The best Christmas movies on Hallmark Channel right now

The Hallmark channel received a boost of star power to the 2021 holiday lineup thanks to the addition of former American Idol winner Jordin Sparks. The talented singer plays a conflicted writer named Lou in A Christmas Treasure. Lou works for her family’s newspaper in the town of Pine Grove. Before heading to New York to further her writing career, Lou discovers her grandfather’s journal in a 100-year-old time capsule. Further complicating matters is the arrival of Tyler (Michael Xavier), a friendly chef who forms an instant connection with Lou. Will Lou go through with her move to New York, or are the journal and Tyler enough to make her stay in Pine Grove?

Setting a Christmas film in Iceland, one of the most beautiful locations in the world, is a good recipe for success. In Love on Iceland, Kaitlin Doubleday stars as Chloe, a hardworking producer for a Chicago podcast network. In search of inspiration, Chloe books a trip to Iceland for the holidays with her college friends. To combat her micromanaging personality, Chloe cedes control as the planner to her tour guide, Johann (Jóel Sæmundsson), a charming and sweet local.

Chloe’s efforts to bond with Johann change with the arrival of Charlie (Colin Donnell), her college boyfriend, who works as a travel photographer. Though skeptical at first, Chloe and Charlie slowly rekindle their relationship as they collaborate on a new project for work. By the end of the trip, Chloe must decide on her career and, more importantly, choose between Johann and Charlie.

In My Family Christmas Tree, Vanessa Hall (Aimee Teegarden) is a social worker who works for child care services, assigning kids to foster homes. With no relationship to her parents, Vanessa takes an ancestry test, discovering the identity of her biological father, Richard (James Tupper), who lives in Connecticut with his wife and three children.

Richard invites Vanessa to spend Christmas with his family and offers the services of his friend, Kris (Andrew Walker), to pick her up in New York City and bring her to Connecticut, which Vanessa accepts. Despite a rough introduction, Vanessa slowly bonds with the family she never knew while getting closer to Kris. However, a shocking revelation may put an end to Vanessa’s homecoming.

In A Christmas Together With You, Megan (Laura Vandervoort) is still reeling from the end of her engagement when she forms a friendship with her customer, Frank (Harry Lennix), a widower who is also haunted by lost love. To help bring some joy to their holiday season, Megan convinces Frank to come with her on a search for his first love, Claire (Liza Huget). While on the trip, Megan also finds a second chance for love with Steve (Niall Matter). Despite their romantic entanglements, the movie never forgets the bond between Frank and Megan, which plays like a surrogate father and daughter relationship on screen.

While Hallmark Christmas films typically focus on romance, A Grandpa For Christmas follows a family as it comes back together after a long period of estrangement. For years, Bert (Ernest Borgnine) and his daughter, Marie (Tracy Nelson), have avoided speaking to each other. However, Bert steps up to take care of Marie’s young daughter, Becca (Juliette Goglia), when Marie is injured in an accident. The growing bond between Bert and his granddaughter helps him reconnect with Marie as they face the uncomfortable secrets that kept them apart for too long.