It List guide to holiday movies: The sweet and spicy seasonal films on Hallmark, Lifetime, Netflix and more

1 day ago 16

Getty Images

Holiday season has taken over TV and streaming. (Photo illustration: Alex Cochran for Yahoo News; photos: Getty Images)

Welcome to the It List Winter Guide, where we share our picks for the best in entertainment. Catch the weekly It List here for the latest releases that we can't wait to watch, stream, listen to, read and binge.

As we approach the end of 2024, a massive slate of new holiday films is inevitable. This year, they’re a bit spicier than usual.

While Hallmark and Great American Family tend to release more wholesome family fare, Lifetime and Netflix are embracing naughty and nice elements in their newest Christmas movies.

There are more than 100 new original holiday films this year across cable TV and streaming services, which might seem daunting, but Yahoo Entertainment is here to help you navigate the festive frontier.

Hallmark

Nothing ushers in the holiday season quite like a heartwarming Hallmark movie. The network knows this, of course, and plans to release 47 films (and four festive TV shows) between October and December. You’ll see plenty of familiar faces (and many familiar themes) in the days leading up to Christmas — a cozy tradition that feels like coming home for the holidays.

Hunter King and Tyler Hynes, wearing bright red and yellow team gear.

Hunter King and Tyler Hynes in "Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story." (Hallmark)

Our pick: Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story

When: Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story premiered Nov. 30.

What to know: A die-hard Chiefs fan and her family compete to win the Fan of the Year contest, but she falls for one of the team’s front-office employees along the way.

Rating: G

Stars: Hunter King, Tyler Hynes

Why I recommend it: Maybe you’re already aware that there’s a new Christmas movie based loosely on Taylor Swift’s relationship with Travis Kelce, but Holiday Touchdown comes from a fully authorized partnership between Hallmark and the NFL — and features real-life Chiefs players and Donna Kelce herself.

Here’s Hallmark’s full holiday film release schedule:

This Time Each Year (Oct. 24)

Operation Nutcracker (Oct. 25)

The Christmas Charade (Oct. 26)

The 5-Year Christmas Party (Oct. 27)

A Carol for Two (Nov. 1)

Our Holiday Story (Nov. 2)

Holiday Mismatch (Nov. 3)

Trivia at St. Nick's (Nov. 8)

Santa Tell Me (Nov. 9)

'Tis the Season to Be Irish (Nov. 10)

Christmas with the Singhs (Nov. 15)

Jingle Bell Run (Nov. 16)

Confessions of a Christmas Letter (Nov. 17)

A Novel Noel (Nov. 21)

Unwrapping Christmas: Lily’s Destiny (Nov. 21)

Christmas on Call (Nov. 22)

Three Wiser Men and a Boy (Nov. 23)

To Have and to Holiday (Nov. 24)

Christmas Under the Lights (Nov. 27)

Debbie Macomber’s Joyful Mrs. Miracle (Nov. 28)

Unwrapping Christmas: Olivia’s Reunion (Nov. 28)

A ’90s Christmas (Nov. 29)

Deck the Walls (Nov. 29)

Believe in Christmas (Nov. 30)

The Finnish Line (Dec. 1)

The Christmas Quest (Dec. 1)

A Dance in the Snow (Dec. 5)

Season’s Greetings from Cherry Lane (Dec. 5)

Private Princess Christmas (Dec. 6)

Sugarplummed (Dec. 7)

Leah’s Perfect Gift (Dec. 8)

All I Need for Christmas (Dec. 12)

Happy Holidays From Cherry Lane (Dec. 12)

Hanukkah on the Rocks (Dec. 13)

The Santa Class (Dec. 14)

Following Yonder Star (Dec. 15)

Trading Up Christmas (Dec. 19)

Deck the Halls on Cherry Lane (Dec. 19)

Happy Howlidays (Dec. 21)

Netflix

Some of Netflix’s new holiday movies are particularly spicy and shirtless this year, establishing a niche that stands out from Hallmark’s more family-friendly slate. Still, there’s a little something for everyone — from Sabrina Carpenter’s cheeky Christmas special to a thriller that just happens to be set during the holidays.

Dustin Milligan, shirtless with wool scarf, outside in the snow with strings of Christmas lights on the building in the background.

Dustin Milligan in "Hot Frosty." (Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection)

Our pick: Hot Frosty

When: Hot Frosty premiered Nov. 13.

