Happy first full weekend of December, movie friends!
Oh, how I love this time of year... all of the preparation and excitement!
There's always so much to do and so little time to squeeze it all in... with church events, Christmas concerts, shopping for gifts, baking holiday goodies, driving around to look at the spectacular Christmas lights, and watching all sorts of Christmas movies, too... of course!!!
We had a snowy blizzard go through our area yesterday; for a short time we had a complete whiteout, so it wasn't one of those pretty snowfalls you see in the movies. But thankfully, our power did not go out, especially since we have had dangerously cold temps these last few days. So... with that, it's been the perfect time to stay inside, keep warm, and watch a good movie or two. I hope your weather outside hasn't been quite as frightful!
Take a look below at some of the NEW Christmas movies, along with some classic premieres from streaming or other networks...
Thursday, December 5, 2024:
Storyline: Melanie’s (Cerra) 17-year-old autistic daughter Jenny (Burghardt) is a senior in high school and looking forward to college. After a bad experience her junior year, Jenny is not interested in attending her final Christmas dance before graduating. Melanie decides to surprise Jenny by getting involved in the school’s planning committee to create a welcoming dance for all students. Meanwhile, Jenny and her friends secretly plan their own party, in part to honor Melanie. Melanie works with Jenny’s literature teacher (Ghanimé) on the dance and starts to fall for him while Jenny develops something special with a new classmate (Giordano) at school. When their secrets snowball, however, their plans begin to drive a wedge between the usually tightknit mother and daughter at the holidays.
Premieres Thursday, December 5, 2024
at 8pm/7c. on Hallmark Mystery
Friday, December 6, 2024:
Storyline: Vi (Skovbye), better known as Princess Violet of Wingravia, adores the privileges of being a royal, if none of the responsibilities. After being disappointed by Vi one time too many, the Queen (Durance) decides to test her daughter's mettle once and for all and issues an ultimatum: Vi must pass a vigorous leadership boot camp in Colorado or lose the throne to her uncle. At boot camp, Vi and her fellow cadets are put through a rigorous grind under the uncompromising supervision of Captain Ryan Douglas (Klena).
Premieres Friday, December 6, 2024
at 8pm/7c. on the Hallmark Channel
Friday, December 6, 2024:
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
60th Anniversary Special
on NBC
Storyline: The reindeer with the light up red nose guides Santa's sleigh through a bad storm on Christmas Eve. Based on the song by Johnny Marks.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
60th Anniversary Special
Airs Friday, December 6, 2024
at 8pm/7c. on NBC
Extra details on this Special:
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is returning to NBC for this special presentation marking 60 years since the cartoon originally premiered on NBC on December 6, 1964.
NBC held the license for the Christmas animation until 1972, when it moved then to another network. This is the first time Rudolph is returning to NBC after many years.
In honor of this special 60th Anniversary celebration, NBC is playing an extended version of the cartoon that will run 1 hour and 15 minutes. (an encore presentation of this special will also air December 12th at 8pm/7c.)
Get ready to fly through the sky with Rudolph, Santa, and all of the reindeers and misfit toys again!
And, if you love Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer as much as I do, be sure to check out some fun Rudolph items I've linked below.
Saturday, December 7, 2024:
Storyline: A small-town detective investigates a series of holiday thefts. As clues unravel, she discovers a connection to her own past, revealing unexpected truths.
Airs Saturday, December 7, 2024
at 7pm/6c. for the first time on UPtv
Movie Reviews:
🎄 The Christmas Thief (ION) Definitely my favorite new ION movie this year (2021)! The mystery was fun, the movie itself was fun as well! Just a couple of adult stuff included. -Maria
🎄 The Christmas Thief - This movie first premiered on ION in 2021, and I recall it being a cute, fun mystery. Unfortunately, I don't remember it well enough to say it is family-friendly, but I'm not remembering anything truly bad. ~Net
Saturday, December 7, 2024:
Storyline: A local mayor discovers his childhood Christmas wishes are coming true. With his childhood friend, the pair can inspire residents to showcase the town’s warmth and values while pushing back a major developer’s desire to take the community in a different direction.
Premieres Saturday, December 7, 2024
at 8pm/7c. on Great American Family
Saturday, December 7, 2024:
Storyline: Emily (Lawson) has always dreamed of creating the perfect Christmas, meticulously planning every detail year after year, only to feel like she's falling short. Hoping to bring her family closer together, she makes a wish for a holiday as picture-perfect as the ones she sees in a made-for-TV holiday movie. To her shock, Sugarplum (Parrish), the film's relentlessly optimistic main character, magically steps off the screen to make Emily's wish come true - whether she's ready for it or not. As Sugarplum applies her movie-world rules to real life, Emily gets caught up in the possibility of finally achieving the flawless family Christmas. But when Sugarplum's magical fixes start to backfire one by one, Emily begins to question what an ideal holiday really is. With time running out, Emily and Sugarplum find themselves on a heartwarming adventure - one that might just amount to an entirely different kind of Christmastime perfection.
Premieres Saturday, December 7, 2024
at 8pm/7c. on the Hallmark Channel
Saturday, December 7, 2024:
Storyline: In A Very Merry Beauty Salon, Sienna (Tia Mowry), the owner of the bustling Divine Beauty Salon is preparing for Atlanta’s Tinsel Ball, where she will be honored for her charitable work in the community. The annual event takes a glamourous turn with the arrival of Lawrence, a charismatic CEO whose family’s wine brand is now co-sponsoring the Ball. Sparks fly between them, but Sienna’s mother Georgia (Donna Biscoe) who is the head of the Ball’s committee, worries his involvement may ruin the event’s traditions. As Sienna and Lawrence are unexpectedly paired as dance partners, romance blooms, setting the stage for a steamy romance that challenges Sienna’s thoughts on love and family and makes this year’s Tinsel Ball the most memorable yet.
