‘Tis the season to cozy up with a piping hot mug of cocoa and put on a Hallmark movie. As always, the Hallmark Channel is rolling out plenty of holiday movies to get you in the yuletide spirit, though its haul isn’t quite as big as last year’s. Still, with 24 original movies debuting this holiday season, there’s plenty of Christmas cheer for everyone to get excited for — even the biggest Scrooge on your list.
The Hallmark “Countdown to Christmas” extravaganza kicked off before Halloween was even over (the audacity!), and is now well underway. On top of the two dozen new movies, Hallmark will roll out several new series and returning favorites, including the holiday romcom series “12 Dates ‘Til Christmas” and “Finding Mr. Christmas,” a reality show where participants compete to star in an upcoming original holiday movie. Unlike in previous years, Hallmark Mystery won’t be launching new films under its “Miracles of Christmas” programming banner, but you’ll still be able to catch mystery-themed holiday marathons every Sunday on Hallmark Channel’s sister network.
Nov. 8-10
SATURDAY, NOV. 15
“Christmas Above the Clouds”
Stars: Erin Krakow, Tyler Hynes
Logline: When workaholic CEO Ella Neezer (Krakow) tries to skip Christmas by flying to Australia, she’s in for the flight of her life. Haunted by her past, present, and future, she’s forced to confront the choices that led to her success yet left her flying solo. With the help of three quirky spirits and a surprise reunion with her ex (Hynes), she might just rediscover the magic of Christmas — and the love she thought she’d lost.
SUNDAY, NOV. 16
“A Keller Christmas Vacation”
Stars: Jonathan Bennett, Brandon Routh, Eden Sher
Logline: Christmas this year is going to be a little different for the Keller family, as parents, Anne and Ben, buy their three adult children — oldest son, Cal (Routh), middle son, Dylan (Bennett), and daughter, Emory (Sher) — a river cruise down the Danube River from Germany, through Salzburg, to Vienna, touring beautiful European Christmas markets and towns along the way. The one problem? The very different siblings, who are each going through their own personal life challenges, have naturally gone in separate directions over the years and the idea of spending 10 days cooped up on a river cruise together makes each Keller child cringe for their own reasons. But they say “yes” because that’s what families do, never expecting it to turn out to be a glorious once-in-a-lifetime experience full of missed connections, new friendships, stunning vistas, relationship upheaval, budding romances, shipboard games, family bonding, and a secret that brings them all together in time for Christmas.
Nov. 14-17
SATURDAY, NOV. 15
“Three Wisest Men”
Stars: Paul Campbell, Tyler Hynes, Andrew Walker, Margaret Colin
Logline: The Brenner family is back, and their lives are more chaotic than ever! As Luke (Walker) is expecting twins, Taylor (Hynes) is debating a monumental job opportunity out-of-state, and Stephan (Campbell) attempts to plan for his upcoming nuptials, everyone’s stress heightens when they learn their mom (Colin) has put their childhood home up for sale, marking their final Christmas in the Brenner house. With unexpected in-laws visiting, wild animals lurking in freshly cut Christmas trees, and a hesitant mall Santa, the boys will have their work cut out for them as the holiday begins to loom. As they navigate adulting at a level they have yet to reach, they must learn to once again lean on one another to rise to the needs of their growing family, conquer the newest challenges in their lives and, most crucially, have the best Christmas ever.
SUNDAY, NOV. 16
“Tidings for the Season”
Stars: Tamera Mowry-Housley, B.J. Britt, Elijah-Justus Lewis
Logline: Adam Kade (Britt) is the serious face on the local news. His life takes an unexpected turn in early December when he meets Robbie (Lewis), a 10-year-old who is Adam’s biggest fan. Robbie has an important request: He wants his favorite newscaster to talk about more than just what’s going wrong in the world. How about reporting on the good stories too? Adam is ambitious and wants to move up in the world, but he takes this question to heart as the holidays approach. He discovers Robbie’s mom, Lucy (Mowry-Housley), is a single parent working hard to take care of her son. The last thing she needs is anything complicating a very busy schedule, including Adam. As new friendships form and Adam gains a healthy perspective, his reporting changes. He starts covering feel-good stories about hometown heroes during the holidays. A romance develops between Adam and Lucy, and Lucy lets go of always being so self-reliant as she and Adam draw close. But when Adam’s reporting leads to bigger opportunities, he must decide what matters most this holiday season — the bigger job he has been longing for or his newfound community, including the love of a boy who thinks of Adam as his hero.
