Best Hallmark Christmas Movies 2023

With so many new movies each year, you need our helpful guide to know the best Hallmark Christmas movies 2023. These are the movies that will make you laugh, cry, get nostalgic, and are like a bingeful of comfort for anyone who loves Christmas and the Hallmark Channel.

About Hallmark Christmas Movies 2023

For a printable schedule of the new Christmas movies for Hallmark this year, you can click here to see the full list for both Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. Between the two channels, there are 40 new Christmas movies for Hallmark this year. That doesn't include the 3 movies that aired during their Christmas in July.

There is so much more Christmas content than there used to be. Hallmark used to be the gold standard when it came to producing heartwarming holiday movies. However, now all of the streaming services and other cable networks have jumped on board the holiday train wagon.

In addition to Hallmark and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, you can also find Christmas movies on Lifetime, Great American Family, Netflix, Prime, and Paramount+ just to name a few. With so many movies to choose from, for me it has become even more important to know which Hallmark movies are worth watching.

So I'll suffer through watching all 40 of the Hallmark movies, just to give you my list for the best Hallmark Christmas movies 2023. Of course you know I would do it anyway, right? After all, it's what I did last year to give you my ranking of the best Hallmark Christmas Movies 2022.

One thing I'm going to do differently this year is I'm not going to rank the movies. I'll list all of the Christmas movies available and I'll give a little synopsis of the story (if warranted), but I won't try to rank them all. Because really there are usually only about 10 that I highly recommend, and those will be the ones I focus on for this article.

List of Hallmark Christmas Movies 2023

Listed in order of when they first aired, here is the list of Hallmark Christmas movies 2023.

