'Tis the weekend again, friends, and time for more NEW Christmas movie premieres!
Are you ready to take this ride?
You can see many favorite TV movie actors this weekend in new movies, including Candace Cameron Bure in her first of two new Christmas movies for Great American Family with Eric Johnson, When Calls the Heart's Kevin McGarry stars in a new holiday movie on Hallmark Mystery with Taylor Cole, while Andrew Walker and Ashley Williams are paired together in a new Hallmark Channel Christmas comedy, and Lifetime begins their launch of new Christmas movies this weekend, with one of the films starring Maria Menounos.
See details on these festive Christmas movies and more below...
Thursday, November 14, 2024:
Storyline: In order to earn her trust fund, Evie (Cole) is tasked with granting Christmas wishes to the people who saved her life on the night of her birth. To aid in her cause, she employs Kyle (McGarry), a handsome local attorney, to track down those who helped and attempts to secretly learn what they might want while maintaining her anonymity. With Christmas fast approaching, the heiress and the attorney can’t resist falling for each other's charms as they ramp up their gift giving efforts. But as time ticks down, will she be able to accomplish the mission and grant all of the wishes by Christmas Eve?
Premieres Thursday, November 14, 2024
at 8pm/7c. on Hallmark Mystery
Friday, November 15, 2024:
Storyline: For Asha Singh, Christmas is the most important time of the year. But when she's stuck working at the hospital during the holidays, she wishes for some much-needed Christmas magic. Enter Jake, her former high school classmate, who unexpectedly reappears in her life. After a magical year together, Jake proposes. But their first Christmas as an engaged couple isn't exactly the fairytale they imagined. When they head home for the holidays, they quickly discover their picture-perfect romance is about to get a serious reality check: their families couldn't be more different! Juggling various holiday traditions, big personalities, cultural differences and complicated family dynamics proves to be a challenge as Asha and Jake have to learn if they can bridge their two families and survive a Christmas with the Singhs.
Premieres Friday, November 15, 2024
at 8pm/7c. on the Hallmark Channel
Saturday, November 16, 2024:
Storyline: When an egotistical social media influencer's dog is kidnapped, her long-suffering assistant teams up with a charming local vet to find the puppy before Christmas. As the two investigate suspects, they form a romantic bond along the way.
Premieres Saturday, November 16, 2024
at 7pm/6c. on UPtv
Movie Review:
🎄 "Dognapped: Hound for the Holidays. One part early in movie is not family friendly. I deleted the movie so I don't know about the rest of it. The main actress is on a phone call with her mother about coming home for Christmas and bringing a friend to stay. The mother says "[She] can stay in your sister's old room, she can't come home this year because she's headed to Florida with her new girlfriend to meet her family". Main actress says "Ah! It must be serious.". And the mother says "Finally!! And are you seeing anyone special?" ~~Jane
Saturday, November 16, 2024:
Storyline: A local business owner finds an audio cassette in the player of her recently departed dad’s classic red truck. The message instructs Desi to go on a holiday road trip down memory lane where she meets a man who needs her help and who offers help in return.
Premieres Saturday, November 16, 2024
at 8pm/7c. on Great American Family
Saturday, November 16, 2024:
Storyline: Avery (Ashley Williams) is an unadventurous schoolteacher whose sister secretly signs her up for The Great Holiday Dash, a Christmas-themed reality competition show where she's paired with former hockey player Wes (Andrew Walker). Despite clashing at first, Avery's puzzle-solving skills and Wes' physical prowess help them excel as they travel from city to city and compete in festive feats that have a local flavor. It's not long before a real connection between these opposites begins to blossom. But when Avery overhears a conversation between Wes and a show producer it threatens to derail their budding romance. Keeping their eyes on the prize, the duo continues to dash to the finish line but there may be a more personal adventure for them still in store.
Premieres Saturday, November 16, 2024
at 8pm/7c. on the Hallmark Channel
Saturday, November 16, 2024:
Storyline: Margot Stone (Maria Menounos), a beautiful rising architect in New York, discovers a magical Christmas secret in an English countryside manor she unexpectedly inherits. Experiencing Christmas across the pond may make Margot a fish out of water, but an unforeseen romance (Kyle Pryor) and sense of belonging give her a breathtaking new blueprint for love.