Nov 22-23
SATURDAY, NOV. 22
“Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story”
Stars: Holland Roden, Matthew Daddario, Joe Pantoliano, Tracy Pollan, Caroline Aron, Steve Schirripa, Patti Murin
Cameos: Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott; players Ray Davis, Damar Hamlin, Dion Dawkins, Dawson Knox, Reid Ferguson, DeWayne Carter, Joshua Palmer; former players Jim Kelly, Steve Tasker, Thurman Thomas, Scott Norwood, Andre Reed; play-by-play announcer Chris Brown; Luke Russert
Logline: The Quinns and DeLucas have lived next door to each other for decades in the shadow of Highmark Stadium — the home of their beloved Buffalo Bills. With their longtime friendship rooted in being proud members of Bills Mafia, the two clans have enjoyed cherished traditions that revolve around cheering for their favorite team — especially at the holidays when they celebrate the last home game before Christmas. Pediatric doctor Morgan Quinn (Roden) and the Bills’ VP of Stadium Development Gabe DeLuca (Daddario) have been lifelong friends, but Gabe has always held a torch for her — a fact obvious to their families… and everyone else who crosses their path. When Morgan learns from her Uncle Tommy (Pantoliano) that someone anonymously helped her family get by after he was drafted more than 60 years ago — and that he continues to receive a Christmas gift each year to this day — she decides to find his benefactor and give her uncle a Christmas he’ll always remember. Aided by Bills Mafia friends of theirs, Morgan and Gabe work together to unwrap the gifter’s identity. Along the way, Gabe’s love for Morgan deepens and in turn, she begins to see him in a new light though neither is daring enough to admit their feelings. Meanwhile, Morgan’s hopes of pulling off her surprise for Uncle Tommy get sacked. That is, until Gabe takes matters into his own hands and uses his connections with the Bills to pull off the surprise of a lifetime for Morgan and both their families that will make this a Christmas they’ll never forget.
SUNDAY, NOV. 23
“Melt My Heart This Christmas”
Stars: Laura Vandervoort, Stephen Huszar
Logline: Holly James (Vandervoort), a passionate glassblower striving to establish her artistic identity, dreams of showcasing her creations at the Fern Grove Fair. Despite previous rejections from Jack Dubois (Huszar), who oversees the entries, Holly finds an unexpected opportunity to assist legendary glassblower Bianca Bonhomme, to help Jack. Unfortunately, Bianca is struggling with a creative slump and needs help managing her booth. While Holly assists Bianca, she also secretly displays her own art under a pseudonym and her vibrant work becomes a surprise hit, overshadowing Bianca’s work and challenging the fair’s traditional norms. Holly does everything she can to help Bianca without giving away her identity while also growing closer to Jack, but unfortunately Walter, a news reporter, discovers the mystery and outs Holly, shattering her relationship with both Bianca and Jack. Holly is now forced to pick up the pieces and try to melt them back together.
Nov. 27-30
THURSDAY, NOV. 27
“We Met in December”
Stars: Autumn Reeser, Niall Matter
Logline: On an unexpected layover in mid-December, Annie Lane (Reeser) and Dave Weeks (Matter) meet as strangers in a beautiful hotel all decorated for the holidays. It’s love at first sight, and they end up having a magical night of sharing hopes, dreams… and a perfect kiss. But when they fail to exchange numbers and miss each other the next morning, Annie and Dave fly back to Chicago with no easy way to track the other one down. The only clues they have are those shared about plans for the upcoming holiday season, and the two embark on separate quests to find one another. Along the way, insightful wisdom shared during their time together leads Annie and Dave to make important changes in their lives, leading them both to find ways of making this Christmas special for themselves, their families, and their loved ones.
