Caillou’s Holiday Movie (2003)

Rated: G

Genres: Animation, Family, Musical

Synopsis: A boy learns about winter activities and holiday traditions from around the world.

Review: I’ll admit up front that I’ve never seen any Caillou stories before.  However, I really enjoyed this even though it’s geared for younger viewers.  It teaches about other cultures, giving, sharing, community, and more.  Great lessons that can spark family conversations.  This is one for the whole family.

Scoring: 4

Caillou’s Perfect Christmas (2022)

Rated: TV-Y

Genres: Animated, Family

Synopsis: Caillou is so excited for Christmas, but his plans are dashed when a Christmas Eve snowstorm comes to town and causes a power outage. 

Review: Definitely a good movie for young children. As an adult I even enjoyed it. Caillou has to learn how to adjust to things not going exactly as planned. 

Scoring: 3.5

A California Christmas (2020)

Rated: PG-13

Genres: Drama, Family, Romance

Starring: Lauren Swickard and Josh Swickard

Synopsis: With his carefree lifestyle on the line, a wealthy charmer poses as a ranch hand to get a hardworking farmer to sell her family's land before Christmas.

Review: The movie takes a long time to get the story going.  It pulls on every standard plot point from someone pretending to be someone else, losing their ranch, and mom dying that it makes it quite blah.  I enjoyed it more towards the end but I wouldn’t watch it again.

Scoring: 2

A California Christmas: City Lights (2021)

Rated: PG-13

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Starring: Lauren Swickard and Josh Swickard

Synopsis: This is the sequel to “A California Christmas”.  It follows Callie and Joseph one year after they fell in love, now running a dairy farm and winery, but their romance is threatened when business and family obligations call Joseph back to the city.

Review: Boring, predictable, and no better than the first.  My favorite scene was the one with the mom talking about the invisible backpack.  I really think the writing is where this movie suffered.

Scoring: 2

Campfire Christmas (2022)

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Family, Romance

Starring: Tori Anderson and Corbin Bleu

Synopsis: Romance rekindles for Peyton and her closest friends during a holiday themed reunion which Peyton's parents decide to host in their family-owned summer camp before selling it.

Review: I loved this movie.  It’s truly a celebration of Christmas in July.  It features a nicely diverse cast.  The relationships evolve in a relatable way, and they perfectly balance present day and flashback memories.  Loads of fun.

Scoring: 4

Candy Cane Candidate (2021)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama, Family

Starring: Jacky Lai and Jake Epstein

Synopsis: Julia returns to her hometown for Christmas to drown her sorrows after her recent political campaign for city council ended in a landslide loss.

Review: This movie shows a friendly rivalry between two people who both want to make the world a better place. The supporting characters add an excellent layer to the story. I really enjoyed it. 

Scoring: 3

Candy Cane Christmas (2020) 

Rated: PG

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Beverley Mitchell and Mark Ghanime

Synopsis: A woman searches for a new tradition to lift her holiday spirits at Christmastime.

Review: I love the theme of this movie. The making of new friends and new traditions while opening your heart to new people is a beautiful sentiment.  Phoebe turns the loss of an old tradition into new traditions by focusing on others in her community. A very sweet story where family is those around you.  

Scoring: 3

Candy Cane Lane (2023)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Family

Starring: Eddie Murphy and Tracee Ellis Ross

Synopsis: A man is determined to win the neighborhood's annual Christmas decorating contest. He makes a pact with an elf to help him win--and the elf casts a spell that brings the 12 days of Christmas to life, which brings unexpected chaos to town.

Review: I was very bored. I felt like the movie was too much. Is it about family and working together or about the meaning of Christmas or about decorating, or the supernatural, etc. It’s fantastical enough for children and families. A lot of people recommended it to me. It just has to be your cup of tea. 

Scoring: 2.5

Candy Coated Christmas (2021)

Rated: NR

Genres: Comedy, Family, Romance

Starring: Ree Drummond, Aaron O’Connell, and Molly McCook

Synopsis: A woman returning to her deceased mother’s home, in this case to Peppermint Hollow, discovers the true meaning of love and Christmas.

Review: While the story is expected, it’s a sweet love story. Not just the romance of the leads but the family. It’s a little slow and missing some oomph but fun nonetheless. 

Scoring: 3

A Cape Cod Christmas (2021)

Rated: PG

Genres: Family, Romance 

Starring: Katie Leclerc and Brent Bailey

Synopsis: When a children's author hosts one last Christmas dinner with her disagreeable siblings before they sell the family house, she reunites with her childhood sweetheart who helps her find a way to keep the home she loves so dearly.

Review: You should know that my family all lives in that area and it evokes nostalgia for me. It may have made me biased. I loved the story. It had the slow easy feeling that Hallmark movies do.  I liked all the characters and the scenery. Even when the family was at odds, they were kind.

Scoring: 3

Captain Underpants Mega Blissmass (2020)

Rated: TV-Y

Genres: Animation, Fantasy

Synopsis: Christmas gets weird - really weird - after George and Harold go back in time to change up a few of their beloved holiday's traditions.

Review: It’s only fair I start this by saying I’ve never seen any Captain Underpants programs before.  I found it to be too silly.  They go back in time and change Christmas then in moments they get Santa to change his mind back.  I also found the speed at which they spoke very annoying.  If you’re a Captain Underpants fan, I say judge it for yourself.  If you’re not, skip it.

