December has arrived! Perhaps your Hanukkah candles are lit, or your tree is up and decorated, or you’ve even finished Christmas shopping (or haven’t started yet, like most of us). Wherever you’re at on your to-do list, take a break and enjoy some holiday entertainment on Philo. While the weather may be unseasonably warm for the majority of the country, you can still cozy up inside and get into the holiday spirit with programming from UPtv, Hallmark, Lifetime, AMC, GAC Family, OWN and VH1.
So set your DVR, by saving your favorites, and catch up with great options this holiday weekend, including the following:
Thursday, December 2
Starring: RuPaul, Krysta Rodriguez, Andy Ridings, Michelle Visage, Ginger Minj, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Peppermint
VH1, 9pm ET
The Plot: In the draggiest Christmas movie ever made, a workaholic big-city fashion journalist is sent to a Christmas-obsessed small town to dig up a story when she finds herself in the middle of cut-throat housewives, a high-stakes “Winter Ball” competition, and a sinister plot that could destroy Christmas fore-evah!
Friday, December 3
Starring: Inbar Lavi, Jake Epstein
Hallmark Channel, 8pm ET
The Plot: An anonymous suitor sends optometrist Sara a gift for each night of Hanukkah. On her journey to find her secret admirer, she learns her one true love might be someone she never expected.
Starring: Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman
Lifetime, 8pm ET
The Plot: A successful attorney, Lucy is reunited with her childhood Christmas dance partner Barrett, as the pair give the resort a new lease of life and the passion between the pair heats up.
Saturday, December 4
Starring: Holly Robinson Peete, Lyriq Bent, Nik Sanchez
Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, 8pm ET
The Plot: As a single mom and her teenaged son with autism come to a crossroad during Christmas, she must learn to let go so he can flourish as she finds her own heart healing in unexpected ways.
Starring: Emily Osment, Casey Deidrick
Hallmark Channel, 8pm ET
The Plot: Leah’s 30th birthday is on the same day as her brother’s wedding. Her childhood crush is back in town for the wedding and he is determined to make sure her birthday does not go by the wayside.
Starring: Merritt Patterson, Trevor Donovan
GAC Family, 8pm ET
The Plot: Mechanical issues temporarily ground Princess Amelia’s (Patterson) royal jet. With the crew distracted attending to the repair, Amelia deplanes to walk through a magical Christmas tree lot on the airport’s perimeter. Soon she is chatting away with jovial owner Harley and his adorable dog, Storm. Amelia looks at her watch, quickly realizing how much time has passed. Rushing to the runway, Amelia learns her jet departed believing she was on board. A massive snowstorm moves in, grounding all air traffic in and out of Tucker, Maine. Amelia is devastated she may miss Christmas in her father’s kingdom. What looks like a royal catastrophe turns into an unforgettable holiday as Amelia is taken in by airline employee Annie Cutler and her son, Sam (Donovan). He’s a commoner and she’s a royal, but this Christmas, and Sam and Amelia’s shared attraction may cause this uncommon romance to take flight.
Kirk Franklin’s A Gospel Christmas
Starring: Demetria McKinney, Chaz Lamar Shepherd, Kirk Franklin
Lifetime, 8pm ET
The Plot: When Olivia (Demetria McKinney), a young assistant pastor, gets assigned to be a lead pastor at a new church a month before Christmas, she’s fearful she can’t manage the transition, including getting the choir ready to open the town’s annual Winter Jamboree. Banding together with her new congregation, Olivia discovers a new home for herself, and even finds a little Christmas romance along the way! Featuring a special appearance and songs written and arranged by Kirk Franklin.
Sunday, December 5
Starring: Kristi McKamie, Jonathan Stoddard, Pono Say, Amie Dasher, Teeshay Shah, Theresa Lang
UPtv, 7pm ET
The Plot: A big-city veterinarian falls for a small-town doctor when he sets out to recreate a New York City Christmas in her Vermont hometown.
