17 Awesome Made for TV Holiday Movies To Watch This Season

While the holiday season has a lot to offer, once the end of November rolls around, the first thing I am looking for are the holiday-themed TV movies. This year was no exception.

TV movies often divide opinions, and I am the first to admit that they probably can’t be regarded as life-changing masterpieces. But I don’t think they even try to be. For me, and I believe for many others, they are a nice, comfortable reminder of the joys of the holiday season.

In these movies, wishes for Santa always come true, and mistletoe tends to be conveniently located nearby couples who are so clearly meant to be together but don’t realize it yet. Friendships turn into love, royals pose as commoners, and love connections are made in just a span of days.

It might not seem real, but it for sure seems magical.

The holiday season itself also divides opinions. If you don’t enjoy the holidays, you probably won’t get much enjoyment out of these movies.

But if you are like me and instantly get happy once the holiday season rolls around, here is a list of 17 awesome made-for-TV holiday movies that will air within the next couple of weeks.

I’m including the airing times, so set up your DVRs and be ready for a surge of holiday spirit! Please note that all the airing times are informed according to the Eastern time zone.

1. A Puppy for Christmas (UPtv)

A puppy and Christmas! What more can you ask for? After her boyfriend breaks up with her just days before Christmas, Noelle (Cindy Busby) is invited to spend Christmas with the family of his co-worker Liam (Greyston Holt). They are in so many ways opposites to each other, which is highly intentional, because movies like this LOVE to play with the “opposites attract” trope.

The puppy is SUPER cute, and while this one is cheesy as hell, as are pretty much all the films that follow it on this list, it is entertaining, romantic, and perfect for the whole family.

A Puppy for Christmas airs on UPtv on Tue 12/13 at 11 pm; Mon 12/19 at 5 pm; Thu 12/22 at 11 am; and Sat 12/24 at 9 pm.

2. Falling for Christmas (also known as A Snow Capped Christmas) (UPtv)

Claire (Leah Renee), a figure skater preparing herself for an important competition, travels to a clinic at the mountains and connects with a handsome ex-hockey player named Paul (Niall Matter).

The interaction between Paul and his young daughter is really good, and my love for hockey instantly made me fall in love with Paul. There definitely is chemistry between Claire and Paul, and the shots of the beautiful mountain location are to die for!

Falling for Christmas airs on UPtv on Sun 12/18 at 7 pm & 11 pm;  Wed 12/21 at 5 pm; and Sat 12/24 at 3 pm.

3. Operation Christmas (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)

If you are a fan of Riley Finn from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, you must see Marc Blucas as an army sergeant in this Hallmark holiday romance. Blucas plays Scott, a widowed father who meets Olivia, a single mother of two, at a holiday resort. After some initial problems, the two connect. But can Olivia, played by Tricia Helfer (Lucifer, Battlestar Galactica) see herself as an army wife?

I am a sucker for these military-related storylines, and while I didn’t care for Blucas as Riley, he does make a fairly handsome army sergeant.

Operation Christmas airs on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries on Thu 12/15 at 9 pm; Sun 12/18 at 5 pm; Thu 12/22 at 11 pm; Sun 12/25 at 7 pm; Mon 12/26 at 5 pm; and Wed 12/28 at 7 pm.

4. A December Bride (Hallmark Channel)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldBisLgFm28

Jessica Lowndes (90210) plays Layla who ends up in a fake relationship with Seth (Daniel Lissing) during the holiday season.

I always liked Lowndes in 90210, and Daniel Lissing is so freaking attractive that I felt like I was drooling every single time he was on-screen.  If you like the sight of Daniel Lissing on this one, you should check out Hallmark Channel’s original series When Calls the Heart. Hallmark airs a When Calls the Heart Christmas special on the 25th, so you have couple weeks to catch up with the show before that!

A December Bride airs on Hallmark Channel on Thu 12/15 at 6 pm; Sat 12/24 at 9:30 pm; and Fri 12/30 at 6 pm.

5. A Cinderella Christmas (Ion Television)

A modern retelling of Cinderella about a young woman named Angie (Emma Rigby), who spends a magical night at a ball with Nikolaus (Peter Porte), a celebrity playboy/heir to a large fortune. When Nikolaus starts to look for his mystery date, Angie needs to hide her true identity.

I bet every single person reading this is familiar with Cinderella, and thus can pretty easily predict the end of this story. That means that while there might not be any narrative surprises here, it is fun to watch how a story so familiar to us has been adapted to screen this time around.

A Cinderella Christmas airs on Ion Television on Sat 12/24 at 11 am.

6. Finding Father Christmas (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)

Miranda (Erin Krakow) travels to a small town around the holiday season in hopes of finding something out about her estranged father. While getting to know the town, she starts to fall in love with it and the people who live there.

Niall Matter, who is also the male lead in Falling for Christmas, plays Ian, a handsome townie who helps Miranda find the true spirit of Christmas.

Finding Father Christmas airs on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries on Wed 12/14 at 7 pm; Thu 12/15 at 11 am; Sat 12/17 at 11 pm; Tue 12/20 at 3 pm; Wed 12/21 at 11 am; Sun 12/25 at 5 pm; Wed 12/28 at 1 am; and Fri 12/30 at 9pm.

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