HallmarkDB
    MoviesPeopleGuidesChatWatch Talking Hallmark on YouTube
    1. Home
    2. Movies
    3. Christmas
    4. A Holiday in Harlem

    A Holiday in Harlem

    5.5/10 · 688 ratings·2021·1h 24m·Christmas·Weirdness 2/10
    A Holiday in Harlem poster

    At a glance

    2/10

    Comfortably conventional

    What bumps it up: Second chance romance.

    Holiday
    Christmas
    Season
    Winter
    Setting
    Big City
    Time period
    Contemporary
    Leads start as
    Old Friends
    Runtime
    1h 24m
    Watch trailer
    IMDbLetterboxdTMDBHallmarkJustWatch

    Where to watch

    🇺🇸United States17 ways

    Stream

    • fuboTV
    • YouTube TV
    • Philo
    • Hallmark+ Amazon Channel
    • Hallmark+ Apple TV Channel
    • Hallmark TV Amazon Channel

    Free

    • Hoopla

    Rent

    • Amazon Video
    • Apple TV Store
    • Google Play Movies
    • YouTube
    • Fandango At Home

    Buy

    • Amazon Video
    • Apple TV Store
    • Google Play Movies
    • YouTube
    • Fandango At Home
    🇨🇦Canada7 ways

    Free

    • Hoopla

    Rent

    • Apple TV Store
    • Google Play Movies
    • YouTube

    Buy

    • Apple TV Store
    • Google Play Movies
    • YouTube
    🇬🇧United Kingdom1 way

    Stream

    • Hallmark TV Amazon Channel

    Via JustWatch · can change anytime.

    The premise

    Known for transforming fledgling businesses into moneymakers, executive Jazmin Carter returns to Harlem, N.Y., to celebrate Christmas in the neighborhood where she grew up.

    Themes:Community vs. EfficiencyReconnecting with rootsThe impact of divorce on adult childrenFinding balanceHomecoming

    How unusual is it?

    Mostly classic comfort-watch, give or take a second-chance romance.

    Who’s in it

    Olivia Washington headshot

    Our Girl

    Olivia Washington

    as Jazmin

    Will Adams headshot

    Our Guy

    Will Adams

    as Caleb

    Alongside them

    • Tina Lifford headshot
      Tina LiffordMama Belle
    • Opal Alladin headshot
      Opal AlladinBarbara
    • Layla Capers headshot
      Layla CapersJae
    • Teren Carter headshot
      Teren CarterSam
    Show all 10 castShow fewer
    • Michelle Liu Coughlin headshot
      Michelle Liu CoughlinAmy
    • David Goldstein headshot
      David GoldsteinBasketball Player
    • Santana Jackson headshot
      Santana JacksonEli
    • Dante Jeanfelix headshot
      Dante JeanfelixSlam Poetry Artist

    Behind the camera

    ShowHide

    Directed by

    • Keith Powell headshot
      Keith Powell

    Written by

    • Monique Matthews headshot
      Monique Matthews
    • Monique N. Matthews headshot
      Monique N. Matthews

    Wait, what?

    The quirks and curveballs that make this one a little weirder than your average Hallmark. No spoilers, promise.

    • Yuletide Yoga as a high-stakes community event
    • The protagonist's obsession with presenting 'org charts' to elderly neighborhood volunteers
    • Divorced parents secretly dating each other again as a major plot twist

    Every trope, all in one place

    Here’s everything this one has going on, from the setting to the way it wraps up. Tap any of the 30 to find more movies that do the same thing.

    Setting2

    🌆Big City⬜None Specific

    Time & season3

    ❄️Winter🎄Christmas🗓️Contemporary

    Characters6

    💼Lead: Executive/Corporate👥Love interest: Woodworker/Craftsman👶Cute kid🏠Returns home⏰Workaholic lead💘Matchmaking relative

    Conflict2

    ⚖️Career vs Home/Family🫀Personal stakes

    Romance6

    💕Start as old friends💕First kiss: late (final third)♻️Second chance🔥Slow burn💗Love confession🎁Grand gesture

    Tone & quirks8

    🎬Light/Heartwarming🎵Musical element👨‍🍳Cooking scenes🧶Crafting scenes🎄Tree decorating❄️Snow activities💃Dance scene🎞️Montage

    How it ends3

    💋Ends with a kiss🏘️Stays in the small town🤝Family reconciliation

    How it all plays out

    Already seen it, or just can’t wait? Open this up for the whole story, ending included.