FRIDAY, NOV. 28
“The Snow Must Go On”
*Premieres 6pm ET/PT
Stars: Heather Hemmens, Corey Cott
Logline: Isaiah Heyward (Cott) last appeared on Broadway almost 10 years ago. Since then, getting back on Broadway has been a challenge. To escape the grind of the city and re-evaluate his life, Isaiah visits his sister, Jess, and teenage niece, Aurora, in Upstate New York for the holidays. But his yuletide respite is interrupted when he learns Aurora’s high school may have to cancel its annual Christmas musical because it can’t find a director. With a nudge from Aurora and the school’s guidance counselor, Lilly-Anne Brigente (Hemmens), Isaiah decides to save the Christmas show and jumps in as director. Isaiah’s situation gets a little more complicated when he learns that an influential Broadway producer’s daughter is in the school production, so Isaiah decides to cast himself as the lead in order to land a part in an upcoming Broadway show. But while the curtain rises on rehearsals and Christmas Eve opening night fast approaches, Isaiah finds some Christmas surprises of his own, as he stumbles upon an unexpected romance with Lilly-Anne, creates an unanticipated bond with his students, reassesses his priorities, and ultimately discovers that the greatest holiday gift is found when love, family, and friendship take centerstage.
“The More the Merrier”
Stars: Rachel Boston, Brendan Penny
Logline: Alice (Boston), an emergency room doctor at a small, rural hospital, always volunteers to work the Christmas Eve overnight shift and goes the extra mile to make the holiday merry and bright for patients and staff. When the hospital gets snowed in, Alice and Brian (Penny), the newly hired top-rated cardiologist, find themselves in the middle of a bona fide baby boom when three women — including the only OBGYN for miles around — go into labor on the rarest birthday of the year. As they team up to bring these bundles of joy into the world as the night wears on, Alice, Brian, and the rest of the staff also work hard to make the holiday feel festive for all the patients. Though they may have different approaches to medicine — and to life — there’s a spark between them and by the end of their shift it’s clear that this may be the Christmas Eve that changes them both forever.
SATURDAY, NOV. 29
“An Alpine Holiday”
*Premieres 6pm ET/PT
Stars: Ashley Williams, Laci Mailey, Julien Samani
Logline: A grandmother’s last wish brings two estranged sisters Faith (Williams) and Kelly (Mailey), back together to travel to the French Alps for Christmas to recreate her first trip there with their grandfather. Facing all the challenges and wonder this unique holiday adventure brings, they learn to cherish their sisterhood above all, while also making room for romance to blossom between Kelly and their French mountaineer guide, Frederic (Samani).
“A Grand Ole Opry Christmas”
Stars: Nikki Deloach, Kristoffer Polaha, Rob Mayes, Eliza Maher, Luke Benward, Sharon Lawrence, James Denton
Cameos: Bill Anderson, Brad Paisley, Dailey & Vincent, Drew Baldridge, Jamey Johnson, Maggie Baugh, Megan Moroney, Mickey Guyton, Pam Tillis, Rhett Akins, Riders in the Sky, Suzy Bogguss, Tigirlily Gold, T Graham Brown
Logline: Gentry Wade (DeLoach), daughter of late country music icon Jett Wade (Mayes) — half of the famed duo Winters & Wade — abandoned her dream of a songwriting career and distanced herself from her father’s legacy following his tragic accident 30 years prior. When the Grand Ole Opry invites her to represent Jett at their centennial celebration at Christmas, she’s hesitant to return to the place steeped in bittersweet memories. Encouraged by her good friends, Gentry visits the Opry and, while seated in one of the vaunted venue’s oak church pews, is suddenly transported to 1995. Gentry’s lifelong friend Mac (Polaha), a country music talent manager, finds himself in 1995 as well. Thanks to some Christmas magic, Gentry gets precious time with her father, creative inspiration to finish the song she began decades earlier as a teen, and learns surprising answers to questions about her father that have followed her for the last three decades.
