Happy weekend, friends! 🎄✨
There’s an extra special feeling in the air this weekend as we cozy up for another heartwarming round of Christmas movies filled with romance, mystery, and heartfelt tributes to our military heroes!
On Saturday... UPtv brings us "A Soldier for Christmas," a touching military story, while Great American Family debuts a new cozy mystery, "A Very Curious Christmas," starring Brittany Bristow and Olivier Renaud. Over on the Hallmark Channel, Erin Krakow and Tyler Hynes lift our spirits in "Christmas Above the Clouds."
The festive fun continues Sunday with "A Royal Christmas Manor" on UPtv and another touching military story, "Christmas of Giving," airing on Great American Family. And for those of you who love Christmas classics like I do, Hallmark Mystery is giving us a special military-themed marathon of past holiday favorites!
Plus, sleuthers, watch out for season 2 of "Mistletoe Murders," as it begins Friday night!
So... keep on scrolling below for all the times, dates, and details! Let’s unwrap this weekend’s Christmas lineup together! 🎁✨
Friday, November 7, 2025:
Cold War - Part 1
After a year of avoidance, Emily and Sam reunite to solve the disappearance of the school chess coach, triggering echoes of Emily's past. Violet hopes to attend the winter dance with her crush.
Cold War - Part 2
Emily goes undercover at the school to solve the chess coach's murder. Tensions rise when Sam suspects Violet's date, and the winter dance turns into a game of cat and mouse with the killer.
Premieres Friday, November 7, 2025
at 8pm/7c on the Hallmark Channel
Saturday, November 8, 2025:
Storyline: Hannah, a military widow and social media consultant, and her five-year-old daughter, Carmen, rediscover the joy of Christmas with Sergeant Ryan in a world forever changed, as they fight for healing and love.
Premieres Saturday, November 8, 2025
at 7pm/6c on UPtv
Saturday, November 8, 2025:
Storyline: A rising star reporter must uncover the identity of a local late-night bandit who has been stealing beautiful home Christmas displays across the city.
Premieres Saturday, November 8, 2025
at 8pm/7c on Great American Family
Saturday, November 8, 2025:
Storyline: "When workaholic CEO Ella Neezer (Krakow) tries to skip Christmas by flying to Australia, she's in for the flight of her life. Haunted by her past, present, and future, she's forced to confront the choices that led to her success yet left her flying solo. With the help of three quirky spirits and a surprise reunion with her ex (Hynes), she might just rediscover the magic of Christmas – and the love she thought she'd lost."
Premieres Saturday, November 8, 2025
at 8pm/7c. on the Hallmark Channel
Sunday, November 9, 2025:
Storyline: Prince Alexander of Fredonia escapes to a cozy inn hoping to experience a traditional American Christmas. Katie, who runs the inn, falls for him, completely unaware of his true royal identity.
Premieres Sunday, November 9, 2025
at 7pm/6c on UPtv
Sunday, November 9, 2025:
Storyline: "In Christmas of Giving, when a weary non-profit director (Tsai) faces dwindling donations and perceives she may be replaced just days before Christmas, the return of an old love (Williams) and a new and unexpected ally (Reilly) teach her that letting go may be the only way to save both her mission and her heart."
Premieres Sunday, November 9, 2025
at 8pm/7c on Great American Family
Sunday, November 9, 2025:
Thank You for Your Service
Movie Marathon
Hallmark Mystery honors our military just a few days before Veterans Day with a special marathon.
Holiday for Heroes - 10am/9c
Christmas Homecoming - 12pm/11c
The Christmas Note - 2pm/1c
Once Upon a Christmas Miracle - 4pm/3c
Note: Most of these patriotic movies will also air on Hallmark Mystery on Veterans Day. Plus, other channels will also be airing miltary-themed movies on Veterans Day, as well. I'll be sharing that list on Monday... so stay tuned!
I hope you all find a special Christmas movie to relax with and enjoy this weekend!
I'm going to record all the new Christmas movies on Frndly TV, but the main one I'm going to watch first is "Christmas of Giving," since it is military-themed and Veteran's Day is in a few days. How 'bout you? Which movie will you watch first?
Please note: I haven’t pre-screened the NEW movies mentioned above, so if you watch and would like to share your thoughts, please stop back by and leave a review in the comments. I always love hearing what you think.
Special Links:
Visit the *Christmas TV Schedule* for the dates and times of NEW Christmas movies.
