10 Most Anticipated Lifetime Christmas Movies Of 2021

Most viewers may associate Christmas movies with the Hallmark Channel, but in recent years Lifetime has established itself as fierce competition in the Christmas department. In 2021, Lifetime will be releasing 35 newly produced or acquired holiday movies, as the demand for holiday romances just increases year after year.

There are many newcomers to the world of the Lifetime Christmas movie this year, but familiar faces such as Tatyana Ali, Tia Mowry, and Jake Epstein are returning, too. Whether viewers are looking for movies where opposites attract, where families team together to make romantic magic happen, or where diverse perspectives are finally given their due in the world of romantic comedies, Lifetime has something for everyone this year.

10 A Christmas Village Romance – Airing From December 2, 2021

Many of the best television Christmas movies are ones that involve a rivalry becoming romantic all in the name of saving a business or small town tradition for the holidays. A Christmas Village Romance, premiering on Lifetime on December 2, sounds like it will include all of that and more.

Starring Jeni Ross and Jake Epstein (Degrassi), A Christmas Village Romance follows romance novelist Diana and historian Carter sparring as they work together to save Maple Creek, a beloved village. According to the logline, Diana “uses her notoriety to help generate interest in the town by sponsoring a Christmas gala,” something that seems like it will stand in contrast with the approach of the traditional Carter, who also serves as the village’s blacksmith.

9 The Enchanted Christmas Cake – Airing From December 15, 2021

Best known for her work as Lois Lane in Smallville, Erica Durance has been consistently starring in Christmas movies in recent years, appearing in movies on UPtv, Hallmark, and Lifetime, too. This year, Durance leads The Enchanted Christmas Cake, premiering on December 15, opposite Robin Dunne (Sanctuary).

In The Enchanted Christmas Cake, Durance’s Gwen is a baker left to run her family’s bakery after her grandmother’s passing. While she tries to “regain the Christmas spirit, and figure out her grandmother’s magical recipe for the town’s legendary Enchanted Christmas Cake,” Gwen’s life is interrupted by the arrival of a holiday film crew, including Dunne’s Gavin, the film’s producer. Naturally, sparks fly, and as the logline states, Gavin might be “the secret ingredient she was missing all along.”

8 Mistletoe In Montana – Airing From December 17, 2021

Opposites almost always attract in the world of Christmas movies. Many of Hallmark’s best Christmas couples are ones that come from completely opposite walks of life. Mistletoe in Montana, premiering on Lifetime on December 17, finds the familiar trope of city-meets-country getting a new spin.

Starring Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina the Teenage Witch) as ranch hand Merry and Duane Henry as Mark, a single father from the city, Mistletoe in Montana follows what happens when Mark books a stay for himself and his kids at Merry’s ranch. As the official plot reads, “Adventure is on the menu, the holiday spirit is everywhere, and love is in the air.”

7 Christmas Movie Magic – Airing From December 7, 2021

Sometimes, the most fun Christmas movies are the ones that get a little bit meta about the art of the Christmas movie itself. Christmas Movie Magic, premiering on December 7, is a movie that sounds like it could be a lot of fun if it is allowed to get just as magical as its official plot makes it sound like it will.

Starring Holly Deveaux (Shadowhunters) and Drew Seeley, Christmas Movie Magic followers journalist Alli and theatre owner Brad as they team up to “unravel the mysterious origins of [a classic Christmas] movie’s signature song.” And of course, along the way, they “learn that movie magic isn’t always just on screen.”

6 A Picture Perfect Holiday – Airing From November 13, 2021

Decades after The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ended, Tatyana Ali has been making a new name for herself as the lead actress in some of the best Christmas television movies in recent years. In 2021, Ali is once again starring in what could be one of Lifetime’s best movies of the season: A Picture Perfect Holiday, which premieres on November 13.

In this film, Ali stars as Gaby, a fashion photographer, opposite Henderson Wade’s Sean, a wildlife photographer. Both photographers happen to be “attend[ing] the annual Christmas photography retreat in the small town of Pine Falls,” only to find out that they have been booked in the same rental. Of course, they spar, they flirt, and proximity will only make their hearts grow fonder during the holidays.

5 Dancing Through The Snow – Airing From November 19, 2021

Oftentimes, the best Christmas movies are the ones that feel timeless and could exist in a world outside of the modern era. But sometimes, a film just has a totally 2020s premise that is too cute to not work. In Dancing Through the Snow, premiering on November 19, a viral video changes the life of Michael Foster, a single father portrayed by Virgin River‘s Colin Lawrence.

The logline reads that “a video goes viral of Michael and [his 8-year-old daughter] Lily doing an adorable ballet routine,” which leads to “Michael becom[ing] the most eligible bachelor, as women everywhere want to date this adorable dad.” But Michael doesn’t want any of the women after him for his newfound adorable fame; the only woman he wants is Lily’s dance teacher, Olivia, as portrayed by 90210‘s AnnaLynne McCord.

4 Under The Christmas Tree – Airing From December 19, 2021

Thankfully, LGBTQ+ holiday movies have become more common in recent years. In 2020, Happiest Season was a hit for Hulu, Lifetime released The Christmas Setup, and even Hallmark featured a married gay couple in The Christmas House. But in 2021, Lifetime is featuring its first lesbian romance front and center in Under the Christmas Tree, premiering on December 19.

Starring Elise Bauman (Carmilla) and Tattiawna Jones, the film will be putting a welcome LGBTQ+ spin on familiar holiday romance tropes, including rivals to lovers, arguing over ownership of a Christmas tree, statewide holiday celebrations, and matchmaking.

3 Baking Spirits Bright – Airing From November 21, 2021

In another example of Lifetime’s continued commitment to telling inclusive love stories, Baking Spirits Bright, premiering on November 21, features an interracial romance between a Black man and an Indo-Fijian woman. The film, starring Rekha Sharma (Battlestar Galactica) and Dion Johnstone (Sweet Magnolias), is yet another film that will revitalize the trope of romance blooming among a fight of small-town vs. corporate interests.

Baking Spirits Bright tells the story of Sharma’s Mira, who “runs her family’s business of making fruitcakes,” and what happens when Johnstone’s Brady intervenes with “his high-powered marketing company to boost sales for the holidays.” As they debate their business approaches, the holiday spirit will help them both find love in the end.

2 People Presents: Blending Christmas – Airing From December 12, 2021

Many famous actors have appeared in Hallmark movies, but this year, Lifetime is taking on one of its most impressive reunion efforts to date with the forthcoming People Presents: Blending Christmas. The film, which premieres on December 12, ostensibly stars Haylie Duff and Aaron O’Connell as a young couple introducing their families to one another during the holidays.

But the real draw of the film is, without question, its reunion of four members of the original cast of The Brady Bunch: Barry Williams, Christopher Knight, Mike Lookinland, and Susan Olsen. When feuding among the families threatens the future of the central relationship, desperate holiday matchmaking attempts ensue.

1 Miracle In Motor City – Airing From November 28, 2021

A recurring theme in many of the best holiday television movies is Christmas pageants, Christmas concerts, or anything else holiday-themed that involves music. Miracle in Motor City, premiering on November 28, is easily the strongest example of this trend this year, thanks to the star power of Smokey Robinson.

Starring Tia Mowry (Sister, Sister), the film follows what happens when Morwy’s Amber “bites off more than she can chew when she takes charge of her church’s annual Christmas pageant and inadvertently promises to deliver a special performance by Motown legend Smokey Robinson,” and reconnects with her ex-boyfriend Eddie (Mark Taylor) along the way.

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