My Top 9 Choices for December TV

Over the course of next month there will be almost 40 holiday-themed movies airing across five different networks as well as some streaming series returning with new episodes and a couple special events taking place.

Out of all the programming options to air in December, the following are my top choices:

The CW will air its annual crossover episodes this time called Elseworlds, which will focus on The Flash, Arrow and Supergirl. The DC shows will air in that order on December 9, December 10 and December 11 at 8 PM.

On December 14 the third season of the Canadian series Travelers will premiere on Netflix.

And the Timeless two-hour series finale event will premiere on NBC on December 20 at 8 PM. The finale special will spread across three centuries and two continents, testing Lucy, Wyatt and the entire Time Team like never before as they try to Save Rufus, preserve history and put a stop to Rittenhouse once and for all.

There are a lot of movies airing next month, but I whittled that long list down to my top six:

The Lifetime holiday movie A Christmas in Tennessee on December 9 at 8 PM will star Rachel Boston (Witches of East End) as Allison Bennet, who along with her daughter Olivia and mother Martha (Patricia Richardson from Home Improvement), run a bakery in the small mountain town of White Pines, Tennessee. When Matthew (Andrew Walker from When Calls the Heart), a charming real estate developer, tries to buy the town for a corporate ski resort, Allison and the townspeople must work together to prevent that from happening.

On December 15, the Hallmark Channel movie Entertaining Christmas will debut at 8 PM, starring Jodie Sweetin (Full House) and Brendan Fehr (Roswell and The Night Shift). Sweetin plays Candace, the daughter of a cookbook author, crafting expert, and television personality, who is poised to become the new face of her mother’s brand. The only trouble is, she can’t cook, sew or do any of the signature things for which her mother is known. When a young girl posts a video online requesting Candace’s mother’s help welcome her deployed father (Fehr) home for Christmas, Candace is sent in her place in an effort to prove herself a worthy successor to the board of directors and win the job. As Candace does her best to make a good impression, she gets more than she bargained for.

The Lifetime holiday movie Christmas Pen Pals on December 15 at 8 PM. Following an unexpected breakup weeks before Christmas, Hannah (Sarah Drew from Grey’s Anatomy), tech wiz and creator of the dating app, Perfect One, heads home for the holidays, challenged to save her failing business by re-conceiving a new romantic dating model. Upon her return she runs into her high school boyfriend, Sam (Niall Matter from Eureka) who she has carefully avoided for years and reluctantly makes a deal with her dad, Ted (Michael Gross from Family Ties) to sign up for the town’s Christmas Cupid, an anonymous holiday pen pal service. As the season progresses, Hannah is smitten by each beautifully written letter she receives and starts to believe that her Christmas pen pal could be her soul mate. It’s not until Christmas Eve that everyone must reveal their true identities to their pen pals, even if it means coming face to face with the last person they ever expected.

On December 16, the UP TV holiday movie Christmas on Holly Lane at 7 PM. Sarah Lancaster (Chuck), Gina Holden (Blood Ties) and Karen Holness (the Hallmark Channel movie Truly, Madly, Sweetly) play Sarah, Cat and Riley, life-long best friends who revisit the house on Holly Lane – that has always held a special place in their hearts – because it is in danger of being sold. With each friend at a different crossroad, they will all have to come together to call upon that special Christmas magic that can only happen on Holly Lane.

The ION holiday move A Christmas in Royal Fashion on December 16 at 9 PM, starring Cindy Busby (the Hallmark Channel movies Unleashing Mr. Darcy and Marrying Mr. Darcy) as Kristin Cooper, a talented assistant for a global PR firm, who is put in charge of the annual Christmas fashion show and auction for clothing entrepreneur Mr. Carson. A handsome young royal, Prince Patrick (Diarmaid Murtagh), is dispatched by his father, the King of Edgemoor, to be the face of the family co-sponsored event. Upon his arrival to Beverly Hills, Patrick meets Kristin and is instantly smitten with her, mistakenly thinking she is actually her boss, Melanie. While Patrick and Kristin spend the Christmas season together in California, she wonders if Patrick would have still fallen for her if he knew she was an assistant, and not the boss.

Lastly, the Hallmark Channel will debut the When Calls the Heart: The Greatest Christmas Blessing movie on Christmas Day at 9 PM. When a group of orphans become stranded in Hope Valley for Christmas, their caretakers — sisters who have a mysterious backstory — lead Bill (Jack Wagner) to investigate the circumstances of their arrival. He discovers the sisters and their orphanage are in jeopardy, so Abigail (Lori Loughlin) and the other residents rally to make it a Christmas to remember for the orphans. Elizabeth (Erin Krakow), who is preparing for the birth of her child, organizes her students to engage in selfless gift-giving. That, along with a Christmas miracle, help bring wonder, hope, joy, and love to all this Christmas season.

Make sure to check out the full TV calendar for December here and share what you are looking forward to watching on TV next month.