🔗 Share this article Marathon Viewing 2025's Christmas Films: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures. ‘Tis the time of year to slob out on the sofa and devour a box of holiday pastries in front of a good movie, a bad movie, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. As always, a selection of new Christmas films hopes to be part of our seasonal watchlist—maybe even earning a place alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). Therefore, in a helpful attempt to separate the winners from the losers, and to embrace the holiday mood, I marathoned as many fresh festive movies as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Beginning, optimistically, on a high. This is the exclusive 2025 movie on a well-known aggregator's list of the top 100 holiday films of all time. The popular band end up stuck in the UK after finishing their international trek and must return for Christmas. Their attempts are thwarted by an villainous Saint Nick, who bursts into melody to declare they won’t get home until they “find their sibling bond.” The repartee between the bickering brothers is enjoyable even for the casual viewer, while fans will no doubt catch lots of in-jokes as they endeavor to get back using all transportation available. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not legendary, but is great for fans and a solid start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who are obliged to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland stars as a celebrity tricked into a "panto". “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and aging lead Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose agent has tricked him into thinking he’s appearing in renowned British drama. His pantomime co-stars let him know he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he insists angrily. It's easy to predict their reply. Unless you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some very funny lines, some heartwarming sub-plots, and the ensemble is brilliant, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit naff at a different time, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma Danny Dyer appears at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second consecutive movie. Might this become a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who picks up Mr Sood, the latest spin on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by an actor from Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story unfolds as the stingy Mr Sood is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least unique from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s performance is flat—a problem when he’s so the focal point. Festive score: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed Before lunch for a network's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “avoids Christmas.” But after he is awarded an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) convinces him splurging the cash on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he learns there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to return the difference. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the festive trappings are in the background—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is assigned to a vineyard to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. En route, she meets a guy in a bookshop who offers to show her Christmas in Paris. A commentator recently claimed this is the finest new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a holiday love story with a touch of class and gives the required warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is very good too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, regardless of the persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The answer is out there, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the expert help of a team of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s understated but sweet, and good viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a bickering American family who gather for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer starts by mentioning classic festive films like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before saying: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in execution it’s really a combination of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally finds her strength. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but fortunately here’s a new offering in the packed genre of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and strangely compelling—holiday fare. It’s a story as old as time: An American woman journeys to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the time of year to slob out on the sofa and devour a box of holiday pastries in front of a good movie, a bad movie, or one that’s terrible yet terrific. As always, a selection of new Christmas films hopes to be part of our seasonal watchlist—maybe even earning a place alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). Therefore, in a helpful attempt to separate the winners from the losers, and to embrace the holiday mood, I marathoned as many fresh festive movies as possible in a single day. 7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Beginning, optimistically, on a high. This is the exclusive 2025 movie on a well-known aggregator's list of the top 100 holiday films of all time. The popular band end up stuck in the UK after finishing their international trek and must return for Christmas. Their attempts are thwarted by an villainous Saint Nick, who bursts into melody to declare they won’t get home until they “find their sibling bond.” The repartee between the bickering brothers is enjoyable even for the casual viewer, while fans will no doubt catch lots of in-jokes as they endeavor to get back using all transportation available. It’s private planes, trains and automobiles. It’s not legendary, but is great for fans and a solid start to the day. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who are obliged to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland stars as a celebrity tricked into a "panto". “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and aging lead Brad Mack, who has hit a rough patch and whose agent has tricked him into thinking he’s appearing in renowned British drama. His pantomime co-stars let him know he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he insists angrily. It's easy to predict their reply. Unless you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some very funny lines, some heartwarming sub-plots, and the ensemble is brilliant, too. It’s the type of film that would be a bit naff at a different time, but is a great entertainment at Christmas. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma Danny Dyer appears at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second consecutive movie. Might this become a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who picks up Mr Sood, the latest spin on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by an actor from Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the filmmaker behind Gurinder Chadha. The familiar story unfolds as the stingy Mr Sood is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least unique from all the others, but unfortunately he’s not very charismatic and Nayyar’s performance is flat—a problem when he’s so the focal point. Festive score: 🎄🎄 12.04pm - Stuffed Before lunch for a network's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “avoids Christmas.” But after he is awarded an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) convinces him splurging the cash on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he learns there was an mistake with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to return the difference. Pleasant yet unmemorable. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the festive trappings are in the background—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. High-powered businesswoman Sydney (starring Minka Kelly) is assigned to a vineyard to negotiate a purchase for a sparkling wine company. En route, she meets a guy in a bookshop who offers to show her Christmas in Paris. A commentator recently claimed this is the finest new Christmas film of the past few years. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a holiday love story with a touch of class and gives the required warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is very good too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Teenage Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, regardless of the persuasion of his dad (starring James Buckley) to tell him the reality. The answer is out there, and Chris ventures forth to find it with the expert help of a team of well-known scientists and personalities. It’s understated but sweet, and good viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a bickering American family who gather for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer starts by mentioning classic festive films like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before saying: “They need to make a movie about the unsung heroes of the holidays—moms.” So that’s the premise, but in execution it’s really a combination of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character finally finds her strength. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Evening: A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but fortunately here’s a new offering in the packed genre of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and strangely compelling—holiday fare. It’s a story as old as time: An American woman journeys to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher