The countdown to Christmas 2022 has officially begun. This time of year can be chaotic and cozy. It’s chaotic due to all the parties and get-togethers, but cozy because we’re more likely to be indoors eating good food and watching a cute, cheesy, or awesomely bad Christmas movie. Today, we’re choosing cozy, so let’s talk about Christmas movies. Everyone has a different list of classics that they pull out for this time of year, but there are so many Christmas movies to choose from that it can get overwhelming to plan your cozy TV time. If you’re a holiday movie buff, we’ve got at least 10 you should consider adding to your playlist.
1. Hip Hop Family Christmas Wedding (2022)
We first met the Nixon family last year in Hip Hop Family Christmas, but this year they’re back for the sequel, with someone from their clan getting married. The Nixon family is hip-hop royalty so there’s never a dull moment in their world, especially when it comes to navigating the ups and downs of life, love and celebrity drama right before the big Christmas wedding day. The cast includes Ne-Yo, Keri Hilson, Terrence J, MC Lyte, Red Man, Bow Wow and more. You need access to Vh1 to catch this one.
2. Catfish Christmas (2022)
When a single woman returns home for the holidays, she gets bombarded by her family about why she’s not coupled up yet. They go as far as to try and set her up with her childhood friend but she has her sights on a more glamorous paramour who also happens to be a handsome NFL player. Things get chaotic when her meddling sister pretends to be that football player reaching out to her for a love connection.
3. A Wesley Family Christmas
Adult siblings reconnect at their childhood home in Washington DC to celebrate the holidays. Once they get there, they are left to deal with each other, their father harboring a secret, a crazy neighbor and other family drama. Physical and emotional baggage collide as the festivities commence amid life-changing events that impact the entire Wesley crew. Now streaming on BET+.
4. This Christmas (2007)
We love a good family Christmas drama, of course, so this 2007 holiday classic is must-see holiday TV. When the Whitfields convene around Christmas time for their first holiday together in four years, the family secrets are revealed, rivalries get reignited and the family matriarch, played by Loretta Devine, realizes she has a lot of work to do in order to get her adult children in harmony with one another.
5. Holiday Hideaway (2022)
A travel writer who is obsessed with holidays takes on a Christmas work assignment after experiencing a disastrous Thanksgiving with her family and boyfriend. The assignment sends her on a relaxing getaway to check out a new hotel, and she can’t wait to get away for a while solo. However, time away makes her realize that perhaps the people she loves most aren’t so bad after all and that the real Christmas miracle would be if they could be together before the holidays are over.
6. Hip-Hop Holiday (2019)
Hip-Hop superstar, Leesa J (Ta’Rhonda Jones), is a mega star and often a diva. However, when she goes home she’s just Leesa. She ends up rekindling an old friendship over the Christmas holiday when she’s back with her family and friends. There are some unresolved feelings that need to be explored as she re-examines her life and the real reason she’s not feeling Christmas this year – a holiday she used to love.
7. Almost Christmas (2016)
Gabrielle Union, Omar Epps, Mo’Nique, Danny Glover, Kimberly Elise and more flex their comedic chops in this shenanigan-laced family holiday dramedy. It’s more comedy than drama, as the widowed family patriarch asks for his family to get along as the ultimate Christmas gift. They try to honor their dad’s request, but not without hilarious antics unleashed first.
8. A Diva’s Christmas Carol (2000)
Vanessa L. Williams takes the lead in this classic reimagining of Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol. The story is familiar, but with a modern twist.
9. Hot Chocolate Nutcracker
Debbie Allen tapped into her creative genius to create a version of Balanchine’s classic ballet, The Nutcracker. But of course, Allen’s version is modernized and has soul. What’s not to love about brown ballerinas and beloved actors like Raven Symone and Tichina Arnold acting, dancing and singing their hearts out to this version of the classic story! Even more of a bonus is that there’s a documentary titled, Dance Dreams, which tells the story of the making of the project, produced by Shonda Rhimes, and airing on Netflix. The Hot Chocolate Nutcracker is live in theaters in LA, so you can get tickets if you’re in that area, but it usually airs on Christmas Eve on BET.
10. Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020)
From the mind of David E. Talbert, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is an adorable Christmas tale that the entire family will love. It’s about a bitter toy maker who finds joy again decades after being betrayed by his apprentice, when his granddaughter arrives to meet him. There is music, dancing and a whimsical tale that tugs at everyone’s heartstrings.
