Hallmark Small Town Movies

These films give their communities a part in the story.

Small-town main street and cinema at dusk

Project Christmas Wish

Lucy plays Santa for her small town. Granting a little girl’s Christmas wish brings her closer to wishes of her own.

Explore the film
  1. 1
    To All a Good Night

    To All a Good Night

    2023 · 90 min★ 7.4
    A choice between past and futureChristmas settingStory setting: Inn/B&B

    Rated 7.4. Small-town photographer Ceci (Kimberley Sustad) saves a mysterious crash victim (Mark Ghanime) who may be in town to buy her family's parkland, the very spot where Harmony Bay holds its annual Christmas celebration. It is a save-the-tradition story, complete with a boot-stealing dog and a town obsessed with one specific local burger. Cozy, a touch mysterious, and built on exactly the kind of community ritual these towns run on. A solid contemporary holiday watch.

  2. 2
    A Veteran's Christmas

    A Veteran's Christmas

    2018 · 84 min★ 7.0
    Christmas setting

    After receiving an honorable discharge, a former Marine suffers a minor car accident that strands her in a small town for the Christmas season.

  3. 3
    Falling for Vermont

    Falling for Vermont

    2017 · 84 min★ 6.9
    Story setting: BookstoreParent lead

    A best-selling author who got amnesia as a result of a car accident finds refuge with the local doctor of an idyllic small town in Vermont.

  4. 4
    Good Morning Christmas!

    Good Morning Christmas!

    2020 · 86 min★ 6.9
    Career versus family prioritiesChristmas settingStory setting: TV/Radio Station

    Two squabbling TV hosts are sent to a festive small town over Christmas. While pretending to get along for the sake of appearances, they discover there's more to each other than they thought.

  5. 5
    Project Christmas Wish

    Project Christmas Wish

    2020 · 84 min★ 6.9
    A choice between past and futureChristmas settingStory setting: TV/Radio Station

    For years Lucy has played Santa in her small-town community. As she grants a little girl's wish for a Christmas like it used to be, she unexpectedly finds her own wishes coming true.

  6. 6
    Chronicle Mysteries: Recovered

    Chronicle Mysteries: Recovered

    2019 · 120 min★ 6.9

    A podcast host becomes interested in a cold-case disappearance, mostly because she and the victim had grown up together in their small town.

  7. 7
    Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery

    Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery

    2015 · 83 min★ 6.7
    Story setting: Bakery

    A baker in small-town Minnesota turns amateur sleuth after finding her friend and delivery driver shot to death behind her shop.

  8. 8
    Valentine Ever After

    Valentine Ever After

    2016 · 84 min★ 6.7
    Valentine's Day settingStory setting: Ranch

    A barroom brawl sends Julia and Sydney from their Wyoming weekend into community service in town. Julia’s sentence brings her to the Thomas family ranch, where she meets Ben and gets involved in the family’s plans.

  9. 9
    Small Town Christmas

    Small Town Christmas

    2018 · 85 min★ 6.7
    Business at stakeChristmas settingStory setting: Bookstore

    A high-flying female novelist from New York takes a trip to the small town that inspired her latest best-seller.

  10. 10
    The Valley of Light

    The Valley of Light

    2006 · 97 min★ 6.7
    A choice between past and futureAngels/Heaven

    Returning to USA after WWII, Noah goes wandering and angling. He comes to a small town and valley to catch a huge bass. He meets a cute widow and other good people there.

  11. 11
    Christmas in Evergreen

    Christmas in Evergreen

    2017 · 84 min★ 6.6
    Career versus family prioritiesChristmas settingMagic/Wishes

    A snowstorm sends Allie back to Evergreen, Vermont, where she joins the town’s Christmas festival effort. As local traditions and a determined mayor bring neighbors together, Allie gets to know Ryan, a widowed doctor, and his daughter, Zoe.

