30 of the Best Hallmark Christmas Movies That Are Sure to Make Spirits Bright

Boyfriends of Christmas Past is somewhat reminiscent of A Christmas Carol in that Lauren (Catherine Haena Kim) is visited by four of her ex-boyfriends ahead of Christmas. Each one shows her some of the errors of her ways when it comes to relationships, and gradually point her toward her best friend Nate Sagar (Raymond Ablack) who has been by her side through relationships, breakups, holidays, and everything in between. Lauren starts to get the full picture of where her future could be headed, and soon realizes that spending this Christmas with Nate could ultimately lead her to a future she's always wanted, but never realized she could have.

Historian Jessica Cooper (Elizabeth Henstridge) is one of the top researchers in her field. This Christmas, she's hired by the famed Plaza Hotel to decorate for the holidays. She can't do it all on her own, so she has to team up with decorator Nick Perrelli (Ryan Paevey). Together they delve into the iconic location's past, while creating the most epic holiday display the city has ever seen. Not only do they discover many unknown details about the Plaza, but they learn an incredible amount about each other along the way. The end result is so much more than Christmas decorations.

Averie (Chaley Rose) and Jesse (Rome Collins) were a star musical duo once upon a time. The two were at the top of their game before it all came crashing down, causing them to go their separate ways. Averie moved on to a new life as a small town innkeeper and leaves music firmly in her past. When Christmas rolls around, she decides to revisit music, and as fate would have it, Jesse enters her life again too. Through a bit of holiday magic, the two not only find a bit of themselves in each other, but they find their music again.

Bill (Treat Williams) and Phylis (Sharon Lawrence) are turning their home into a Christmas House for the season this year. They invite their adult sons Mike (Robert Buckley) and Brandon (Jonathan Bennett). What Bill and Phylis haven't yet shared with their kids, though, is that they plan to sell the house, and this big tradition from when the sons were little is their last hurrah. But what Mike and Brandon haven't yet shared is that they're both also going through some tough times. Together they reminisce about easier times while celebrating the joy of the holidays in the home they spent so many years in together.

Erin Chambers (Rochelle Aytes) is in charge of decorating the town for the holidays, which means it's up to her to source all of the festive decorations. Included in this is the tree that will be the focal point for the entire festivities. The spruce she wants just happens to be on the property belonging to firefighter Kevin Snyder (Mark Taylor), and he's not ready to let the tree go. She does her best to sweet talk him into giving in, knowing that the whole celebration is riding on this tree. But of course, Erin ends up getting so much more than just a Christmas tree.

Ryan Bellamy (Teddy Sears) and his daughter find themselves in sleepy Evergreen, VT, while making their way to the airport for a Christmas getaway. During this pitstop, they meet veterinarian Allie Shaw (Ashley Williams). Allie is getting ready to leave Vermont for Washington DC to reunite with her long-distance boyfriend, in hopes of rekindling their stale relationship. However, both parties' plans start to fall apart when they're unable to exit Evergreen due to a bit of Christmas magic and some unsuspecting Christmas wishes. There's a chance neither Allie nor Ryan will make it to their final destinations, and they might just be OK with that.

Directed by Mariah Carey, A Christmas Melody finds single mom Kristin Parson (Lacey Chabert) and her daughter, Emily (Fina Strazza), moving back to Kristin's small Ohio hometown after her big dreams in Los Angeles fell through. Coming back to her hometown, though, means coming face to face with people from her past, including her high school rival Melissa (Carey). With Sarah (Kathy Najimy) for moral support, Kristin learns to set differences aside for the holidays and tap into the true spirit of Christmas. It's Emily, though, who truly finds the spirit of Christmas when she asks her music teacher Danny (Brennan Elliott) to help her write a song for the holiday variety show.

Tom Langdon (Dermot Mulroney) is a journalist on the hunt for inspiration when he boards a train from Washington DC to Los Angeles during Christmastime. He's looking for a story idea to honor his late father, and hopes the trip will spark something within him. As the world passes by outside the windows, Tom gets to know the other passengers on board the train, despite his cynicism telling him to keep to himself. Among the people on the train is Eleanor Carter (Kimberly Williams-Paisley), who is not only a writer as well, but who also happens to be an old flame from Tom's past. The two spend time dancing around other people before finally finding their way to each other.

