🔗 Share this article Binge-Watching 2025's Christmas Films: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights. ‘Tis the season to relax on the sofa and consume a packet of holiday pastries in front of a great film, a bad movie, or one that’s awesomely awful. As always, a crop of fresh seasonal stories strives to join part of our seasonal watchlist—maybe even earning a place alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). So, in a vital public service to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to embrace the holiday mood, I marathoned as many new Christmas films as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, hopefully, on a good foot. This release is the only 2025 title on a popular review site's list of the top 100 Christmas movies of all time. The popular band find themselves stranded in the UK after finishing their international trek and must make it back for Christmas. Their endeavors are hampered by an villainous Saint Nick, who breaks into song to declare they won’t get home until they “rediscover their brotherly magic.” The repartee between the squabbling siblings is entertaining even for the uninitiated, while followers will undoubtedly notice lots of references as they endeavor to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, but is superb for devotees and a positive start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who must sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland appears as a celebrity roped into a "panto". “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and aging star Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose manager has misled him into thinking he’s starring in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin co-stars tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their response. Except if you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some hilarious moments, some touching sub-plots, and the supporting actors is brilliant, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit tacky at a different time, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma An actor appears at the start of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the next movie straight. Is this a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who collects Mr Sood, the newest interpretation 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 director of Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative unfolds as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is confronted by the spirits of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least different from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s acting is lifeless—a significant issue when he’s so the focal point. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed There's just enough time for a network's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) persuades him splurging the cash on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he finds out there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to pay back the excess. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the background—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a French chateau to do a deal for a champagne business. En route, she runs into a guy in a book store who offers to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A critic recently claimed this is the top new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a festive dalliance with a hint of sophistication and gives the necessary warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the persuasion of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The truth is to be discovered, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the guidance of a group of well-known figures. It’s gentle but charming, and ideal viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a dysfunctional American family who come back together for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping 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 practice it’s really a jumble of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but thankfully here’s a new entry in the saturated market of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and highly entertaining—holiday fare. It’s a narrative as familiar as can be: An American woman journeys to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the season to relax on the sofa and consume a packet of holiday pastries in front of a great film, a bad movie, or one that’s awesomely awful. As always, a crop of fresh seasonal stories strives to join part of our seasonal watchlist—maybe even earning a place alongside beloved favorites like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (don’t start). So, in a vital public service to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to embrace the holiday mood, I marathoned as many new Christmas films as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Kicking off, hopefully, on a good foot. This release is the only 2025 title on a popular review site's list of the top 100 Christmas movies of all time. The popular band find themselves stranded in the UK after finishing their international trek and must make it back for Christmas. Their endeavors are hampered by an villainous Saint Nick, who breaks into song to declare they won’t get home until they “rediscover their brotherly magic.” The repartee between the squabbling siblings is entertaining even for the uninitiated, while followers will undoubtedly notice lots of references as they endeavor to get back using any means of transport necessary. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, but is superb for devotees and a positive start to the day. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 for Jonas Brothers fans or 🎄🎄🎄 for their relatives who must sit through it. Next: A Star in Panto Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland appears as a celebrity roped into a "panto". “A panto-what?” asks Sutherland’s “temperamental” and aging star Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose manager has misled him into thinking he’s starring in prestigious English theatre. His Aladdin co-stars tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Absolutely not,” he insists angrily. One can imagine their response. Except if you’re not acquainted with traditional stage call-and-response. There are some hilarious moments, some touching sub-plots, and the supporting actors is brilliant, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit tacky at a different time, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Mid-Morning: Christmas Karma An actor appears at the start of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the next movie straight. Is this a new Christmas tradition? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who collects Mr Sood, the newest interpretation 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 director of Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative unfolds as the tight-fisted Mr Sood is confronted by the spirits of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This cultural adaptation is at least different from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very compelling and Nayyar’s acting is lifeless—a significant issue when he’s so the focal point. Festive score: 🎄🎄 Lunchtime: Stuffed There's just enough time for a network's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he gets an £8,000 Christmas bonus at work, his wife (played by Morgana Robinson) persuades him splurging the cash on a family trip to Lapland. There’s just one issue—he finds out there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to devise a plan for how to pay back the excess. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 1.12pm - Champagne Problems This is one of those Christmas films where the tree, fairy lights and snow are in the background—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels warm and holiday-like all the same. Ambitious executive Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is dispatched to a French chateau to do a deal for a champagne business. En route, she runs into a guy in a book store who offers to show her the holidays in the City of Light. A critic recently claimed this is the top new Christmas film of the last several seasons. That’s a bit of a overstatement, but it is a festive dalliance with a hint of sophistication and gives the necessary warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a detailed conversation about Die Hard is particularly strong too. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄🎄 3.29pm - Finding Father Christmas Sixteen-year-old Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, despite the persuasion of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him otherwise. The truth is to be discovered, and Chris embarks on a quest to find it with the guidance of a group of well-known figures. It’s gentle but charming, and ideal viewing while waiting for Santa to visit. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 4.39pm - Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a dysfunctional American family who come back together for the holidays—including fellow acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping 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 practice it’s really a jumble of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character at last takes center stage. Festive score: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s taken a dip, but thankfully here’s a new entry in the saturated market of predictable, sentimental, cheesy—and highly entertaining—holiday fare. It’s a narrative as familiar as can be: An American woman journeys to a distant snowy land and ends up discovering romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher