Doctor Who: 10 Christmas Specials Reddit Would Love to See Happen

Reddit users have some very interesting ideas of what future festive Doctor Who specials should look like.

Ever since Doctor Who started delivering special episodes around Christmastime, these fun festive offerings have become an expected part of the holiday season for fans. While more recently, the holiday episodes have switched from Christmas to New Year’s Day, the episodes remain extremely electric and appointment TV for any Whovian needing that mix of sci-fi and holiday cheer.

This yearly tradition has led to much-fevered speculation as to what the next festive story will involve as previous stories included nods to A Christmas Carol or evil robotic Santas. Reddit users, in particular, have demonstrated a keen interest in discussing future Christmas Specials as posters shared their ideas for holiday plots that—honestly—Russell T. Davies should consider for his return.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Doctor Who is known for its horror elements, with many episodes across its history having sent audiences hiding behind the sofa. Reddit’s TormentedThoughtsToo has his idea for a spooky festive episode set during Christmas Eve: a story that sees a young child lost in an abandoned house, which turns out to be an alien spaceship.

Entitled “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, this startling concept involves the Doctor and the scared child navigating their way around the ship’s maze-like interior, searching for a way out. TormentedThoughtToo’s suggestion is a thrilling narrative, which is full of many scares and surprises, making this a tantalizing prospect to consider.

Craig’s Christmas

Portrayed by James Corden, Craig Owens proved one of Doctor Who’s most popular characters upon his debut appearance in 2010’s “The Lodger.” The Doctor’s one-time flatmate has featured twice in the series thus far, leaving many fans wishing he was the companion. One since-deleted Reddit user believes he should return for a Christmas special, with the Doctor joining Craig and his family for Christmas Eve.

A festive reunion for the Doctor and Craig at Christmas could provide plenty of laughs for viewers. The Time Lord’s friend often reacted in exasperation towards the Doctor’s many quirks. The return would also give fans the chance to witness a grown-up Stormaggedon, who was last seen as a baby in “Closing Time,” making it a festive special to remember.

Saturnalia

Christmas is a popular time for many across the globe, however, the festive period was once very different. During Roman times, the holiday season was referred to as “Saturnalia,” which forms the basis of Reddit user eggylettuce’s pitch for a special

Eggylettuce’s proposition is a fascinating idea, as he suggests the Doctor should travel back to Ancient Rome. The poster’s outline features the Time Lord experiencing the Saturnalia festivities, which involve Roman slaves and their masters switching places for one day. This episode would deliver an educational experience for viewers, exploring a little-known historical fact.

The Doctor Saves Saint Nicholas

Father Christmas has made a memorable appearance within the show’s history. Nick Frost’s performance as Santa Claus proves to be one of his best roles. One fan has expressed a desire to see the Doctor encounter the original inspiration for the Christmas hero. Reddit’s PostExistence reckons the Time Lord should cross paths with Saint Nicholas.

This festive concept offers a beautiful and profound tale, as the Doctor takes a group of children to meet Saint Nick. This historical figure suits the sci-fi series’ themes of kindness and compassion perfectly. Saint Nicholas is known to have undertaken various charitable deeds. Saint Nick embodies the selfless values of Christmas, making him an ideal fit for a festive special.

Carols Of The Sea

Singing is a common activity around the festive period, with Christmas carols, in particular, proving popular among general audiences. This aspect of the yuletide festivities has rarely been explored in the sci-fi series. Reddit user Dalekbuster523 has offered his idea for a musical special, which sees the West End star Michael Ball playing a sailor who finds he can only communicate in song, attempting to return to his family for Christmas.

Named “Carols Of The Sea,” this Christmas story promises a heartwarming tale about the importance of family during the holiday season. The pitch also suggests an all-star cast, with Michael Ball joined by acting legend Imelda Staunton. It’s a narrative that utilizes the musical genre well with the Doctor and their companions joining the sailor for a festive singalong.

