“People love these predictable festive movies because they provide what daily life in our tumultuous world cannot: a feeling of wholesome goodness and consistent portrayals of values, hope, and faith” (page 7). If there ever was a year when we can use a little of that, it’s this one.
This is a fun holiday book broken up into 15 themes like “The Book Lover’s Christmas.” I liked this sentiment. “To give a book is to give the first sentence of a prospective conversation. Gifting beloved books invites others to peek through a window to your world” (page 48). Each section has a list of Christmas movies that fit that theme as well as recipe ideas, decorations, games, whatever fits.
There are a multitude of ideas that would be great fun for planning a girl’s movie night around. For instance, there are several “royalty” Christmas movies that McMillan suggests watching while serving your own Royal Tea Party. I can’t wait to try this.
This is a cute book and great holiday resource that can be used for years to come. I’ve already tried a few movies on the list and will look forward to move.
Thank you to Harvest House Publishers for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Very cute. Great start to help planning for Christmas and the holiday season. A lot of different categories for watching movies, gift giving, how to shop earlier, and other great things. I do think there could have been more recipes in the book, like one or more two for each section. For the different sections/chapters I would have used different pictures and colors to add a contrast to the book and each chapter. But I think this a great book to read to prepare you for the holiday season. It has a lot of good holiday movie recommendations, shopping tips, and some fun facts.

Title: A Very Merry Holiday Movie Guide
Author: Rachel McMillan

Ch: 16 Plus Conclusion

Pg: 217

Genre: Nonfiction

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Publisher: Harvest House Publishers



A Very Merry Holiday Movie Guide by Rachel McMillian was the book for me and I knew it as soon as I read what it was about. From the middle of November till the end of December you can find me curled up on the couch with a fuzzy blanket hot cocoa or tea with either a Christmas book or a hallmark Christmas movie on tv.


The only time of year that I tend to watch rom coms by choice. I guess the quickest way to get me to watch a rom com is to have it set at Christmas time. Rachel’s book is the perfect book for fans of Hallmark Christmas movies it’s the perfect book to go with those movies. This book helps to add to your viewing experience. I love each chapter to explain the different types of Christmases.


I got my love for Hallmark Christmas movies and Christmas Rom Coms from my mom. She was never one for rom coms but as soon as the Christmas movies our tv stayed on the Hallmark channel. But after losing her four years I haven’t watched any Hallmark Christmas movies in the last four year. But this year after seeing the new movies including Christmas in Vienna i watching them again. And this book has given me a backlog list of movies. And my favorite chapter in the book is indeed the Christmas homebody chapter.


If you love Christmas rom coms and Hallmark movies then you need this book.



I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

I did not give this book enough credit when I started it. For the first few dozen pages, it felt like an over-emphasized list of things that you could do for Christmas, as if several billion people had never heard of the holiday and were celebrating it for the first time. Functioning more like a blog post, I found it a bit alerting that effort was being put into making an actual physical book of it. But as I got through it and began weaseling my way out of my Grinch costume, I began to appreciate it. You know what, we could all stand to be a little more merry, not just because of the state of the world, but because it makes us happy. And who are we to deny ourselves of what brings us joy? Sure it's a list of everything you've done every holiday since you were five, but who cares? And sure, it's more like a love letter to Hallmark films, and not even the good ones (Dear Santa is one of my top five worst films ever (I can say this because it was filmed in my city), and it was recommended TWICE). But who cares? Maybe I spend my days researching historic Christmas traditions, but not everyone does, and therefore not everyone will find those sections boring because hey, shouldn't everyone know that Prince Albert brought the Christmas tree tradition to the UK? It may not be a book you'll revisit every year, but it's a fun little flip through and you might learn a few things you didn't know. Go. Have fun. Enjoy your holiday cheesiness and escape for a little while. Watch some crappy holiday films. Wear your pajamas. You deserve it.

"Are you a holiday film fan? If so, you’re in good company. Fellow made-for-TV movie buff Rachel McMillan invites you to skip the office Christmas party, put on your coziest pj’s, and crash on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate in one hand and your remote in the other to watch the movies that have become the “hallmark” of the holiday season."

When I first picked up "A Very Merry Holiday Movie Guide," I expected something like a long list of Hallmark, Netflix, and Lifetime movies, maybe listed by theme. What I found was so much more. This book contains several interesting sections, including themed lists, recipes, books, activities, and more, everything you need to make holiday viewing easy, fun, and even meaningful. McMillan focuses on those movies that are made for TV, so you won't find films starring Hollywood bigwigs with huge marketing budgets, just enjoyable seasonal flicks to enjoy with friends or snuggled with your favorite furry companion. Clearly written pre-pandemic, I was saddened on several occasions that suggestions were so geared towards holiday gatherings, but we'll all be well prepared for Christmas 2021.

This was a sweet book full of all things festive. The only down side seemed to be that it was based more around American culture than British but it was equally jolly and totally got me watching Christmas movies, whilst thinking what home made gifts to make.

Rachel McMillan is someone I follow on multiple different social media sites and for the past two years now I have loved seeing all her Christmas movie recommendations and how excited she gets around the holiday season. Because of that when I saw she was coming out with this movie guide I was very interested in reading it.

This movie guide is packed full of very specific move recommendations for everybody and any situation. It's also filled full of ideas for new and old traditions to start doing or continue doing. While some of the ideas wouldn't work this year for obvious reasons because of covid, but several sections had items to do alone or could be done for a distance. Even the girls/family nights could be done through zoom/facetime with how we've all gotten so good and used to doing them at this point (maybe that's just me).
One of my favorite ideas and one that I will for sure be making happen is the Christmas light game where you go around and rate people's Christmas lights and give them a score based on different things.

Overall I enjoyed this one and loved all the movie suggestions and even found some that I didn't even know existed.

As a movie fanatic and lover of all things holidays, I was so excited to dive into this movie guide. Rachel McMillan does an amazing job at capturing the holiday spirit through reading lists for every type of person. Not only are the countless movie recommendations, she weaves it all together with iconic Christmas song playlists, beloved recipes, and ideas to spice up and establish new holiday traditions. Highly recommended book which makes you feel warm and wholesome inside. Perfect gift for Christmas!

I don't even know where to start with how much I enjoyed reading this beautiful and comprehensive holiday movie guide by Rachel McMillan.

As a HUGE Hallmark movie fan, I found this to be a delightful read filled with fun holiday party ideas and facts, a never-ending guide to the best of the best Hallmark movies, specifically chosen for her reader's interests. And on top of that the illustrations are just adorable and cozy!

I loved the way each chapter focused on a particular holiday lover. "The Booklover's Christmas Guide" and the "Shopping Lover's Christmas guide. Each focused on favorites for the holidays and ways to start new traditions that can be enjoyed for years to come.

Needless to say I now have a whole bunch of new holiday movies and recipes to try. A Very Merry Holiday movie guide is perfect for that Christmas lover in your life as a gift or a treat. It's truly a love letter to the holidays and the wonder of a magical story that (spoiler alert) always ends happily ever after!

Most people who know me, know I'm a teeny bit obsessed with made-for-TV Christmas films. Yes, on the most part they are terrible (in a great way, obvs) because they have tiny budgets, wooden acting and they basically all tell the same story, but there's just something comforting about them.

As far as I'm concerned, as soon as Halloween is out of the way it's time to get festive. But you can't bring out the big guns (Home Alone, Elf, Gremlins - you know, decent Christmas films ) too early, certainly not before December. So these films are perfect to. fill the void. To get yourself in the festive swing of things without peaking too early..

A Very Merry Holiday Movie Guide is the ultimate guide to these light-hearted, snow-covered cliched movies, with movie lists focusing on different tropes, activity ideas, recipes and much more.

It was a cute, quick read, brimming with ideas to make the perfect Christmas, and highlighting some of the best made-for-TV films that I'd already seen, and some that I didn't recognise but will now seek out. It won't fail to get you in the spirit.

Author #Rachel Mc Millan has a guide 'A Very Merry Holiday Movie Guide. This is of course perfect timing. And with all of us reading and watching more TV it will come in handy. My review is on Instagram at Maddie_approves_book_reviews. Please come visit me.
Thank you,
#Netgalley, #Rachel Mc Millan and # Harvest House

A Very Merry Holiday Movie Guide by Rachel McMillan is designed to help you find the perfect made for tv (or streaming) Christmas film!  It's separated into themes, so if you want a film with baking in, it will give you a number of suggestions.  It also gives you some ideas for new traditions with each theme.  There are also activities, such as Christmas film bingo, hot drinks to make, and facts that you probably didn't know!

It's a lovely book if you want some inspiration of what to watch next!  There is also a list of other Christmas and holiday films at the back!

 A Very Merry Holiday Movie Guide  was published on 6th October 2020, and is available to buy from  Amazon .

You can follow Rachel McMillan on her  website,   Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to  Harvest House .

Yet again, I am reminded to never judge a book by its cover (or even its title). With the increasing number of Christmas movie fans each year, I was not surprised to find a “movie guide” that had been developed. When I opened the pages of this book, however, I was pleasantly surprised! Not only does the author share ideas of movies to watch according to people's likes or personalities, but she also provides ideas on gift-giving and other ways to embrace the spirit of the season. This works for planning get-togethers of all types as well as reaching out to others who may not be able to join in.

