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Between all the cable networks and streaming service options out there, every holiday season brings with it another 100 new holiday movies. Yes, 100. It seems like there are a dozen holiday movie machines up and running, cranking out romcom after romcom—not that we’re complaining. For those of us who live for the holidays, new Christmas movies are one of the main reasons for the season. But with so many new movies to wade through, it can be easy to forget more recent ones. The fun of Christmas is rewatching your faves every year, from It’s a Wonderful Life to Elf and everything in between. But that gets hard to do if you can’t even remember which holiday movies came out last year!
That’s precisely what this list is here to help with. Below you’ll find 5 Christmas movies that premiered in 2020 that are worth a rewatch in 2021… and then maybe in 2022, 2023, etc. Maybe you missed some—or all!—of these when they premiered on various services and channels a year ago. It’s never to late to find a new holiday fave, and maybe a movie from as recent as last year can enter your personal Christmas movie canon.
'The Christmas House'
The Hallmark Channel made Hallmark history last year with The Christmas House, the first movie in the network’s long and storied holiday history to feature a gay couple in lead roles. The Christmas House was heavily hyped—and it actually exceeded the hype. That’s because The Christmas House worked on every level, delivering a layered story in the vein of The Family Stone (but way less sad). We got an adoption storyline with Jonathan Bennett and Brad Harder, a rekindling of a romance between Treat Williams and Sharon Lawrence, and a good ol’ romcom with Robert Buckley and Ana Ayora. This movie has the one thing you need for the holidays: lots of love.
'Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey'
Christmas is a fundamentally fantastical holiday. There are elves, talking snowmen, flying reindeer, and cakes made of fruit. Your holiday bingeing won’t be complete without a little magic—and Netflix’s Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey overflows with magic. The film follows a precocious math whiz Journey as she embarks on a quest to reclaim her family’s legacy and stop a nasty toymaker played by Keegan Michael-Key. Packed with stars and songs, this big screen spectacle picks up where Elf and The Christmas Chronicles left off and delivers big budget adventure.
'The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Special'
Much to our surprise and delight, 2021 has pushed drag even further into the mainstream thanks to nonstop episodes of the Emmy-winning RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise and ambitious projects like HBO’s We’re Here. That’s why you gotta make The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Special part of your annual rotation, especially if you’re a fan of all the Drag Race dolls and divas. This terminally delightful and sardonically whimsical special comes from Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme, two multi hyphenate drag superstars who love the holidays—or at least love ribbing the holidays. There’s really no other holiday special like this one, and it’s guaranteed to make your yuletide gay.
'Holly & Ivy'
Hallmark movies have a reputation for being formulaic and unapologetically schmaltzy—and that reputation is well-earned! We love Hallmark holiday movies for their formula and schmaltz, but those same traits make a lot of Hallmark movies a dull rewatch. That’s why Holly & Ivy is such a special film—yes, film. It eschews the formula, focuses way more on atmosphere than schmaltz and more on character than romance (although, come on, there is romance). The film stars Janel Parrish as a librarian struggling to find her footing as she moves into a fixer-upper in a totally new town. She befriends locals played by Jeremy Jordan and Marisol Nichols and gets a whole lot more than she bargained for. No spoilers, but Holly & Ivy is a great, old school Christmas tearjerker.
'Happiest Season'
Happiest Season has everything a movie needs for repeat viewing, from fantastic jokes to wow-worthy performances. And that cast! There’s Kristen Stewart, giving an emotionally resonant performance as the girlfriend who goes back in the closet around her GF’s family; Victor Garber and Mary Steenburgen as the incredibly uptight and upper crust parents; Mackenzie Davis playing Harper’s frustrating yet relatable indecision; and Dan Levy and Mary Holland, two hilarious scene stealers. But the best thing about Happiest Season is how lived-in it felt when it debuted last year. It already felt like a classic, with its inviting cinematography and relatable story (especially to members of the LGBTQ+ community). We proclaimed Happiest Season the 12th best Christmas movie of all time mere weeks after it premiered on Hulu. And now that this all-star queer holiday romcom is no longer a newbie, it can finally begin it’s ascension to perennial fave status.
