Great American Christmas 2026: All 18 Movies, Dates and Where to Watch

Great American Family's Great American Christmas season for 2026 has 18 brand-new original movies. They premiere on the cable channel every weekend from Saturday, October 10 to Saturday, December 19 at 8pm ET, and each one streams on Pure Flix, the network's subscription service, two or three days before its TV debut. Two have already aired, and the third, A Christmas Prayer Tradition, arrives on Pure Flix today (Thursday, October 22) before its Saturday, October 24 TV premiere.

Below is the complete schedule with both dates for every film, the handful of titles that put faith at the centre of the story, the picks that work best for a family night, and an honest answer to the question we get most: can you watch them free?

The full 2026 lineup, in premiere order

Dates are the TV premiere on Great American Family, followed by the earlier Pure Flix streaming date. Lead cast is from the network's own listings.

Sat, Oct 10: A Second Chance Christmas (Candace Cameron Bure, Jonathan Scarfe). Pure Flix: Thu, Oct 8.
Sat, Oct 17: Silver Bells at Christmas (Laura Osnes, Ryan McPartlin, Chuck Wicks, Taylor Kalupa). Pure Flix: Thu, Oct 15.
Sat, Oct 24: A Christmas Prayer Tradition (Shae Robins, Christopher Russell). Pure Flix: Thu, Oct 22.
Sat, Oct 31: A Very Arctic Christmas (Jill Wagner, Cameron Mathison). Pure Flix: Thu, Oct 29.
Sat, Nov 7: Karen Kingsbury's The Christmas Ring (Jana Kramer, Benjamin Hollingsworth, Kelsey Grammer). Pure Flix: Thu, Nov 5.
Sun, Nov 8: An Ozark Mountain Christmas (Brianna Cohen, Jonathan Stoddard). Pure Flix: Fri, Nov 6.
Sat, Nov 14: The Christmas Yes List (Danica McKellar, Sam Page). Pure Flix: Thu, Nov 12.
Sun, Nov 15: Christmas at Moose Lake (Britt Robertson, Ryan Paevey, Natasha Henstridge, Kevin Dillon). Pure Flix: Fri, Nov 13.
Sat, Nov 21: Three Generations, One Christmas (Mario Lopez, Tony Danza, Taylor Kalupa, Dominic Lopez, Courtney Lopez). Pure Flix: Thu, Nov 19.
Sun, Nov 22: Letters This Christmas (Ashley Newbrough, Jesse Hutch). Pure Flix: Fri, Nov 20.
Fri, Nov 27: A Sweet Christmas Anniversary (Candace Cameron Bure, Cameron Mathison). Pure Flix: Tue, Nov 24.
Sat, Nov 28: A Rescue Dog for Christmas, first announced as A Christmas Rescue (Trevor Donovan, Stephanie Bennett). Pure Flix: Wed, Nov 25.
Sun, Nov 29: The Greatest Christmas Gift (Danica McKellar, Matthew Marsden). Pure Flix: Fri, Nov 27.
Sat, Dec 5: The Christmas Ornament Library (Merritt Patterson, Ryan Paevey). Pure Flix: Thu, Dec 3.
Sun, Dec 6: Christmas by the Spoonful (Laura Vandervoort, Olivier Renaud). Pure Flix: Fri, Dec 4.
Sat, Dec 12: Making Christmas Bright (Jillian Murray, Liam McIntyre). Pure Flix: Thu, Dec 10.
Sun, Dec 13: A Very Evergreen Christmas (Katie Leclerc, Jeremy Guilbaut). Pure Flix: Fri, Dec 11.
Sat, Dec 19: Christmas Wrapped in Love (Cindy Busby, Marcus Rosner). Pure Flix: Thu, Dec 17.

A pattern worth knowing: Saturday premieres reach Pure Flix on the Thursday before, and Sunday premieres on the Friday before. The two exceptions are the Thanksgiving-week films, which land on Pure Flix on Tuesday and Wednesday of that week.

The four movies that put faith at the centre

Great American Family describes itself as a faith-and-family network, but that does not mean every Christmas movie is a faith story. Most of this year's slate is clean holiday romance in which church or prayer appears in the background, if at all. Going by the network's official story summaries, four films make faith the point of the plot:

A Christmas Prayer Tradition (Oct 24). A family quietly works to answer their neighbours' prayers, and the town of Bellford Falls is reminded that "some of God's greatest works begin with simple acts of faith and kindness." This is the most openly Christian premise of the season.
An Ozark Mountain Christmas (Nov 8). A young designer returns home to the Ozarks and, through her family's legacy and a local man, rediscovers "the faith, purpose, and sense of home she left behind."
The Greatest Christmas Gift (Nov 29). A setback threatens a Christmas wedding, and the couple learn that the greatest gifts are found in faith, selfless love and a community that keeps them believing.
Making Christmas Bright (Dec 12). A teacher volunteering for her church's Christmas Angel Tree is paired with a newcomer, and their shared faith and service lead both to reconsider where God may be calling them next.