What to know: A widowed restaurant owner accidentally brings a sweet and frequently topless snowman to life.

Rating: PG

Stars: Lacey Chabert, Dustin Milligan

Why I recommend it: Don’t let the silly premise distract you from how sweet and genuinely funny this movie is! Supporting cast members like Craig Robinson and Joe Lo Truglio kept me beaming the whole time.

Here are the rest of Netflix’s new 2024 holiday movies:

Meet Me Next Christmas (Nov. 6)

The Merry Gentlemen (Nov. 20)

Our Little Secret (Nov. 27)

That Christmas (Dec. 4)

A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter (Dec. 6)

Mary (Dec. 6)

Carry-On (Dec. 13)

Lifetime

Though Lifetime offers many of the tried-and-true classic stories in the same vein as Hallmark, the network has also been known to get a bit steamy. From the latest movie from the writer behind A Cowboy Christmas Romance to classic G-rated fare, Lifetime’s holiday flicks balance naughty and nice.

Sasha Pieterse, hands on hips, looks quizzically up at Mitchell Slaggert in his white T-shirt, in a large room surrounded by Christmas lights and wreaths.

Sasha Pieterse and Mitchell Slaggert in "A Carpenter Christmas Romance." (Lifetime)

Our pick: A Carpenter Christmas Romance

When: A Carpenter Christmas Romance premieres Dec. 21.

What to know: After facing backlash for hinting at killing off a beloved character, a novelist retreats to her family home, where she reconnects with a former crush who’s now a woodworker helping rebuild the town after a fire.

Rating: Not yet announced

Stars: Sasha Pieterse, Mitchell Slaggert

Why I recommend it: Though the carpenter question is neither Sabrina nor Jesus, the movie still involves my favorite trope of a city girl returning home and falling for a small-town boy — and writer Sarah Drew promises to kick it up a notch further than last year.

Christmas at Plumhill Manor (Nov. 16)

Holiday in Happy Hollow (Nov. 17)

Christmas in the Spotlight (Nov. 23)

Sincerely, Truly Christmas (Nov. 24)

Bebe Winans’ We Three Kings (Nov. 30)

Make or Bake Christmas (Dec. 1)

A Very Merry Beauty Salon (Dec. 7)

How to Fall in Love by Christmas (Dec. 8)

The Holiday Junkie (Dec. 14)

Christmas on the Alpaca Farm (Dec. 15)

Engaged by Christmas (Dec. 22)

Great American Family

The Great American Christmas lineup on the cable TV network is back for a fourth year, and this time, there are 16 new films. Bill Abbott, President & CEO of Great American Media, said the network stands out from others by offering faith-based films that embrace “the hope that the season transcends us all into our best selves.”

Danica McKellar and Oliver Rice in

Danica McKellar and Oliver Rice in "A Cinderella Christmas Ball." (Great American Family)

Our pick: A Cinderella Christmas Ball

When: A Cinderella Christmas Ball premiered Nov. 29.

What to know: A woman goes on a whirlwind trip to a small European country in search of more information about her birth parents but ends up becoming a dance instructor to a prince ahead of a very important ball.

Rating: G

Stars: Danica McKellar, Oliver Rice

Why I recommend it: It’s like Cinderella meets Princess Diaries with a Dancing With the Stars twist.

Christmas in Scotland (Oct. 19)

A Christmas Castle Proposal (Oct. 20)

A Vintage Christmas (Oct. 26)

The Fabric of Christmas (Nov. 2)

A Royal Christmas Ballet (Nov. 9)

A Christmas Less Traveled (Nov. 16)

A Little Women’s Christmas (Nov. 23)

Sleigh Bells and Sugarplums (Nov. 24)

Wreathmaker Christmas (Nov. 30)

Home Sweet Christmas (Dec. 1)

Once Upon a Christmas Wish (Dec. 7)

Get Him Back for Christmas (Dec. 14)

A Shelter and Season’s Greetings (Dec. 15)

Christmas by Candlelight (Dec. 21)

Coupled Up for Christmas (Dec. 22)

Other new releases

It’s not all Hallmark and Lifetime! Many streaming services and theaters have new holiday releases, too. BET+ is starting to make a name for itself with eight new seasonal movies this year — and let’s not forget the theatrical releases vying for a spot as new Christmas classics.

Linda Cardellini looks on, amused, in a field in winter, as Ben Stiller stares into the distance.