Starring: Mýa, Rainbow Sun Francks
Lifetime, 8pm ET
The Plot: Once a promising singer-songwriter, Abby (Mýa) now finds herself writing uninspired jingles for commercials. As she heads home for the holidays, she’s enlisted by the local high school music teacher to help save the school arts program. In the process, Abby rediscovers her voice and regains the confidence to go after her dreams and lets the possibility of love in too.
Starring: Maggie Lawson, Christopher Russell
GAC Family, 8pm ET
The Plot: Jessica Roberts (Lawson) owns the most popular Christmas tree lot in the picturesque New England town of Hudson Springs. But when big city marketing employee, Clay Moore (Russell), moves a “Big Box” store into the area and starts selling trees too, Jasmine finds her business in jeopardy. As their professional competition escalates, Jasmine and Clay run into another complication — they begin falling for each other.
Sister Swap: A Hometown Holiday
Starring: Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Ashley Williams, Mark Deklin, Keith Robinson, Susan Yeagley, Kevin Nealon
Hallmark Channel, 8pm ET
The Plot: Jennifer and Meg Swift are sisters who couldn’t be closer despite living in different cities. Jennifer is in Salt Lake City, running a successful restaurant she started with her late husband and raising her teenage son, Simon. Jennifer and Simon return home for the holiday and become wistful for one more Christmas at the Madison — the local theater owned by their Uncle Dave (Nealon), who recently passed — despite that it’s for sale and in need of repairs. With help from Eric, Jennifer’s former high school debate team rival, and others in the community, they just might pull it off. And in the process, Jennifer’s eyes are opened to new possibilities in life and in love.
Monday, December 6
Starring: Keri Hilson, Ne-Yo, Terrence J, Serayah, MC Lyte, Redman, Valarie Pettiford, Jodi Lyn O’Keefe
VH1, 9pm ET
The Plot: Hip-Hop’s most famous family agrees to participate in a live Christmas television special to address negative press and soften their image.
Starring: Alicia Dea Josipovic, Travis Nelson
Lifetime, 8pm ET
The Plot: Miranda (Josipovic) and Paul (Nelson) are business rivals who accidentally meet at a costumed Santa crawl and spend a romantic evening together without learning each other’s identities. As their anonymous romance continues online, their businesses merge, forcing them into an unwanted partnership. As they clash while working together on a holiday gift-giving app, their hearts must reconcile their online love when unexpected feelings develop for one another.
Tuesday, December 7
Starring: Deborah Joy Winans, Kendrick Cross
OWN, 9pm ET
The Plot: Two sisters, one who loves Christmas and everything that comes with it, and the other, who can be the scroogiest of Scrooges, receive an early Christmas gift: an inheritance that takes them on a once-in-a-lifetime luxury holiday vacation.
Starring: Holly Deveaux, Drew Seeley
Lifetime, 8pm ET
The Plot: When entertainment writer Alli Blakeman (Deveaux) is assigned a story covering the anniversary of a classic Christmas movie in the small town where it was filmed, she agrees on the condition that it could lead to a big promotion. When she meets local theater owner Brad (Seeley), they unravel the mysterious origins of the movie’s signature song and Alli learns that movie magic isn’t always just on screen.
Wednesday, December 8
Starring: Marcus Rosner, Lisa Durupt
Lifetime, 8pm ET
The Plot: After Cassie (Lisa Durupt) returns to her hometown to revive her family’s traditional Christmas festival, she meets a dashing stranger, Nicolas (Marcus Rosner), who’s volunteered to help organize the event. Sparks begin to fly between them, but little does she know that he’s really a prince in disguise, longing to find the true spirit of the holidays. It will take a Christmas miracle of royal proportions for their hearts to meet as one.
*Photo Courtesy of UPtv. “A Furry Little Christmas” starring Kristi McKamie, Jonathan Stoddard, Pono Say, Amie Dasher, Teeshay Shah, and Theresa Lang.
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