Anthology Special

Christmas is a time for reuniting with friends and loved ones, which perhaps makes it the ideal opportunity for previous Doctors and companions to return. Reddit poster Andelicious57 proposes a Christmas Special narrated by Nardole – who has provided many of the show’s best moments – and featuring the Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth Doctors, in a series of short standalone stories.

Andelicious57’s concept gives viewers a festive treat, as they witness new adventures from some of the show’s most beloved characters. It also delivers many moments which have been heavily requested by fans, such as the Thirteenth Doctor and River Song meeting for the first time. This proposal is a sweet and heartfelt story, which truly offers something for everyone.

Advent Calendar

Advent calendars have long been an iconic aspect of the festive period, with children and adults alike eagerly counting the days until Christmas. Reddit’s Popey09 has suggested an especially novel way this could be incorporated into a Doctor Who Christmas Special, with the Doctor faced with defeating monstrous threats in 24 different boxes before the day is over.

This Yuletide suggestion makes great use of the advent calendar concept. Placing a different threat behind each calendar box places the Time Lord in a considerably difficult situation and pushed to their limits with a 24-hour deadline. It’s a unique concept for a story that truly challenges the Doctor.

Home Alone

Home Alone is one of the festive season’s most popular Christmas movies, and fans are keen to see Doctor Who provides its version of this festive classic. One deleted Reddit user has proposed an idea that involves the Thirteenth Doctor, Ryan and Yaz accidentally leaving Graham – who’s considered by many to be one of the greatest companions – behind with a vengeful Tim Shaw.

This hilarious story features Graham setting traps for Tim Shaw, in an attempt to defeat the alien who murdered his wife. Drawing much inspiration from the antics of Kevin McCallister, this plot promises plenty of entertaining slapstick moments, making great use of Bradley Walsh’s strong comedic abilities.

The Doctor Who Stole Christmas

The sci-fi series has provided its take on many iconic festive tales over the years, but one famous story the show has yet to adapt is The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Reddit poster Luckyleftytwin11 has expressed his enthusiasm for a Doctor Who takes on this holiday favorite, suggesting an episode where the Doctor steals toy Daleks from kids at Christmas.

The proposed idea is a clever adaptation of the well-known story. The usually heroic Time Lord unexpectedly takes on the role of the Grinch. It also appropriately raises the stakes for the Christmas episode, with the Daleks infiltrating the homes of young children. A plot where the Doctor takes on his greatest enemies during the holiday season would offer viewers the greatest festive treat.

Pantomime

An especially iconic British tradition during the festive season is the pantomime, which sees theatres across the nation holding exaggerated plays based on beloved fairytales. Reddit’s TheUltimateRenegade believes the sci-fi show should provide their version of this festive practice, offering a concept that features the Doctor and their companions starring in a panto production after intercepting a distress call.

This Christmas special would make for a particularly unique episode, with TheUltimateRenegade’s idea borrowing many traditional pantomime elements. It’s a narrative that could provide a great sense of fun, as characters yell iconic panto phrases such as “He’s Behind You!” and “Oh no he isn’t.” Reddit’s pantomime suggestion is a truly novel proposal.

10 Horror Movies To Watch If You Like 1974’s Black Christmas

For fans of the 1974 horror classic Black Christmas, movies like Halloween, Scream, and Sisters are similarly terrifying films to enjoy.

Black Christmas is an underappreciated gem of the horror genre. Helmed by the usually comedic director Bob Clark, Black Christmas has the perfect mix of suspense, thrills, and a bit of humor. At the time, it was less common for a horror movie to be well written and have complex characters, especially female characters. With Black Christmas’s compelling story and relatable characters, the film is fantastic even without the jump scares and horror elements.

The movie is responsible for starting a trend of horror movies taking place during holidays, like Halloween and Valentine’s Day. For those who love their horror a step above, there are some exceptional films that follow in Black Christmas’s footprints that fans ought to see.

10 I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) – Stream On Prime Video

I Know What You Did Last Summer follows four teens who after receiving a threatening note on the one-year anniversary of the accidental murder and cover up the four committed, begin to get picked off one by one. This movie was one of the slasher movies that came about in the ’90s after the horror resurgence from Scream.