Premieres Saturday, November 16, 2024
at 8pm/7c. on Lifetime
Sunday, November 17, 2024:
Storyline: Christmas in the English countryside wasn’t in Emma’s plans until her sister, Amy, plans her wedding for Christmas Eve. Dylan, Amy’s co-Christmas market owner, teams up with Emma to bring order to the whirlwind wedding.
Premieres Sunday, November 17, 2024
at 7pm/6c. on UPtv
Movie Reviews:
🎄 A Very English Christmas. Ugh. No. Couldn’t make it all the way through. This movie had almost everything I dislike about Reel One movies. Frustratingly horrible (!*@!*#!) sound issues – either too soft and muffled or too loud (Reel One needs to fire all their sound people!). Ridiculous story premise (but that could be said about many Hallmark/GAF/UpTv movies, as well). Loud music that, annoyingly, overpowers every scene (seriously, need new sound people). Lack of attention to detail – one minute it’s sunny and the next minute after walking one block away it’s pitch-black nighttime. Editing and filming need some help. Horrible acting, mainly by the lead actress. The whole thing just feels like it was written, directed and produced by a tweenager on an adolescent’s budget. The movie did have some nice Christmassy decorations at the craft market and most of the other actors were okay-ish. I think if they got a new lead actress and a new director, had an adult re-write and tighten up the script, and got rid of the technical issues, it could have been a cute low-budget film good for a one-time watch. Who knows? Maybe it got better in the second half? The part I saw was clean, except the sister getting married is already pregnant (so, oops). ~~Jane
🎄 A Very English Christmas - Dear, oh dear. oh dear. 90 minutes of utter boredom, slower than slow-pace, little happening , poor and stilted dialogue. Originally called Christmas in the Cotswolds (a hilly country region in England). Perhaps a Christmas market in a small settlement could be successful at the weekends with tourists etc but in cold and frosty weather it opened early in the morning - utter nonsense. Little chemistry between the leads and the female lead's half-sister whose wedding she has come to organise is already pregnant so not family friendly. I can only offer one piece of advice - if you get the chance to watch this - DON'T. - Florence's rating
Sunday, November 17, 2024:
Storyline: Firefighter Liam and quilting teacher, Amy, come together to make the perfect quilt for Liam’s sister’s Christmas wedding. Two headstrong people discover the importance of putting personal differences aside to create what is most important at Christmas.
Premieres Sunday, November 17, 2024
at 8pm/7c. on Great American Family
Movie Reviews:
🎄 Reel One's A Cozy Christmas Quilt is clean and very sweet. -Maria
🎄 A Cozy Christmas Quilt - This was a surprise - a low budget movie about a fireman and a quilting teacher joining up to make a Christmas quilt for the fireman's sister's wedding. Sounded like a sure-fire recipe for 90 minutes of boredom! But hey, the two leads Kyana Teresa (Amy) and Harmon Walsh (Liam) both previously unknown to me were perfect together with great chemistry.
It was engaging to se Liam try to keep on top of his burgeoning feelings. It started off nicely with friction between Amy and Liam as he had to fail Amy's premises in a fire inspection and there was a side plot of the business threatened with going under.
The movie was full of warmth and humour and the mechanics surrounding the production of the quilt turned out to be fascinating. A little bit different and an unexpected delight - Florence Rating 8.5
🎄 A Cozy Christmas Quilt. Completely agree with Florence - this was a thoroughly enjoyable movie! I was expecting a low-budget movie with typical audio issues and subpar acting, but this turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The acting, writing and directing were well done. (I looked up the director and it turns out he’s been the director on a lot of the bigger-name Hallmark/GAF movies.)
The actors were new to me but I thought they were all good, including side characters. The lead actress, Ferelith Young, was excellent; she was so natural and believable and sincere and warm - I never felt like I was watching someone act. And the lead actor, Harmon Walsh, is a cutie patootie, reminiscent of Kevin McGarry; the chemistry between the two leads felt realistic.
This whole production felt a bit more polished and mature than a lot of the “first-string” movies out there this year (and I appreciated that there was no ridiculous and overblown conflict or big misunderstanding between the couple). The sweet relationship between the brother and sister was a nice bonus.
This one would be a keeper if I had it on my dvr but right now it’s only available via streaming (previously it had been showing on XumoPlay but they took it off and as of January 2nd it’s now playing on the Roku channel – catch this cute movie while you can! Maybe also available on Amazon streaming?). Family friendly. ~~Jane
🎄 A Cozy Christmas Quilt – This movie is like a warm, cuddly blanket… it’s cozy, comfortable, and sweet! And it’s family-friendly, too!
Sparks fly the instant when Liam, a firefighter, and Amy, a quilting teacher, meet. Liam’s sister is getting married and he asks Amy to help him with the task of making a quilt for her wedding present. It’s a traditional wedding gift in their family, and Liam wants to ensure his sister has one on behalf of their deceased mother.
As Liam and Amy work together, it’s plain to see a romance is gently flaring up – as the two are obviously attracted to each other.
Amy is known for working with candles lit around her, which is a terrible fire hazard especially around fabric. I found it to be adorably cute and responsible how Liam would constantly go around blowing them out.
Both characters felt like such real, authentic people. Liam’s the kind of guy who would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it, and as far as being kind and giving is concerned, Amy seems to be cut from the same cloth.
This movie is one of those lighthearted, feel-good movies that leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. ~Net
Sunday, November 17, 2024:
Storyline: Settie Rose (Kinsey), a quirky family matriarch, enters her town's annual holiday letter-writing contest but needs help, so she hires struggling novelist Juan (Santos) to craft the perfect letter. When a mix-up leads to the rumor that Juan is engaged to Settie's daughter Lily (Lillian Doucet- Roche, The Cases of Mystery Lane: Death is Listening), the whole family scrambles to keep up the charade. As Juan bonds with the Roses and overcomes his writer's block, Settie learns that embracing her imperfect family is what truly makes her story special. *Features a cameo appearance by Brian Baumgartner (The Office)
Premieres Sunday, November 17, 2024
at 8pm/7c. on the Hallmark Channel
Sunday, November 17, 2024:
Storyline: Real estate developer Gracie's (Tamara Almeida) ambitious new project faces an unexpected roadblock when she stumbles upon a quirky detail from the past: the charming Christmas tree farm she has purchased once raffled off tiny one-foot deeds to local families, each holding a sentimental piece of the land. To salvage her vision, she must team up with local historian Jack (Cody Ray Thompson), embarking on a heartfelt quest to track down these families and persuade them to part with their cherished slices of the farm.
Premieres Sunday, November 17, 2024
at 8pm/7c. on Lifetime
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
Please share which Christmas movie you most want to see this weekend in comments below.
The two movies I'm most looking forward to seeing are A Reason for the Season and A Christmas Less Traveled. Both of these Christmas films appear to have an inspirational element, and those are the ones I usually love the most at Christmastime, the movies with depth and meaning that tug just a little at the heartstrings.
Please note: I haven't pre-screened all of the new movies listed above. If you'd like to post a review on whether a film is family-friendly, please share in comments. There are reviews above, however, for three movies: Dognapped: Hound for the Holidays, A Very English Christmas, and A Cozy Christmas Quilt.
Visit the *Christmas TV Schedule* for the dates and times of NEW Christmas movies.
You can find the 2024 Christmas Movie Review post *here*.
Happy Christmas Movie-Watching!
Net 🎄
SHINING HIS LIGHT:
"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."
Matthew 2: 1-2
"When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh."
Matthew 2: 9-11
When we think about Christmas travel these days, we mostly think about busy airports and packed highways, as people take planes, trains, and automobiles home for Christmas, but the first Christmas travel was of the three wise men, who followed the bright star in the sky to find and worship the Christ child bringing with them the first gifts of Christmas.
My prayer this Christmas is that we continue, like the three wise men, to seek the true light of Christmas... Jesus!
