The winter holidays are when many people decide to curl up near a warm fire and binge-watch Christmas movies. Hallmark is a known competitor for the sappy and happily-ever-after endings in their movies. This year, Hallmark released many new and wonderful movies for its Christmas countdown.

1. The Nine Kittens of Christmas – Cat lovers Zachary and Marilee are thrown back together just in time for Christmas when they’re tasked with finding homes for a litter of adorable kittens. This movie is a sequel to ‘The Nine Lives of Christmas’ and was great because it showed the audience that it is not always happy ever after once the movie ends. By showing them reconnecting with each other later on, it gives a sense of familiarity of warmth and comfort, plus familiarity prequel if fans have watched. This movie is definitely a  9/10
2. My Christmas Family Tree – When Vanessa receives the results from her Family Tree DNA test, she discovers the potential father she didn’t know about and travels to his home for Christmas. There, Vanessa builds relationships with every member of the family. The potential father, Richard, has trouble remembering Vanessa’s mother and it builds tension in the family, especially with Richard’s wife. Halfway through the movie, Vanessa gets a phone call that they mixed up her DNA results with someone else that has the same name as her. Vanessa rushes out of the home in a dramatic way. The tension in the plot definitely pulls the heartstrings all over the place. This movie deserves a solid 8.5/10.
3. Next Stop Christmas- This movie brings the Christmas magic to life. The main character, Angie, wanted to spend her Christmas all by herself, so she planned a trip by train, but magically ends up back in her hometown ten years prior, 2011. This gives her a chance to rekindle, fix and make relationships that have broken throughout the years. This movie also deserves an 8.5/10.
4. Gingerbread Miracle- One of the most popular Hallmark plots, two old high school best friends rekindle at the Mexican family bakery in town. The main characters Maya and Alex try to help Alex’s grandfather save the bakery. This bakery is known for its infamous gingerbread cookies that make wishes come true, but the magic dies down as the grandfather tries to sell the bakery. This movie deserves an 8/10.
5. Boyfriends of Christmas Past- In this movie, the main character, Lauren, goes to bed the week before Christmas, and each night for four nights she relives her past with each ex-boyfriend at Christmas time. Each boyfriend was at different times in her life: High school, College, Grad School and now her most recent one. However, there is one common denominator between them all… her best friend, Nate. This movie deserves a 7.5/10.

Although there are so many new Christmas movies that come out each year, these five definitely warmed my heart the most. Not too cheesy, but predictable. With each movie, my mom and I predicted the plot as my dad laughed at us. The perfect warmth this cold season needs is provided through Hallmark Movies.

Happy Holidays to all!