It is incredibly easy to find a Christmas movie to watch every day in December — between Lifetime, Hallmark, Freeform, and even Netflix, Santa-obsessed movie lovers are bombarded with about a hundred new Christmas movies each year, on top of all the classics already available. But despite also being a widely celebrated and popular December holiday, Hanukkah movies are much more difficult to come by. Although they require a bit more hunting, there are still some solid Hanukkah movies airing this holiday season that will bring the joy of the Festival of Lights to everyone. These are the 2018 Hanukkah movies that you should tune in for this year.
1. Hitched for the Holidays
Standing out from Hallmark's annual drove of Christmas movies was this 2012 Christmas-Hanukkah hybrid, which starred Joey Lawrence and Emily Hampshire (Schitt's Creek fans know her as Stevie Budd) as a pair who pretend to be in a relationship during the holidays to keep their nagging families at bay. But the arranged relationship hits some obstacles when the two have to juggle both Catholic Christmas and a Jewish Hanukkah celebrations to keep both families happy.
Hitched for the Holidays will air several times on Hallmark throughout December. It is next scheduled to air on Dec. 18 at 4 p.m. ET — you can check other airing times on Hallmark's website.
2. Full-Court Miracle
For Disney Channel fans, there is only one movie that comes to mind around Hanukkah. The network's sole nod to the Jewish holiday was its 2003 original movie Full-Court Miracle, which modernizes and retells parts of the Hanukkah story through an underdog youth basketball team in search of a coach.
Unfortunately, it does not look like Disney Channel has plans to air Full-Court Miracle this season, but fans can rent the movie and stream it on Amazon Prime, YouTube, or iTunes.
3. Eight Crazy Nights
Adam Sandler's 2002 animated comedy is probably the best known Hanukkah movie that we have — would you expect any less from the man that brought us "The Chanukah Song"? The musical cartoon centers on a drunken delinquent with a knack for ruining the holiday season, until he finally comes around to Hanukkah.
Freeform is airing Eight Crazy Nights as a part of its 25 Days of Christmas schedule. You can also stream it any time on Freeform's website.
4. The Prince of Egypt
Sure, The Prince of Egypt may not be a Hanukkah movie per se, but it is still the perfect movie to watch during the holiday season for its rich resonance with Jewish religious history and faith. The 1998 DreamWorks classic depicts the rise of Moses, a Jewish boy who was adopted by Egypt's rulers. With guidance from God, Moses leads the Jewish people out of their exile in Egypt and into the promised land.
And it is easy to watch The Prince of Egypt whenever you want because it is available on Netflix.
5. An American Tail
Another animated classic, An American Tail opens on a Hanukkah celebration at the Mousekewitz, as the family of rodents dream of someday coming from Russia to America. The 1986 movie dramatizes the tale of Jewish families who immigrated to America for a better life.
An American Tail is available to stream on Netflix.
6. Holiday Date and future untitled Hallmark movie
Although we do not have a lot of Hanukkah movies right now, Hallmark has announced its plans to add to the list next year with two upcoming Hanukkah-themed movies. One is called Holiday Date and the other has yet to be titled. Next holiday season, we will have even more Hanukkah films to check out.