Scoring: 2

Carole’s Christmas (2019)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama, Family

Starring: Kimberly Elise and Jackée Harry

Synopsis: A busy, overworked businesswoman finds her life turned upside down after wishing she’d taken a different path in life. 

Review: The wishing for the road not taken is a familiar story in Christmas movies, this one is slightly different though. It’s usually someone without a family wanting a family over career or the other way around. Here she has the family both ways. Of course, she chooses her old life, as they always do.  The way the story unfolds is a little flat but Jackée brings energy to all her scenes. 

Scoring: 2

Carol for Another Christmas (1964)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Fantasy

Starring: Sterling Hayden

Synopsis: Daniel Grudge, a wealthy industrialist and fierce isolationist long embittered by the loss of his son in World War II, is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve who led him to reconsider his attitude toward his fellow man.

Review: This movie is preaching political views on war. It’s a lot of preaching. Grudge is an isolationist, and the ghosts are teaching him about the importance of the US being involved in world issues. It’s not done well and is not a message most people want these days. Plus, I got tired of being hit over the head with the messages war and death. 

Scoring: 1

Carol of the Bells (2019)

Rated: PG-13

Genres: Drama, Family

Starring: RJ Mitte, Donna Mills, and Donna Pescow

Synopsis: A young man with a troubled past seeks out his biological mother. His world is turned upside down upon discovering that she is developmentally disabled.

Review: This is a truly beautiful story.  They even snuck in a surprise towards the end that I didn’t see coming.  The only part I didn’t like was the casting of RJ Mitte.  He didn’t convey the depth of emotion the part required and it seemed to bring the whole movie down.  It’s still worth watching.  The actress playing Carol was excellent and brought so much emotion and meaning to the movie.

Scoring: 2.5

Carolin Kebekus: The Last Christmas Special (2021)

Rated: TV-MA

Genres: Comedy

Starring: Carolin Kebekus

Synopsis: One of the biggest comedians in Germany, Carolin Kebekus, mixes festive nostalgia and social commentary with her signature edgy wit to poke fun and challenge ‘the most wonderful time of the year.’

Review: This is done in German with English subtitles.  It’s somewhat funny.  I think there are some cultural differences that made some of the jokes, where the audience was cracking up, seem a little dull to me.  Still, it’s a funny take on all the challenges and traditions of the season.

Scoring: 3

The Case of the Christmas Diamond (2022)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy

Starring: William Baldwin, Kelly Daly, and Dey Young

Synopsis: Andy finds herself accused of theft when a multimillion-dollar gem suddenly goes missing from her rich friend's estate. With the help of a famous mystery writer, Andy must find the real culprit amid the litany of wealthy guests.

Review: As cheesy as this movie was, I couldn’t stop watching. It was so great as each clue came in. I guessed the wrong criminal. It was a lot of fun. 

Scoring: 3

A Castle For Christmas (2021)

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Starring: Cary Elwes and Brooke Shields

Synopsis: To escape a scandal, a bestselling author journeys to Scotland, where she falls in love with a castle – and faces off with the grumpy duke who owns it.

Review: I’m half Scottish and my grandmother emigrated from Scotland to the US so I was excited to see this bit of Scotland. It was beyond bonny. The villagers were a lovely combination of different and colorful personalities. The only negative was the complete lack of chemistry between Shields and Elwes. Thankfully there’s plenty else to love about this movie. 

Scoring: 3.5

The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About Christmas (2012)

Rated: G

Genres: Animated, Fantasy, Musical

Starring: Martin Short

Synopsis: Twas the day before Christmas and all through the yard, the Cat in the Hat and his guests partied hard.

Review: It is exactly as advertised.  A Christmas movie with the magic of Seuss and the antics of the Cat In The Hat.  It also includes facts about animals including how important it is to stick together. I believe children will love this movie.  It isn’t one of those animated movies with little bits to amuse adults.  This is geared just for children.  Families may enjoy watching it together.

Scoring: 3.5

Catch Me If You Claus (2023)

Rated: G

Genres: Adventure, Romance

Starring:  Luke Macfarlane and Italia Ricci

Synopsis: On the verge of her big break, aspiring news anchor Avery Quinn catches a home intruder wearing a red suit claiming to be Santa's son, Chris.

Review:  I thought this was a little silly and lacked depth. It wasn’t quite funny, not quite adventurous, and not quite romantic. It just lacked something. 

Scoring: 2.5

Catering Christmas (2022)

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Starring: Merritt Patterson and Daniel Lissing

Synopsis: Molly Frost a struggling new catering business owner lands on New Hampshire's biggest event of the year.

Review: I thought this movie was very sweet. I knew how it would end from the beginning, not that I mind, as it helps me just relax and enjoy. I liked the way Carson and Molly’s relationship seemed to evolve organically. My only note is they could have made it more meaningful and deeper emotionally. It felt very surfacy.

Scoring: 3.5

Catfish Christmas (2022)

Rated: NR

Genres: Family, Romance 

Starring: Leigh-Ann Rose, Tony Todd, Ella Joyce, Charlotte Evelyn Williams, and Devin Laster

Synopsis: A woman meets a handsome football player while online dating, only to learn things might not be as they appear.

Review: This was a refreshing change of pace. It’s a Christmas romance but original and charming. The family is lovely and entertaining. Seeing Leslie figure out what and who she wants is an interesting journey. I loved the fast forward at the end. 

Scoring: 4