Consider this your jolly guide.
The holidays are a time for celebration. However, it can sometimes feel hard to get that jolly feeling when the sun goes down at 4 p.m. Luckily, there is always the glow of the television to keep everyone warm and cozy, full of seasonal offerings themed for the end of year celebrations like Hanukkah and Christmas. But with a genuine slew of films from Hallmark and Lifetime, not to mention multiple streamers hitting the holidays hard, what are some of the best options? Here are all the most exciting new holiday movies for 2021 to check out.
As more streamers get into the holiday game in the 2020s, the best selections are starting to get a little harder to find. Not so long ago, one could simply put on Lifetime and have everything sorted. But the good part about having so many more options isn’t just that there are more movies, but that the offerings are far more diverse. This year’s list includes multiple LGBTQ+ films along with stories about families of color and even a Hanukkah movie.
So, warm up the hot cocoa, grab your favorite blanket, and get snuggled up on the couch. Let’s run down 10 of the best choices to watch this holiday season and where to find them.
01
Love Hard
Nina Dobrev stars as a Los Angeles girl who thinks she falls for a rugged East Coast guy on a dating app. She flies across the country to meet him on Christmas, only to discover she’s been catfished the whole time by his nerdy and awkward childhood friend.
Love Hard is streaming on Netflix starting Nov. 5.
02
Adventures In Christmasing
In this fun, TV-based rom-com, Kim Fields stars as the glamorous talk show host Parker Baldwin sent by her network to spend three days in the wild with superstar survivalist Finn Holt (Adrian Holmes) over Christmas weekend.
Adventures In Christmasing is streaming on Paramount+ starting Nov. 29.
03
8-Bit Christmas
A nostalgia-laden take set in the 1980s, 8-Bit Christmas features Neil Patrick Harris reminiscing to his daughter about the Christmas he spent desperately trying to get one of the last Nintendo Entertainment Systems.
8-Bit Christmas is streaming on HBO Max starting Nov. 24.
04
Eight Gifts Of Hanukkah
In one of the few Hanukkah movies on the slate this year, Inbar Lavi stars as Sara, an optometrist who finds herself on the receiving end of a secret admirer. She must track him down as he sends a new present for each night of the holiday.
Eight Gifts of Hanukkah is streaming on Hallmark Movies Now starting Dec. 3.
05
Single All The Way
One in the small-but-growing group of LGBTQ+ Christmas romance films, Single All The Way is the classic tale of a guy, Peter, desperate to come home for the holidays with a new love interest, so his family doesn’t think he’s a loser. So, he persuades his best friend Nick to pose as his boyfriend.
Single All the Way is streaming on Netflix starting Dec. 2.
06
The Housewives Of The North Pole
With Bravo’s The Real Housewives brand a huge hit, Peacock has taken it a step further. The streaming service’s first holiday TV movie features actual Real Housewives star Kyle Richards alongside Betsy Brandt as “The Christmas Queens of North Pole, Vermont.”
The Housewives of the North Pole is streaming on Peacock starting Dec. 9.
07
Christmas… Again?!
A Disney Channel original movie, Christmas .... Again?! is the groundhog day of holiday films. Scarlett Estevez stars as the daughter of a divorcing family who wants a Christmas do-over, only to find she’s stuck on Christmas Day until she gets it right.
Christmas .... Again?! is streaming on Disney+ starting Dec. 3.
08
Under The Christmas Tree
Elise Bauman stars in Under The Christmas Tree as Alma Beltran, who meets cute with Tattiawna Jones’ Charlie Freemont. It starts when Charlie decides she’s found the perfect tree for the Maine governor’s holiday celebration, right in Alma’s backyard.
Under The Christmas Tree is airing on Lifetime starting Dec. 19 and streaming via Hulu to follow.
09
Silent Night
An awards contender that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, Silent Night stars Brit favs Keira Knightley and Matthew Goode. The two play a couple who, faced with the end of the world on Christmas Day, reunite with friends to celebrate the holiday in the comfort of an idyllic country home.
Silent Night opens in theaters and streams exclusively on AMC+ starting Dec. 3.
10
A Castle for Christmas
A Castle for Christmas stars 1980s favorites Brooke Shields and Cary Elwes in a holiday rom-com about real estate. Shields plays a best-selling author who escapes to Scotland for the holidays, only to fall in love with a castle, which happens to be owned by a cranky old duke who refuses to leave.
A Castle for Christmas is streaming on Netflix starting Nov. 26.
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