I Know What You Did Last Summer was the movie that cemented Sarah Michelle Gellar’s reputation as one of the most iconic scream queens ever. The film’s wharf atmosphere adds to the overall haunting and mysterious feeling of the movie. I Know What You Did Last Summer has elicited numerous parodies including serving as a major inspiration for 2000’s Scary Movie.

9 Sisters (1973) – Stream On HBO Max

In this underrated movie by Brian De Palma, a reporter tries to prove her glamourous but elusive neighbor killed a man. De Palma borrowed a lot from Alfred Hitchock for many of his horror and thriller films. Sisters has a clear parallel to Hitchcock’s Rear Window. But De Palma adds his own flair to the story, making a familiar plot wholly original.

De Palma knew how to update a tried and true story and bring it into the modern age in which he was working. In addition, Sisters and Black Christmas have star Margot Kidder in common. Kidder brings her charisma and intensity to both movies, making both films fantastic viewing experiences even for the acting alone.

8 The Last House on the Left (1972) – Stream On Pluto TV

Teenage Mari and her friend are brutally murdered by a gang in Wes Craven’s The Last House on the Left. When the gang members unknowingly stumble upon Mari’s parent’s house, the parents enact revenge. The Last House on the Left was Craven’s directorial debut and he enters the horror scene with a bang.

The film is violent and shocking, even decades after The Last House on the Left’s release. Rather than focusing on fantastical horror villains like monsters or creatures, the film instead shows realistic villains of brutal sociopaths. Craven’s use of realistic villains makes the film all the more suspenseful and terrifying, much like Black Christmas.

7 The Funhouse (1981) – Stream On Peacock

In The Funhouse, four teenagers scheme to stay overnight in a carnival funhouse. However, the foursome finds themselves trapped in a horrific situation when they witness a murder committed by a disfigured carnival worker and must escape the funhouse before the carnival leaves the next day.

The Funhouse comes from the same mind behind The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Needless to say, this movie is unnerving as only horror maven Tobe Hooper can do. The grotesque horror makeup effects are enough to be blood-curdling and then murder and stalking are added in to guarantee nightmares for the viewer.

6 Suspiria (1977) – Stream On Tubi TV

A young American student, Suzy Bannion, comes to a mysterious German ballet company to study modern dance. When grisly murders start occurring, Suzy discovers that the school has an unsettling past involving murder and witchcraft.

As one of Dario Argento’s best movies, Suspiria is famous for its stylistic visuals, vibrant use of colors, and prog-rock score by the band Goblin. Suspiria has since been remade by another Italian auteur, Luca Guadanino. However, the original is much closer to 1974’s Black Christmas by the deliberate style choices through the bold use of colors and the presentation of the female camaraderie of both films.

5 The Slumber Party Massacre (1982) – Stream On Prime Video

An innocent slumber party goes massively downhill when an escaped killer crashes the party in The Slumber Party Massacre. This movie has the distinction of having both a female writer and a female director, a rarity in the male-dominated horror genre. Coming from an outsider’s point of view, this led to the film using slasher film cliches and parodying them. For example, to spoof the male gaze employed in the male-helmed horror movies of the period, the camera lingers on the female characters’ nude body parts for a ridiculous amount of time. This was done as a way to make fun of the superfluous nudity found in many horror movies of the era.

4 Scream (1996) – Stream On Fubo TV

Scream is about a masked killer who uses horror movies as part of his scheme and targets a teen and her friends on the anniversary of her mother’s murder. The film’s use of conventional slasher movie cliches and completely turning them on its head revitalized the horror genre. Subverting traditional horror tropes, both Black Christmas and Scream ignore the “Final Girl” rules and forge their own three-dimensional female characters who are not victims but rather survivors.

Wes Craven broke the rules he himself established in his older films in Scream, which then brought the horror genre into the new millennium. The multiple movie references employed in Scream were a way of communicating that the film was in on the joke of horror’s reputation. The use of meta-references precipitated a trend not just in horror movies but in all movie genres of a film winking at its audience.

