A flurry of options: Our guide to 2021’s most intriguing holiday movies

You, Me, And The Christmas Trees (, starting October 22)The plot of is honestly quite generic: A handsome Christmas tree farmer invites an evergreen expert to his family farm to figure out why all their trees are dying, romance blossoms, blah blah blah. What’s notable about the movie is that it’s also a Wonder Years reunion, rejoining star Danica McKellar—who’s really found her niche recently doing these holiday movies—with Jason Hervey, a.k.a. Kevin’s annoying older brother Wayne. [Katie Rife]

Boyfriends Of Christmas Past (Hallmark, starting October 23)The idea that one woman would have left four dead boyfriends in her wake would be enough to raise some eyebrows—and possibly spark a criminal investigation. But, for better or for worse, the Hallmark movie doesn’t take the “ghost” part of its A Christmas Carol riff literally. (That’d be more of an Investigation Discovery type of story, anyway.) Instead, the men get together to help a marketing executive finally realize that she’s been in love with her best friend this whole time—whether out of kindness, or because that’s what’s doomed all of her previous relationships. Maybe a little bit of both? [Katie Rife]

was one of Netflix’s first big holiday releases this year, and it featured the casting coup of Vampire Diaries’ Nina Dobrev as an appealing romantic lead: Natalie, a tortured journalist sentenced to write about her seemingly endless unhappy dating experiences. She finally appears to meet the perfect man online, Tag (Darren Barnet), and so impulsively jets out to meet him, only to find that she’s been catfished by Tag’s old friend Josh (Jimmy O. Yang). Unfortunately, despite Dobrev’s impressive efforts, she doesn’t have much chemistry with either of her male leads (although a transformative version of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” with Natalie and Josh is pretty charming); Glee’s Harry Shum Jr. hilariously goes all in as Josh’s super-competitive brother Owen. But the moral of the story—catfishing can work out, sometimes?—shifts Love Hard off the “nice” list. [Gwen Ihnat]

Next Stop, Christmas (Hallmark, )In the mood for a mini Back To The Future reunion this holiday season? Well, Next Stop, Christmas is your, um, next stop. It’s a tale as old as time: Angie (Lyndsy Fonseca) takes a magic train a decade in the past with conductor Christopher Lloyd. Once in 2011, Angie gets a second chance at love with her high school sweetheart and spends some quality time with mom (Lea Thompson). We’ve all been there. [Matt Schimkowitz]

Father Christmas Is Back ()A decidedly British spin on the dysfunctional family comedy, is the story of the Christmas sisters, four women who attempt to put their years of sibling quibbling aside for one picture-perfect family holiday in a Yorkshire mansion. But it’s all thrown into disarray when their dad (Kelsey Grammer) unexpectedly shows up 27 years after he abandoned the family—a living Ghost Of Christmas Past, especially for his brother John (John Cleese) who’s been hooking up with Mother Christmas (Caroline Quentin) ever since. With its premise, there’s a chance this could turn out to be a deliciously dark satire of the über-privileged, à la in a Santa hat, or maybe it’s just another yuletide slog with the relatives. Either way, an eclectic cast (also featuring s April Bowlby, s Talulah Riley, and Elizabeth Hurley as a ruthless fashion editor) makes this an intriguing watch for the holiday season. [Cameron Scheetz]

One December Night (Hallmark, )Everybody loves cantankerous backstage drama and keeping Bruce Campbell employed, right? Both are central to , a Hallmark movie starring Campbell and Peter Gallagher as Bedford & Sullivan, a legendary musical duo that hasn’t spoken to each other in more than 10 years. Campbell’s Bedford hasn’t spoken to his daughter, played by Eloise Mumford, in a decade, either. All of which makes their reunion for—what else?—a Christmas concert rather awkward. And that’s before the Parent Trap-style shenanigans begin. [Katie Rife]

The Princess Switch 3: Romancing The Star ()Netflix decided two Vanessa Hudgens characters are simply not enough to carry its Christmas-movie franchise, The Princess Switch, so they decided to triple her work in this sequel. The actress reprises all three roles—Stacy De Novo, Lady Margaret Delacourt, Lady Fiona Pembroke—in the third part. The Princess Switch 3: Romancing The Star follows the three women as they come together to track down a mysterious jewel thief who has stolen a prized Christmas relic. Sam Palladio, Nick Sagar, and Remy Hii also star, if you’re at all interested in any non-Hudgens personalities. [Saloni Gajjar]

The Nine Kittens Of Christmas (Hallmark, ) is actually a sequel, following up on The Nine Lives Of Christmas, which was apparently quite successful for Hallmark Channel. Nine Kittens reunites the protagonists of that 2014 film, whose feline-assisted love affair—duh, obviously they fell in love at the end—turned out to be short lived. But a box full of abandoned baby kitties might be just the thing to bring them back together… [Katie Rife]