  12. 12
    Christmas in Homestead

    Christmas in Homestead

    2016 · 84 min★ 6.6
    Career versus family prioritiesChristmas settingStory setting: Inn/B&B

    Life is turned upside down for a small town mayor when a famous actress arrives to shoot her new Christmas movie.

  13. 13
    Miss Christmas

    Miss Christmas

    2017 · 84 min★ 6.6
    Career versus family prioritiesChristmas settingStory setting: Christmas Tree Farm

    Nicknamed Miss Christmas, the official tree finder for Chicago's renowned Radcliffe Tree lighting is left desperate to find the perfect tree. A letter from a young boy promising his tree is perfect sends her to a small town where she learns the young boy's dad isn't willing to part with his tree. While sparks fly, she'll be forced to confront what she's really been missing for Christmas.

  14. 14
    A Glenbrooke Christmas

    A Glenbrooke Christmas

    2020 · 85 min★ 6.6
    Christmas settingStory setting: Other

    As Christmas nears, heiress Jessica Morgan seizes what seems like her last chance to experience a relaxed Christmas and heads off to the small town of Glenbrooke, where she meets a handsome firefighter.

  15. 15
    Time for Her to Come Home for Christmas

    Time for Her to Come Home for Christmas

    2023 · 84 min★ 6.6
    A choice between past and futureChristmas settingStory setting: Other

    Carly heads to a small town to lead a church choir at Christmastime, facing her first holiday season without her mother. While there, she connects with a man back in town after serving in the Army.

  16. 16
    A Christmas to Remember

    A Christmas to Remember

    2016 · 84 min★ 6.5
    Career versus family prioritiesChristmas settingStory setting: Ranch

    Following a car accident which leaves her with a bout of amnesia, a celebrity chef gets stranded in a small town over the Christmas season.

  17. 17
    Christmas Cookies

    Christmas Cookies

    2016 · 84 min★ 6.4
    Business at stakeChristmas settingStory setting: Bakery

    A corporate agent is sent to a small town to buy a cookie company and shut down its factory. When she starts falling in love with the factory's owner, the town's Christmas spirit over takes her.

  18. 18
    Love You Like Christmas

    Love You Like Christmas

    2016 · 84 min★ 6.4
    Career versus family prioritiesChristmas settingStory setting: Christmas Tree Farm

    A wrong turn brings Maddie to Christmas Valley, a town devoted to the holiday. The people she meets there begin to feel like family and prompt her to rethink what she has been missing.

  19. 19
    Christmas Joy

    Christmas Joy

    2018 · 84 min★ 6.4
    Career versus family prioritiesChristmas settingStory setting: Other

    Joy takes over chairing Christmas Valley's annual Cookie Crawl, a walking tour where neighbors share cookies and compete for a prize wreath. The town tradition draws her into work with Ben and keeps her aunt focused on recovery.

  20. 20
    Finding Christmas

    Finding Christmas

    2013 · 87 min★ 6.4
    Big CityCareer versus family prioritiesChristmas setting

    Sean, who runs a New York City advertising agency, and Owen, a small-town handyman and musician, swap residences for the holidays. Mia, who works for Sean, helps Owen get settled into his new apartment while Ryan, sent by Owen to fix a broken heater, helps Sean find the charm of living in a small town. Owen, a fish-out-of-water in the big city, tries to flirt with Halo, an aspiring model/actress/singer who lives in the apartment building. One night after Mia has shown Owen around town, Halo sees him entering the elevator wearing clothes borrowed from Sean's closet. Thinking he's rich, Halo flirts back and sets up a date. Mia, however, warns him that she just thinks he has money because he's living in Sean's apartment and wearing Sean's clothes. On the day of the big date, Owen realizes who he really is and what he really wants in life. Meanwhile, Sean is falling in love with the local veterinarian, who happens to be harboring a big secret--or two. He's surprised when his ex-fiancee' appears on his doorstep, ready to accept his marriage proposal and move back to New York with him. This complicates Sean's blossoming relationship with the small-town girl who has told him that her career as a veterinarian relies on her staying where she is, and to simply enjoy their love while it lasts. On Christmas Eve, Sean invites Owen to come back for a special dinner, where a surprise awaits all of them.

  21. 21
    A Christmas Cookie Catastrophe

    A Christmas Cookie Catastrophe

    2022 · 84 min★ 6.4
    Career versus family prioritiesChristmas settingStory setting: Bakery

    Annie Cooper has big shoes to fill when she takes over as CEO of her late grandmother's small-town cookie company.

  22. 22
    Christmas at Pemberley Manor

    Christmas at Pemberley Manor

    2018 · 86 min★ 6.3
    Business at stakeChristmas settingSanta is Real

    A high-flying New York event planner is sent to a quaint small town to organize their Christmas festival.

  23. 23
    Christmas in Love

    Christmas in Love

    2018 · 84 min★ 6.3
    Career versus family prioritiesChristmas settingStory setting: Bakery

    An aspiring crafter working in her small town's bakery shows the new big-city CEO that it's people and not machines which make the business a success.

  24. 24
    Tis the Season for Love

    Tis the Season for Love

    2015 · 98 min★ 6.3
    Career versus family prioritiesChristmas settingMagic/Wishes

    A small-town girl who moved to New York to pursue her dreams returns home for the holidays, only to realize that maybe her dreams aren't miles away, but right in her hometown.

  25. 25
    Welcome to Christmas

    Welcome to Christmas

    2018 · 84 min★ 6.3
    Career versus family prioritiesChristmas settingParent lead

    A resort developer tasked with finding a location for a new ski resort is assigned to visit the small town of Christmas, Colorado.

  26. 26
    Nostalgic Christmas

    Nostalgic Christmas

    2019 · 84 min★ 6.3
    Career versus family prioritiesChristmas settingStory setting: Toy Store

    Anne seems to have it all as a driven toy buyer in New York City, but her father's retirement signaling the closing of the town's beloved toy store brings the city girl back to her small-town roots.

  27. 27
    Appetite for Love

    Appetite for Love

    2016 · 84 min★ 6.2
    Career versus family prioritiesValentine's Day settingStory setting: Restaurant

    A corporate executive is sent to a small town to re-brand a restaurant as part of a strategic acquisition. However, the iconic diner happens to be in her hometown where she hasn't been in years, and the owner is her high school sweetheart.

  28. 28
    Sister Swap: A Hometown Holiday

    Sister Swap: A Hometown Holiday

    2021 · 83 min★ 6.2
    Career versus family prioritiesChristmas settingStory setting: Theater

    A widow attempts to reopen her late-uncle's old dilapidated small town movie theater for one last Christmas screening.

  29. 29
    Heart of the Holidays

    Heart of the Holidays

    2020 · 84 min★ 6.2
    Career versus family prioritiesChristmas settingStory setting: Coffee Shop

    After her life in New York unexpectedly falls apart, powerhouse stockbroker Sam Wallace returns to her small town for the holidays and reconnects with her high school sweetheart who helps reignite her humanitarian spirit just in time to help their community on Christmas.

  30. 30
    A Town Without Christmas

    A Town Without Christmas

    2001 · 91 min★ 6.2
    Christmas settingAngels/HeavenStory setting: Inn/B&B

    In the small town of Seacliff, Wash., a child's letter to Santa Claus captures the nation's attention. When the little boy, Chris, writes that he wishes to leave this world so he will no longer be a burden to his divorcing parents, a race begins to find him before he harms himself.

  31. 31
    Date with Love

    Date with Love

    2016 · 84 min★ 6.1
    SuburbStory setting: School

    When a small-town boy's video Promposal goes viral, it scores him a Prom date with his celebrity crush. Complications arise when the celebrity falls for the boy's teacher.

  32. 32
    My Summer Prince

    My Summer Prince

    2016 · 87 min★ 6.1
    July 4th settingStory setting: Inn/B&BRoyalty in the story

    PR crisis manager Deidre and her assistant Mandy fly in when rebellious royal Prince Colin is arrested in small-town Idaho. But when Deidre faces her own fiasco, Mandy finds herself with unexpected career (and romantic) opportunities.

