Marathon Viewing 2025's Christmas Films: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights.
‘Tis the season to lounge on the couch and devour a tin of festive treats in front of a terrific flick, a poor film, or one that’s so bad it’s good.
This year, a selection of new Christmas films strives to join part of our festive viewing—perhaps even joining the ranks alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start).
So, in a vital public service to distinguish the gems from the coal, and to get into the holiday mood, I watched as many recent festive movies as possible in a single day.
7.17am - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie
Beginning, ideally, on a good foot. This film is the sole 2025 entry on a well-known aggregator's list of the top 100 Christmas movies of all time.
The musical trio end up stuck in the UK after wrapping up their world tour and must return for Christmas. Their efforts are hampered by an evil Santa, who sings to announce they won’t get home until they “find their sibling bond.”
The repartee between the bickering brothers is entertaining even for the non-fan, while fans will undoubtedly pick up on lots of in-jokes as they try to get back using all transportation available.
It’s a travelogue of mishaps.
It’s not a timeless masterpiece, but is great for devotees and a positive start to the day.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their loved ones who will have to sit through it.
Next: A Star in Panto
Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland has been cast as a celebrity cast a "panto".
“A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “hard-to-work-with” and ageing lead Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose representative has tricked him into thinking he’s appearing in prestigious English theatre.
His pantomime co-stars tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he protests. It's easy to predict their reply. That is, unless you’re not acquainted with traditional British theatre traditions.
There are some very funny lines, some heartwarming side stories, and the rest of the cast is brilliant, too.
It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit naff at a different time, but is a lot of fun at Christmas.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄🎄
10.19am - Christmas Karma
An actor appears at the outset of this film, too, delivering a signature line for the second consecutive movie. Could this be a fresh holiday staple?
This time, he’s a crooning chauffeur who collects 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 Bend It Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative develops as the stingy Mr Sood is haunted by the apparitions of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George.
This South Asian reinterpretation is at least unique from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s acting is wooden—a significant issue when he’s so central to everything.
Festive score: 🎄🎄
12.04pm - Stuffed
There’s time for a network's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a endearingly grumpy man who “isn't big on Christmas.”
But after he is awarded an large festive windfall at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) convinces him splurging the cash on a holiday to Lapland.
There’s just one problem—he finds out there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to return the remainder.
Enjoyable but forgettable.
Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄
Early Afternoon: Champagne Problems
This is one of those holiday movies where the decorations and snow are in the setting—Christmas is the scene of the film rather than its raison d’etre—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same.
Driven corporate star Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is assigned to a vineyard to secure an acquisition for a champagne business. En route, she runs into a man in a book store who vows to show her Christmas in Paris.
A commentator recently declared this is the best new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a dash of elegance and gives the obligatory warm and fuzzy feels.
The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is particularly strong too.
Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄
Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas
Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, regardless of the attempts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the truth.
The secret is to be discovered, and Chris sets out to find it with the guidance of a team of well-known scientists and personalities.
It’s gentle but charming, and good viewing while anticipating Santa to visit.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄
A Star-Studded Family Drama
Michelle Pfeiffer is the matriarch of a quarrelling American family who come back together for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee 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 declaring: “They need to make a movie about the true heroes of the holidays—moms.”
So that’s what this is, but in execution it’s really a jumble of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually comes into her own.
Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄
6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret
The day’s taken a dip, but fortunately here’s a new addition in the saturated market of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and strangely compelling—festive fodder.
It’s a story as well-worn: An American woman goes on a quest to a far-off wintery locale and ends up stumbling across romance.
In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher