Four new Netflix holiday movies to keep an eye out for this season
The month of ghosts and spirits is yet to unleash all its horrors, and yet Netflix is already jingling bells in your face, because apparently waiting until December is old school; you have to prepare in advance. Christmas is still weeks away, people, but Netflix is making that watchlist of yours merry in advance.
And come on, you know how this goes. November rolls around, and before you blink, your Netflix recommendations are full of Christmas hurrahs. You can fight it, of course, but it’s almost impossible when the whole thing is shoved in your face every time you open Netflix.
The good news is, we’re not back with those same old recommendations. Netflix has four new ones heading your way across November and early December, and yes, the schedule is kicking off early this time, so anybody planning to leave the festive viewing until the last minute might want to brainstorm again.
So, brace yourself, dear reader, because the Christmas movie machine is all ready. Here are four new Netflix holiday movies worth keeping on your radar this season.
Four new Netflix holiday movies to keep an eye out for this season
A Dog’s Perfect Christmas (Cathryn Michon, November 4th)
Alrighty then, the commencement of holiday festivities will be done by a basset hound, which is one hell of a way to get people invested before December. A basset hound at Christmas is basically game over for anything with humans involved.
A Dog’s Perfect Christmas comes from W. Bruce Cameron, the author behind A Dog’s Purpose, and takes us to a family whose Christmas starts coming apart at the seams, leaving a teenager and her grandfather trying to hold the household together with some help from one very loyal dog named Winstead. Man, why do all good Christmas stories have to have a sad element?
Cathryn Michon directs the movie, and then you get to the cast, and hello? Dennis Quaid and Milo Ventimiglia, with Mary Steenburgen, Brooke Lena Johnson and Jennifer Tilly, while Thomas Haden Church voices Winstead. Yes, the dog will be narrating the story, and that’s the cherry on top. Netflix kicks things off on November 4th, and excuse us while we keep the tissues somewhere within reach.
Tyler Perry’s The Gospel of Christmas (Tyler Perry, November 11th)
Now you might think that Netflix will take a break after this, but just a week later, Tyler Perry is taking Christmas to church, and forget the mistletoe malarkey for a minute because The Gospel of Christmas has bigger problems on its hands.
Tank plays Isaac, a pastor struggling with his faith who heads to New York with his wife Rebecca after taking responsibility for his family’s failing church in a neighbourhood that has seen better days. And, mate… saving the church is only half the battle, because Isaac has his own doubts to wrestle with.
Then you get to the music, and not to spoil anything, but Perry has brought in Kirk Franklin to produce the soundtrack, while Yolanda Adams, CeCe Winans and Shirley Caesar join the cast, with The Clark Sisters involved as well. Gospel fans, hello! Perry wrote and directed the film too, so it’s going to be one hell of a ride, and Netflix has it down for November 11th.
Guarding Stars (Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, November 18th)
Romance crowd, your turn… and oh, this one is totally worth getting excited for. Guarding Stars has Leighton Meester as a no-nonsense bodyguard hired to protect a famous action star played by Jared Padalecki over Christmas, which already sounds like an obvious romance incoming. Work follows them into the holidays, and soon, personal boundaries are alien.
The film takes inspiration from Katherine Center’s 2022 novel The Bodyguard, with Purple Hearts director Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum behind the camera. Oh, and Andie MacDowell is in there with Walker Hayes making his acting debut, and My Life with the Walter Boys star Noah LaLonde will make an appearance too.
In a Holidaze (Tiffany Paulsen, December 2nd)
The last week of November will be free from any holiday releases, but as we transition into December, we will be greeted by In a Holidaze. And, well, this one wastes no time making Christmas complicated, because Maelyn Jones gets stuck in a time loop and has to live the same holiday over and over again.
Maddie Ziegler plays the twenty-something stuck at her family’s holiday cabin after one romantic cock-up, and the universe decides to let her live the same Christmas day until she works out what she actually wants. The film is based on Christina Lauren’s bestselling 2020 novel, with Tiffany Paulsen directing, and Graham Phillips and Elias Kacavas joining Ziegler on screen.