This story was originally published at 7 a.m. PDT on Wednesday, Sept. 23.
Fall may have just begun, but it's never too early to start getting into the Christmas spirit! With one month left to go before Hallmark kickstarts its annual holiday programming event on Oct. 23, the network has unveiled the full movie lineup, including the complete schedule, cast lists and plot summaries for its upcoming originals.
Even amid a pandemic, Hallmark will match last year's output of original holiday films with 40, as part of Hallmark Channel's "Countdown to Christmas" and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries' "Miracles of Christmas." ET exclusively premieres promos for three of those new films, Hallmark Channel's Jingle Bell Bride and Chateau Christmas, as well as Hallmark Movies & Mysteries' Holly & Ivy.
Among its 40 movie premieres is The Christmas House, which will feature a main storyline about a married gay couple, played by openly gay actors Jonathan Bennett and Brad Harder, who are looking to adopt a child; a dedicated Hanukkah film, Love, Lights, Hanukkah!, about a restaurateur (Mia Kirshner) who discovers she's Jewish via a DNA test; and an increase in diverse leads. And like Lifetime (which will debut holiday movies centered on a gay couple and an Asian family), Hallmark has taken a step forward in its commitment to inclusivity within its storytelling and casting.
Of course, Hallmark is still banking on network favorites Candace Cameron Bure, Lacey Chabert, Rachael Leigh Cook, Ryan Paevey, Tamera Mowry-Housley, Danica McKellar, Holly Robinson Peete, Sarah Drew and Catherine Bell to headline a handful of new films. As previously announced, Hallmark is also expanding its stable of actors by welcoming several newcomers to the network, including Broadway star Aaron Tveit, Janel Parrish, Jeremy Jordan, Marisol Nichols, Alvina August, Nazneen Contractor and Rochelle Aytes.
“Our holiday table is bigger and more welcoming than ever. This year’s movies reflect our most diverse representation of talent, narratives, and families, including The Christmas House, featuring a storyline about a gay couple looking to adopt their first child, and starring Jonathan Bennett in an ensemble cast,” said Michelle Vicary, Executive VP of Programming at Hallmark. “Our movies are rooted in warmth and positivity, meaningful connections, family gatherings, and seasonal traditions -- a winning formula we hope will bring our millions of viewers much-needed levity and holiday cheer at the end of a tough year.”
Because the turnaround on Hallmark films are remarkably fast, two of the 40 films have yet to be cast and a third has yet to be announced.
"Countdown to Christmas," which premieres 23 original movies, and "Miracles of Christmas," which debuts 17, will both conclude Dec. 20. In July, it was announced that When Calls the Heart will continue its annual tradition of a Christmas special, though it was not listed as part of Hallmark's official holiday announcement on Wednesday.
Additionally, Hallmark is going all out with its yearly holiday experience with a slew of new products to make your evenings in front of the TV that much more enjoyable -- from new Christmas-themed Hallmark branded wine, a Monopoly game, holiday tea tins, books, a chocolate calendar and flowers, as well as new holiday apparel, glassware and home decor.
“For more than a decade, Hallmark holiday movies have represented the gold standard that many aspire to replicate,” said Crown Media’s President and CEO Wonya Lucas. “What we bring to the table and what truly sets us apart is an immersive holiday experience that has become a pop culture phenomenon for millions of fans. From our signature movies, to food and wine, to games and decorations, to clothing, music, books, and more, we have created a destination that evokes the spirit and feeling of the season in a way that is uniquely Hallmark.”
Below are the announced movies and casts for Hallmark Channel's "Countdown to Christmas" and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries' "Miracles of Christmas."
HALLMARK CHANNEL’S "COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS"
All premieres are at 8 p.m. ET/PT
Jingle Bell Bride
Starring: Julie Gonzalo and Ronnie Rowe Jr.
Premieres: Saturday, Oct. 24 (Watch ET's exclusive promo above.)
Wedding planner Jessica Perez (Gonzalo) travels to a remote town in Alaska to find a rare flower for a celebrity client and is charmed by the small town during Christmas, as well as the handsome local (Rowe Jr.) helping her.
Chateau Christmas
Starring: Merritt Patterson and Luke Macfarlane
Premieres: Sunday, Oct. 25 (Watch ET's exclusive promo above.)
Margot (Patterson), a world-renowned pianist, returns to Chateau Newhaus to spend the holidays with her family and is reunited with an ex (Macfarlane) who helps her rediscover her passion for music.