All I can say is I LOVE this book! It is great not only for myself but also as a gift for some other Christmas movie fans (okay, addicts!) that I know. Many thanks to the author for providing this great idea for sprucing up the season!

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book provided by the publisher and Net Galley but the thoughts expressed are my own.

A fun festive book filled with lots of ideas for celebrating Christmas 🎄
Get sections to dip in and out of, with pretty illustrations throughout.

This guide gives a lot of recommendation for a Christmas watchlist, sorted by topics such as Christmas shopping or Christmas music (I was actually missing the topic of "Christmas Bride"!).
The lists do not include the popular (Hollywood) Christmas-movies like "Love, Actually" or "Family Stone" or "The Holiday" - which everyone knows anyway, but puts forward the many many TV-movies, whose numbers increase yearly. I found several movies that I would like to see, now I only need time to actually watch them! (And find a streaming service that provides them.)

Rachel McMillan also provides lots of ideas on how to get into the right festive mood and which new Christmas tradition you could try out. In my family we had a couple of Christmas traditions as well, such as which dish was served on Christmas Eve. Now that my parents and also grand-parents are all gone, I don't really have fixed traditions anymore. But I really would like to install some with my own little family, something that my kids will always connect to a wonderful family Christmas time.

This is a fun book for anyone who likes the romance movies on the Hallmark Channel, but unfortunately I don't. They're basically all the same plot with the same gorgeous lead woman and the same hunky lead guy, and despite all obstacles they fall in love. I would not have read it had I known that. I thought it was a guide to ALL holiday movies with some activities to go with each theme (classic Christmas, romantic Christmas, etc.) Some classic films are mentioned, but very briefly. Also, it really isn't a guide to the movies at all, like describing the plot, listing the actors, and giving a rating to the film. A three-line synopsis is all each movie gets.

If you are a Hallmark Channel fan, you may enjoy the setup. There are fifteen themes, like "the shoppers Christmas," "the family Christmas," "the destination Christmas," suggested movies for each theme, and suggested activities (baking cookies during baking themed movies, exploring a city at Christmastime with the Christmas in the City films, etc.). Each chapter also has some Christmas trivia, such as when Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer joined Santa's team, or the importance of "Silent Night," or how Santa Claus was portrayed in older times, and there are some recipes.

This a great gift book for the holidays for anyone who loves Hallmark Christmas movies. This has tips and activities for the holidays. They are divided into sections such as "book lovers" and "music lovers", with plenty of fun things to do with alone or with a group. There are also plenty of holiday movie recommendations. While some of these tips might not apply this year, there were a lot of fun things included such as having a royal tea Christmas party, sending cards overseas, or having a hot cocoa bar. This book will definitely getting you planning for Christmas and is sure to get you in the holiday mood.

After reading this I'm ready to set up my Christmas playlist, bake, read more Christmas books and watch Christmas films. I love everything about Christmas, especially Christmas films so this was just perfect. A focus on spending time together enjoying Christmas traditions. Be prepared to feel Christmasy.

The book is divided into various themes, with Christmas traditions and a checklist of relevant Christmas films, such as book lovers, royal, and bakers. I won't lie, I love all of the Christmas themes. There's something for everyone depending on what you love about Christmas.

I've added so many more festive books and films to my list.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harvest House Publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really cute idea, and I appreciated the structure and design of this book.

Unfortunately the way this book is promoted is misleading, and is likely to land it with the wrong audience.

This is advertised In the summary and on the cover as a guide to made for tv holiday movies. But what it really turns out to be is a guide to made for tv holiday movies of the Romance genre.

I love holiday movies. I do not love romances. There are a lot of the former that are not also of the latter genre, things which meet the description given of what the book is about but not its actual content. This is disappointing, both because it leaves a reader like me feeling misled and also because conceptually and structurally the book was quite well designed and thus I feel like I missed out on something terrific.

For the record I see no harm in writing a holiday movie guide that Includes only romances, as long as it is clearly presented as such so it doesn’t leave the many, many readers like myself—who love holiday movies but don’t care for romances—feeling like someone tried to put one over on them.

If you are a lover of made-for-TV Christmas movies like me, this is the perfect book for you! McMillan did a great job splitting these movies into different categories - those about family, those about fashion, those about travel, those about food, etc. and creating not a recommended viewing list for each category, but also accompanying activities, trivia, and snack or drink recipes. This book introduced me to some new movies to add to my list for this holiday season, as well as some great ideas about how to celebrate. The book had a very personal feel, as if a friend was providing her own experiences and recommendations. Definitely an enjoyable read for the holidays!