A Castle For Christmas (Streaming on Netflix starting November 26)Sometimes buying a castle in Scotland isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. In , Brooke Shields and Cary Elwes star in a slobs versus snobs romance about what it really means to keep a castle (and a heart) up to code. Come for the struggle to empathize with a woman who buys a literal castle, stay for Elwes Scottish accent. [Matt Schimkowitz]

Reba McEntire’s Christmas In Tune ()Not content to let Dolly Parton eat up all the holiday glory (and collect Emmys for her trouble), Reba McEntire has a Christmas movie of her own coming to Lifetime. Dolly was a supporting player in Christmas On The Square, but Reba stars in as a country singer who reunites with her old singing partner (who’s also her ex-husband) for a Christmas charity concert. Will the sparks between these old flames be hot enough to melt the ice? As sure as those puns just made you roll your eyes! [Katie Rife]

Christmas In Tahoe (Hallmark, )Who wants to watch In a strange case of art imitating (or rather, loosely incorporating) life, the movie tells the story of a talent booker who is struggling to save the annual Christmas show at her family’s hotel. (Classic hotel troubles.) Desperate, she enlists the help of her ex-boyfriend, who has since become the lead guitarist for a enormously popular band. Guess who plays the singer of that band? Also, you’ll get to hear a brand-new Train song, apparently, if that sweetens the pot for anyone. [Alex McLevy]

Miracle In Motor City (Lifetime, )Tia Mowry-Hardict has become a Lifetime and Hallmark Channel regular these past few years, starring in five holiday movies for the rival networks since 2018 alone. Her latest is , in which she plays a social worker who impulsively promises a special appearance by Smokey Robinson at her church’s annual Christmas pageant. She needs a miracle—and since this is a holiday movie (and because Robinson appears on the film’s poster) she’s going to get it. [Katie Rife]

Adventures In Christmasing (VH1, potentially streaming elsewhere starting November 29)Do you like actresses who were once cast members of The Real Housewives Of Atlanta? How about Good Burger and All That veteran Kel Mitchell? Weekend At Bernie’s Jonathan Silverman? If you answered, “um, sure?” to any of those questions, you might like . One of VH1’s first ventures into the holiday space, Adventures stars Kim Fields as a successful and meticulous talk show host whose Christmas plans go into a freefall when her network convinces her to spend three days in the wild with a Bear Grylls-type survivalist. Fingers crossed they don’t have to drink their own urine. [Marah Eakin]

Single All The Way (Netflix, )Another sweet addition to the queer Christmas movie canon, has everything from Instagay jokes to a mom who loves “live, laugh, love” style home signs to the amazing Jennifer Coolidge. When Peter, a frustrated social media guru played by Ugly Betty’s Michael Urie, finds out his boyfriend has been cheating on him, he asks Nick, his best friend and roommate, to come home with him for the holidays. Though Peter hopes to convince his family that they’re dating, that plan is quickly thwarted when Peter’s mother (played by Kathy Najimy) sets him up with her handsome trainer. Christmas activities ensue, including a children’s nativity pageant helmed by Coolidge as kooky “Aunt Sandy,” and Nick and Peter find themselves admitting that perhaps they’re more than just friends. [Marah Eakin]

The Bitch Who Stole Christmas (VH1, streaming starting December 2)Hey sis, it’s Christmas! RuPaul produced and stars in—let’s use that term loosely, since her role is more of a cameo—this dragged-up satirical holiday movie, which has a plot, but it’s not really why anyone is going to buy into this flick. Instead, tune in for fairly solid acting turns by a Drag Race veterans like Ginger Minj, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Peppermint, Jan Sport, Jaymes Mansfield, Latrice Royale, Gottmik, Morgan McMichaels, Porkchop, Chad Michaels, Heidi N. Closet, Kelly Mantle, Kimora Blac, Laganja Estranja, Manila Luzon, Mayhem Miller, Pandora Boxx, Raven, Rock M Sakura, and Kylie Sonique Love. You’ll also get ho-ho-cameos from Drag Race judges Michelle Visage, Ross Mathews, and Carson Kressley as well, plus drop-ins from Kim Petras and Charo, because what’s a campy Christmas special without Charo, really? [Marah Eakin]

Eight Gifts Of Hanukkah (Hallmark, streams on DirectTV starting December 3)We don’t know much about this one yet. : “An anonymous suitor sends optometrist Sara a gift for each night of Hanukkah. On her journey to find her secret admirer, she learns her one true love might be someone she never expected.” Still, it’s a Hanukkah movie, people! One of the vanishingly rare celebrations of the Jewish faith amid the glut of Christmas fantasies, out in the basic-cable wilds! Even just as a palette cleanser, that’s worth noting. [Alex McLevy]

