The Best Hallmark Christmas Mysteries
2023 Premieres
If you’re a cozy mystery lover who obsesses over Hallmark Movies & Mysteries whodunits, you might not be cheerful through all the holiday season knowing that the Signature Mysteries and Murder, She Wrote marathons are on hold until the New Year... However, there are some Hallmark Christmas movie premieres that have a mysterious element that can help you weather lack-of-murder-mysteries storm.
These movies are full of Christmas cheer and are definitely cozy!
There might not be any dead bodies in these mysteries, but there is something to solve in these Hallmark Christmas Mysteries premieres. You can still put your sleuthing skills to work as you curl up with a cup of cocoa and enjoy these festive films.
Here are the top Hallmark Christmas Mystery Premieres this year:
5. Catch Me If You Claus
The premise:
In Catch Me If You Claus, Aspiring anchor Avery (played by Italia Ricci) is about to have her big break as she fills in for her dream job as an anchor for the Christmas broadcast. However, when she catches an intruder in her home, the night before, she has trouble believing that Chris (played by Luke Macfarlane) is the new Santa Claus. With important looming deadlines for both of them and other thieves in red suits on the loose, Avery and Chris must make sense of a crazy Christmas Eve.
Why we love it:
The chemistry between the leads was undeniable in this incredibly fun Christmas adventure. We loved the parallels of parental expectations and how the newsworthy storylines tied together. However, what really stole the show was the helpful acting troop! Yay “Tiny” Tim!
4. My Norwegian Holiday
The premise:
In My Norwegian Holiday, Jessica Johnson 'JJ' (played by Rhiannon Fish) is grieving the loss of her grandmother and stressing about her dissertation. When a chance encounter introduces her to Henrik Strom (played by David Elsendoorn), she discovers that her grandmother’s troll figurine is from him hometown.
Agreeing to accompany him to Norway, she has the opportunity to unravel a decades-old family mystery.
Why we love it:
We always love watching Rhiannon Fish in mysteries (her Nikki & Nora: Sister Sleuths topped our list of Best “Hallmark Movies & Mysteries” Movies last year) and she is just as delightful in this Christmas adventure. We loved seeing Norway on screen and learning more about trolls as JJ learns more about her family.
3. Where Are You, Christmas?
The premise:
(This title indicates the mystery of the movie! Where Are You, Christmas?)
Addy’s marketing job that constantly sells Christmas makes her tend to avoid visiting her extremely festive hometown around the holidays. However, when her brother asks her to be there when he proposes, she can’t refuse. After a frustrating encounter, Addy (played by Lyndsy Fonseca) wishes that there was no Christmas. To her surprise it comes true!
With the reluctant help of the local mechanic Hunter (played by Michael Rady), she searches for ways to unbreak the curse and help everyone remember the Christmas spirit.
Why we love it:
The cinematic way they represented the loss of Christmas spirit with some characters in a world of black and white and others in color was pretty cool to watch. There were also a lot of funny moments that poked fun at what the world would be like without Christmas, such as weeks of New Year’s movies on TV. We enjoyed watching Addy on her search to figure out what was going on and how to save the town, her family, and Christmas.
2. Joyeux Noel
The premise:
Joyeux Noel centers on copy-editor Lea (played by Jaicy Elliot) who has two major fantasies in life: to become a reporter and to fall in love similarly to her beloved French fairy tale. When a painting from an unknown author captivates the public and Lea uncovers a clue, she asks the editor to allow her to investigate and write the story. Hoping for the perfect Christmas article, the editor allows Lea to travel to France and find the mystery artist and report on the love story from the past - as long as she is paired with grumpy veteran reporter Mark (played by Brant Daugherty.)
Though the pair is as mismatched as can be, they hope to solve the mystery at the famed Christmas market before their deadline.
Why we love it:
This is a movie that makes you wish you could travel to the locations they show, even if you don’t have an exciting romantic mystery to decipher. We enjoyed the character arcs for Lea and Mark, as well as the funny pranks by the child would-be reporter Sophie. Does anyone else have a strong craving for chocolate croissants after watching this?
Mystery on Mistletoe Lane
The premise:
Mystery on Mistletoe Lane follows Heidi Wicks (played by Erica Cerra), a recently divorced woman who moves to the small New England town of New Hollow for a fresh start with her children and to work as the director of the local historical center. One perk of the job is the ability to live in a historic home. One downside is that the previous director, David (played by Victor Webster) is still very much involved with the historic society and isn’t very impressed with her festive ideas.
If figuring David out wasn’t enough of a puzzle, Heidi and her children start to uncover trinkets and riddles throughout the historic home. With clues starting to lead them to uncover what “Mistletoe Manor” is, the family finds a holiday mystery on their hands.
Why we love it:
This cozy movie has the festive joy and romance you would expect from a Hallmark movie combined with a sweet Christmas mystery to solve. We loved that the whole family got involved in sleuthing and Heidi’s ideas to make Christmas special for her family and the town (including the touching Tribute Tree.) It was also fun to hear an occasional Boston accent from the townsfolk!
Interested in more Hallmark Christmas Movies that have a mystery?
Here’s the list of 2022 Premieres and the top Hallmark Christmas Mysteries.
What are your favorite cozy Christmas Hallmark mysteries?