Ranking Hallmark for Hanukkah
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By Debra Eckerling
I love a good romantic comedy. At its core, that’s what a Hallmark movie is. Sprinkle in some Santa, and you have Countdown to Christmas. Hallmark did sprinkle Hanukkah here and there, something it still does with a lot of its Christmas-centric fare. But then in 2019, Hallmark started adding Hanukkah movies to its holiday collection. Cue the excited Hanukkah music! Of course, Hallmark’s Hanukkah movies mention Christmas, as lots of interfaith and non-traditional families enjoy their holiday films. The Hanukkah movies focus on themes of family, food, always food, and the fun activities and rituals that go hand-in-hand with the holidays. Many deal with grief and overcoming loss, found family, and new or rekindled love.
Samantha DiPippo, Hallmark’s Senior Vice President of Programming, offers this perspective: “Like all of Hallmark’s holiday and seasonal programming, our Hanukkah movies are created to tell stories where all viewers can see themselves, their families and their most treasured celebrations. We’re proud to spotlight Hanukkah in our holiday programming, in partnership with Jewish creatives.”
This year’s addition to the Hallmark Hanukkah collection is “Oy to the World!” Per the official description: “When waterlines break at Temple Beth Am, it leaves its members in need of a place to celebrate Hanukkah. Across the street, St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church is quick to open its doors and offer shared space for the holidays. With the last night of Hanukkah and Christmas Eve falling on the same day this year — something that rarely happens — the reverend and rabbi choose to offer a joint service for their congregations. But that means Nikki Roberts (Brooke D’Orsay), St. Joseph’s youth choir director, must team up with Jake Cohen (Jake Epstein), the substitute youth choir director from Temple Beth Am, and put on a single music program. These two are old high school rivals who have to put aside their differences and learn how to work together.” The film premieres on December 14, 2025.
When I asked Hallmark to send me a list of its Hanukkah movies, this is what the company sent me. It’s very hard to play favorites, but I did my best! Here’s my ranking of least to most Jew-ish.
“Leah’s Perfect Gift” (2024)
“Leah’s Perfect Gift” stars Emily Arlook as a Jewish woman experiencing her first Christmas with her boyfriend’s family. A family that she has never met until she shows up to spend the holiday. It is not at all the “cozy Christmas” that she expected. And this is not the Hanukkah movie I expected. As in, not something I would classify at all as a Hanukkah movie. Yes, they experience some Hanukkah, but it is really a fish-out-of-water scenario, with more Chinese food than latkes.
“Holiday Date” (2019)
“Holiday Date” is a different, and better, fish-out-of-water scenario. After a woman’s (Brittany Bristow) boyfriend breaks up with her right before the holidays, literally at a party a few hours after the break-up, she meets an actor (Matt Cohen) at a Friendsgiving Party. After a scant conversation, he is researching a role for a movie that takes place in a small town, and she needs a stand-in boyfriend. Of course, he agrees to join her. Although he is posing as her “architect boyfriend who loves Christmas,” reality keeps getting in the way. He can’t build a ginger bread house, he offers to help her niece with the church play, and he gets the traditions all wrong. Oh, yeah, and he’s Jewish. Once his Jewishness is discovered, the family gets excited about Hanukkah, and wants to learn more about how to celebrate the holiday. It’s a fun romp.
“Double Holiday” (2019)
“Double Holiday” pairs Rebecca (Carly Pope) with colleague and rival Chris (Kristoffer Polaha) to plan the office Christmas party. The one who does the best job will get a promotion to the new executive slot. Rebecca is Jewish, Chris is not. Rebecca is very by-the-rules, Chris is laid back. As rivals turned “team Christmas party,” they do bring out the best in each other, especially after Chris gets involved in Rebecca’s family activities. Nice film. Believable chemistry. Hokey solution to the competing-for-the-promotion scenario, but I was OK with it. Solid balance between the two holidays.
“Love, Lights, Hanukkah!” (2020)
According to the Hallmark Channel, “Love, Lights, Hanukkah!” was the most-watched Hallmark Hanukkah movie over the past five years. This one has a solid balance of the holidays against a backdrop of grief and newfound family.
As Christina (Mia Kirshner) prepares her restaurant for its busiest time of year, while dealing with celebrating the holiday for the first time since her adoptive mother passed away, she makes a Christmas wish for love and family. Everything is going ok until a DNA test reveals that she’s Jewish. The discovery leads her to a new family is headed by Marilu Henner, who is of Greek and Polish descent (and plays a convincing matriarch in all holiday movies, whether her character is celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah). She also gets romanced by a family friend and food critic (Ben Savage) over the eight nights. Bonus points: Christina’s birth family also has a restaurant, so a latke of food! This film features both holidays in a balanced and educational way, as Christina (played by a Jew) learns all about Hanukkah and teaches her new family about her Christmas traditions.
“Eight Gifts of Hanukkah” (2021)
As the first full-on Hanukkah movie, “Eight Gifts of Hanukkah” does an excellent job of embracing and explaining the traditions of the holiday over the course of the eight nights, along with a mystery romance. An anonymous suitor sends optometrist Sarah (Israeli actress Inbar Lavi) a gift for each night of Hanukkah. She actually has several prospects. It’s obvious who it is, though the description says, “As she tries to find her secret admirer, she learns that her one true love might be someone she never expected. It also stars Jake Epstein, the only repeat lead, who’s in this year’s “Oy to the World.” Guess who he plays? Its predictability doesn’t make it any less fun!
“Hanukkah on Rye” (2022)
“Hanukkah on Rye” is like “Shop Around the Corner” or “You’ve Got Mail,” if the rivals owned competing delis. I interviewed the main actors, Molly (Yael Grobglas) and Jacob (Jeremy Jordan), along with Lisa Loeb, who wrote a song for the film, for JLiving when the movie came out. Molly and Jacob exchange anonymous letters through a Jewish matchmaking service and develop a nice kinship before their true identities are revealed. It takes place mostly in delis, so there’s an extremely high food quotient and competition. Do not watch this movie when you’re hungry!
“Round and Round” (2023)
“Round and Round” is a time-loop movie. Rachel (Vic Michae lis) keeps reliving the seventh night of Hanukkah, at her parents’ annual party, over and over again. The party is how her parents hon or their meet-cute-aversary. This movie has a magic dreidel, tons of food, with sufganiyot as a supporting character, and a “nice Jewish boy,” Zach (Bryan Greenberg). It’s fun to see Rachel repeat the day over and over until she gets it right!
“Hanukkah on the Rocks” (2024)
Based in a Hanukkah pop-up bar, “Hanukkah on the Rocks” feels like a Hanukkah movie for modern times. Recently unemployed lawyer Tory (Stacey Farber) meets Jay (Daren Kagasoff) as she embarks on a journey to find the “good” Hanukkah candles. This leads her to a Chicago bar, where she learns to embrace a life of more joy and less hustle. This one also stars holiday food and drink, as special types cocktails and creative appetizers are in abundance. I interviewed Stacey and Jay for JLiving last year. Like Yael, Jeremy and Lisa, they were a pleasure to talk with — all were enthusiastic to represent their faith through Hanukkah movies on Hallmark.
Eight movies, eight opportunities to experience Hanukkah, Hallmark-style. And the new one this year adds a shamash to the mix. Enjoy! And Happy Hanukkah!