Christmas With the Darlings
Starring: Katrina Law and Carlo Marks
Premieres: Saturday, Oct. 31
Just before the holidays Jessica Lew (Law) is ending her tenure as the assistant to her wealthy boss to use her recently earned law degree within his company, but offers to help his charming, younger brother (Marks) as he looks after his orphaned nieces and nephew over Christmas.
One Royal Holiday
Starring: Laura Osnes, Aaron Tveit, Krystal Joy Brown, Victoria Clark and Tom McGowan
Premieres: Sunday, Nov. 1
When Anna (Osnes) offers a stranded mother (Clark) and son (Tveit) shelter in a blizzard, she learns that they are the Royal Family of Galwick. Anna shows the Prince how they do Christmas
in her hometown, encouraging him to open his heart and be true to himself.
Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater
Starring: Ashley Williams and Niall Matter
Premieres: Saturday, Nov. 7
Single mom Maggie (Williams) is facing Christmas alone until Lucas (Matter) crashes into her life and becomes an unexpected houseguest. Together they overcome Christmas while finding
comfort in their growing bond.
On the 12th Date of Christmas
Starring: Mallory Jansen and Tyler Hynes
Premieres: Sunday, Nov. 8
Two seemingly incompatible game designers team up to create a romantic, city-wide scavenger hunt themed for the “12 Days of Christmas.”
Christmas in Vienna
Starring: Sarah Drew and Brennan Elliott
Premieres: Saturday, Nov. 14
Jess (Drew), a concert violinist whose heart just isn’t in it anymore, goes to Vienna for a performance. While there, she finds the inspiration she has been missing, and a new love.
A Timeless Christmas
Starring: Ryan Paevey and Erin Cahill
Premieres: Sunday, Nov. 15
Charles Whitley (Paevey) travels from 1903 to 2020 where he meets Megan Turner (Cahill), a tour guide at his historic mansion, and experiences a 21st Century Christmas.
A Nashville Christmas Carol
Starring: Jessy Schram, Wes Brown, Wynonna Judd, Sara Evans, RaeLynn, Kix Brooks and Kimberly Williams-Paisley
Premieres: Saturday, Nov. 21
Vivienne Wake (Schram), a workaholic television producer in charge of a country music Christmas special showcasing newcomer Alexis (Raelynn), never lets personal feelings get in the way of business. On the verge of accepting a job in LA, and with the return of Gavin Chase (Brown), her childhood sweetheart and manager to the special’s headliner, Belinda (Evans), she receives a visit from the ghost of her recently deceased mentor, Marilyn (Judd). Her mentor warns her current path leads to a dark future and has recruited both the Spirit of Christmas Past (Brooks) and the Spirit of Christmas Present (Williams-Paisley) to help her get back on track. The Spirits’ time-jumping adventures force Vivienne to take hold of her life.
The Christmas House
Starring: Robert Buckley, Jonathan Bennett, Ana Ayora, Treat Williams, Sharon Lawrence and Brad Harder
Premieres: Sunday, Nov. 22
Working through some difficult decisions, Mitchell family matriarch Phylis (Lawrence) and patriarch Bill (Williams), have summoned their two grown sons -- TV star, Mike Mitchell (Buckley) and Brandon Mitchell (Bennett) -- home for the holidays. It is their hope that bringing the family together to recreate the Christmas house, will help them find resolution and make a memorable holiday for the entire family and community. As Brandon and his husband Jake (Harder) make the trip home, they are anxiously awaiting a call about the adoption of their first child. Meanwhile, Mike reconnects with Andi (Ayora), his high school sweetheart.
New Movie to Be Announced
Starring: TBA
Premieres: Monday, Nov. 23
A Christmas Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Starring: Rochelle Aytes and Mark Taylor
Premieres: Tuesday, Nov. 24
Erin (Aytes) is planning the town’s Christmas celebration and must win over firefighter Kevin (Taylor) in order to obtain the beautiful spruce tree from his property for the celebration.
A Bright and Merry Christmas
Starring: Alison Sweeney and Marc Blucas
Premieres: Wednesday, Nov. 25
Two competing TV hosts (Sweeney and Blucas) are sent to a festive small town over Christmas. While pretending to get along for the sake of appearances, they discover that there’s more to
each other than they thought.
Five Star Christmas
Starring: Bethany Joy Lenz and Victor Webster
Premieres: Thursday, Nov. 26
After moving back to her hometown, Lisa (Lenz) plots with her siblings and grandparents to help her father’s new bed and breakfast get a five-star review from an incognito travel critic (Webster), but ends up falling for him, not knowing he is the real critic.