Karen Kingsbury's The Christmas Ring (Nov 7) also deserves a mention. Kingsbury is one of the best-known names in Christian fiction, so many viewers will expect the faith thread her novels are known for. The official summary centres on a military widow searching for a lost family heirloom, so expect a story about grief and new beginnings.

If you want a faith-forward Christmas season rather than a romance marathon, those five are the ones to plan around. These notes come from the official summaries, not from finished viewings, so treat them as a guide to the premise rather than a review.

Best picks for a family movie night

These are made-for-TV movies written mainly for adults, so very young children may drift off during the romance scenes. A few premises suit mixed ages better than the rest:

Three Generations, One Christmas (Nov 21). A family's beloved supper club faces an uncertain future, and grandparents, parents and grown children decide together which traditions are worth keeping. It is the third holiday film in a row to star Mario Lopez alongside his wife Courtney and son Dominic.
The Christmas Ornament Library (Dec 5). A librarian and a reporter find a hidden room full of generations of ornaments and try to return each one to its family. The treasure-hunt structure keeps older kids interested.
A Rescue Dog for Christmas (Nov 28). A doctor and a visiting vet run a Christmas pet-adoption event. If your children love animals, start here.
A Very Arctic Christmas (Oct 31). A father-daughter Christmas cruise strands them in the Arctic with a wildlife conservationist as their guide, offering more adventure than most of the slate.

A simple routine that works for a lot of families: preview the Thursday or Friday Pure Flix release yourself, then watch it together on the weekend with one or two questions ready, such as "What did forgiveness cost this character?" Our guide to faith movies for family night by age group has more question ideas.

How to watch, and what is actually free

There are two legal ways to watch the premieres:

The Great American Family channel. It airs each film at 8pm ET on its premiere night through cable, satellite and live-TV streaming packages that carry the channel. Availability varies by provider and region, so use the network's channel finder or text FAMILY to 877-999-1225 to find it on your service.
Pure Flix. The network's on-demand subscription service gets each movie two or three days early and keeps it for on-demand viewing.

Here is the honest part. None of these 18 premieres is free to stream legally at launch. If you already pay for a TV package that includes Great American Family, the movies cost nothing extra. Otherwise you will need that channel or a Pure Flix subscription. Uploads on video sites that promise the full movie free are almost always unauthorised copies, and we do not link to them.

If your budget is zero this Christmas, there is still plenty to watch. Our guide to where to watch Christian movies free and legally covers ministry-funded and library-funded services, and our list of free Christian movies for kids covers the younger crowd. For older classics, the Christian movie Advent calendar gives you one film a week from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

Planning a church or small-group showing?

A home viewing with family and friends is private. Showing a film to a church group, a youth night or a community event is a public performance, even when no admission is charged. In the US that usually means a public performance licence, such as a church video licence, that covers the specific title. Check the coverage before you put it on the bulletin. Our step-by-step guide to hosting a church movie night explains the process.

A fun extra: the movie challenge

Great American Family is running a Great American Christmas Movie Challenge on its website. Viewers arrange all 18 premieres in the order they predict they will finish in the audience rankings, and the network publishes the latest rankings every Thursday from October 22. It is a light way to get the whole household guessing, and it costs nothing to take part. For more holiday viewing ideas, browse our seasonal picks.

Frequently asked questions

When does Great American Christmas 2026 start and end?

The first new movie premiered on Saturday, October 10, and the last premieres on Saturday, December 19. New films air every weekend in between at 8pm ET.

How many new Christmas movies does Great American Family have this year?

There are 18 new original movies, all listed above with their TV and Pure Flix dates.

Can I watch Great American Christmas movies on Pure Flix?

Yes. Each new movie arrives on Pure Flix, the network's subscription streaming service, two or three days before its TV premiere.

Are the Great American Christmas movies Christian?

They are family-friendly and produced by a faith-and-family network, but most are holiday romances. A Christmas Prayer Tradition, An Ozark Mountain Christmas, The Greatest Christmas Gift and Making Christmas Bright are the four built most clearly around faith.

Sources: Great American Family, "The Great American Christmas Movie Challenge" (greatamericanfamily.com/challenge), for titles, cast and Pure Flix and TV dates; TV Guide, "Great American Family Christmas Movie Calendar 2026" (tvguide.com), for 8pm ET premiere times, official story summaries and the channel-finder text line. Dates were checked on October 22, 2026; networks sometimes move premieres, so confirm with your provider's guide.