    Full story (spoilers)
    The film opens with Jazmin Carter, a successful executive known for traveling the world to 'fix' failing companies, returning to New York after a stint in London. She plans to spend Christmas alone in the Virgin Islands, having already sent her family gifts—including a fruit basket that her grandmother, Mama Belle, pointedly refuses to accept, insisting on 'presence over presents.' When Jazmin visits Harlem to say a quick goodbye, she attends Mama Belle's 'Yuletide Yoga' class, where Mama Belle suffers a torn Achilles tendon. Feeling guilty and pressured by the community, Jazmin cancels her vacation to co-chair the 12-day Christmas Jamboree. She is paired with Caleb, her childhood best friend who now runs the local hardware store and restores furniture. Jazmin immediately clashes with the community by trying to implement corporate 'org charts' and 'efficiency initiatives' to streamline traditional events like the basketball snow jam and the poetry slam. Meanwhile, a subplot reveals that Jazmin's divorced parents have secretly reconciled and are dating again, a fact they struggle to break to her. As the Jamboree progresses, Jazmin and Caleb's old spark reignites, particularly during a nostalgic game of one-on-one basketball and a poetry slam where Caleb reveals his sensitive side. A crisis emerges when a local restaurateur, Sam, starts a social media 'rebellion' against Mama Belle’s traditional lottery system for the Christmas Eve dinner. Jazmin initially tries to use corporate intimidation but eventually realizes the community wants inclusion. She pivots the formal dinner into a massive Christmas Eve Block Party, utilizing her organizational skills to benefit everyone. In the climax, Jazmin realizes that her habit of 'running' from attachments was a defense mechanism from her parents' divorce. She decides to accept a Vice President position based in North America so she can stay in New York. The film concludes on Christmas Day with the family reunited, Jazmin's parents officially back together, and Jazmin and Caleb finally sharing a kiss under the mistletoe she gifted him.

    Beat by beat

    1. 1

      Opening

      Jazmin returns to New York from London and plans to skip family Christmas for a solo trip to the Virgin Islands.

    2. 2

      Inciting Incident

      Mama Belle tears her Achilles during Yuletide Yoga, forcing Jazmin to stay and co-chair the Christmas Jamboree with Caleb.

    3. 3

      Midpoint

      Jazmin's attempt to 'corporate-ize' the Jamboree with org charts fails, but she begins to reconnect with Caleb over shared childhood memories.

    4. 4

      Complication

      Jazmin discovers her divorced parents are secretly dating each other again, and a local restaurant owner starts a protest against the Jamboree's traditions.

    5. 5

      Climax

      Jazmin organizes a massive Christmas Eve Block Party to resolve the restaurant conflict and realizes she wants to stop 'running' from her life in Harlem.

    6. 6

      Resolution

      Jazmin accepts a local VP job and celebrates Christmas morning with her family and Caleb, finally exchanging a mistletoe kiss.

    30 tropes in one movie

    We counted 30 distinct Hallmark tropes packed into this one — a genuine greatest-hits reel.

    How it stacks up

    Where this one’s rating lands against every other rated Hallmark movie.

    Rating 5.5 vs every rated Hallmark moviemedian 6.4This movie · 5.545678

    Among the lower-rated Hallmark movies — the median is 6.4.

    Where this one fits

    The corners of the catalog A Holiday in Harlem belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.

    • 🎄Best Hallmark Christmas MoviesIt is, of course, a Christmas movie.
    • 🔄Hallmark Second-Chance Romance MoviesA rekindled romance.
    • 🧁Hallmark Baking & Cooking MoviesPlenty of time in the kitchen.
    • 🏙️Hallmark Big City MoviesA big-city backdrop.