3 The House On Sorority Row (1982) – Stream On Hoopla

After a silly prank ends in disaster, the sorority sisters find themselves getting picked off one by one in The House on Sorority Row. Black Christmas and The House on Sorority Row have very similar plots with murders occurring at a sorority house, which will entice fans of Black Christmas.

However, the two films diverge from then on as the tone and style of both films could not be more different. While Black Christmas acts as more of a horror-drama, The House on Sorority Row is more of a traditional B-movie horror flick. The House on Sorority Row is enjoyable for its over-the-top acting and nonsensical plot but it is best suited to viewers who are fans of ’80s kitsch.

2 My Bloody Valentine (1981) – Stream On Hulu

In My Bloody Valentine, when a decades-old folk legend of a Valentine’s Day murderer turns out to be true, the small town is terrorized by the deranged killer. Much like Black Christmas and later Halloween, My Bloody Valentine cashed in on the trend of holiday-themed slasher films. A notable place where this film differs from those other movies is the protagonists.

While Black Christmas deals with university-educated sorority sisters and Halloween has suburban teens as its protagonists, My Bloody Valentine instead has blue-collar twenty-somethings as their protagonists. This distinction is interesting as it makes the film apt for analysis when compared to similar films of the genre. In addition, My Bloody Valentine is film buff Quentin Tarantino’s favorite slasher movie.

1 Halloween (1978) – Stream On AMC+

Watched every Halloween by countless horror fans, Halloween follows babysitter Laurie on the titular holiday as a murderer has escaped the mental institution and goes back to his hometown to kill again. Black Christmas actually served as Halloween’s main source of inspiration. By placing a slasher plot framed in a holiday narrative, the typical genre mainstays are made more intriguing.

Made on a shoestring budget, famed director John Carpenter made full use of all his creative abilities to craft this horror classic. In addition, Michael Myers is one of the most recognized movie villains of all time and is currently terrifying modern-day audiences in Halloween Kills.

5 Reasons Home Alone Is The Best Christmas Movie (and 5 Reasons Elf Is)

Christmas movies – who doesn’t love them? With the holidays approaching, we’re taking a look at two of the best Christmas movies, Home Alone and Elf!

Whenever we begin preparing for the holidays, part of that preparation involves rewatching Christmas and holiday classics. At the top of that list is Home Alone. But in more recent years, Elf has been added to the best of the best Christmas movie list.

It’s a great debate of which is the best Christmas movie of all time. Some say Home Alone is too much of a classic to be beaten by any other Christmas film, while others can’t help but love Elf the most with its extremely quotable moments throughout the movie. Whether it’s Home Alone or Elf that is your favorite, here are the 5 reasons we think each could be considered the best Christmas movie to watch during the holiday season.

10 Home Alone: Kevin McAllister’s Rambunctious Attitude

Kevin McAllister was played by ’90s child star Macaulay Culkin and boy, did he give us a memorable performance as the youngster. Kevin was accidentally left behind on Christmas by his family who left to spend the holiday in Paris.

He assumes his wish for his family to disappear had been granted and he could finally do whatever he wanted. This leads to many wild and crazy antics that Kevin gets up to while his family is away, including outsmarting two adult thieves. The way Kevin’s character made audiences laugh and feel joyful whenever he was on screen is exactly what Christmas should be about.

9 Elf: Buddy’s Unique Backstory

When Buddy the elf was an infant, he found his way into Santa’s bag of gifts when he was dropping off toys for the children at the orphanage. He ended up being adopted by Papa Elf at the North Pole and grew up not being aware that he was not an elf, but actually a human from New York.

The entire backstory Buddy had involved hilarious situations he would get himself into since he was not your “average elf”. This immediately endeared him to audiences and made him incredibly likable for both children and adults who watched Elf. It was easy to want him to get the happy ending he deserved when he was infectiously positive about, well, everything.

8 Home Alone: The Wet Bandits

Harry and Marv were the two thieves – also known as “The Wet Bandits” – who planned to break into Kevin’s house on Christmas Eve to steal gifts and expensive possessions. In their minds, everyone had left for Paris so it was the perfect heist.

The thing about Harry and Marv is that they are absolutely hilarious and have great comedic chemistry. Whether Harry was misunderstanding Marv’s plans or the two were falling into trap after trap that Kevin set up for them, it was always a blast to watch them on-screen together. Each character had highly memorable moments and uttered lines that are still quoted frequently today. Home Alone needed them just as much as Kevin’s character.

7 Elf: His Trip To New York City From The North Pole

One of the most famous quotes from Elf was Buddy reminiscing over his journey to New York City all the way from the North Pole. He details the adventure by saying, “I passed through the seven levels of the candy cane forest, through the sea of swirly-twirly gum drops, and then I walked through the Lincoln Tunnel.”

We got to see this very same journey in a stop-motion sequence towards the beginning of the film, and it had all of the child-like wonder anyone could want from a Christmas movie. It gave us great visuals of what it would actually be like for an elf to make that journey and made us feel immersed even more so in his story.

6 Home Alone: Kevin’s Friendship With His Neighbor

Marley was known as “Old Man Marley” to Kevin and was also his neighbor. He had horrible rumors about him including that he was a serial killer who had killed his family years and years ago. The truth of the matter was, he was a lonely but nice old man who was estranged from his son and his son’s family.

Kevin learns this when they both are at the church on Christmas Eve where Marley’s granddaughter is singing. Kevin persuades Marley to reconcile with his son so he can meet his granddaughter and they can be a family again. Later, Marley ends up saving Kevin from The Wet Bandits, formally making them friends. The most heartwarming part? Marley makes amends with his son and has his family once again – thanks to Kevin.

5 Elf: Buddy Finding Love

Buddy was mistakenly thought to be a character elf for a huge store in New York City called Gimbels. There, he meets a fellow “elf” who works there. She’s named Jovie, and the two begin to develop feelings for each other.

Buddy and Jovie even go on a romantic date that leads to them only becoming closer to one another. By the end of the film, Jovie has gained her holiday spirit back — as well as overcome her fear of public singing — all thanks to Buddy. They, of course, end up living happily ever after and start a family of their own. This was a sweet ending to Buddy’s story that left viewers feeling warm and fuzzy.

4 Home Alone: Kevin’s Many Traps For The Wet Bandits

Home Alone had a way of unconventionally bringing comedy to a Christmas movie in the way of a young child constantly outwitting the villains of the story. Time and time again, when The Wet Bandits were looking to break in and steal from his home, Kevin found ways to overpower them through the use of hilarious and useful traps he set for them.

They would constantly fall for them and just when they thought they had caught up to him, he would find another ingenious way to get out of their grips. This added to the comedy of the film making audiences feel the light-hearted natured-ness of the story come to life.

3 Elf: Spreading Christmas Cheer For All To Hear

Aside from Buddy the Elf’s storyline of reuniting with his biological father and his family, one of the main plot points had to do with the lack of Christmas cheer throughout the world because people just didn’t believe in Santa anymore. And simply put, they didn’t have the Christmas spirit to keep the magic alive.

But towards the end of the film, all of that changes when Jovie begins to sing Christmas songs to get the crowds of New York to have Christmas cheer again. This helped get Santa’s sleigh working again when it was malfunctioning due to lack of Christmas cheer. This was a good message for audiences because Christmas isn’t just about presents, but it’s about being joyful and cheerful and spending time with the ones you love. That’s the true magic of Christmas.

2 Home Alone: Kevin’s Reunion With His Mom

When Kevin’s mother, Kate, realizes they have left Kevin behind, she does everything in her power to get back to him. She doesn’t want him to be alone at all, but especially on Christmas, and especially not after they had a huge fight.

The lengths she went to to get back to her son was admirable and heartwarming, so when they finally reunited on Christmas morning, it was a beautiful moment. Kevin had been missing his family and regretting his want for them to disappear, so seeing his mother come back home just in time for the holiday was the best present he could have ever asked for.

