🔗 Share this article Devouring 2025's Christmas Films: Highlights, Lowlights, and Unexpected Delights. ‘Tis the season to lounge on the couch and consume a packet of mince pies in front of a terrific flick, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful. This year, a selection of fresh Christmas films strives to join part of our holiday traditions—perhaps even earning a place alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). So, in a helpful attempt to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to embrace the Christmas spirit, I binged as many new holiday releases as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Beginning, hopefully, on a positive note. This film is the exclusive 2025 title on a famous website's list of the greatest 100 holiday films of all time. The Jonas Brothers find themselves stuck in the UK after concluding their global concert series and must make it back for Christmas. Their endeavors are hindered by an villainous Saint Nick, who bursts into melody to announce they won’t get home until they “find their brotherly magic.” The repartee between the squabbling siblings is amusing even for the casual viewer, while devotees will certainly catch lots of references as they try to get back using all transportation available. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, but is excellent for devotees 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. Late Morning: Tinsel Town Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland appears as a Hollywood star cast a pantomime. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and ageing star Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose manager has misled him into thinking he’s performing in high-class London stage. His pantomime cast-mates tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he retorts. You can guess their response. That is, unless you’re ignorant of traditional panto catchphrases. There are some hilarious moments, some cockle-warming sub-plots, and the rest of the cast is excellent, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit cheesy at any other time of year, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge An actor appears at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second film in a row. Is this a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who encounters Mr Sood, the latest spin on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by a star of Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the director of Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative progresses as the stingy Mr Sood is confronted by the apparitions of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least distinct from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s acting is lifeless—a major flaw when he’s so central to everything. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There's just enough time for a channel's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he gets an sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he learns there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to reimburse the remainder. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Festive score: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those Christmas films where the festive trappings are in the backdrop—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. Driven corporate star Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she encounters a guy in a literary haven who offers to show her a festive Paris. A critic recently claimed this is the top new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a touch of class and gives the necessary warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is very good too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, in spite of the persuasion of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The answer is out there, and Chris sets out to find it with the guidance of a panel of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s understated but endearing, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a bickering American family who come back together for the holidays—including other acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping Christmas classics like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before stating: “They need to make a movie about the real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s what this is, but in practice it’s really a combination of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually takes center stage. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but fortunately here’s a new offering in the packed genre of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and strangely compelling—festive fodder. It’s a narrative as familiar as can be: An American woman journeys to a distant snowy land and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher
‘Tis the season to lounge on the couch and consume a packet of mince pies in front of a terrific flick, a awful feature, or one that’s awesomely awful. This year, a selection of fresh Christmas films strives to join part of our holiday traditions—perhaps even earning a place alongside timeless staples like Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, and Die Hard (we won’t debate it). So, in a helpful attempt to sort the crackers from the turkeys, and to embrace the Christmas spirit, I binged as many new holiday releases as possible in a single day. Early Morning: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Beginning, hopefully, on a positive note. This film is the exclusive 2025 title on a famous website's list of the greatest 100 holiday films of all time. The Jonas Brothers find themselves stuck in the UK after concluding their global concert series and must make it back for Christmas. Their endeavors are hindered by an villainous Saint Nick, who bursts into melody to announce they won’t get home until they “find their brotherly magic.” The repartee between the squabbling siblings is amusing even for the casual viewer, while devotees will certainly catch lots of references as they try to get back using all transportation available. It’s a travelogue of mishaps. It’s not legendary, but is excellent for devotees 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. Late Morning: Tinsel Town Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland appears as a Hollywood star cast a pantomime. “A what's a panto??” asks Sutherland’s “difficult” and ageing star Brad Mack, who has fallen on hard times and whose manager has misled him into thinking he’s performing in high-class London stage. His pantomime cast-mates tell him he’s playing Buttons. “Oh no I’m not,” he retorts. You can guess their response. That is, unless you’re ignorant of traditional panto catchphrases. There are some hilarious moments, some cockle-warming sub-plots, and the rest of the cast is excellent, too. It’s the sort of feature that would be a bit cheesy at any other time of year, but is a lot of fun at Christmas. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 A New Spin on Scrooge An actor appears at the beginning of this film, too, calling someone a mug for the second film in a row. Is this a fresh holiday staple? This time, he’s a musical taxi operator who encounters Mr Sood, the latest spin on Mr Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Mr Sood is played by a star of Kunal Nayyar and Christmas Karma is directed by the director of Gurinder Chadha. The classic narrative progresses as the stingy Mr Sood is confronted by the apparitions of Christmas yesterday, today, and tomorrow, played by Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and Boy George. This Indian Scrooge is at least distinct from all the others, but regrettably he’s not very captivating and Nayyar’s acting is lifeless—a major flaw when he’s so central to everything. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄 Noon: A BBC Special There's just enough time for a channel's original festive film—which stars Guz Khan as a charmingly cantankerous character who “isn't big on Christmas.” But after he gets an sizable holiday payout at work, his wife (starring Morgana Robinson) persuades him blowing the money on a vacation to Lapland. There’s just one snag—he learns there was an mix-up with his bonus, which should have been £800, and he has to figure out how to reimburse the remainder. Fun while it lasts but not lasting. Festive score: 🎄🎄 A Classy Netflix Romance This is one of those Christmas films where the festive trappings are in the backdrop—Christmas is the environment of the film rather than its core purpose—but it feels comfortable and seasonal all the same. Driven corporate star Sydney (played by Minka Kelly) is sent to a country estate to do a deal for a sparkling wine company. During her travels, she encounters a guy in a literary haven who offers to show her a festive Paris. A critic recently claimed this is the top new Christmas film of the recent era. That’s a bit of a exaggeration, but it is a Christmas romance with a touch of class and gives the necessary warm and fuzzy feels. The scene with a extended debate about Die Hard is very good too. Festive score: 🎄🎄🎄 A Charming Quest Young Chris, played by Lenny Rush, holds onto his belief in Father Christmas, in spite of the persuasion of his dad (played by James Buckley) to tell him the truth. The answer is out there, and Chris sets out to find it with the guidance of a panel of well-known experts and celebrities. It’s understated but endearing, and ideal viewing while expecting Santa to visit. Christmas tree rating: 🎄🎄🎄 Late Afternoon: Oh. What. Fun. Michelle Pfeiffer is the head of a bickering American family who come back together for the holidays—including other acclaimed actress Felicity Jones, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jason Schwartzman, and dad Denis Leary. Pfeiffer opens by name-dropping Christmas classics like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone, before stating: “They need to make a movie about the real champions of the holidays—moms.” So that’s what this is, but in practice it’s really a combination of those forerunner films, at least until Pfeiffer’s character eventually takes center stage. Holiday verdict: 🎄🎄 6.43pm - A Scottish Christmas Secret The day’s waned in quality, but fortunately here’s a new offering in the packed genre of cliched, saccharine, over-the-top—and strangely compelling—festive fodder. It’s a narrative as familiar as can be: An American woman journeys to a distant snowy land and ends up finding romance. In this case, Caprice Bourret plays a publisher