Holiday Book-to-Movie Adaptations for 2024
Every year, I spend my November and December watching pretty much every new holiday movie I can feast my eyes upon. Cookie cutter Hallmark movies about the big city gal who falls for the small-town guy who owns a Christmas tree farm? Sign me up. But you know what? Inside, I’m always chasing that high of the best holiday movie of all time, The Muppet Christmas Carol. Not only is it the best adaptation of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, but it’s also just a stellar book adaptation that really sets the mood for the season. Will there ever be another holiday book adaptation better than The Muppet Christmas Carol? Maybe not, but these new holiday book adaptations coming out this year that are throwing their hats into the ring to potentially become the next Christmas classic.
The Snow Sister (November 29)
This upcoming Netflix movie is based on the Norwegian children’s story Snøsøsteren (The Snow Sister) by Maja Lunde. The story follows a little boy and his family who are dealing with grief and not feeling up for the holidays at all. But then a mysterious young girl named Hedvig comes into their lives. Here’s a clip from the movie, which will be available to stream at the end of this month!
That Christmas (December 4)
Writer and director Richard Curtis (Love Actually) is back with another potential Christmas classic with That Christmas. This book (and film) features a series of intertwined stories about Christmas (kinda like Love Actually, right?). The movie is directed by Simon Otto (How to Train Your Dragon). You can check out the trailer now, and you can stream this one on Netflix starting on December 4.
And Here’s One You Might Have Missed…
Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa de la Cruz
You already know the story of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, but Melissa de la Cruz’s retelling turns this beloved story into a gender-swapped Christmas romance. And back in 2019, Hallmark made a TV film adaptation. Mean Girls star Lacey Chabert plays Darcy Fitzwilliam, and Brendan Penny stars opposite Chabert as Luke Bennett. Pride, Prejudice, and Mistletoe is available now on all major streaming platforms.
There’s something so warm and cozy about a holiday page-to-screen adaptation, isn’t there? Maybe one of these will become the next yearly tradition in your family (even without the Muppets).