By Sabrina Novacov
It’s finally here, Great American Christmas 2026! The Programming team has put so much heart into this slate, and I truly believe this is our strongest Great American Christmas lineup yet. From heartfelt romances and family stories to inspiring journeys filled with faith, hope and second chances, each movie premiering this year is incredibly special in its own way.
What makes these movies so meaningful to me is the impact they can have beyond the screen. Christmas has a way of bringing people together, creating traditions and reminding us of what matters most: faith, family, love, generosity and hope. It’s incredibly rewarding to know that these stories can become part of someone’s Christmas tradition, bring a family together for a movie night, or even brighten someone’s day when they need it most.
And now, it’s time for a little friendly competition! With so many incredible movies in this year’s lineup, here are my Great American Christmas Challenge predictions. Which movies will rise to the top? Which stories will become fan favorites? And which ones do I think will have the biggest impact?
Here are my rankings for the Great American Christmas Challenge. I can’t wait to see yours too!
#1 - A Sweet Christmas Anniversary
Strong talent and it’s the third installment of HSC. Strong premiere weekend (Thanksgiving)
#2 - The Christmas Yes List
Leads had great chemistry, the plot was fun, and the book to movie adaption was great!
#3 - A Very Arctic Christmas
Love this movie! Strong casting overall and I was invested every minute of this story!
#4 - A Second Chance Christmas
The themes of faith, family and forgiveness made this movie special. The winter setting was great!
#5 - The Greatest Christmas Gift
The wedding & faith elements make this movie so strong, including Danica McKellar as the lead.
#6 - A Christmas Rescue
Strong premiere weekend; Trevor movies are always successful and this one includes a sweet story about pets, which we all adore!
#7 - A Christmas Prayer Tradition
Second installment to A Christmas Prayer; established fan base; strong faith elements, cute story
#8 - An Ozark Mountain Christmas
The leads have great chemistry and the filming location was beautiful, which made this one another strong Christmas movie. Would of had this movie up higher but there’s a lot of competition!
#9 - The Ornament Library
I definitely think this will make the top 10 because of the Christmas elements, mystery storyline, and with Merritt Patterson and Ryan Paevy as the leads!
#10 - Making Christmas Bright
Love the faith and community elements in this beautiful story about giving back and making a positive impact. Leads are great!
#11 - Silver Bells At Christmas
Almost had this one at #10. The music in this movie is amazing and even though this is a top favorite of mine, there’s a lot of competition!
#12 - Three Generations, One Christmas
Tony Danza fit right into this movie. Recognizable talent with Mario Lopez and strong storylines about family, faith, and legacy.
#13 - Christmas at Moose Lake
Strong secondary casting, relatable storylines of family/traditions.
#14 - Karen Kingsbury’s The Christmas Ring
Strong faith and military themes here, ranked this lower in case people saw it in theaters last year.
#15 - Letters This Christmas
One of my favorite pair of leads this year: Ashley Newbrough and Jesse Hutch. Great winter setting with real snow!
#16 - Christmas by the Spoonful
Sweet story; food movies are not always top of my list - sorry!
#17 - A Very Evergreen Christmas
Love the Christmas tree farm, beautiful setting with the trees & snow. Great secondary cast too!
#18 - Christmas Wrapped In Love
Still a great movie but there’s a lot of competition!
Enter the Christmas Challenge today and rank all 18 Great American Christmas movie premieres based on the order you think America will watch them! Then, follow along all season on Great American Journal to see how your predictions stack up. Think you can win the Christmas Challenge? Make your picks for a chance to win the $100,000 Grand Prize! Let The Christmas Challenge begin!
Make Great American Christmas part of your Christmas tradition! Sign up for Great American Pure Flix and enjoy new Christmas movie premieres every week, filled with faith, family, romance, and plenty of Christmas cheer. Gather the family for a movie night and celebrate Christmas as it’s meant to be with us!