Back with round four of my 2025 Christmas movie reviews. This round had everything from newsroom romance to royal chaos (again... ugh) to a Bills love story. Let's get started!
19. Tidings for the Season ★★★☆☆
Tidings for the Season follows Adam, a serious local newscaster whose outlook shifts after meeting Robbie, a 10-year-old fan who asks him to report on good news for a change. As Adam starts highlighting uplifting holiday stories, he grows closer to Robbie and his mom, Lucy, a hardworking single parent. When a career opportunity arises, Adam must choose between chasing the bigger job or staying connected to the people who’ve helped him rediscover what matters.
This was a gentle, feel-good Christmas movie with a few aspects that really worked for me. The story centers on a divorced single mom instead of the picture perfect families these movies sometimes default to. That felt really relatable.
The movie also captured the holiday spirit well, especially through Adam’s shift toward covering positive, feel-good stories: long-lost love, community volunteers, small acts of kindness. The romance felt believable and the overall story was warm and sweet. While it won’t be a standout for me, it was a good one and I enjoyed it.
20. Pencil Me in for Christmas ★★☆☆☆
Pencil Me In for Christmas follows Harper, an aspiring illustrator hired to collaborate with a notoriously demanding author, Caleb, on his new holiday book. When he insists she join him on a work trip just before Christmas, Harper ends up spending the season in a small festive town, along with her sister (the publisher), helping Caleb overcome his writer’s block. As they work together, the holiday setting starts to soften him... and inspire her.
This movie was cute, and the lead actress, Greer Grammer (Kelsey’s daughter), was adorable. It definitely leaned into the grumpy/sunshine trope, which was fun, but I didn’t find the romance very believable or think the two leads were a great match. I did enjoy the bookish angle, though.
Overall, the movie felt a bit flat, like something was missing. It had some holiday activities, but the cast was small and there weren’t any of the usual family Christmas celebrations that give these movies their cozy feel. The setting was also a little unclear — I wasn’t sure if they were in Caleb’s hometown, or if the sisters had originally planned to be somewhere else for the holiday — and that made it feel less grounded. Between the thin Christmas vibes and a double-romance storyline, it didn’t fully hit the mark for me, but it was cute enough.
21. Saving the Christmas Ranch ★☆☆☆☆
Saving the Christmas Ranch follows Carrie, who discovers her family’s lodge is on the brink of foreclosure after their accountant disappears with all their money. She has just two days to come up with months of missed payments or lose the ranch. A charming developer, John, arrives with an offer to buy the property... but he hasn’t been entirely honest about his motives. Carrie must decide whether she can save her home or if selling is her only option.
Ugh. Another UPtv movie, another letdown. Their movies just consistently miss the mark. The acting was bad (though the lead actress was decent and appeared in an earlier movie this season), the production quality felt cheap, the dialogue was unrealistic, and the whole thing came off flat and phony. I actually liked the concept on paper, but it wasn’t executed well at all. And I’m almost certain the grandma was wearing a terrible wig.
22. Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story ★★★★☆
Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story follows Morgan and Gabe, who grew up as next-door neighbors and lifelong friends, as they team up to uncover the mystery person who has sent Morgan’s uncle a Christmas gift every year for six decades. With help from their tight-knit Bills Mafia community, the search brings them closer than ever and pushes them to finally face the feelings that have been building between them for years.
This was one of my most-anticipated Christmas movies of the year. Last year’s Holiday Touchdown (the Chiefs one) was my favorite 2024 release, and since I live about an hour from Buffalo, the Bills feel like “our” team here in Rochester.
Overall, I enjoyed it. The leads were strong, and the story was sweet. I liked the lifelong-friends-to-romance angle, and I really appreciated the friendships, family ties, and community feel throughout. It also had a big, lively cast with fun cameos from Bills players and coaches. I’m not a huge football person, so I didn’t recognize them, but it was still a nice touch.
I didn’t love it quite as much as last year’s movie, and I think part of that is because the emotional beats didn’t hit me as strongly this time — it was good and enjoyable, but not one that stuck with me afterward. Still, it was a solid watch.
23. Christmas on Every Page ★★☆☆☆
Christmas on Every Page follows a big-city graphic designer who returns home for the holidays to help her mother with her bookstore after an injury. As she settles back into small-town life, she starts questioning whether success comes from climbing the career ladder or from love, creativity, and belonging.
This movie was cute enough, and I liked that it featured a bookstore, because of course I did. (And seriously, why do so many Christmas movies use bookstores as a plot point?)
It still fell a little flat for me. Her parents came across as overly perfect, the love interest felt the same, and there really wasn’t any conflict to anchor the story. There also wasn’t much humor or levity, so the tone stayed pretty one-note. The lead actress did a solid job, but the movie itself was nothing special.
24. A Royal Christmas Hope ★☆☆☆☆
A Royal Christmas Hope follows Julia, a New York nonprofit director still grieving her late husband while working to support families in need during the holidays. Across the ocean, Prince Christopher steps away from royal duties and heads to the U.S. for a break. A chance encounter leads to a growing connection, but as feelings deepen, hidden identities, royal expectations, and holiday pressures force them to confront what truly matters.
I’ve just about hit my limit with royal Christmas movies. They’re all the same, and this one was no exception. A royal from a made-up country escapes their duties, hides their identity in the U.S., falls in love, gets “exposed,” and everything blows up. This plot line is completely overdone.
It also doesn’t help that this is an UPtv movie, which (in my opinion) tend to be pretty weak. The acting wasn’t great, the filming style felt odd, and it just couldn’t keep my interest. Nothing here felt fresh or engaging.
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