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    Pete's Christmas

    6.0/10 · 2,127 ratings·2013·1h 26m·Christmas·Weirdness 7/10
    Pete's Christmas poster

    At a glance

    7/10

    Noticeably offbeat

    What bumps it up: Groundhog Day Loop, Santa appears, Miracle happens.

    Holiday
    Christmas
    Season
    Winter
    Setting
    Suburb
    Time period
    Contemporary
    Leads start as
    Complete Strangers
    Runtime
    1h 26m
    Watch trailer
    IMDbLetterboxdTMDBRotten TomatoesHallmarkJustWatch

    Where to watch

    🇺🇸United States7 ways

    Stream

    • Amazon Prime Video
    • Amazon Prime Video with Ads

    Free

    • The Roku Channel
    • Plex
    • Tubi TV

    Rent

    • Amazon Video

    Buy

    • Amazon Video
    🇬🇧United Kingdom8 ways

    Stream

    • Amazon Prime Video
    • Amazon Prime Video with Ads

    Free

    • Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads
    • Plex

    Rent

    • Apple TV Store
    • Amazon Video

    Buy

    • Apple TV Store
    • Amazon Video

    Via JustWatch · can change anytime.

    The premise

    A put-upon teen finds himself reliving the same miserable Christmas day over and over again.

    Themes:Second chancesFamily reconciliationSelflessnessBreaking out of labels

    How unusual is it?

    More than most. Groundhog day loop, Santa himself and an actual miracle push it well past the usual Hallmark template — the strangest 12% of everything we've logged.

    Who’s in it

    Zachary Gordon headshot

    Our Guy

    Zachary Gordon

    as Pete Kidder

    Bailee Madison headshot

    Our Girl

    Bailee Madison

    as Katie

    Alongside them

    • Molly Parker headshot
      Molly ParkerDr. Pamela Kidder
    • Rick Roberts headshot
      Rick RobertsRonald Kidder
    • Wesley Morgan headshot
      Wesley MorganJake Kidder
    • Peter DaCunha headshot
      Peter DaCunhaKenny Kidder
    Show all 10 castShow fewer
    • Marshall Williams headshot
      Marshall WilliamsMike Bronski
    • Jacob Kraemer headshot
      Jacob KraemerTed Bronski
    • Bruce Dern headshot
      Bruce DernGrandpa
    • Victoria Fodor headshot
      Victoria FodorKatie's Mom

    Behind the camera

    ShowHide

    Directed by

    • Nisha Ganatra headshot
      Nisha Ganatra

    Written by

    • Peter McKay headshot
      Peter McKay
    • Gregg Rossen headshot
      Gregg Rossen
    • Brian Sawyer headshot
      Brian Sawyer

    Wait, what?

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

    • A recurring plot point involves the younger brother wetting the bed and blaming the protagonist
    • The protagonist and his grandfather moon the neighborhood bullies during a football game
    • The protagonist uses a time loop to 'invent' pork wings
    • The family suffers from graphic, synchronized food poisoning

    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 28 to find more movies that do the same thing.

    Setting2

    🏡Suburb⬜None Specific

    Time & season3

    ❄️Winter🎄Christmas🗓️Contemporary

    Premise2

    🔁Groundhog Day Loop✨Supernatural

    Characters3

    🎒Lead: Student🎒Love interest: Student👶Cute kid

    Conflict2

    👨‍👩‍👧Family Expectations👨‍👩‍👧Family stakes

    Romance4

    💕Start as complete strangers💕First kiss: never/implied💓Instant attraction🎁Grand gesture

    Tone & quirks8

    😂Comedic🎵Musical element👨‍🍳Cooking scenes🧶Crafting scenes🎄Tree decorating❄️Snow activities💃Dance scene🎞️Montage