Dr. Lauren Brunell (Candace Cameron Bure) has big dreams for herself and they include big cities, too. But when she loses out on a highly coveted position at a Boston hospital, she ends up settling for a spot practicing in small town Alaska. While she initially arrives thinking this is just another position to add to her resume before moving on to bigger and better things, she soon starts to feel like this town is home. With the magic of Christmas surrounding her, Lauren not only falls in love with Alaska, but a handsome handyman named Andy (David O'Donnell) as well.

Lucy Ralston (Bethany Joy Lenz) and her siblings help her dad, Walter Ralston (Jay Brazeau) run his new bed and breakfast that was once their home. To drum up business and make the B&B seem more successful than it really is, Walter's kids pretend to be customers who are simply in love with the property. This is also a ruse to convince a famed travel writer (who's conveniently incognito) to grant the travel spot a glowing review. Lucy's tactics are slightly derailed, though, when handsome stranger Jake Finlay (Victor Webster) walks through the front door with some secrets of his own.

Architect Taylor Scott (Tia Mowry-Hardrict) is taking part in a contest where she has to build a huge gingerbread house. When her firm — who is also considering her promoting her if the contest goes well — links her up with a problematic baking partner that falls through, Taylor ends up collaborating with local baker and single dad Adam Dale (Duane Henry). While working through their project, Taylor gets to know Adam and his daughter, and slowly but surely opens up to a life she never thought she wanted or needed. Of course, the holiday spirit will do that to a person!

Renee (Donna Benedicto) is just a bride who wants what she wants for her wedding day. But when she decides right before her Christmas wedding that what she wants is a rare Jingle Bell Flower, her wedding planner Jessice (Julie Gonzalo) has to go on a wild goose chase all the way to Alaska to source them. She arrives in a tiny town, and her helpful driver from the airport, Matt (Ronnie Rowe), offers her a place to stay and a bit more for the holidays. She's eager to get home for the wedding, though, even if it means leaving Matt behind. But will she actually leave him behind?

Anna Jordan (Laura Osnes) is simply trying to be a good samaritan when she offers her home up to a stranded mother, Gabriella (Victoria Clark) and her son, James (Aaron Tveit), during a holiday blizzard. What she doesn't realize is that they're part of the royal family of Galwick. As Victoria and James settle into their holiday getaway with Anna, she shows them what her small town holiday looks like. Along the way, she urges the quiet royal prince to open his eyes to the world and open his heart to love. With a sprinkle of holiday cheer, James may just let his heart be free.

Jennifer Holloway (Mallory Jansen) and Aidan Walsh (Tyler Hynes) are both game designers on the same track for success. In fact, it's the exact same track and they're up for the same promotion that only one of them can seemingly get. Together they have to create a scavenger hunt during the holidays for their community. It's a romantic little game themed to the 12 Days of Christmas, and the end goal is to get people to a newly renovated hotel in Chicago. Over the course of the scavenger hunt, Jennifer and Aidan send people on romantic dates at local businesses. During this whole game, the two learn maybe they're not so incompatible after all.

When TV producer Maggie (Jessy Schram) falls for Danny (Chad Michael Murray), she's hoping for a bit of Hollywood magic. Danny, who is the former producer of his mother's annual Christmas special "Julia Wise Lifestyle," and his brothers have been living their own lives away from their mom, but Maggie wants to change that. She devises a plan for a reunion live on television, and to say it doesn't go well is an understatement. It's up to Maggie to make peace with Danny's family and show them what Christmas is all about — family, love, and most of all, forgiveness.

Detectives Tanya Morris (Tamera Mowry-Housley) and Ryan Anderson (Paul Campbell) are thrown together at work and absolutely do not get along. Each works with their own methods, something the other can't get on board with, leading to frustration, irritation, and distrust. But when Christmas falls, the two have to team up to track down the suspect in a string of art thefts. Their top suspect? Santa Claus, of course. Tanya and Ryan hole up in the house next to where the mall Santa lives for a stakeout. In trying to get to the bottom of the crimes, they not only learn more about each other, but about the man they're hoping to arrest.

Wall Street magnate Ben (Stephen Huszar) steps away from it all to purchase and run the Snowfall Inn, a quaint getaway he frequently visited as a child. As Christmas settles into this sleepy town, guests travel in from all over, seemingly after being invited by a mystery source. Among them is Sarah Thomas (Lacey Chabert), who is in the process of settling her deceased mom's estate. But as Ben starts to wonder how all his guests came to arrive at the inn, he notices they all had something in common with him, including Sarah. As the two try to get to the bottom of this holiday mystery, they end up sparking a connection brighter than Chistmas lights.