Hallmark Channel Christmas Movies

• Checkin' It Twice 10/20/23: Starring Kim Matula and Kevin McGarry. I really enjoyed this movie and thought it was a great choice to air it in October as it's not over the top on Christmas stuff.
• Where Are You, Christmas 10/21/23: Starring Lyndsy Fonseca, Michael Rady, Jim O'Heir and Julie Warner, this movie has a great cast. A woman wishes away Christmas and wakes up in a black and white world where no one remembers Christmas. A unique story and I found the movie OK.
• Under The Christmas Sky 10/22/23: Starring Jessica Parker Kennedy and Ryan Peavey, this is one that you can skip. Not dreadful, but just kind of meh.
• Christmas By Design 10/27/23: Starring Rebecca Dalton and Jonathan Keltz, I enjoyed the natural chemistry and ease between these two.
• Mystic Christmas 10/28/23: Starring Jessy Schram, Chandler Massey, and Patti Murin. And for those who enjoyed watching Perry Mason with Raymond Burr, you'll enjoy seeing William R. Moses in a supporting role in this movie. All about an aquarium, saving seals, and two people rekindling an old flame. This movie is good, but not great.
• Joyeux Noel 10/29/23: Starring Jaicy Elliot and Brant Daugherty, I was really looking forward to this movie. I like Jaicy, and I love movies that take us on a journey, especially if that destination is Paris. But unfortunately I found the movie underwhelming.
• Flipping For Christmas 11/3/23: Starring Ashley Newbrough and Marcus Rosner, this movie follows a realtor and carpenter as they work together to flip a house in time for Christmas. The movie is enjoyable.
• Never Been Chris'd 11/4/23: Starring Janel Parrish, Pascal Lamothe-Kipnes, and Tyler Hynes, two friends find themselves in a love triangle when they connect with their old high school crush. You know any Hallmark movie starring Tyler Hynes is going to be a good one. This one didn't quite hit the mark for making the best Hallmark Christmas movies 2023 list, but it is a good one.
• The Santa Summit 11/5/23: Starring Hunter King (Jordin) and Benjamin Hollingsworth (Liam), this is a fun story with a younger vibe to it. Three friends go to the Santa Summit, a day long event where attendees dress up as Santa and partake in a variety of Christmas themed activities. Think of it like a bar crawl with all the people in Santa suits. Sparks fly between Jordin and Liam, but when they get separated without exchanging numbers or names, the two spend the day searching for each other.
• Everything Christmas 11/10/23: Starring Cindy Busby and Corey Sevier, this movie definitely has the cast to make it worth watching. But as much as it was filled with lots of Christmas charm, and some Santa magic, this movie left me underwhelmed.
• Christmas Island 11/11/23: Starring Rachel Skarsten (Kate) and Andrew Walker (Oliver), this movie is about a family whose private plane gets diverted to Christmas Island when a snowstorm interrupts their trip to Europe. Walker is the King of Hallmark so of course any movie with him in it is worth watching. I also found the movie entertaining, and I enjoyed seeing a family find their joy in the holiday.
• A Heidelberg Holiday 11/12/23: Starring Ginna Claire Mason (Heidi) and Frederic Brossier (Lukas), this movie follows Heidi as she heads to Heidelberg Germany to be part of the annual Christmas market that was started by her family generations ago. This movie was enjoyable as it's set in Germany and I enjoyed the charm of the Christmas market, but I wasn't as impressed with it as I hoped for.
• Navigating Christmas 11/17/23 Starring Chelsie Hobbs as Melanie and Stephen Huszar as Peter. When Melanie and her teenage son stay in a historic lighthouse for Christmas, they are tasked with decorating it for the island's Christmas festival. Peter is the owner of the lighthouse and helps Melanie and her son reconnect and find joy during the holiday.
• A Merry Scottish Christmas 11/19/23. See below for why I added this to the list of the best Hallmark Christmas movies 2023.
• Holiday Hotline 11/19/23 is a fun Christmas movie starring Emily Tennant (Abby) and Nialls Matter(John). Abby leaves her home in the UK to spend the holidays in the US. While there, she puts her chef experience to good use by helping out on the holiday hotline. Eager to give his daughter a Christmas like they used to have when his wife was alive, John uses the hotline to help him prepare a turkey dinner for the holiday. Abby and John hit it off over the phone, but little do they know they also know each other in real life.
• Catch Me If You Claus 11/23/23
• Letters to Santa 11/24/23 stars Katie Leclerc and Rafael de la Fuente as a separated couple whose kids write letters to Santa Claus hoping to get their parents back together. A cute movie, but not a must see.
• Holiday Road 11/24/23. This movie has a great cast, including Warren Christie and Sara Canning. When a snowstorm shuts down the airport, a group of 9 strangers rent a van together to drive to Denver in time for Christmas. This one is very close to being on my list of the best Hallmark Christmas movies 2023. I loved the story, the cast, the humor, and the overall vibe of the movie. Each character has a special reason for needing to get to Denver, and those stories make the movie extra special because it's more than just one storyline to enjoy.
• Christmas in Notting Hill 11/25/23 stars Sarah Ramos as Georgia and William Moseley as Graham, a UK football player (aka soccer) who is home for the holiday while recuperating from an injury. While home, he meets Georgia, who is visiting her sister for Christmas. An OK movie. I always love a good UK movie because of the charm of the country, but there was something lacking with this movie.
• Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up 11/25/23 is a follow up to the 2022 Hallmark Christmas movie Haul Out the Holly. This movie has a great ensemble cast that includes Stephen Tobolowsky, Melissa Peterman, Ellen Travolta. Plus, Lacey Chabert as Emily and Wes Brown as Jared. These movies center around a neighborhood with strict Christmas guidelines. I like the original Haul Out the Holly movie more, but this year's was OK. I don't think these movies are for everyone. They break away from the Hallmark formula which for me makes them refreshing, but others (like my sister) may not enjoy them.
• Our Christmas Mural 11/26/23 stars Alex Paxton-Beesley as Olivia and Dan Jeannotte as Will. Both artists compete the the town's art contest to see who will paint the new Christmas mural for the town. I found this movie OK, but one that I could have easily skipped.
• A Biltmore Christmas 11/26/23. With Bethany Joy Lenz and Kristoffer Polaha in the lead roles, I knew before watching this one that it would make my best Hallmark Christmas movies 2023 list and the movie lived up to my expectations.
• My Norwegian Holiday 12/1/23 stars Rhiannon Fish (JJ) and David Elsendoorn (Henrik). After stealing her drink at the local cafe, and being dumped by his assistant leaving him with an extra ticket to Norway; Henrik invites JJ to use the ticket, and her academic advisor urges her to go on the trip to pay homage to her late Grandmother and get inspiration for completing her dissertation. This is a quietly good movie. Meaning, it doesn't have over the top scenes. It's loaded with Norwegian traditions, a charming Bergen village, and a wonderfully refreshing cast of new faces for Hallmark
• A Not So Royal Christmas 12/2/23 Oh Hallmark, Hallmark, Hallmark. What a way to waste the talents of Brooke D'Orsay and Will Kemp. Are we really supposed to believe this far fetched royal story with Will Kemp pretending to be a Count? Brooke is one of the best and I'm sad that Hallmark burdened her with carrying this story. Luckily she makes it bearable, but I still can't recommend it.
• Christmas with a Kiss 12/3/23 is a Mahogany Presentation starring Mischael Morgan (Mona), Ronnie Rowe, Jr. (Dez) and Jaime Callica (Fletcher). Mona returns home for the holidays to help her family run their annual Christmas Carnival. During her visit she reunites with her high school boyfriend Fletcher. And, has feelings for Dez, the journalist who is doing a story on her family's carnival. This one was kind of a slow burn for me. While it got better as it went along, it's not a great movie. If you have to fight to sit through a movie until the end, then it's probably not worth watching.
• Magic In Mistletoe 12/8/23 stars Paul Campbell as Harrington, an author who made his hometown popular with his Magic in Mistletoe book series. The problem is that Harrington hates the way the publicity has commercialized his town so he stays away. But when he posts a negative comment on social media, his publicist April (Lyndie Greewood) forces him to go home and repair his image. I enjoyed the story, performances, and Christmas charm on display in this movie.
• Christmas on Cherry Lane 12/9/23 has a huge cast, including Catherine Bell, James Denton, Jonathan Bennett, and Erin Cahill. Great acting and chemistry with everyone in this movie. The problem I had was I felt the story was disjointed and doesn't all come together until the last 5 minutes. Yes, we learn fairly early on that this movie covers different timeframes for the stories it tells about families living on Cherry Lane. But when you try to tell 3 different stories in 84 minutes, I think it's hard to go into the depth you need for each story. And, this movie just didn't pull at my heart strings the way the best Hallmark Christmas movies of 2023 do.
• Round and Round 12/10/23 is an entertaining Hanukkah themed movie starring Vic Michaelis (Rachel), Bryan Greenberg (Zach) and Rick Hoffman as Rachel's Dad. When Rachel gets stuck in a time loop and keeps reliving the 7th Day of Hanukkah, Zach is the one who helps her figure out how to break the loop. I always love the Hallmark Hanukkah movies as they are usually so special. While the time loop story may not have been my favorite, I did still enjoy the movie and I loved the cast. Please Hallmark, give us more Rick Hoffman. This was too small a part for him.
• The Secret Gift of Christmas 12/15/23 stars Meghan Ory as Bonnie, a personal shopper who helps Patrick (Christopher Russell) find the perfect Christmas gifts for his clients, and daughter. Along the way, the single Dad learns how to enjoy the holiday again. And, bring back the Christmas traditions his daughter misses since losing her mother. I don't think this movie takes advantage of the talents of Meghan and Christopher, but it was still an enjoyable movie and I look forward to seeing Meghan in more Hallmark movies now that Chesapeake Shores has wrapped.
• Sealed with a List 12/16/23 was a really great way to end the 2024 Christmas movie season. Starring Katie Findlay as Carley and Evan Roderick as Wyatt, the movie follows Carley and Wyatt as they help each other change their lives. Carley wants to complete her list of New Year's resolutions by the end of the year, and Wyatt is a rich kid trying to figure out how to succeed without his Dad's money. I loved the chemistry between these two. What I enjoyed most about this movie is that it follows these two as their friendship naturally develops. They each bring out the best in each other, which is what we should all hope for in the person we love.
• Friends & Family Christmas 12/17/23 was the last Christmas movie on the Hallmark Channel. I thought the movie was OK. I think that Ali Liebert and Humberly Gonzalez did a nice job as women pretending to be together to appease their parents, but of course in the end they did of course fall in love. Very predictable, but what else would you expect?

Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Christmas Movies

• Ms. Christmas Comes to Town 10/26/23: Really like this one. See below for why I added it to the best Hallmark Christmas movies 2023 list.
• My Christmas Guide 11/2/23: Starring Amber Marshall and Ben Mehl, I loved the story. The head of a guide dog training program works with a new client to show him how a guide dog can help him thrive after losing his vision. A nice one to watch, but can't compete with Guiding Emily, which is a similar story and much better.
• Mystery on Mistletoe Lane 11/9/23: See below to find out why I put this on my best Hallmark Christmas movies 2023 list.
• A World Record Christmas 11/16/23: Starring Nikki DeLoach (Marissa), Lucas Bryant (Eric) and Aias Dalmon as Charlie. Charlie is a boy with autism who hopes to break a Guinness World Record by building the biggest Jenga tower. His inspiration for this goal is that he feels like if he gets the world record, his biological Dad will come see him. Nikki is one of my favorite Hallmark stars. And as a mother of a child on the spectrum, I had really high aspirations that this one would make my list of the best Hallmark Christmas movies 2023. I don't think it hit the mark for being the best, but I did enjoy it and was moved by the ending.
• A Season for Family 11/22/23 stars Brendan Penny (Paul) and Stacey Farber (Maddy) as parents of adopted boys who become fast friends when Maddy and her son visit the ski town where Paul and his son live. In addition to a budding friendship between the boys, a bond also forms between Maddy and Paul. Paul is coping with the loss of his wife, while Maddy is trying to honor her son's Christmas wish to meet his biological brother. The cast, the story, the gorgeous ski town, all great reasons to watch this movie. It's one that I enjoyed.
• Time for Her to Come Home for Christmas 11/30/23 stars Shenae Grimes-Beech as Carly, a music teacher who takes a holiday job helping a church choir get ready for their Christmas Eve performance. Chris Carmack plays Matthew, a soldier who is back home after his tour of duty in the Army. This is the 3rd Hallmark Christmas movie that's part of the “time to come home” premise. I thought that I would be tired of it, but each movie is very different and I really enjoyed this touching story. It was very closing to making my list of best Hallmark Christmas movies 2023 just because I was moved by the story. But ultimately I don't quite think it rises to that level.
• To All a Good Night 12/7/23 stars Kimberly Sustad (Ceci) and Mark Ghanime (Sam). When Ceci saves Sam's life after a motorcycle accident, the two re-connect as Ceci tries to find out why Sam is in town. She worries that he's there to purchase the land left to her and her step-mother. To All a Good Night is a beautiful movie and one that I've put on my list for the best Hallmark Christmas movies 2023.
• Heaven Down Here 12/14/23 follows four strangers as they get stranded in a diner on Christmas Eve as they ride out a snow storm. Krystal Joy Brown plays Imani, a single mother of 2 who is struggling after her husband's death. Juan Riedinger is a pastor whose parish is struggling and he doesn't have the donations needed to fund his annual Christmas dinner for those in need. Phylicia Rashad plays an unhappy woman whose hospice nurse Clara (Tina Lifford) is determined to help reunite the woman with her daughter. This is a touching movie that proves that it doesn't take a lot of glitz and glamour to make a good Christmas movie. Sometimes the most touching ones forego the clutter and just focus on the people.
• Miracle in Bethlehem 12/21/23 was the final Christmas movie to air this year and of course Hallmark saved one of their best for last. This was a special movie and deserves its spot on my list of the best Hallmark Christmas movies 2023.

Best Hallmark Christmas Movies 2023

Now that all 40 movies have aired on both the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, my list of the best Hallmark Christmas movies 2023 is complete!

After the first two weeks of movies, I was afraid there weren't going to be many movies that were worthy of being on my best Hallmark Christmas movies 2023 list. That's not unusual. October is usually a time for Hallmark to roll out movies that fall into the good category, but not great.

Hallmark kicked off the new season with Checkin' It Twice. This hockey themed movie was a lot of fun and was a great way to start the 2023 holiday season. So while I wouldn't put it into the category of being one of the best, I would say that it was one of the more enjoyable Christmas movies that aired in October.

Here's a look at the movies that I thought were the best Hallmark Christmas movies for 2023. The list of course is subjective. These are movies that I enjoyed, would watch again, and I think are worthy of your time.

A Biltmore Christmas

A Biltmore Christmas is my #1 pick for the best Hallmark Christmas movies 2023 has to offer. You can read my full review here, to see why this one is so special.

Miracle in Bethlehem PA

While I'm not ranking the movies that made my list of the best Hallmark Christmas movies 2023, I will at least acknowledge that my top two are A Biltmore Christmas and Miracle in Bethlehem PA.

Miracle in Bethlehem PA is essentially a modern version of the story of Jesus. I loved this heartwarming movie and recommend that any Hallmark movie fan put it at the top of the list for a must see Christmas movie. Read my full review.

Ms. Christmas Comes to Town

Starring Barbara Niven, Brennan Elliott, and Erica Durance, based on the cast alone I knew I was going to like this movie. But the storyline is one that may turn you off and make you think it will be a downer.

