As the year comes to an end, getting into the holiday spirit can be difficult without a good “Hallmark” movie. These films, which are typically characterized as low-budget, romantic dramas,  have been spreading holiday cheer since 2001, with the release of One Christmas Eve, starring Anne Heche. Once only found on the Hallmark cable channel, Hallmark Christmas movies have found a wider audience on streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Bounce and YouTube.

According to Lifewire.com, the most popular Hallmark movie this holiday season is Cross Country Christmas. Directed by Catherine Cyran, this romantic Christmas film stars Rachael Leigh Cook, Greyston Holt and Jon Cor.

“Childhood friends Lina (Rachael Leigh Cook) and Max (Greyston Holt) decide to travel home for the holidays. A storm interrupts their journey, leaving them to find an alternate route. Old feelings resurface as they must work together to make it to Christmas dinner in time,” reported Lifewire.com.

Number two on the charts is, Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater, starring Ashley Williams, Calix Fraser, and Niall Matter.

“Single man Maggie (Ashley Williams) is prepared to spend Christmas alone, but she gets an unexpected visitor. Through her new budding relationship with Lucas (Niall Matter), Maggie gains a new appreciation for the holidays,“ stated Lifewire.com. 

Coming in third for favorite Hallmark Christmas movie is Christmas She Wrote, which Lifewire deemed as “Best Holiday Romance Movie for Writers.” Christmas She Wrote is a 2020 film directed by Terry Ingram, starring Danica McKellar, Dylan Neal, and April Telek.

“Advice columnist Kayleigh (Danica McKellar) specializes in romance. Unfortunately, her column gets canceled just before Christmas, leaving her without a paycheck…. only to get called back to the city by the publisher (Dylan Neal), who pushed her out,” stated Lifewire.com. All three films have a runtime of exactly 84 minutes with a TV rating: TV-G.

According to cafemom.com, “streaming sites have mostly focused on Christmas movies of late, releasing cult favorites like A Christmas Prince with Rose Mclver and The Princess Switch with Vanessa Hudgens.” A sequel to The Princess Switch called The Princess Switch: Switched Again has been recently released in 2020. The sequel was not as successful as The Princess Switch.

Vox.com stated, “The Princess Switch is back, this time with more bad accents but less holiday charm.” Reviews on Switched Again weren’t as bright as they were on the first movie.

Critic Jennifer Green stated, “The Princess Switch: Switch Again is silly and predictable, which is likely just what its target audience wants and expects.” Many ratings on Switched Again are on the low side of reviews.

Reviews from rottentomatoes.com gave Switched Again “6.40/10.” Out of 20 people, 13 rated the movie fresh, while 7 rated it rotten. Parental reviews about Switched Again are about even with the Rotten Tomatoes at “⅗.” IMDb reviewed Switched Again with a “5.3/10.” However, ratings can not take away the holiday magic for reviewer Precious Joy Polanco. 

“I don’t care about the negative comments, I absolutely loved and adored this movie! The vibe in the atmosphere from the first movie remained until this second part, where it did not require me for a huge mood change and setting adjustments,” said Polanco. 

Hallmark movies are an excellent way to get into the holiday spirit. They have been spreading positivity for almost two decades. So curl up with your family and loved one and enjoy the holiday magic of Hallmark movies.