You can find the 2025 Christmas Movie Review post *here*.
And you'll find the Christmas Movie List by network *here*.
Wishing you all a wonderful, carefree weekend filled with joy and Christmas cheer. Happy movie-watching!
Joyous Christmas Blessings,
Net🌟
SHINING THE LIGHT
OF CHRISTMAS
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
~Mark 10:45
"I can do all things through Christ
which strengtheneth me."
which strengtheneth me."
~Philippians 4:13
So excited for this weekend! I am definitely watching Mistletoe Murders, A very curious Christmas, Christmas above the Clouds, and Christmas of Giving. And finally putting up my tree and decorations this Sunday after church 😊
ReplyDelete~Paula
Paula, Happy decorating! It's always so fun while watching Christmas movies, isn't it?
DeleteEven though my Christmas tree is up, I have a few other Christmas touches to do around the house - so we'll still be decorating together!!! Enjoy the movies!!! :)
Veterans Christmas Movies
ReplyDeleteA Veteran's Christmas" (2018)
Time for You to Come Home for Christmas
A Homecoming for the Holidays
The Christmas Card (2006)
Operation Christmas
Home for Christmas Day (2017)
Nice to see all these military movies for our Veterans.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful weekend!
ReplyDeleteI’m excited to see Erin Krakow & Tyler Hynes reunited again, and I’ll be watching the GAF movies, too!
ReplyDeleteAllie B, Me, too! I think Erin and Tyler have a great connection on screen. And I agree... both GAF movies look great! Happy watching! :)
DeleteChristmas above the clouds. Not really a good adaptation of a Christmas Carol in my opinion. Everything seemed rushed. Not a lot of true feelings. Ok for a one time watch.
DeleteI’m not watching Christmas Above the Clouds at all.
DeleteI loved Christmas Of Giving! It was full of wonderful messages of charity, community, accepting help, and support for the military. The pairing and their story of past love was very sweet and Clara was so lovely in her eagerness to help! Definitely worth a watch! I look forward to rewatching on Sunday!!
ReplyDeleteMoreThanAHopefulRomantic, Thank you for sharing this early review for "Christmas of Giving." It's wonderful to hear how much you enjoyed this movie!
DeleteI’m looking forward to seeing Erin and Tyler’s movie!
ReplyDeleteThank you to all of you who have left movie reviews throughout the week, and I'm looking forward to your thoughts on this weekend's new movies, too!
ReplyDeletePlease know you can leave a review on any of the new Christmas movies- it doesn't have to be just from this weekend. I know we're all watching at our own pace.
Quick Note - If you could please mention the Movie Title first and sign your Name or Nickname at the end (even if you have an account), that would be most helpful.
Happy watching, everyone!
The Movie Review Page has been updated with all of the latest reviews. See here:
https://itsawonderfulmovie.blogspot.com/2025/10/its-a-wonderful-movie-christmas-tv-movie-reviews-2025-great-american-family-hallmark-channel-uptv-lifetime-streaming.html
Hi Net! So grateful for all you do! :) I'm looking forward to the military theme marathon, but I wonder why Hallmark has stopped airing fan favorite The Christmas Card? It's one of Hallmark's most popular movies, but it's been missing from the Christmas schedule for the last few years..
ReplyDeleteThank you again Net!! God Bless!
Susan
They no longer hold the licensing rights. They let several movies expire that they had co-productions or acquisitions licensing with from when they were a much smaller network.
DeleteThe Christmas Card is/was supposed to air on Hallmark Family - it’s haven’t aired since…
DeleteThe older movies like A Christmas Visitor, etc…
I could be wrong, but I believe The Christmas Card aired on the PixL Channel last Christmas. Does anyone else remember this?
DeleteAnyway, I hope one of the channels airs it sometime this Christmas. The Christmas Card is one of my cherished favorites of the past, along with A Boyfriend for Christmas!!!
Susan, I also wanted to thank you for your sweet words! I'm so glad you enjoy your visits here! Blessings to you!!! :)
DeleteThe Christmas Card is streaming free on Xumo Play - Florence
DeleteIt looks like A Boyfriend for Christmas is also streaming for free on Xumo Play. I think I'm going to try and watch it, along with The Christmas Card, since I don't remember ever watching either one. (I wish it was airing on Pixl, instead of Xumo, so I could record with FrndlyTv and watch at my leisure.)