Christmas by Starlight
Starring: Kimberley Sustad and Paul Campbell
Premieres: Friday, Nov. 27
Annie (Sustad), a lawyer, must help her loved ones this holiday season. Her family’s restaurant, The Starlight Café, is slated for demolition. The heir to the development firm responsible, William (Campbell), makes her an unlikely proposition: he’ll spare the café if Annie spends the week “appearing” as the legal counsel his father is demanding he hire in the wake of some costly mistakes.
Christmas Waltz
Starring: Lacey Chabert, Will Kemp and JT Church
Premieres: Saturday, Nov. 28
After Avery’s (Chabert) storybook Christmas wedding is canceled unexpectedly, dance instructor Roman (Kemp) helps her rebuild her dreams.
If I Only Had Christmas
Starring: Candace Cameron Bure and Warren Christie
Premieres: Sunday, Nov. 29
At Christmas, a cheerful publicist (Bure) teams up with a cynical business owner (Christie) and his team to help a charity in need.
Christmas in Evergreen: Bells Are Ringing
Starring: Holly Robinson Peete, Colin Lawrence, Rukiya Bernard, Antonio Cayonne and Barbara Niven
Premieres: Saturday, Dec. 5
As Michelle’s (Peete) wedding approaches, Hannah (Bernard) steps up to help finish the launch of the new Evergreen museum while questioning her relationship and future with Elliot (Cayonne).
Christmas She Wrote
Starring: Danica McKellar and Dylan Neal
Premieres: Sunday, Dec. 6
When Kayleigh (McKellar), a romance writer, has her column cancelled right before Christmas, she heads home to reconnect with her family. Kayleigh gets an unexpected visit from the man (Neal) who cancelled her column who fights not only to bring her back to the publisher but also for her heart.
Cross Country Christmas
Starring: Rachael Leigh Cook and Greyston Holt
Premieres: Saturday, Dec. 12
Former classmates Lina (Cook) and Max (Holt) are traveling home for the holidays, until a storm hits and they have to work together to make it home in time, no matter the mode of
transportation.
Christmas Carnival
Starring: Tamera Mowry-Housley and Michael Xavier
Premieres: Sunday, Dec. 13
Emily (Mowry-Housley) is a top newscaster who has achieved her career dreams but still has regrets about the guy (Xavier) who got away five years earlier. When the Christmas carnival comes to town, a ride around the carousel takes her magically back in time to the carnival five years before...giving her a second chance at love before she must return to Christmas present.
Christmas Carousel
Starring: Rachel Boston and Neal Bledsoe
Premieres: Saturday, Dec. 19
When Lila (Boston) is hired by the Royal Family of Marcadia to repair a carousel, she must work with the Prince (Bledsoe) to complete it by Christmas.
Love, Lights, Hanukkah!
Starring: Mia Kirshner, Ben Savage and Marilu Henner
Premieres: Sunday, Dec. 20
As Christina (Kirshner) prepares her restaurant for its busiest time of year, she gets back a DNA test revealing that she’s Jewish. The discovery leads her to a new family and an unlikely romance over eight nights.
HALLMARK MOVIES & MYSTERIES’ "MIRACLES OF CHRISTMAS"
All premieres are at 9 p.m. ET/PT
Christmas Tree Lane
Starring: Alicia Witt, Andrew Walker, Drake Hogestyn and Briana Price
Premieres: Saturday, Oct. 24
Music store owner Meg (Witt) spearheads the community effort to save the Christmas Tree Lane shopping district from demolition. As she finds herself falling for Nate (Walker), a recent acquaintance, she’s thrown when she learns his surprising tie to the developer.
Deliver by Christmas
Starring: Alvina August and Eion Bailey
Premieres: Sunday, Oct. 25
Bakery owner Molly (August) meets Josh (Bailey), a widower who recently moved to town with his young son, but she is also charmed by a mysterious client whom she’s never met in person and she doesn’t realize that they’re the same man.
Cranberry Christmas
Starring: Nikki DeLoach and Benjamin Ayres
Premieres: Saturday, Oct. 31
A separated couple (DeLoach and Ayres) feign marital bliss on national television to help their town’s Christmas festival -- and their business. But what will the future hold for them when rekindled love is complicated by new opportunities?
Holly & Ivy
Starring: Janel Parrish, Jeremy Jordan and Marisol Nichols
Premieres: Sunday, Nov. 1 (Watch ET's exclusive promo above.)