    Lines worth quoting

    The lines that stuck with us — the ones you’ll be repeating after the credits roll.

    • “Presence over presents.”
      — Mama BelleExplaining why she rejected Jazmin's fruit basket.
    • “Identify the problem, implement changes as needed to improve and strengthen for maximum effectiveness.”
      — Jazmin CarterDescribing her corporate philosophy which she tries to apply to Christmas.
    • “What if loose ends are the point?”
      — CalebChallenging Jazmin's desire for 'clean breaks' in her life.
    • “Merry Christmas, drummer boy.”
      — Jazmin CarterHer final romantic address to Caleb, referencing his childhood nickname.

    Meet the characters

    Who’s who before you press play. Nothing here gives the ending away.

    • Jazmin Carter

      Lead

      Corporate Fixer / Executive

      EfficientAvoidantAmbitiousOrganized
    • Caleb Jackson

      Love interest

      Hardware Store Owner / Carpenter

      Childhood best friend

      PatientCommunity-orientedArtisticLoyal
    • Sam

      Antagonist

      Restaurant Owner

      Local business owner / Rival

      AmbitiousOpportunistic
    • Mama Belle

      Supporting

      Community Leader / Yoga Instructor

      Grandmother

      WiseStubbornMatchmaker

    Questions people ask about A Holiday in Harlem

    Where can I watch A Holiday in Harlem?

    A Holiday in Harlem is available via fuboTV, YouTube TV, and Philo. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.

    How long is A Holiday in Harlem?

    A Holiday in Harlem runs about 1 hour and 24 minutes, and was released in 2021.

    Is A Holiday in Harlem a Christmas movie?

    Yes. A Holiday in Harlem is a Hallmark Christmas movie, set during the holiday season.

    More like this

    Browse all movies

    If you liked this one, you’ll probably like these. The chips show what they have in common.

    Time for Him to Come Home for Christmas poster

    Time for Him to Come Home for Christmas

    7.4

    2022 · Christmas

    • Christmas
    • Big City
    • Second Chance Romance
    A Dickens of a Holiday! poster

    A Dickens of a Holiday!

    7.2

    2021 · Christmas

    • Christmas
    • Second Chance Romance
    • Cute Kid
    Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Impossible Dream poster

    Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Impossible Dream

    7.8

    2015 · July 4th

    • Big City
    • Second Chance Romance
    • Cute Kid
    Guiding Emily poster

    Guiding Emily

    7.8

    2023

    • Big City
    • Cute Kid
    • Old Friends
    Signed, Sealed, Delivered for Christmas poster

    Signed, Sealed, Delivered for Christmas

    7.5

    2014 · Christmas

    • Christmas
    • Big City
    • Cute Kid
    Five More Minutes poster

    Five More Minutes

    7.5

    2021 · Christmas

    • Christmas
    • Second Chance Romance
    • Cute Kid

    Talking Hallmark

    Love talking about these as much as watching them?

    So do we. Come hang out on the Talking Hallmark channel, where we dig into movies just like this one, episode after episode.

    Watch the latest episode
    I watched Hallmark’s WORST Christmas movie (so you don’t have to)

    “I watched Hallmark’s WORST Christmas movie (so you don’t have to)”

    Data and sources

    Curated by the Talking Hallmark team.

    Sources:IMDb·TMDB·JustWatch

    HallmarkDB

    The complete Hallmark movie database. Built to surface the unusual ones, as the research desk for the Talking Hallmark YouTube channel.

    Curated by Alanna of Talking Hallmark.

    Explore

    • Movies
    • People
    • Database
    • Guides
    • Chat
    • About

    Browse

    • Christmas Movies
    • Most Unusual
    • Hidden Gems
    • Royal Romance
    • Time Travel
    • Small Town Stories

    Talking Hallmark

    • Watch on YouTube
    • Christmas Guide
    • Unusual Movies Guide
    © 2026 HallmarkDBAn independent fan project, not affiliated with Hallmark Media.