DeleteAlso, as an aside, I finally started watching some of this year's Christmas movies and I'm noticing that GAF is running more ads from businesses and organizations that I don't usually see running ads. Some of them are targeted local businesses (and even a local prestigious private Catholic high school for boys) and some of them are national businesses/organizations. Unfortunately the annoying drug company ads are still the major ad support for all our holiday movies (it's sad to say, but we probably wouldn't have cable or streaming tv without pharmaceutical dollars!!), but I intend to reach out with emails to all those other companies and thank them for advertising on GAF and to support them with purchases when I can; and I also plan to try and reach out to the GAF advertising team and thank them for thinking outside the box and getting creative and going after alternative advertising dollars (I imagine there’s even more untapped potential out there for ad money from organizations that are family-friendly or, at the least, want to appear family friendly).
~~Jane
A Very Curious Christmas was very good. -Maria
ReplyDeleteA Soldier for Christmas is clean (with a few violent scenes included and 1 swear word). -Maria
ReplyDeleteMaria, thank you for these wonderful reviews!!! So appreciate you sharing!!! :)
DeleteIs christmas above the clouds clean/ family friendly?
ReplyDeleteOh wow~I had no idea! Thank you for letting me know! I thought I was simply missing it! Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteReview: Christmas Above the Clouds -
ReplyDeleteFamily-friendly? It appears that the two main characters may live together before and during their engagement, but nothing certain -
Recommend? Yes -
A Christmas Carol is one of my favorite Christmas stories and films (the b&w Alistair Sim version). This movie modernizes the story, and it does it in a clever way. At times it simply updates A Christmas Carol, other times it spoofs it, but it is a fun journey all the way. lt also has references to It's a Wonderful Life, so if you are familiar with the story and storylines from these two movies, you will probably appreciate this film even more. And you may even shed a tear at the end! Tyler is good, but Erin's performance really stands out, and the chemistry between these two is once again wonderful. For me this one's a keeper and one I know I will be revisiting.
Mark 25 - I enoyed reading your review of Christmas Above the Clouds - thank you so much for sharing! I’m thrilled it has nods to both A Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life (my all-time favorite!!!)! I definitely wasn’t expecting the latter, so that is such a fun surprise!
DeleteAnd thank you for the heads-up... I’ll be sure to keep a tissue handy near the end. Glad to know - you think it’s a keeper!!! :)
Christmas of Giving is definitely 1 of the best movies of the year! -Maria
ReplyDeleteMaria, So glad you loved it!!! :)
Delete'Christmas of giving' is a very beautiful and inspirational story of faith, family, community, and finding strength in others. It's a story of giving to others your love, kindness, time. Not to live for yourself, but for others. Especially those in need. Christ became poor for us so we become rich in Him. He gave all of Himself to us, and now it's our turn to give all of ourselves to Him, serving those around us.
ReplyDelete*Oksanka*
Oksanka, What a truly beautiful review about Christ and service. I'm so glad this movie touched your heart. Thank you for sharing with us.
DeleteBlessings to you this Christmas season! :)
Hi Net!
ReplyDeleteI will be adding my reviews sometime this week. Please know I only plan on reviewing the Christmas movies I enjoyed and actually finished. No negativity from me during this Christmas season. I am doing my best to stay positive as I continue to grieve the loss of my dear friend. I will say there have only been a handful of movies that my husband and I really loved so far. There are several we did decided to skip based on reviews and or story-line content. But, on a positive note: the ones we did finish we liked a lot. I am still getting caught up but I wanted you to know that I will be posting reviews on the following movies: "Merry Christmas, Ted Cooper!, "A Christmas Prayer", "Christmas in Midnight Clear" , "A Newport Christmas" and "Christmas Above the Clouds". In addition, I will be posting a review of Season 1 and Season 2 (so far) of Mistletoe Murders and also the non-Christmas movie "The Five Date Rule". I hope everyone here is doing well.
Joan
Joan, How wonderful to hear from you! I love that you'll be sharing positive reviews with us. That sounds lovely... what a wonderful way to uplift your spirit.
DeleteI always enjoy reading your reviews - so I'll look forward to hearing your thoughts. I’m glad to hear you and your husband have found a handful of movies you’ve truly enjoyed. Sometimes it only takes a few special stories to brighten the season.
Please know... I'm still keeping you close in my thoughts & prayers. Love you, my sweet friend! Thank you again for being here and sharing so thoughtfully. God bless you, honey!