When Melody’s (Parrish) neighbor, Nina (Nichols), learns that her illness has returned, Melody promises to keep Nina’s kids, Holly & Ivy, together. To adopt the children, she must renovate her new fixer-upper, which she does with the help of contractor, Adam (Jordan).
The Christmas Ring
Starring: Nazneen Contractor and David Alpay
Premieres: Saturday, Nov. 7
A reporter (Contractor) searches for the love story behind an antique engagement ring. With the help of the ring’s owner's grandson (Alpay), they learn the legacy his grandparent's left behind.
The Christmas Bow
Starring: Lucia Micarelli and Michael Rady
Premieres: Sunday, Nov. 8
When an accident puts her music dreams on hold, a gifted violinist (Micarelli) reconnects with an old family friend (Rady), who helps her heal and find love during the holidays.
Meet Me at Christmas (working title)
Starring: Catherine Bell and Mark Deklin
Premieres: Saturday, Nov. 14
When Joan’s (Bell) son’s wedding planner unexpectedly quits, she must coordinate his Christmas Eve wedding with the help of Beau (Deklin), the bride’s uncle. As they work alongside each other they discover their fates and pasts are intertwined.
The Christmas Doctor
Starring: Holly Robinson Peete and Adrian Holmes
Premieres: Sunday, Nov. 15
A week before Christmas, Dr. Alicia Wright (Peete) is offered an assignment away from home. A mysterious man (Holmes) from her past journeys to find her before Christmas and brings with him a revelation that could change Alicia’s life forever.
A Little Christmas Charm (working title)
Starring: Ashley Greene and Brendan Penny
Premieres: Saturday, Nov. 21
Holly (Greene), a jewelry designer finds a lost charm bracelet and teams up with investigative reporter Greg (Penny) in hopes of finding the owner and returning it by Christmas Eve.
The Angel Tree
Starring: Jill Wagner and Lucas Bryant
Premieres: Sunday, Nov. 22
A writer (Wagner) seeks the identity of the person who helps grant wishes that are placed upon the angel tree, and in the process, reconnects with her childhood friend (Bryant).
USS Christmas
Starring: Jen Lilley, Trevor Donovan and Barbara Niven
Premieres: Saturday, Nov. 28
Maddie (Lilley), a reporter for a Norfolk newspaper, embarks on a Tiger Cruise during Christmastime where she meets a handsome naval officer (Donovan) and stumbles upon a mystery in the ship’s archive room.
Time for Us to Come Home for Christmas
Starring: Lacey Chabert and Stephen Huszar
Executive producer: Blake Shelton
Premieres: Saturday, Dec. 5
Five guests are mysteriously invited to an inn to celebrate Christmas. With the help of the owner Ben (Huszar), Sarah (Chabert) discovers that an event from the past may connect them and change their lives forever.
A Godwink Christmas: First Loves, Second Chances
Starring: Brooke D’Orsay and Sam Page
Premieres: Sunday, Dec. 6
After 15 years, Pat (Page) moves home from Hawaii with his two sons and through a series of coincidences, or Godwinks, ends up stuck in traffic next to his high school sweetheart, Margie (D’Orsay), at Christmas.
A Glenbrooke Christmas
Starring: Autumn Reeser and Antonio Cupo
Premieres: Saturday, Dec. 12
As Christmas nears, heiress Jessica Morgan (Reeser) seizes what seems like her last chance to experience a relaxed Christmas and heads off to the small town of Glenbrooke, where she
meets a handsome fireman (Cupo).
Christmas Homecoming (working title)
Starring: Taylor Cole and Steve Lund
Premieres: Sunday, Dec. 13
When a mysterious key and a holiday riddle arrive on their doorsteps, Kate (Cole) and Kevin (Lund) embark on a Christmas romance adventure they’ll never forget.
Swept Up by Christmas (working title)
Starring: TBA
Premieres: Saturday, Dec. 19
An antique seller and a cleaner clash over how to downsize a magnificent estate right before Christmas. As the two uncover the house’s treasures, they find a way to reconnect the reclusive owner with his own Christmases past.
Project Christmas Wish
Starring: TBA
Premieres: Sunday, Dec. 20
For years Lucy has played Santa to her small town’s community by making their holiday wishes come true. But when Lucy grants a little girl’s wish for a Christmas like she used to have with her mom, she unexpectedly finds her own wishes coming true in life and love.
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