With Thanksgiving finally over and Christmas around the corner, families are starting to celebrate their beloved holiday traditions, such as blasting festive music or decorating their house. But one of the best things to do this holiday season is to sit down with family and watch cheesy Christmas movies, ones that go under the umbrella of  “Hallmark” even if they are made by other channels.  

Hallmark made 40 holiday movies this year, 136 movies overall and is usually the first platform people think of when they want to watch Christmas movies. Lifetime and Netflix are also strong competitors in the lucrative and booming holiday movie industry. Here are the ten best “Hallmark” Christmas movies that everyone can enjoy. 

“My Christmas Love” (2016)

This 2016 Hallmark movie follows a perky and hopeless romantic author, played by Merideth Hagner, who receives gifts each day from the popular song “12 Days of Christmas.” As she scrambles to find the anonymous person that is sending her these presents, she finds true love in the process. This movie keeps the viewer on their toes, as no one knows who the mysterious gift-giver is. With a heartwarming twist at the end, “My Christmas Love” is sure to be a family favorite that everyone can enjoy.

“Mistletoe Promise” (2016)

One of the best tropes for Christmas movies (and rom-coms in general) is when two strangers pretend to date to trick their families, and then end up falling in love. This trope is done perfectly in “The Mistletoe Promise,” where two strangers who hate Christmas decide to couple up to get through the dreaded holiday season. The viewer gets to watch the relationship gradually build, and this movie is perfect for the fans of “To all the Boys I’ve Loved Before” and Netflix’s newest holiday rom-com, “Holidate.” 

“Nine Lives of Christmas” (2014)

This major hit from Hallmark focuses on the relationship between a fireman and dedicated bachelor (Brandon Routh) and an overworked and single veterinary student (Kimberly Sustand). 

When Routh’s character adopts a cat and needs help, the unlikely pair bond and the viewer gets to watch as friendship turns into love. With a 7.2/10 rating from IMDB, “Nine Lives of Christmas” is one of the best movies produced by Hallmark.

“12 Gifts of Christmas”(2015)

Anna Parisi, a struggling artist (Katrina Law), turns to being a personal shopper during the Christmas season to generate some much-needed income. She starts working for an overworked businessman named Marc Rehnquist (Aaron O’Connell), and they slowly become infatuated with each other. Together they discover the true meaning of Christmas and change for the better. 

“Kristin’s Christmas Past”(2013)

Have you ever wished to be able to go back to the past and talk to your former self? This wish is granted for Kristin Cartwell (Shiri Appleby) when she falls asleep after a terrible Christmas party and wakes up 17 years in the past next to her teen self. Throughout this Lifetime movie, Kristin tries to fix her mistakes that led to her estrangement from her family to both fix the past and also stop her current unhappy and lonely future from happening. 

“A Dream of Christmas” (2016)

When a restless woman wishes that she never married her husband, an angel grants her wish and she becomes a single, successful woman that has almost all of her dreams come true – except she’s missing the love of her life. She realizes that single life is not for her and sets out to get her husband to fall in love with her for the second time. This movie preaches following your heart, and how ambition and true love can be tied together. 

“A Holiday Engagement” (2011)

After Hillary Burn’s boyfriend dumps her right before Thanksgiving weekend, she scrambles to find someone that she can show off to her demanding mother. She places an ad online and hires David, a struggling actor, to pretend to be her boyfriend. Together they must navigate the ins and outs of Hillary’s family, while also evaluating whether their fake relationship could mean something more. 

“A Bride for Christmas”(2012)

If you loved “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” then this movie is sure to be a family favorite. Aidan (Andrew Walker) takes a bet given by his friends that he could marry someone by Christmas. Unfortunately for him, Jessie (Arielle Kebbel), the girl he sets his sights on, is a perpetual runaway bride, having broken up three engagements already. Soon the relationship goes beyond the dare and Jessie learns that she should never settle. 

“A Royal Christmas”(2014)

The holiday season is never complete without another iconic trope of Christmas movies – finding out that you are dating royalty. A humble seamstress, played by Hallmark royalty herself, Lacey Chabert, is shocked when she finds out that her European boyfriend is actually the prince of a small country. When he takes her to his homeland she is met with hostility and anger from his mother, who does not want her son marrying a commoner. The viewer is taken on a ride through the tumultuous relationships in the castle, and is constantly on the edge of their seat wondering if love will truly prevail. 

“On the 2nd Day of Christmas” (1997)

This Lifetime throwback features a young Mark Ruffalo, who plays a kind security guard named Bert. After he catches Trish (Mary Stuart Masterson) and her young niece (Lauren Suzanne Pratt) pickpocketing in the department store he works at, he is forced to take them home and keep watch until Dec. 26, when Trish will be turned over to the police. Trish and Bert start falling for each other, and high jinks ensue when Trish’s criminal ex-boyfriend comes into the picture. 

With COVID-19 stopping many holiday traditions this year, create some new ones and settle in with family to enjoy all of these movies. These picks are sure to make you laugh, cry and believe in love and the spirit of Christmas.