Praying for you Joan! And I do the same, I normally just share the movies I enjoyed. Also because most of the time if I don’t like a movie I just stop watching within the first 30 min and delete it. I have too many recorded to watch all the way through if it’s falling flat. Sometimes I’ll go back if a particular one got a lot of good reviews. I’m happy you and your husband are still finding ones you are enjoying- they are playing a lot of older good ones on reruns!
Delete~Paula
Joan-just wanted to say I am so sorry to hear you are grieving the loss of a dear friend. I know the holiday season can be especially difficult when we have lost those close to us. Prayers for you, ~LR
DeleteHi Net,
DeleteYou are so sweet! Your message made me smile! Thank you so very much for your kind words and prayers and blessings! You always bring such light and joy to me and even though we have never met, you have become such an important person in my life. :-)
Hi Paula,
Thank you so much for the prayers too! Glad to hear I am not the only one who stops watching after the first 30 minutes and deletes movies that I don't enjoy. And, I honestly don't like posting negative reviews. Positive reviews are so much better. Anyway, yes, we did find several good ones this season to watch. My reviews will be added today.
Hi LR,
Thank you so much too for your kind words and prayers. Yes, the holiday season can be difficult when we are grieving. This is my first Christmas without my dear friend in almost 30 years. I still find myself wanting to call her, or text her or email her with news that I want to share.
Hi Net,
DeleteHere are the reviews I promised! I had to break these up because my comment was too long.
Part 1 of my reviews.
“A Christmas Prayer”
I absolutely loved A Christmas Prayer! Everything about the movie was perfect. I thought Shae and Christopher were great together and I enjoyed their first meeting. And it was wonderful sharing the movie with my husband since it had such a strong message of faith woven throughout. Plus, Christopher’s daughter’s wish list was so thoughtful and lovely. What a fabulous idea she had. Joan
“Merry Christmas Ted Cooper!”
This was one of my favorites of the Christmas season so far. It was funny and so cute. Robert was so good in the lead role. He was adorable and a breath of fresh air. He and Kimberly had amazing chemistry. Fun story line and Brendan Penny was sublime in his small role. He made me laugh out loud several times. We loved everything about this one and would watch it again for sure. Joan
“A Christmas at Midnight Clear”
This was another movie my husband and I really enjoyed. Yes, it did have a story line that had been used way too many times. But we could see past the cliched plot because it was such a fantastic movie. The entire cast was wonderful. Again, a strong focus on faith. The church was just beautiful even with roofing issues. Jon was great in his role. I have really grown to like him as an actor. I also liked the lead actress. Joan
Part 2 of my Christmas movie reviews
Delete“A Newport Christmas”
Time travel movies have always held a special place in my heart. I don’t know why, but I have found them intriguing my entire life. “Back to the Future” has been one of my all-time favorite movies since I was young. I never get tired of watching it. Anyway, I agree with several other reviewers. I thought the characters were charming and it was family-friendly for sure. Again, kudos for the movie being set where is was filmed. Gina and Wes were excellent and believable in their roles. Believable chemistry and great ending. My husband and I were trying to figure out how they would end the movie, and I have to say it was surprising but satisfying. Joan
“Christmas Above the Clouds”
Oh my! That was a joyous ride! I was pleasantly surprised by this one because the story line has been done so MANY times over the years. But the writers still found ways to make the plot fresh and added new layers to “A Christmas Carol”. It was funny, endearing, sweet, and sentimental. I LOVE Tyler and Erin as a couple. I have lost track of how many times I have watched “It was always you”! Erin and Tyler were just as good together in this movie too. They are a perfect match! This is another Christmas movie, from this season, I would watch again. Joan
Part 3 of my Christmas movie reviews:
Delete“Mistletoe Murders”
Let me just start out by saying my husband and I were hooked immediately from the very first episode. Sarah is perfect in her role as Emily. So many layers to her character! And her backstory is engaging. Plus, she and Peter have such incredible chemistry. I do agree that the kiss was steamy and uncomfortable to watch. Much more sensual than we are used to seeing on Hallmark. But, aside from that, my husband and I are enjoying the series immensely. The relationship between Violet and Emily is so sweet and endearing. The actress who plays Violet is so adorable. The town where the story is set is perfect. The character Sue is sarcastic but funny. The mysteries are engaging and not boring. I am already wishing for Season 3! Joan
“A Soldier for Christmas”
This sweet movie was a late addition that my husband and I watched after I posted my comment. Yes, the movie took time to ramp up, and I felt it was slow in parts, but the message was a good one. Again, faith was an integral part of this movie. And I enjoyed the relationship between the brother and sister. It is very believable. Again, it was nice watching a film that took place in the location where they shot it. Finally, the message of strong female friendship was refreshing. Every woman needs a female friend like that! I know from experience how important that is. Joan
Joan, Wow!!! Thank you for all of these wonderful reviews - and for writing them all so neatly with the titles and your name after each one! That's perfect! And seriously so helpful... I appreciate it so much!
DeleteI'm glad you enjoyed all of these movies + Mistletoe Murders. I've seen all but two - so I love hearing your thoughts on them.
What you said above about me being such an important person in your life truly touched my heart. I am so grateful for you, too, and our friendship here. Bless you!
I hope writing your movie reviews uplifted your spirits. Enjoy the new movies this weekend! :)
Hi Net,
DeleteYou are welcome! I am thankful what I said truly touched your heart! :-) And, it warms my heart knowing you are grateful for me as well. :-) And, you are welcome on the way I did my reviews. :-)
Yes, writing these reviews definitely boosted my spirits. It was a nice diversion for me to put my thoughts down and relive the moments I enjoyed from each one of these movies.
I am definitely looking forward to this coming weekend. The weather is going to be fantastic! My husband and I are going to do a day trip and visit an Abbey and Monastery near by. And of course, we will spend time watching some Christmas movies.
Finally, I realized I haven't posted my review of "A Five Date Rule" yet. I mentioned it but never added my review. I will do that over the weekend.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Christmas Above the Clouds Review
ReplyDeleteI am not a Christmas Carol/Dickens fan at all, but being a heartie I do love Erin Krakow. It was strange seeing her play the mean boss because of her opposite character personality Elizabeth. But Erin did a good job playing her part both in the mean and being really happy in love. It was family friendly and was cool being set on an airplane.
Review: A Very Curious Christmas -
ReplyDeleteFamily-friendly? Yes -
Recommend? Not really -
The description of this movie just didn't sound that interesting to me...and unfortunately the movie fit the description. I had a hard time getting into it - it just seemed to plod along. And the mystery itself has as about as many suspects as a Scooby-doo episode. Finally, Brittany and Olivier, along with the person playing the TV station manager, came across as too childish at times. A one-timer for me.
Mark 25, "Scooby-doo episode" -- hahahaha!!! Perhaps some good Scooby snacks while watching would have made it more entertaining?? 🤣 ~~Jane
DeleteMark your comment made me laugh out loud Lol. I remember watching Scooby Doo as a kid. Matthew Lillard was so funny as Shaggy.
Delete~Paula
Jane & Paula, glad I could make you laugh! And actually, I can do a voice impersonation of Scooby. Back in the day I had a business colleague who did a perfect Shaggy voice, and when he came to the office, we would walk the hallway doing Shaggy and Scooby! Yep, I'm more weird than you thought!!
DeleteOkay Mark we will have to battle with our Scooby impersonations 😂 my sisters and I do that to each other, if we are talking and the other doesn’t answer we will be like “rerrrroooo?” just like Scooby does 😂
Delete~Paula
I am finally starting to make a dent in my recordings. I watched Mistletoe Murders season 1 last year and really enjoyed it. It is not the “cozy mystery” I was used to from Hallmark like in the older Murder She Baked movies or older Aurora Teagarden movies, but it keeps the interest with the acting, music selection and storyline. I watched the new Season 2 episode 1 from
ReplyDeleteFriday and although I felt the mystery was pretty easy to solve, I enjoyed it. Family friendly from what I remember. It is always hard to answer that question because normally I pause a movie to get water, get a snack, one of my children wake up etc.
~Paula
Review: Christmas of Giving -
ReplyDeleteFamily-friendly? Yes -
Recommend? Borderline no -
I may be in the minority here, but for me, not every movie that has a religious theme, and/or airs on GAF, is automatically a winner. This movie has a wonderful message of a community coming together and looking out for each other. If only it had been presented better...much better. The story itself is rather boring, the lines spoken seem very AI-generated, and the acting by the three leads leaves much to be desired. It may be a watch for its message, but it is a struggle to get through it.
I just watched A Curious Christmas. It was clean, sweet and I like boith leads. But I was a little disappointed there was no reference to the true meaning of Christmas (Jesus). Unless I missed that? I watched while on the treadmill, so it's possible! ~LR
ReplyDelete