  33. 33
    Every Christmas Has a Story

    Every Christmas Has a Story

    2016 · 82 min★ 6.1
    Christmas settingStory setting: TV/Radio StationSecond-chance romance

    While on air, a TV personality accidentally admits she hates Christmas. When she goes to a small town to film a special to repair her image, the Christmas spirit begins to change her life.

  34. 34
    Jingle Bell Bride

    Jingle Bell Bride

    2020 · 84 min★ 6.1
    Career versus family prioritiesChristmas settingStory setting: Farm

    Wedding planner Jessica Perez travels to a remote town in Alaska to find a rare flower for a celebrity client and is charmed by the small town during Christmas, as well as by the handsome local helping her.

  35. 35
    At Home in Mitford

    At Home in Mitford

    2017 · 84 min★ 6.1
    Story setting: Other

    A divorced writer goes to a picture-perfect small town to get over her writer's block and ends up falling in love with the town of Mitford, its inhabitants, and its most eligible bachelor, the handsome Episcopal priest who lives next door.

  36. 36
    Redemption in Cherry Springs

    Redemption in Cherry Springs

    2021 · 84 min★ 6.1
    Story setting: Other

    Melanie and Jake follow a path of twists and turns till they uncover the shocking truth of Melanie's missing childhood friend Tony in her small town of Cherry Springs.

  37. 37
    The Wishing Well

    The Wishing Well

    2009 · 90 min★ 6.1
    Magic/WishesStory setting: Inn/B&B

    Ambitious big city reporter arrives in a small town to write about its legendary wishing well. She writes a shoddy article, thinking it's all a joke, but throws in a coin and wishes to be happy, just for the fun of it. Magic happens.

  38. 38
    Christmas Wonderland

    Christmas Wonderland

    2018 · 84 min★ 5.9
    Career versus family prioritiesChristmas settingStory setting: School

    Heidi (Osment), who initially left her small town of Pleasant Valley with the dream of one day becoming a successful painter, has put her own art on hold to excel as an art gallery curator. Now, a week before the gallery's big Christmas party, she must return home to watch her niece and nephew. She comes face to face with her high school love, Chris, now a teacher, who is in over his head after he must find a new last-minute location for the Christmas dance. Heidi offers to help him and together they discover a beautiful place for the dance, perfectly capturing the Christmas spirit, called Wonderland Farms. The more time Heidi spends in Pleasant Valley decorating for the Christmas SnowBall, the more she finds herself inspired to start painting again. With Christmas fast approaching, Heidi soon becomes torn between the life she built in the city and the life she is surprisingly charmed by back in Pleasant Valley, embracing her true passion.

  39. 39
    We Wish You a Married Christmas

    We Wish You a Married Christmas

    2022 · 84 min★ 5.9
    Career versus family prioritiesChristmas settingStory setting: Inn/B&B

    A married couple having a hard time connecting check into a cozy inn in a small town during the holiday season.

  40. 40
    CrimeTime: Freefall

    CrimeTime: Freefall

    2024★ 5.9
    Career versus family prioritiesStory setting: OtherParent lead

    Crime series actress Hadley Warner retires to a small town where she encounters her first real case. Using her TV crime knowledge, she teams up with Detective Shawn Caden to solve the case. Starring Lyndie Greenwood and Luke Macfarlane.

About this list

40 movies · Updated 2026-09-26

A small town or close-knit community must be a meaningful setting for the action. The list follows saved IMDb average rating, with vote counts available on each film.

The town does some of the storytelling here. Its residents, businesses or shared events give the characters a reason to stay, return or work together. These films use a small community as a meaningful setting, not just a hometown in someone's backstory.

How we research film facts

Frequently asked questions

Does a hometown mention make a film a small-town story?

No. The town needs to shape the action through its people, work or shared events.