A Clüsterfünke Christmas (Comedy Central, streaming starting on December 4)This one might be the most promising of all on this list. Starring a pair of ex-SNL folks (Ana Gasteyer and Rachel Dratch), is a parody of the usual holiday cable-movie treacle, following Holly (Mr. Mayor and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s Vella Lovell) as she’s sent by her soulless corporate bosses to buy up the small-town Clüsterfünke Inn and transform it into a mega-resort. But while she’s there, she meets Frank (Cheyenne Jackson) and has to make the classic tough call: Complete her mission and return to big-city life? Or stay and find love—and maybe the true spirit of the holidays? [Cue “Jingle Bell Rock.”] [Alex McLevy]

The Housewives Of The North Pole (Streaming December 9 on Peacock)A brand-friendly holiday movie that has almost nothing to do with The Real Housewives franchise save Beverly Hills housewife Kyle Richards, finds Richards and Breaking Bad veteran Betsy Brandt cast as best friends who’ve had a falling out over their town’s annual Best Holiday House decorating competition. Though they’ve always collaborated, this year they’re going head to head—assuming their meddling kids don’t somehow reunite them along the way. [Marah Eakin]

Hot Mess Holiday (Comedy Central, streaming on December 11)Besides the fact that it’s premiering on Comedy Central—not your usual home for holiday movies— stands out for several reasons. The cast is composed primarily of South Asian actors, for one, and the “holiday” of the title is Diwali rather than Christmas. The film is also more about getting wild with your best friend than it is settling down and finding a mate, another refreshing deviation from the formula. [Katie Rife]

People Presents: Blending Christmas (Lifetime, streaming December 12)A movie that somehow involves Haylie Duff, a Hacienda, and generic Christmas movie hunk Aaron O’Connell, is most intriguing for its roster of guest stars, which includes Sabrina The Teenage Witch star Beth Broderick, My Two Dads’ Greg Evigan, the inimitable Telma Hopkins, four members of the cast of the cast of The Brady Bunch, plus Cousin Oliver plus Jennifer Elise Cox, who played Jan in the Brady Bunch movies. From that lineup, we can only assume that holiday high jinks will ensue. [Marah Eakin]

Let’s Get Merried (VH1, streaming December 13)At a Christmas-themed adventure park (), a bachelorette party goes off the rails when a holiday-hating bridesmaid decides she’s going to get married that day to a man that she hasn’t met yet. Honestly, we’re eager to see this one just so we can figure out how, exactly, said bridesmaid convinced herself this was a good idea. As part of VH1’s inaugural “Naughty Or Nice” holiday movie slate, Let’s Get Merried promises something a little edgier than your typical Hallmark fare, so it’s safe to assume lots and lots of spiked eggnog is involved. As the first feature project from Eva Longoria’s UnbeliEVAble Entertainment, the film boasts a pretty exciting cast of actors on the rise, including Vida’s Mishel Prada, The Mindy Project’s Xosha Roquemore, and Kim’s Convenience’s Nicole Power. [Cameron Scheetz]

The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls (Hallmark, streaming on DirectTV December 18)A sequel to last year’s gay-friendly Christmas hit, reunites stars Robert Buckley (iZombie) and Jonathan Bennett (Mean Girls). This time, the Mitchell brothers are tackling not just one festive house but two, in a competition to see who can create the best “Christmas House.” [Marah Eakin]

Under The Christmas Tree (Lifetime, streaming December 19)Lifetime’s first lesbian Christmas movie, pits a marketing whiz and a Christmas tree whisperer against each other in some sort of battle over the Maine Governor’s Holiday Celebration. Ricki Lake co-stars as a local pâtissière owner that’s also somehow mixed up in everything. It all sounds a little rote, but, hey, it’s progress, right? Maybe? [Marah Eakin]

Miracles Across 125th Street (VH1, streaming December 20)Since 2005, Nick Cannon has brought together the worlds of comedy and hip-hop through the anything-goes improv game show Wild ’N Out (though it took an extended hiatus between ’07 and ’13, it’s now been on the air for a whopping 16 seasons), and that same spirit fuels his new holiday movie for VH1, Miracles Across 125th Street. Cannon stars as a big-shot Harlem rapper who, after a battle with drug addiction, returns home to his family’s church for Christmas Eve, hoping to reckon with his past and make amends. He’ll be joined by a sprawling supporting cast, including comedy stalwarts like Bruce Bruce, Luenell, and Rickey Smiley, as well as icons from the music world like Lil Kim, Akon, Teyana Taylor, and gospel legend Karen Clark-Sheard. [Cameron Scheetz]