    How it ends4

    🎅Santa appears⭐A miracle🔄Career change🤝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)
    Pete Kidder is the quintessential middle child, feeling invisible between his star-athlete older brother Jake and his child-prodigy younger brother Kenny. On Christmas Eve, his grumpy Grandpa arrives unexpectedly, forcing Pete to share a bed with Kenny, who wets the bed and blames Pete. Christmas morning is a series of failures: Pete's parents forget to buy him a gift, he accidentally breaks Kenny's new telescope, and a power outage ruins the family's ambitious Beef Wellington dinner. The day ends with the entire family suffering from food poisoning and Grandpa leaving in a huff after a fight with Pete's dad. Pete goes to bed wishing for a do-over, only to wake up at 7:35 AM to the sound of Kenny's toy train—it is Christmas morning again. After several loops of confusion and failed attempts to convince his family of the phenomenon, Pete begins to treat the day as a consequence-free playground. He learns to play the guitar, improves his football skills, and wins money by betting on neighborhood games with Grandpa. During these loops, he meets Katie, a new neighbor who recently lost her father. Her perspective—that she would give anything for just one more day with her dad—shifts Pete's focus from self-indulgence to helping his family. Pete begins to use the loop to prevent disasters: he makes a gourmet breakfast, helps his dad land a job lead with a neighbor, and helps Jake regain his confidence on the football field. The final emotional hurdle is the decades-long tension between his father and Grandpa. Pete discovers that their bickering stems from the loss of his grandmother and their inability to share their grief. Pete spends a loop recreating a sentimental 'Christmas Star' ornament his grandmother used to make, featuring family photos. In the final loop, Pete presents the star, which successfully bridges the gap between the two men. Having finally created a selfless, 'perfect' Christmas for everyone else, Pete wakes up on December 26th. He finds that while the day has finally moved forward, the positive changes in his family and his own newfound confidence remain.

    Beat by beat

    1. 1

      Opening

      Pete experiences the 'worst Christmas ever,' characterized by a lack of gifts, a ruined dinner, and a family-wide case of food poisoning.

    2. 2

      Inciting Incident

      Pete wakes up at 7:35 AM to find that it is Christmas morning again, realizing he is trapped in a time loop.

    3. 3

      Midpoint

      Pete embraces the loop for self-gain, learning guitar and winning a football game through repeated practice and 'cheating' via foresight.

    4. 4

      Turning Point

      Pete meets Katie, whose story about her deceased father inspires him to stop being selfish and use the loop to help his family.

    5. 5

      Climax

      Pete recreates a sentimental family ornament to force a reconciliation between his father and his grumpy grandfather.

    6. 6

      Resolution

      The loop finally breaks after Pete achieves a selfless, meaningful Christmas, and he wakes up on December 26th.

    28 tropes in one movie

    We counted 28 distinct Hallmark tropes packed into this one — a genuine greatest-hits reel.

    The backstory

    • Music by Lesley Barber.

    How it stacks up

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

    Rating 6.0 vs every rated Hallmark moviemedian 6.4This movie · 6.045678

    Higher-rated than 20% of every rated Hallmark movie. The median is 6.4.

    Where this one fits

    The corners of the catalog Pete's Christmas belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.

    • 🤯Weirdest Hallmark MoviesScores 7/10 on our weirdness scale — comfortably in the strange end.
    • 🎄Best Hallmark Christmas MoviesIt is, of course, a Christmas movie.
    • 🎄Weirdest Hallmark Christmas MoviesA Christmas movie strange enough to make the weird list.
    • ✨Hallmark Supernatural MoviesHas a supernatural element.
    • 🧁Hallmark Baking & Cooking MoviesPlenty of time in the kitchen.

    Lines worth quoting

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

    • “Nothing stops the Red Liner Express from its 7:35 AM departure.”
      — KennyThe recurring line that signals the start of every time loop.
    • “Life's like an empty box, doesn't matter what you get out of it, what really matters is what you put into it.”
      — PetePete explaining the lesson he learned from the time loop to his Grandpa.
    • “I call that working for a living.”
      — DadResponding to Pete's description of feeling like he's going nuts reliving the same day.

    Meet the characters

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

    • Pete Kidder

      Lead

      Student

      overlookedresourcefulsarcasticmusical
    • Katie

      Love interest

      Student

      New neighbor and crush

      wisekindperspective-giving
    • Grandpa George

      Supporting

      Retired

      Grandfather

      grumpycynicalsecretly sentimental
    • Jake Kidder

      Supporting

      Student/Athlete

      Older brother

      arrogantinsecureathletic
    • Kenny Kidder

      Supporting

      Student

      Younger brother

      geniusannoyingbed-wetter

    Questions people ask about Pete's Christmas

    Where can I watch Pete's Christmas?

    Pete's Christmas is available via Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, and The Roku Channel. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.

    How long is Pete's Christmas?

    Pete's Christmas runs about 1 hour and 26 minutes, and was released in 2013.

    Is Pete's Christmas a Christmas movie?

    Yes. Pete's Christmas is a Hallmark Christmas movie, set during the holiday season.

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    Data and sources

    Curated by the Talking Hallmark team.·Last updated June 17, 2026.

    Sources:IMDb·TMDB·JustWatch

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