Top 5 Hallmark Christmas Movie Alternatives

Crown Media

Christmas is almost here, and the Hallmark Channel is airing movies non-stop. Many of their new original movies are also airing multiple times through early January. You can also find new movies on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries too. But if all this just isn’t enough for you, or if you want to see what some of those alternative Christmas TV movies are like, then you’ve come to the right place. Here are the top Hallmark Christmas movie alternative — places where you can watch original Christmas TV movies on other channels or streaming services.

To find out what channel any of these stations are on for you, click here to go to TV Guide’s listings. Then change the “Provider” (right under TV Listings) to your local provider. You’ll be able to scroll down to see what channel the station you’re seeking is on in your region.


1. Lifetime Christmas Movies

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One of the longest-standing Hallmark Christmas movie alternative stations is Lifetime. These are sometimes a little “grittier” than Hallmark’s, but in general the Lifetime Christmas movies are similarly sweet and joyful. This year, Lifetime is hosting a series of new, original Christmas movies called “It’s a Wonderful Lifetime.

Lifetime’s upcoming premieres include A Christmas Kiss on December 21, A Golden Christmas on December 22, and 3 Holiday Tails on December 23.

Other original movies are still airing encores (and you can also watch them online.) They include My Christmas Inn, Santa’s Boots, The Christmas Shoes, All About Christmas Eve, Holiday Wishes, Finding Mrs. Claus, 12 Men of Christmas, Wish Upon a Christmas, Hometown Christmas, A Christmas Kiss, A Nutty Christmas, Christmas Pen Pals, Christmas Around the Corner, Christmas in Tennessee and more. Right now, Lifetime is airing Christmas movie marathons most days, except for the very early/late hours of the day.


2. PassionFlix Christmas Movies

PassionFlix is a streaming service that offers one new Christmas original movie each year, but you can watch it any time. The 2018 movie is called Mr. 365

If you haven’t heard about Passionflix yet, you’ll likely be hearing more and more about the service in the future. It’s a newer premium romance-on-demand streaming service that offers original movies, including original Christmas movies. It was founded by Tosca Musk, Jina Panebianco, and Joany Kane in 2016.

Gary Goldstein, who wrote the screenplay for Mr. 365, has also written for Hallmark movies. He explained the difference between PassionFlix and Hallmark to Heavy: “There’s the freedom to be more deeply romantic (okay, sexier!) than in a Hallmark movie, plus there aren’t the same restrictions on language, innuendo, humor and so forth. In that way, they’re more like feature or premium cable films. Their stories are specifically told with the ‘female gaze’ in mind, which is also more unique. Hallmark fans who might also like their Christmas movies (and programming in general) with some extra ‘spice’ should definitely check out PassionFlix. I mean, their shows are rated on a 1 to 5 ‘Barometer of Naughtiness’ meter, so you get the idea! At the same time, I’d say Mr. 365 has that same feel-good, eye-pleasing, holiday-centric vibe that make Hallmark movies work for their viewers.”

Passionflix can be streamed for $5.99 a month.


3. Freeform Christmas Movies

Freeform (previously ABC Family) also releases original Christmas movies every year, in addition to hosting a 25-day-long marathon that includes classics too. The marathon began December 1 and continues through Christmas. It includes classics like Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Freeform’s full schedule is here.

In 2018, Freeform had three original Christmas movies. One, The Truth About Christmas, can be watched online here (if you have a cable provider.) The description reads: “Jillian is a successful political consultant, confident in her ability to put a spin on anything. Her next big project is the upcoming mayoral campaign for her boyfriend, George. But an unusual confrontation with a toy store Santa results in a drastic change where Jillian can’t stop herself from wildly spilling the truth.”

Another original movie is called Life-Size 2. The synopsis reads: “Grace Manning is in over her head as CEO of Marathon Toys and her wild-child ways are causing the company’s stock to plummet. Grace’s old Eve doll magically awakes to help get Grace back on track.”

The third original is No Sleep ‘Till Christmas. The synopsis reads: “An unexpected holiday rom-com about two insomniac strangers plagued by exhaustion. Lizzie and Billy discover they can only fall asleep while next to each other. What seems like an odd coincidence might be more meaningful than they’d like to admit.”

Freeform’s Christmas movies are definitely unique, and have plotlines you might not find anywhere else.


4. ION Christmas Movies

ION also provides new holiday movies every year that you might enjoy. The channel replays favorites from previous years and adds new favorites that you might enjoy. This year, ION added six new Christmas movies to its lineup.

ION’s new movies this year include Christmas Cupid’s Arrow, about a college professor who joins a dating website and meets a guy there, but ends up falling for his roommate.

A Wedding for Christmas is another new addition, about a woman who returns home for her sister’s weddings and finds sparks with a childhood friend.

Rent-an-Elf is about a business that sets up Christmas for busy families. Ava, who owns the business, falls for the man who hires her.

A Snow White Christmais about a woman (Blanca Snow) who must spend Christmas with her mean stepmother, who is trying to cheat Blanca out of her dad’s inheritance. A designer that she hires to renovate her home falls for Blanca.

Country Christmas Album is about a fading country star who records an album with a former teen heartthrob.

A Christmas in Royal Fashionthe final movie in the set, is about an assistant whose PR firm is in charge of a Christmas fashion show and auction. A young prince is the face of the event, and he falls for the assistant. But she pretends to be the boss, and that could cause some problems.


5. Netflix Christmas Movies

No list would be complete without including Netflix’s original Christmas movies. For 2018, Netflix added four new movies to the list.

The Christmas Chronicles is the delightful movie starring Kurt Russell.

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding is the sequel to last year’s popular A Christmas Prince.

The Holiday Calendar is about a photographer who inherits an advent calendar that predicts the future.

The Princess Switch is about a duchess who swaps roles for a week with a commoner who looks exactly like her.

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