Premieres Saturday, December 7, 2024
at 8pm/7c. on Lifetime
Sunday, December 8, 2024:
Premieres Sunday, December 8, 2024
at 7pm/6c. on UPtv
Movie Reviews:
🎄 Reel One's The 12 Dares of Christmas is clean (aside from a small rainbow flag on a cash register), and a whole lot of fun. -Maria
🎄 12 Dares of Christmas. Double meh, for me. Cringey, low-budget, b-list mess. I couldn’t make it all the way through. The movie was a weird mish mash of storylines. The part that was “12 Dares” could have been cute had it been better planned out with a better script and better actors and “dares” that were all wholesome (as most of them were). Unfortunately, the first dare was the tacky “go to bar and give your phone number to 12 strangers” – yuck! The actress who plays the sister is better than the lead actress, but they both acted silly, especially with lines like “Yay! Hot girl winter!” – cringe! And the lead actor is just not my version of swoony – more like an effeminate nerd. I kept watching for a while and just when I’d think there was some cute banter or positive elements, they’d go and ruin it with more silly scenes and subpar acting. This thing was a train wreck. It was a Reel One movie so, of course, it had the obligatory annoying and odd background music that plays too loudly through scenes where people are talking. And I don’t think it was even Christmas music (unless it was some weird version of Jingle Bells), it sounded more like oompa-loompa polka music or game show music that’s been slowed way down. What was that?!! So, I probably only made it a third of the way through. What I saw was family friendly and I’m guessing a teenage crowd might like this movie better than I did. ~~Jane
Sunday, December 8, 2024:
Storyline: An executive evaluates her company’s property and begins to draw up plans for transforming the rustic old lodge into a hot tourist attraction.
Airs Sunday, December 8, 2024
at 8pm/7c. for the first time
on Great American Family
Sunday, December 8, 2024:
Storyline: Leah Meyer (Arlook) is a bonafide lover of Christmas - the trees, the ornaments, the eggnog! But she has always admired the holiday from afar because she's Jewish. Though her family celebrates Hanukkah, Leah has longed to experience a traditional Christmas. When her boyfriend Graham (Roderick) invites her to spend the holidays with his classic Connecticut family, she eagerly accepts. Excited to dive into the quintessential Christmas she's always dreamed of, Leah quickly discovers that fitting in with Graham's uptight family and his not-so-welcoming mom (Niven) is easier said than done. As holiday traditions clash and awkward moments pile up, it is not quite the cozy Christmas that she expected.
Premieres Sunday, December 8, 2024
at 8pm/7c. on the Hallmark Channel
Sunday, December 8, 2024:
Storyline: Nora Winters (Teri Hatcher), the fiercely talented writer-turned-CEO of her own lifestyle brand, PRISM, finds herself in a tight spot when the company’s future hangs in the balance. In a desperate attempt to save her business through a partnership with the popular dating app, Take To Heart, she discovers an unexpected twist! The only way to win them over is to write a column on falling in love by Christmas with the help of Jack (Dan Payne), a charismatic photographer who has been assigned to the piece.
Premieres Sunday, December 8, 2024
at 8pm/7c. on Lifetime
Movie Reviews:
🎄 How to Fall In Love By Christmas - is a clean and very, very delightful romp! -Maria
🎄 I watched a cute movie last night. It was "How to Fall in Love by Christmas". My husband and I really enjoyed it. It was clean and a lot of fun. Teri Hatcher and Dan Payne were the leads and they had warm, natural chemistry. It was nice seeing older leads fall in love. :-) They had a really interesting meet-cute. I laughed out loud. ~Joan
🎄 How to Fall in Love by Christmas. Cute movie with more mature leads, which I appreciated. Teri and Dan were great and believable (the meet-cute was fun). The premise about the 10-step dating article and the company board not being happy was a bit convoluted and confusing to me but it didn’t really affect my enjoyment of the movie. This was a nice little standard Christmas movie with some warm “feels” good for a one-time watch (and possibly a re-watch in the future?). Not as good as Teri’s “A Kiss Before Christmas” from two years ago. Family friendly. ~~Jane
🎄 How to Fall in Love by Christmas – This Christmas movie, starring Teri Hatcher and Dan Payne, was such a delightful watch. I enjoyed the comedy (such a fun meet-cute!) and heartwarming moments, too. It is such an easy-going, enjoyable movie that will surely leave you with a smile on your face. ~Net
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! If it's chilly where you are, bundle up and keep warm, and be safe as you are traveling.
The two NEW Christmas movies that intrigue me the most this weekend are: Private Princess Christmas and Once Upon a Christmas Wish.
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. By the way, there are reviews above for two movies: A Christmas Thief and 12 Dares of Christmas.
The majority of us have likely seen Candace Cameron Bure and Jesse Hutch in Let it Snow, which has a special premiere showing Sunday night on Great American Family. The film initially premiered in 2013 (11 years ago!), and it's still one that viewers love. There's just something extra warm and cozy about this movie that I've always enjoyed, and I can't help from wondering if GAF might consider creating a sequel. Perhaps, Brady (Jesse Hutch) and Stephanie (Candace Cameron Bure) are married now and running the inn, and a new love blossoms at Snow Valley Lodge. And it must all happen at Christmastime, of course! Anyway, that could be fun! What do you think?
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:
A Scripture for the first week of Advent, which represents hope and expectation...
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Isaiah 9:6-7
King James Version
Rudolph gifts for everyone...
(click on items below for more details)