Barbara Niven plays Ms. Christmas, a shopping channel host diagnosed with terminal cancer. Her wish is to do one last Christmas season on the air, and to do it by going on the road to visit her favorite locations around the country.

This movie was anything but a downer. It of course will pull at your heart strings, but more than anything it's about celebrating life, the people you love, and spreading happiness to others. A great message, especially during the holidays.

Mystery on Mistletoe Lane

Starring Victor Webster (David) and Erica Cerra (Heidi), the Hallmark Christmas Movie Mystery on Mistletoe Lane is an enjoyable Christmas mystery.

When Heidi moves into Mistletoe Manor, her children stumble upon an old scavenger hunt that had been set-up by a previous owner. David's Dad has a connection to the historic home, so he gets involved and it turns into a multi-generational quest to finish the hunt.

There's no murder to solve in this mystery, but that doesn't make it any less appealing. In fact, probably more so. We get to follow the clues and watch them navigate through the scavenger hunt.

Why have I included this on my list for the best Hallmark Christmas movies 2023? Because I'd watch it again. I think that's a good indicator for whether a movie is good or not. But then the question becomes, why would I watch it again?

I love the cast in this movie. I always love Victor Webster and he doesn't disappoint in this one. There's just a quiet ease about him that I really enjoy. And Erica was the perfect match for him.

But the supporting cast also made the movie. Sometimes multi-generational movies fall flat but the kids were really good in this movie. And, Fred Henderson and Mary-Beth Manning were a great fit playing the older generation.

On top of a great cast, this movie hits the mark with a good story. Not that it's a mystery in the traditional sense of the word, it is something that kept me engaged.

This Christmas movie is beautifully filmed and that's another reason why I enjoyed it. The Christmas decorations and the way they transformed the house to its former glory was something that made me nostalgic for my childhood.

A Christmas movie with a good story, great cast, and exquisite decorations? I think it's easy to see why this was one of my favorites.

A Merry Scottish Christmas

A Merry Scottish Christmas was one that I had high hopes for. Starring Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf as estranged siblings Lindsay and Brad, I was excited to see these two in a movie together. Especially as siblings since that role comes naturally to them, going back to their time together on Party of Five.

But it wasn't just the casting that excited me about this movie, I was really looking forward to a Christmas movie set in Scotland. I figured that the movie would be filled with a beautifully decorated castle, a charming village, and wonderful accents. I am happy to report that the movie delivered on all fronts.

I really enjoyed this movie because the story was something different. While there is a romantic element to it (of course), the main focus is the relationship between Lindsay and Brad. Close as kids, they drifted apart as adults and their mother has brought them to Scotland partly in hopes of mending their relationship.

I also love a good destination movie, and this one hits the mark on that too. More successful than A Heidelberg Christmas or Joyeux Noel in my opinion. Maybe because I love castles, I love Irish music, and I love the Scottish landscape highlighted in the movie. So while I've never been to Scotland myself, A Merry Scottish Christmas transported me there, and I had a wonderful time.

I was so happy that this movie lived up to my expectations of landing on my list for the best Hallmark Christmas movies 2023.

To All a Good Night

Virgin River fans will rejoice at the addition of Mark Ghanime to the Hallmark family. Let's hope that he shows up in more movies for them. Mark and Kimberley are beautiful together and Kimberley delivers an authentic and moving performance as Ceci, a daughter grieving the first Christmas without her father.

Just as beautiful as the story, and the acting, To All a Good Night has breathtaking scenery and I loved the Christmas charm on display in this wonderful movie.

A Look Back at 2023 Christmas Movies

Now that all of the movies for the season have aired, this is the final list of the Best Hallmark Christmas movies 2023. I have to say that it was an amazing year for Hallmark.

There were so many really good movies this year, and I think that it was a great bounce-back year after Covid. The last two seasons of Christmas movies were definitely impacted by the pandemic, and the Christmas movies showed how the industry was affected. Stories were simpler, and the casts were much smaller.

The 2023 Christmas movies were the best in years, if ever. There were so many more internationally themed movies, which I always enjoy. There were so many more unique and interesting stories. And, the movies were filled with big casts, and dynamic supporting cast members too.

My fear is that the writers and SAG strike will impact the 2024 Christmas movies, but hopefully that's far enough away that Hallmark can rebound from the strike and deliver Christmas movies just as good as this year.

Visit the Hallmark Channel for more on their Hallmark Countdown to Christmas