SUNDAY, NOV. 30
“The Christmas Cup”
*Premieres 6pm ET/PT
Stars: Rhiannon Fish, Ben Rosenbaum
Logline: After a knee injury threatens to cut her career short, Staff Sergeant Kelly Brandt (Fish) returns home in low spirits for the holidays. Her family tries to help by encouraging her to lead her hometown team in the annual Christmas Cup against the rival town. It takes a lot of work, but Kelly organizes her team and gets them as competition-ready as she can with the help of Fire Captain Quinn Stokley (Rosenbaum). Sparks begin to fly with Quinn, and through the whole process, Kelly is reminded of how much she loves to lead, but her heart still hopes she will be cleared to return to serve. Kelly ultimately receives the call she has been waiting for; however, it’s not what she expects. With the Marines needing her to report to the Hawaiian base on the day of the competition, Kelly soon realizes there is more than one way to serve a community.
“Christmas at the Catnip Café”
Stars: Erin Cahill, Paul Campbell
Logline: Olivia Pierce (Cahill) is a marketing executive from Oakland, Calif., who is this close to realizing her dream of purchasing a condo, but she’s a bit short on the down payment. When she learns that her late great aunt left her half of a cat café in Upstate New York she thinks it’s the Christmas miracle she needed — as long as she can sell and close the deal before the holidays. Olivia’s plan hits a bump in the road when she meets Dr. Ben Kane (Campbell), the veterinarian who owns the other half. The café serves an important role in the town — helping homeless cats find fur-ever homes — and he has no intention of closing up shop. Christmas is the most important time of the year as they plan many activities to help raise funds and get them into the black. Olivia and Ben strike a deal — she agrees to help him plan the fundraising events at the café over the next three weeks in exchange for Ben promising not to drag his heels on selling at the end of that time. Unless, Ben notes, she ends up changing her mind — a lot can happen in three weeks, after all. As they work together and a spark between them grows, Olivia becomes part of the neighborhood, gains an appreciation for the café’s adorable feline inhabitants and what it means to Ben, as well as to the entire community. And when she learns the surprising reason her great aunt opened the café in the first place, that just might be the cat-alyst for change that will give them all a Meow-y Christmas.
Dec. 6-7
SATURDAY, DEC. 6
“She’s Making a List”
Stars: Lacey Chabert, Andrew Walker
Logline: Falling on Santa’s Naughty or Nice list used to be a call made by Santa and his elves. But with the number of kids worldwide skyrocketing, Santa has outsourced the job to the Naughty or Nice Group, a consulting firm that has cornered the market on determining a child’s niceness thanks to an airtight formula. As a top inspector with the group, it’s Isabel’s (Chabert) job to make the tough calls, by assessing the children on her list and assigning a verdict. When she is tasked with evaluating a mischievous 11-year-old named Charlie Duncan, she expects a routine case. But things get complicated when Isabel unexpectedly falls for Charlie’s widowed father, Jason (Walker), and begins to question the rigid rules of her job. As Christmas approaches, Isabel must choose between following the holiday algorithm or following her heart.
SUNDAY, DEC. 7
“Single on the 25th”
Stars: Lyndsy Fonseca, Daniel Lissing
Logline: Inspired by the song, “Single on the 25th,” by Lauren Spencer Smith. For Nell Duke (Fonseca), nothing is worse than being single at Christmastime because everywhere she looks, couples are kissing under the mistletoe. After her family cancels holiday plans at the last minute, Nell decides to spend the week of Christmas having fun on her own! When she crosses paths with her neighbor Cooper (Lissing), a financial analyst who prides himself on being happily unattached, he notices Nell struggling with being alone and decides to share tips on how to keep the holidays festive. Cooper inspires Nell to challenge her insecurities and find happiness in being on her own. In turn, Nell helps Cooper realize he’s missing out on real connection. In the fun partnership that forms, the friendly singles’ Christmas together starts to feel like something more. Their special connection falls apart when Nell finds out Cooper only offered to help because he felt sorry Nell had to spend the holidays alone. To make Christmas truly magical this year, Cooper must show real growth of character while Nell finds her own strength in being single during the holidays.