1 Elf: Buddy Finding His Family

The holidays should always be about the ones you love, especially family. If you’re lucky enough to be close to your family, naturally you would want to spend the holidays with them. This is why it was so wonderful to see Buddy find his biological father and half-brother, along with his stepmom, and watch their relationships evolve into something meaningful.

It took some time, but they all not only accepted him into their family but loved Buddy as if they had known him their entire lives. In the end, that is part of what Christmas is all about. Love and family are things to cherish, especially on a day such as that.

10 Best Hallmark Christmas Movie Couples, Ranked

Hallmark Channel is known for its many Christmas-themed romances. But which of the channel’s many couples are the best of all?

Few things are as popular and as associated with the Christmas entertainment season as the Hallmark Channel’s beloved and seemingly endless slate of Christmas movies. For over a decade, Hallmark has been producing sweet and seasonal movies with romantic twists, that often find two total strangers and opposites coming together and falling in love just in time for Christmas.

Though many of these movies follow the same overarching patterns and themes, not all of the Hallmark Channel’s couples are created equal. Some lack chemistry, and some lack a compelling story. But other couples, the following ten included, rank among some of the best Christmas romances of all time.

10 Christine and Jason (The Christmas Secret)

In the 2014 film The Christmas Secret, Christine (Bethany Joy Lenz) is a single mother who is struggling to make ends meet, who also has to deal with her deadbeat ex coming back into her life and trying to prove she’s an unfit mother. Losing her job and facing eviction just before Christmas, Christine gets a second chance after she saves a woman’s life.

It’s then that she finds herself connecting with a handsome stranger named Jason (John Reardon), who just so happens to be the grandson of the woman whose life Christine saved. After many rounds of miscommunication and mistaken identities, Christine and Jason finally connect and make things work in grand romantic fashion in the film’s final act.

9 Taylor and Adam (A Gingerbread Romance)

It’s a familiar trope for Hallmark, when two people find themselves paired up for a project or competition. A Gingerbread Romance offers one of the network’s best iterations of this familiar trope, thanks to the strong chemistry between lead actors Tia Mowry-Hardrict and Duane Henry.

Taylor (Mowry-Hardrict) is an architect who might be getting a big promotion she’s always dreamed of, when she finds herself assigned to work in a life-size gingerbread house competition with Adam (Henry), a single dad baker. Though these two initially clash because of their strong personalities, they soon find that work and romance go hand in hand and find their happily ever after together.

8 Cynthia and Steve (A Perfect Christmas)

The 2016 movie A Perfect Christmas is a rarity in the world of Hallmark’s Christmas romances, as it centers on a couple that is not only together when the movie begins, but actually married. Cynthia (Susie Abromeit) and Steve (Dillon Casey) are a newlywed couple facing their first big family holiday.

It also certainly doesn’t help matters that Steve loses his job, and Cynthia finds out she’s pregnant, and the two are so busy they never get to talk about it until the film’s final moments. But all throughout, these two are unfaltering in their sweetness, their tenderness, and their unflagging support for one another and their dreams.

7 Lizzie and Robert (Coming Home for Christmas)

In the 2017 movie Coming Home for Christmas, Lizzie (Danica McKellar) finds herself unsure of what comes next in her life. Thanks to a tip from her real estate broker sister, Lizzie lands a job as the house manager of a local estate belonging to the wealthy Marley family, who are preparing to sell the house at the end of the year.

As it just so happens to be the holiday season, Lizzie is tasked with preparing the family’s annual Christmas gala, and it’s through the upkeep of the house and planning of the gala that she meets and falls in love with the mysterious Robert (Kip Bledsoe), the more serious son of the family. Though there are plenty of miscommunications, it’s clear in the end that Robert and Lizzie are made for each other.

6 Emily and Leo (A Royal Christmas)

One of Hallmark’s “royal loves normal” films, the 2014 film A Royal Christmas tells the story of the romance between Emily (Lacey Chabert) and Leo (Stephen Hagan). Leo and Emily have been together for a while, but Leo has never revealed one key fact to his beloved girlfriend: he is in fact Prince Leopold of Cordinia, a mysterious tiny European kingdom.

What follows is the conventional narrative of a commoner traveling to this lavish kingdom, and trying to prove herself worthy of his standoffish family. Though obstacles arise, in the form of Leo’s tough mother and his meddlesome ex-girlfriend, Leo and Emily make things work in the end, ensuring a modern day fairytale ending.

5 Tom and Jenny (The Perfect Christmas Present)

The theme of characters inspired by Cyrano – where they secretly romance someone on another’s behalf – isn’t one that shows up very often in Hallmark’s world. But the 2017 film The Perfect Christmas Present essentially takes the theme and, well, perfects it.

Tom (Sam Page) is a professional gift finder who can get to the heart of a person and figure out what will be the perfect Christmas gift. When an old friend asks him to figure out the perfect gift for his girlfriend, Jenny (Tara Holt), Tom and Jenny wind up becoming incredibly close, and, of course, fall for one another, culminating in an incredibly poignant gift reveal.

4 Allie and Max (Crown for Christmas)

In yet another of Hallmark’s “royal loves normal” classics, the 2015 movie Crown for Christmas finds Allie (Danica McKellar), a recently fired hotel maid, being hired as a governess to the Princess of Winshire. Of course, the Princess also happens to have an incredibly handsome, incredible single father, King Maximillian (Rupert Penry-Jones).

After their first, less than warm and cozy meeting in the New York hotel at which Allie once worked, Allie and Max take a quick liking to one another as she settles in to life in Winshire. Even though his high ranking advisors don’t approve, Allie and Max soon cannot resist their feelings for one another, royal hierarchy and rules be damned.

3 Marilee and Zachary (The Nine Lives of Christmas)

Boy meets girl. Girl meets boy. Cat meets cat. Cat meets cat. There are two love stories running parallel to one another in the adorable 2014 film The Nine Lives of Christmas, which finds aspiring veterinarian Marilee (Kimberley Sustad) crossing paths with unlikely cat owner and firefighter Zachary (Brandon Routh).

Even though these two just run into each other through chance, it’s more than just their cats Queenie and Ambrose – who spawn their own feline love story – that keeps bringing them back together. Despite Marilee losing her job, and Zachary having a terrible girlfriend at first, these two fall hard and fast for one another, and live meowily ever after.

2 Dean and Melanie (Matchmaker Santa)

It’s an odd recurring motif in Hallmark Christmas movies, that people seem to fall for one another even if one half of the couple is already taken – even by the other half of the couple’s best friend. But that gray area aside, the love story at the heart of the 2012 film Matchmaker Santa is arguably one of the network’s sweetest – and most mischievous, too.

Melanie (Lacey Chabert) is dating a businessman named Justin, and expects to meet his family for the holidays. But when fate (and Santa himself) intervene, she winds up spending the holidays with his best friend, Dean (Adam Mayfield), instead, and even learns that Dean was behind many of Justin’s romantic gifts and gestures. Through being stranded in a small Christmas village, these two connect deeper than Melanie ever did with her own boyfriend.

1 Darcy and Aiden (A Gift to Remember, A Gift to Cherish)

The best Hallmark Christmas couple of them all just so happens to be one of the only couples at the network who have spanned multiple movies. Starring in the 2017 film A Gift to Remember and the 2019 sequel A Gift to Cherish (also known as Cherished Memories: A Gift to Remember 2), Darcy (Ali Liebert) is a young woman who works in a bookstore whose life is turned upside down when she quite literally runs into Aiden (Peter Porte) while riding her bicycle.

After Aiden winds up losing his memory for a brief time around the holidays, Darcy helps him put his life back together, restoring his memories and creating new ones in the process. In the sequel, it’s Aiden who helps Darcy create new memories, as he picks up a family tradition and builds a Christmas village for her inspired by their life together.