Aren’t holidays better when they’re dressed in their Hallmark best? This is a question many people ask themselves every time they turn to movies like this. With all the signature colors, a strong female lead, and as many catchy songs that can be crammed into ninety minutes, there’s just something special going on. But, this time there’s a twist. Get ready for Hanukkah.

In recent years, the entire idea of the Christmas season has brought Hallmark a slew of viewers with its cookie-cutter, feel-good holiday romances. They may be a dime a dozen and follow a familiar formula, but people eat them up. In fact, according to Vox, over 80 million people watch them in a two-month window.

Hallmark is now beginning to pepper in Hanukkah movies to appeal to wider audiences. The channel is also continuing this trend with LGBTQ+ movies, which has kicked up a bit of a stir with one of its actresses. If you like this kind of movie, and you’re ready for a dose of diversity, you’ll kvell over Eight Gifts of Hanukkah.

The Premise is Familiar But Has a Jewish Twist

     Hallmark

When a young, successful, and recently single optometrist Sarah Levin (Inbar Lavi, star of the series Lucifer) begins finding anonymous gifts coinciding with each night of Hanukkah, she sifts through a bevy of suitors to figure out who her true love might be.

Sarah has her core, very Jewish family to egg her on in her quest. Her goal is to figure out the answer before the last gift arrives on the final night. Her happy family, a judge mom, a lawyer dad, and a single brother with a token adorable daughter, have an open-door policy. They even take in her brother’s longtime friend and Sarah’s contractor, Daniel, played by Jake Epstein (Degrassi: The Next Generation), who may be harboring a bit of a crush.

Let’s not forget that Sarah is in charge of planning her temple’s big Hanukkah celebration, the Mazel Ball! She’s got her own committee, complete with at least one unfortunate stereotype, and they’ve taken charge of what will be the setting for our grand finale.

Who The Gift Givers Could Be

With nearly a minivan of men looking to make her their gal, Sarah seems to spend more time on coffee dates than she does at her office, where Daniel is consistently working/lurking and which is in a perpetual state of renovation. When she is in the office, the playfully named Eye See You, her best friend and coworker Keisha (Natalie Malaika) is pushing her to try it on with each eligible bachelor since one of them must be the man who is tempting her newly-warmed heart with very personal gifts. Let’s run down the list of potential gift-givers.

Nigel (Oliver Rice) is a restaurateur and television cooking star whose crafted good looks make him fun to gaze upon, even while drinking coffee. He even offers to cater the big Hanukkah Mazel Ball. What a mensch.

Adam (Andrew Zachar) is the nice, handsome guy who seems to keep “losing” his glasses just to push a meet-cute. He’s a bit foppish but a gutte neshuma (good soul) who is just Clark Kent enough for coffee.

Paul (Michael Patrick Denis) is her ex-boyfriend and the guy who broke her heart. He is super committed to his career. He’s also on the same temple committee to get the Mitzvah Ball off the ground. Can he take the time to rekindle the magic?

And of course, there’s Daniel, who is in the friend zone. He’s handsome in that guy-next-door kind of way, always wearing his checkered work shirt and tool belt and wondering out loud to his employee Jimmy (Doron Bell) if maybe he and Sarah are “b’shert” (meant to be).

In the true Hallmarkian style, it may seem obvious who the gift-giver is, but it’s never about that. These movies are telegraphed from moment one and that’s the joy. The love for Hallmark movies is meme-worthy, laid out ahead of us in big crayon boxes that we can check off as if we’re playing children’s bingo. The girl will get her boy. The mystery isn’t really that mysterious. The holiday isn’t even the main reason for the movie in the first place. It’s a backdrop to give us sanitized Jewish love during the Hanukkah season, and we sure do love it.

Why It Should Be On Your Watchlist

This movie desperately wants to be a Jewish Christmas. The scenes and people are decked out in blue and white, and in one scene there are so many Hanukkah-themed, air-filled lawn ornaments you’ll think Home Depot stopped selling Santas and banked on a fully Semitic season. However, there are some genuinely fun moments such as a game of dreidel which is given new life with a play-by-play analysis presented by Sarah’s brother and Daniel.

The movie offers its share of Hallmark moments, a few genuine laughs, and a number of head-scratchers, like that Sarah collects menorahs. In the end, if you’re a Hallmark viewer you’ll enjoy this movie. If you’re a Jewish Hallmark viewer you’ll get a lot more of the inside jokes. You’ll also get that cozy feeling about Hanukkah that the non-Jewish folks have all been bragging that they get around Christmas.

Eight Gifts of Hanukkah is now available on the Hallmark Channel and Prime Video.