Dec. 13-14
SATURDAY, DEC. 13
“A Suite Holiday Romance”
Stars: Jessy Schram, Dominic Sherwood
Logline: It’s Christmas week when Sabrina Post (Schram) arrives at the iconic Grand Fairbanks Hotel in New York City, ready to accept the ghostwriting position for the memoir of Grayson Westcott, a famous art dealer. As a struggling writer, Sabrina can’t believe her luck: a paycheck and a stay in her own suite at the hotel. She feels like Cordelia, the heroine from her favorite series of children’s books written by Hazel Holley. What promises to be a perfect week is complicated when Sabrina meets Ian Turner (Sherwood), a handsome British visitor, at the hotel bar. When Ian assumes Sabrina is another wealthy guest at the hotel, she doesn’t correct him — a decision she doesn’t regret after learning that Ian is a member of the British aristocracy. Or so she thinks. The truth is that Ian is not a wealthy lord but is the personal secretary of Lord Spencer Braxton. Ian is in town for the holidays to oversee the installation of an exhibit featuring the Braxton Royal Jewels at the Avalon Museum. As the week unfolds, Sabrina shows Ian Christmas in New York and the two start to fall for each other.
SUNDAY, DEC. 14
“Oy to the World!”
Stars: Brooke D’Orsay, Jake Epstein
Logline: When water lines break at Temple Beth Am, it leaves its members in need of a place to celebrate Hanukkah. Across the street, St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church is quick to open its doors and offer shared space for the holidays. With the last night of Hanukkah and Christmas Eve falling on the same day this year — something that rarely happens — the reverend and rabbi choose to offer a joint service for their congregations. But that means Nikki Roberts (D’Orsay), St. Joseph’s youth choir director, must team up with Jake Cohen (Epstein), the substitute youth choir director from Temple Beth Am, and put on a single music program. These two are old high school rivals and together, they’re ready to compete for the top prize. That’s not helping matters at a time when partnership matters most. To lead a successful fundraising effort for the temple, Nikki and Jake have to put aside their differences and learn how to work together. In doing so, they discover teamwork can move mountains and open hearts, including their own. On their big night, Nikki and Jake find a way to unite people through the power of song and prove that coming together is the best way for everyone to celebrate the holiday season.
Dec. 20-21
SATURDAY, DEC. 20
“A Make or Break Holiday”
Stars: Hunter King, Evan Roderick
Logline: Liv (King) and Daniel (Roderick) are hosting their families for the first time this Christmas and stress is at an all-time high. When unspoken irritations within their relationship finally reach a boiling point, Liv and Daniel find themselves at odds and decide they need to take a break from each other. However, relaying this news to their families will most certainly ruin Christmas, so they decide to move forward with their original plans and will pretend to be a happy couple while everyone is under one roof. As they navigate the complexities of their respective families and work together to create a holiday celebration they’ll all remember, Liv and Daniel begin to rediscover what they love about each other and may not have to pretend much longer.
SUNDAY, DEC. 21
“The Christmas Baby”
Stars: Ali Liebert, Katherine Barrell, Barbara Niven
Logline: When a baby boy shows up on their doorstep days before Christmas with a note written specially for them, Erin (Liebert) and Kelly (Barrell) must learn how to navigate their new relationship and career dynamics while unexpectedly caring for a newborn. As the couple spends more time with the baby as a temporary solution until he can be placed permanently or they can find his mother, they begin to realize that they want to adopt him themselves and go about navigating the complicated world of fostering to adopt all while their business is booming at the busiest time of the year: Christmas.
How to watch Hallmark Christmas movies
Thankfully, streaming Hallmark Christmas movies is easier than decking the halls. Though now that the three-year programming deal between Hallmark and Peacock has run out, you’ll have to look elsewhere for all your holiday favorites.
The Hallmark Channel comes with most cable packages, but for anyone who’s already cut the cord looking to get in on the Christmas cheer, we recommend Sling TV. One of the best streaming services on the market, Sling offers live TV at an affordable price. You can get the Hallmark Channel by adding on the Lifestyle Extra bundle ($6) on top of a Sling Orange or Blue package (starting at $45).
Hallmark and Hallmark Movie & Mysteries are also available on Frndly TV, a live TV streaming service that offers over 50 channels for just $7 a month, as well as Philo for $33 a month, which comes with 70+ channels, including AMC, Comedy Central, and MTV. And of course, there’s always Hallmark Plus, Hallmark’s ad-free streaming service that launched last year for $8 per month.
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