what’s worth watching: holiday edition
The day after Thanksgiving, my mother turns on the Hallmark Channel and leaves it running until at least January 2nd. This annual ritual means I’m swept into the whirlwind of holiday magic: small-town women reuniting with their families, saving their communities, and finding love with tepid kisses that always leave you wishing for a good, steamy sex scene. There’s always snow, a loss (a dead parent or a partner who got away), and a desperate need to reclaim the joy of the season. Some things never change, and holiday movie clichés are one of them.
With the overwhelming number of holiday movies dropping this time of year, it’s hard to know which ones are worth your time. Fortunately for you (and unfortunately for me), I have too much time on my hands, so I watched them all to tell you what’s worth it. Spoiler alert: stick to the classics.
Without further ado, here are my thoughts on this year’s new holiday movies, specifically the ones streaming right now:
MOVIE RATING KEY (out of 5)
Funny: 👯♂️
Campy: 🧚🏻♀️
Nostalgic: 🫀
Traditional: 🎄
Sweethearts (streaming on HBO)
👯♂️👯♂️👯♂️
🧚🏻♀️🧚🏻♀️
🫀🫀🫀🫀
🎄🎄🎄🎄
This one isn’t exactly a holiday movie—it’s more of a Thanksgiving movie (if that’s even a genre)—but I have to include it because I’m a Caleb Hearon stan, and Caleb puts this movie on his BACK.
Directed by Jordan Weiss, Sweethearts takes a modern spin on the When Harry Met Sally universe. Childhood best friends Jamie and Ben make a pact to break up with their high school sweethearts during Thanksgiving break, their first trip home from college. It’s not groundbreaking by any means, and I wouldn’t rush to watch it again, but there’s a certain campiness to the film—especially in Caleb’s performance. He plays the gay best friend navigating his newfound queerness after growing up in an unaccepting Midwestern small town, and his delivery makes the movie less cheesy and downright hilarious at times.
For that reason alone, I’d say it’s worth watching at least once.
Merry Gentlemen (streaming on Netflix)
👯♂️👯♂️
🧚🏻♀️
🫀🫀
🎄🎄🎄
As a lifelong Chad Michael Murray admirer, I had to watch this movie. Honestly, even if you set aside my six-year-old fantasies about that man, a holiday movie about merry strippers is just too good to pass up. And you know what? It delivered—if you’re looking for some surface-level, sexy holiday cheer.
I love that Netflix wasn’t afraid to get a little raunchy with this one, adding some spice to a tired narrative: a small-town girl returns home to save her family’s dying business. She’s lost her way, forgotten her roots, and neglected her family for the big city (why is it always New York?). Now she’s home for the holidays, trying to pull herself together…so she choreographs a holiday-themed Chip ‘n Dale show and proceeds to fall in love with one of the lead dancers along the way.
Unfortunately, the leading woman, played by Britt Robertson, has zero chemistry with Chad Michael Murray, but he’s flirty and charming enough to distract you from it. The dances are HOT, the plot is silly, and I walked away still loving my man—and not disappointed.
Our Little Secret (streaming on Netflix)
👯♂️👯♂️👯♂️
🧚🏻♀️🧚🏻♀️🧚🏻♀️
🫀🫀🫀🫀
🎄🎄🎄🎄
This one takes the cake for me. Mean Girls’ Cady Heron and Principal Duval reunite in this sentimental and quirky holiday film, and it’s a joy to watch.
Childhood sweethearts Avery and Logan lose touch after a messy breakup in their early twenties, only to reconnect ten years later—during the holidays, no less—at their significant others’ childhood home. The twist? Their significant others are siblings. Cue the chaos as Avery and Logan navigate cozying up to the future in-laws while sidestepping the awkwardness of seeing their first love for the first time in years…and questioning whether those lingering feelings are still there.
It’s genuinely refreshing to see Lindsay Lohan looking so healthy and happy after everything she’s been through over the last two decades, and she puts on an incredible performance. She feels like a grown-up Cady Heron here. And the nostalgia factor? Off the charts—seeing Principal Duval pop up as one of the family friends adds an extra layer of charm to the holiday festivities.
I really enjoyed this one and could absolutely see myself turning it on again next year.
Hot Frosty (streaming on Netflix)
👯♂️👯♂️
🧚🏻♀️🧚🏻♀️🧚🏻♀️
🫀
🎄🎄
I’m not going to lie—I was so excited about this one, and it let me down.
Kathy Barrett (played by Mean Girls alum Lacey Chabert) bestows some holiday magic on a local snowman, turning him into a chiseled yet painfully awkward human, Jack Snowman. Jack sees the world through the wide-eyed wonder of a child, and his excitement for life is admittedly contagious. Through his coming-of-age journey, Kathy begins to rediscover herself and what it means to really live again.
There’s so much potential here, but the movie tries way too hard to be likable. The chemistry between Kathy and Jack feels forced and nonexistent all at once; the “bad guys” (the local cops) are so over-the-top gimmicky that they become exhausting; and Kathy herself just seems… tired. Honestly, it feels like she would’ve been better off using all that time to take a long nap instead of falling in love with a snowman.
