree, and quirky holiday mix-ups as part of this year’s Countdown to Christmas. But some of the channel’s holiday offerings stand out from the rest. These are five Hallmark Christmas movies that we’re especially excited to see this year.
‘Jolly Good Christmas’
London at Christmastime? Yes, please. Filmed on-location in the U.K., Jolly Good Christmas stars Will Kemp as David, an American architect who has recently relocated across the pond. A few days before Christmas, he crosses paths with personal shopper Anji (Reshma Shetty), who doesn’t approve of the gift card he bought as a present for his girlfriend. David hires Anji to help him out, and through a series of unexpected events, finds himself on a wild adventure across London.
Jolly Good Christmas airs Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. ET.
‘Three Wise Men and a Baby’
Hallmark brings together three of its most popular leading men – Tyler Hynes, Andrew Walker, and Paul Campbell – for Three Wise Men and a Baby. It’s about a trio of brothers who get the surprise of their lives when they find themselves stuck caring for a baby over the holidays. The experience helps them repair their relationships with each other as well as damaged romantic and professional relationships. Not only does this movie pack some serious Hallmark star power, but it also looks like it should be genuinely funny, if the viral TikTok Hynes shared of himself and his co-stars dressed as sexy elves is any indication.
Three Wise Men and a Baby airs Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. ET.
‘A Holiday Spectacular’
Hallmark typically saves some of its biggest Christmas movie premieres for Thanksgiving weekend, and this year is no exception. Not only will Hallmark queen Lacey Chabert’s new flick air on Saturday night, but fans can also look forward to A Holiday Spectacular on Sunday. This new movie, which is set in 1958, features Oscar-nominee Ann-Margret and performances by the Radio City Rockettes. It’s about a Philadelphia heiress (Gina Claire Mason) who put her wedding plans on hold to sneak away to New York City and live out her dream of performing with the legendary Radio City Music Hall dance troupe.
A Holiday Spectacular airs Nov. 27 at 8 p.m. ET.
‘The Holiday Sitter’
In recent years, Hallmark has made big strides when it comes to depicting non-heterosexual romances in its movies and shows. This year’s The Holiday Sitter breaks another barrier as the first Hallmark Christmas movie to put an LGBTQ+ romance front and center. The movie focuses on Sam, a workaholic bachelor who has to babysit his niece and nephew before the holidays when his sister and her husband go out of town. Completely out of his element when it comes to childcare duties, he turns to handsome neighbor Jason for help and finds himself in an unexpected romance. George Krissa and the always-charming Hallmark Channel regular Jonathan Bennett star.
The Holiday Sitter airs Dec. 11 at 8 p.m. ET.
‘Holiday Heritage’
Countdown to Christmas is, unsurprisingly, all about Christmas. But recently, Hallmark has made an effort to acknowledge other cultural traditions, including several movies focusing on Hanukkah. This year, Kwanzaa gets the Hallmark treatment in Holiday Heritage, about a woman named Ella who returns home for the holidays to mend fences with her fractured family. With the help of her ex, Griffin, she encourages her family to celebrate both Christmas and Kwanzaa and to heal their old wounds before it’s too late. Lyndie Greenwood, Brooks Darnell, and Holly Robinson Peete star.
Just a few years ago, Hallmark execs were expressing reservations about deviating too much from their Christmas movie formula by incorporating other types of celebrations. But with a change in leadership, the network has changed course, and it’s encouraging to see broader representation its holiday programming.
Holiday Heritage airs Dec. 16 at 8 p.m. ET.
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