🔗 Share this article Devouring 2025's Christmas Films: The Hits, The Misses, and The Guilty Pleasures. ‘Tis the time of year to lounge on the couch and devour a box of festive treats in front of a good movie, a poor film, or one that’s so bad it’s good. This year, a selection of new seasonal stories aims to become part of our seasonal watchlist—maybe even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). Thus, in a vital public service to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to get into the festive feeling, I binged as many new Christmas films as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, hopefully, on a positive note. This is the exclusive 2025 entry on a famous website's list of the best 100 holiday films of all time. The Jonas Brothers end up stranded in the UK after concluding their world tour and must make it back for Christmas. Their attempts are hindered by an villainous Saint Nick, who bursts into melody to declare they won’t get home until they “find their familial spark.” The back-and-forth between the arguing trio is amusing even for the non-fan, while devotees will no doubt pick up on lots of easter eggs as they endeavor to get back using all transportation available. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not legendary, but is excellent for fans and a solid start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who will have to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland stars as a celebrity roped into a pantomime. “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and aging lead Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose agent has deceived him into thinking he’s performing in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin fellow actors tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he retorts. You can guess their reply. That is, unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some hilarious moments, some cockle-warming sub-plots, and the rest of the cast is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit tacky at another season, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma An actor appears at the outset of this film, too, insulting someone for the second consecutive movie. Could this be a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who collects Mr Sood, the newest interpretation on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by The Big Bang Theory’s Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the director of Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative develops as the stingy Mr Sood is confronted by the spirits of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least different from all the others, but sadly he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s acting is flat—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There’s time for a channel's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he receives an large festive windfall at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he discovers there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to pay back the excess. Enjoyable but forgettable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the decorations and snow are in the setting—Christmas is the environment 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 dispatched to a country estate to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she encounters a man in a literary haven who offers to show her Christmas in Paris. An expert recently declared this is the top new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a holiday love story with a touch of class and gives the necessary cozy feelings. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is notable too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, in spite of the attempts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The secret is out there, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the assistance of a panel of well-known figures. It’s low-key but charming, and perfect viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a quarrelling American family who reunite for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer begins by referencing holiday staples 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 what this is, but in execution it’s really a combination of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s taken a dip, but thankfully here’s a new offering in the packed genre of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and utterly watchable—holiday fare. It’s a narrative as well-worn: An American woman goes on a quest to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the time of year to lounge on the couch and devour a box of festive treats in front of a good movie, a poor film, or one that’s so bad it’s good. This year, a selection of new seasonal stories aims to become part of our seasonal watchlist—maybe even joining the ranks alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). Thus, in a vital public service to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to get into the festive feeling, I binged as many new Christmas films as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, hopefully, on a positive note. This is the exclusive 2025 entry on a famous website's list of the best 100 holiday films of all time. The Jonas Brothers end up stranded in the UK after concluding their world tour and must make it back for Christmas. Their attempts are hindered by an villainous Saint Nick, who bursts into melody to declare they won’t get home until they “find their familial spark.” The back-and-forth between the arguing trio is amusing even for the non-fan, while devotees will no doubt pick up on lots of easter eggs as they endeavor to get back using all transportation available. It’s a journey of epic proportions. It’s not legendary, but is excellent for fans and a solid start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their family members who will have to sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Famous performer Kiefer Sutherland stars as a celebrity roped into a pantomime. “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and aging lead Brad Mack, who has seen better days and whose agent has deceived him into thinking he’s performing in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin fellow actors tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he retorts. You can guess their reply. That is, unless you’re unfamiliar with traditional British theatre traditions. There are some hilarious moments, some cockle-warming sub-plots, and the rest of the cast is cracking, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit tacky at another season, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 10.19am - Christmas Karma An actor appears at the outset of this film, too, insulting someone for the second consecutive movie. Could this be a budding festive ritual? This time, he’s a singing black cab driver who collects Mr Sood, the newest interpretation on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by The Big Bang Theory’s Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the director of Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative develops as the stingy Mr Sood is confronted by the spirits of Christmas past, present and future, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least different from all the others, but sadly he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s acting is flat—a major flaw when he’s so the main character. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There’s time for a channel's Christmas comedy-drama—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he receives an large festive windfall at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one problem—he discovers there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to determine how to pay back the excess. Enjoyable but forgettable. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those holiday movies where the decorations and snow are in the setting—Christmas is the environment 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 dispatched to a country estate to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she encounters a man in a literary haven who offers to show her Christmas in Paris. An expert recently declared this is the top new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a stretch, but it is a holiday love story with a touch of class and gives the necessary cozy feelings. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is notable too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Afternoon: Finding Father Christmas Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, continues to believe in Father Christmas, in spite of the attempts of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The secret is out there, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the assistance of a panel of well-known figures. It’s low-key but charming, and perfect viewing while anticipating Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the mother of a quarrelling American family who reunite for the holidays—including other Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer begins by referencing holiday staples 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 what this is, but in execution it’s really a combination of those aforementioned movies, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Formulaic Fun The day’s taken a dip, but thankfully here’s a new offering in the packed genre of formulaic, schmaltzy, badly acted—and utterly watchable—holiday fare. It’s a narrative as well-worn: An American woman goes on a quest to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher