Another weekend is here again with a mix of NEW Christmas Movie Premieres!
I personally can't wait to get swept off my feet with Great American Family's enchanting premiere of A Paris Christmas Waltz! This is one of those special movies I know many of us viewers have been eagerly looking forward to, as we've been awaiting this film for some time; in fact, it was on January 10, 2020, when we first learned the directing and writing duo, Michael and Janeen Damian, would be creating this film! Wow! Right? So much anticipation has been building since that time; I will share more thoughts on this movie at the end of this post.
In addition to Great American Family, the Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and UPtv...
Lifetime joins in the Christmas movie fun beginning this weekend with three classic Christmas movies airing on Friday, November 17th, A Welcome Home Christmas (a nice movie tribute for our military), A Christmas Village Romance (a sweet Christmas rom-com), and Grounded for Christmas (FYI- this movie does have some short yoga/meditation scenes, but they aren't too in-depth, as I recall, and it's a cute movie overall).
Lifetime's FIRST Christmas movie premiere for 2023, Christmas Plus One, airs on Saturday night, following a day filled with Christmas movie classics! The channel will also have a new premiere on Sunday night. At this time, it appears Lifetime may only be airing Christmas movies on the weekends, Friday through Sunday (with the exception of Thursday on Thanksgiving Day). Perhaps more will be added to their weekday schedule in December. We'll see!
For those of you who may be wondering about other TV networks joining in with holiday programming, see my update on this in my remarks at the end of this post.
Check out details on the Nine NEW Christmas Movie Premieres below...
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Thursday, November 16, 2023:
Synopsis: Charlie (Dalman) is an autistic boy determined to set a Guinness World Record by stacking 1400 Jenga blocks. His mother Marissa (DeLoach) and stepfather Eric (Bryant) encourage him to reach for his dream and they all celebrate when he gets the good news that he'll have his chance on Christmas Eve. In the spirit of the holiday, they organize a fundraiser giving the townspeople an opportunity to donate and decorate a Jenga block, with the proceeds going to benefit kids with autism. Charlie's journey to setting the Jenga world record gives them all the chance to learn more not just about themselves, but about what family really means.
Premieres Thursday, November 16, 2023
at 8pm/7c. on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries
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Friday, November 17, 2023:
Synopsis: Recently divorced Melanie (Hobbs) and her son Jason visit a remote island for Christmas, only to find themselves running a real working lighthouse where she connects with the curt but cute owner (Huszar).
Premieres Friday, November 17, 2023
at 8pm/7c. on the Hallmark Channel
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Saturday, November 18, 2023:
Synopsis: Can theater director Lila (Reynolds) rise to the challenge of putting on the perfect Christmas ballet, while also discovering her office Secret Santa in the process?
Premieres Saturday, November 18, 2023
at 8pm/7c. on Great American Family
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Saturday, November 18, 2023:
Synopsis: When estranged siblings, Lindsay (Lacey Chabert) and Brad (Scott Wolf) Morgan travel to Scotland at Christmas to reunite with their mother Jo, a big family secret is revealed.
Premieres Saturday, November 18, 2023
at 8pm/7c. on the Hallmark Channel
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Saturday, November 18, 2023:
Synopsis: When sisters Cara (Emily Alatalo) and Amy (Vanessa Smythe) make a pact to find their soulmates by next Christmas, they’re not expecting anything to come from it. However, one year later, Amy’s winter wedding is approaching, and Cara finally finds her own perfect man, Chase (Andrew Bushell), who agrees to attend as her plus one. But after immediately losing his number, all hope is lost. Will she find him in time to make her Christmas wish come true? Or does love have other plans for Cara when magazine writer Michael (Corey Sevier) signs on to help her in her quest?
Premieres Saturday, November 18, 2023
at 8pm/7c. on Lifetime
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Sunday, November 19, 2023:
Synopsis: It’s days until Christmas, and the Jameson Family are all off chasing their dreams. Tori and June are in Nashville recording their first album while Bones is home on the farm getting everything ready for the whole family to be together at Christmas. But when the sisters get a chance to be on a live Christmas Eve show, one that will supercharge their budding career, they are faced with a difficult decision; they could do the show and get a much-needed boost in the industry, but it means not spending a very special Christmas with their family. Added complications arise when Tori’s heart doesn’t know if she should choose an old flame or an old friend, and June is struggling with a long-distance marriage. In the end it’s remembering that family, faith and love is the answer to any big decision.
Premieres Sunday, November 19, 2023
at 7pm/6c. on UPtv
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Sunday, November 19, 2023:
Synopsis: A novice dancer (Jen Lilley) pairs with a professional (Matthew Morrison) to enter a renowned dance competition…in Paris! The next story in The Christmas Waltz universe, the highest-rated Christmas rom com of 2020, from Michael Damian and Janeen Damian.
Premieres Sunday, November 19, 2023
at 8pm/7c. on Great American Family
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Sunday, November 19, 2023:
Synopsis: After leaving London, Abby (Emily Tennant) connects with an anonymous caller while working at a cooking hotline. The caller is single dad 'John' (Niall Matter) who Abby unknowingly has become smitten with in real life.
Premieres Sunday, November 19, 2023
at 8pm/7c. on the Hallmark Channel
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Sunday, November 19, 2023:
Synopsis: During a business trip to Indiana, event planner Kayley (Kathryn Davis) and sports agent Brett (Olivier Renaud) find themselves unable to fly home for Christmas due to a terrible snowstorm. Determined to get back to New York by Christmas Eve, the two team up and try to make their own way home, but when the storm hits, they’re forced to seek refuge in the sleepy town of Redwood, Ohio; a place that ignites some much-needed Christmas magic in their hearts.
Premieres Sunday, November 19, 2023
at 8pm/7c. on Lifetime
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Christmas Programming across Various TV Networks:
For those of you who may be wondering about other networks joining in with holiday programming...
🌟BYU will start playing some of their classic Christmas movies beginning Thanksgiving week, including one of my favorites, Christmas Jars!
🌟As for ION, the network has had several new Christmas movie premieres in past years, typically beginning Thanksgiving weekend, but as I write this, the channel is still showing no signs of airing any NEW holiday movie premieres this year. ION will have a marathon of their classic Christmas movies the day after Thanksgiving.
🌟TBS and TNT are also airing Christmas classics once again this year; included this weekend are: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (caution PG-13), The Polar Express, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966), The Year Without a Santa Claus, and more!
🌟INSP will air some of their Christmas movies intermittently throughout the holiday season, including: Christmas in the Rockies on December 2nd and Christmas in the Smokies on December 3rd. You can also find INSP Films, such as Christmas on the Coast and Christmas in the Smokies, airing on The Cowboy Way Channel and Great American Family.
🌟AMC will air Christmas with the Kranks on Sunday, November 26th, and will follow on Monday, November 27th, with lots of wonderful, cherished Christmas classics, including Rudolph's Shiny New Year, The Story of the First Christmas Snow, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (cartoon), Frosty's Winter Wonderland, Miracle on 34th Street, and White Christmas! These classics will also air throughout December!
🌟TCM will also be airing Christmas movie classics throughout the month of December, including these films: Tenth Avenue Angel, Love Finds Andy Hardy, It Happened on Fifth Avenue, Meet Me in St. Louis, Christmas in Connecticut, Holiday Affair, A Christmas Carol and more!
🌟ABC is airing The Great Christmas Light Fight and CMA Country Christmas specials again this year, along with classics, Home Alone, The Santa Clause, and more!
🌟CBS will have Christmas cartoon classics: Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty The Snowman, Frosty Returns, Reindeer In Here, and more, plus their original Christmas movies from 2022 are encoring again this year.
🌟NBC will air Christmas in Rockefeller Center, Christmas at Graceland, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Christmas at the Opry, Dolly Parton's A Coat of Many Colors, Dolly Parton's Mountain Magic Christmas, Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love, and the beloved classic movie starring Jimmy Stewart, It's a Wonderful Life, which airs on Christmas Eve and more!
Weekend Christmas movie picks...
Whether you love old or new Christmas movies, there are always plenty to choose from.
As for the NEW Christmas movies this weekend, as I mentioned above, I'm especially looking forward to seeing A Paris Christmas Waltz, starring Jen Lilley and Matthew Morrison! I just know it's going to be extra special and magical, an instant-classic that will dance it's way right into our hearts! Knowing this film is a creation by real-life couple, Michael and Janeen Damian, already means it is top-notch quality, and I'm thrilled Great American Family is working with such wonderful, talented people. The Damians' previous works include fan-favorites: A Princess for Christmas, A Royal Christmas, Crown For Christmas, Christmas Waltz, A Hot Cocoa Christmas, etc... And I have a feeling A Paris Christmas Waltz will soon be a favorite, as well!
From Paris to Scotland, I think it's going to be wonderful to see Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf acting as brother and sister again, in Hallmark Channel's A Merry Scottish Christmas. I watched Party of Five off and on back in the day (mostly during the earlier seasons); it was quite the dramatic series, at times, and I recall my family and I thinking that little girl (Lacey) is such a good little actress. Who would have ever thought we would still be watching her all these years later. This will surely be a sweet reunion to see Lacey and Scott on screen together again!
Please share your Christmas movie picks for the weekend in the comments below.
Once again, I'm so thankful to Jane, Jim, and Jennifer R., for your encouraging words to give the streaming service FrndlyTV a try. It has made watching and recording Christmas movies so much easier and more enjoyable. I only wish I had done it sooner! If anyone else is interested in looking into FrndlyTV, you can read my post, which gives greater details on my experience with the streaming service, here: https://itsawonderfulmovie.blogspot.com/2023/01/how-streaming-service-frndly-tv-has.html
Please note: I haven't pre-screened the new movies listed above. If you'd like to post a review on whether a film is family-friendly, please share in comments.
Visit the *Christmas TV Schedule* for the dates and times of NEW Christmas movies airing in November and December.
You can find the NEW 2023 Christmas Movie Review post *here*.
God Bless Us, Everyone!
Praying for Peace,
Net
SHINING HIS LIGHT:
I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
~Psalm 121:1-4
