Our Christmas Blog

This is an update to my post here on August 8, with info on Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Christmas. As many of us have come to expect, Hallmark has made some changes to the list of new movies for this year. A few new movies that we had not heard about before, a few movie title changes, and a few have just disappeared. Rather than try to go through all the changes, I'll just post here all the current info that they have released.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL - Sunday, December 4 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Carol is an over-involved mother but nothing compares to the holiday season when she goes over-the-top spearheading her kid's school's Christmas Spectacular each year, which earned her the nickname Christmas Carol by the parents and faculty. All that changes the day Terry moves to town with his teenage daughter. Also single, he is very fond of the holiday himself, having volunteered to mount the Christmas play each year at his daughter's former school. Carol tries to politely tell the single dad his help won't be needed but he has no intention of stepping aside. The tug-of-war turns into something of a rumble and it becomes clear neither of these parents is willing to work with the other. With the competition lines clearly drawn in the sand, the dueling duo sets out to outdo each other to create the most memorable Christmas spectacular ever. The pressure is on to make this the best Christmas ever as it's anybody's guess if "Christmas Carol" will live up to her moniker or if newly titled "Terry Christmas" will become the new holiday hero. The two will ultimately learn the error of their ways and put aside their differences while learning they have a lot more in common as an unexpected romance begins to bloom.

A DECEMBER BRIDE - Sunday, November 20 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Stars: Daniel Lissing
Layla O'Reilly is bound and determined to attend her cousin's Christmastime wedding with a man on her arm - especially since her cousin is marrying her ex-fiance. Seth Murphy (Lissing) is the only guy available, who Layla dislikes since he introduced the bride and groom. But since Seth is able to help Layla with her interior design business, she and Seth stage being a newly engaged couple. As Layla helps Seth makeover a house for a Christmas decorating contest, Layla discovers Seth is not who he seems to be and that he has had a secret crush on her for years. Is it possible the man of her dreams has been in her midst all this time? She just might get her wish of becoming a December bride.

A WISH FOR CHRISTMAS - Saturday, November 5 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring Lacey Chabert and Paul Greene
Sara Shaw (Chabert) is the type of woman who prefers to sit on the sidelines at work, but when her big idea for a Christmas initiative is stolen, she makes a wish to Santa that she'll finally have the courage to stand up for herself. Santa grants her wish but only gives her 48 hours. She is able to reveal to Peter Williams (Greene), the handsome owner of her company, that her boss stole her idea. When Peter selects her to present the pitch to a difficult client, they end up having to drive to the White Ridge Ski Resort, which happens to be Peter's hometown. Once there, Sarah sets out to show Peter the magic of Christmas. With all this time together, they wonder if there's more to this relationship than business. But as the clock ticks down on Sara's wish, she'll have to find a way to channel the Christmas magic and speak her mind on her own - or risk losing everything.

CHRISTMAS ANGEL IN TRAINING - Saturday, November 26 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Kristin Davis, Eric McCormack, and Shirley MacLaine
Upon her untimely death, Eve Morgan (Davis), a workaholic finds herself tethered to her guardian angel (MacLaine) learning to become a Christmas angel in Heaven. Despite being the worst recruit in the history of Christmas, Eve is assigned the difficult task of helping a struggling singer Max (McCormack) use his musical gifts to heal old family wounds. As Max begins to overcome his issues, Eve begins to embrace the meaning of Christmas, heal wounds of her own, and perhaps find love along the way.

CHRISTMAS COOKIES - Sunday, November 13 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Stars: Jill Wagner and Wes Brown
Aunt Sally's Christmas Cookie Company is sold to a large conglomerate and executive Hannah (Wagner) must seal the deal and shut down the factory, which is the small town of Cookie Jar's lifeblood. What was supposed to be a simple assignment for Hannah becomes complicated when she meets Jake (Brown), the factory owner who's determined to keep the factory in town. Despite not being a fan of the holiday, the Christmas spirit in this small town is infectious and she gets swept up in the joy of the season while also falling in love.

CHRISTMAS EXPECTATIONS - Saturday, December 17 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Meredith Hagner, Bobby Campo, and Gregory Harrison
A hopeless romantic who never seems to give a guy a fair chance starts receiving each gift from the song "The 12 Days of Christmas" compliments of an anonymous benefactor. She tries to solve the mystery with the help of her inner circle, including her sister who's about to have a Christmas wedding, to see if there's a suitor on the other end that will finally live up to her expectations.

CHRISTMAS LIST - Friday, November 25 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Alicia Witt and Gabriel Hogan
Isobel Gray plans a storybook Christmas with her boyfriend, including a snow-covered cottage in the Northwest, and a carefully composed bucket list of classic holiday traditions. But when the boyfriend goes AWOL, the list proves challenging, and a tempting new romance turns her life upside down. Will Isobel have a White Christmas ending under the mistletoe?

EVERY CHRISTMAS HAS A STORY - Saturday, November 12 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring Lori Loughlin, Colin Ferguson, Willie Aames
When a TV personality, (Loughlin) has an on-air snafu and admits she hates Christmas, she is invited to the Most Christmas-y town in the US to try and repair her image. Forced to work with her ex-boyfriend, the show's producer, the magic of Christmas and this special town will change the way she views Christmas and her life.

MEANT TO BE - Sunday, December 11 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Brennan Elliott
Maddie, a high-powered marketing executive, is on her way to a client's wedding but her plans are derailed by car trouble. When a fork in the road leads her to Christmas Valley, a town in love with Christmas, an unexpected encounter and a group of strangers that start to feel like family will have her questioning what she's really been missing in life.

MISTLETOE PROMISE - Sunday, November 6 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring Jaime King and Luke Macfarlane
A chance meeting between two strangers who share a disdain for Christmas results in The Mistletoe Promise, a pact to help them navigate their holiday complications - together. But as they spend more time with each other and experience the magic of Christmas, the phony couple discovers there may be more to their contract than business.

MY CHRISTMAS DREAM- Saturday, November 19 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring Danica McKellar
Christina Masters (McKellar), the manager of McDougal's flagship department store, is determined to land the manager position for their new Paris location. She sets out to impress Victoria, the store's owner, by creating the best holiday display in McDougal's history. Fresh out of inspiration despite assuring Victoria otherwise, Christina turns to a recently-fired store employee who also happens to be a talented artist and single dad to his young son. As they work side-by-side, the business relationship becomes personal and she finds herself falling in love. Will the allure of her dream be too strong or will she choose to follow her heart?

ROSE PARADE NEW YEAR - Sunday, January 1 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Rachel Boston
Andy (Boston) is a passionate and talented artist whose Pasadena family has been building Rose Parade floats for generations. But when her Dad gets sick and can't lead this year's efforts as usual, Andy has no choice but to take the helm and supervise the construction and decoration of their client's float over Christmas with only a few weeks to go. And to make matters worse, she's saddled with the extra challenge of dealing with Cliff, a demanding businessman whose company commissioned the float. Forced to work together, these two can't help but clash - she's a creative type who knows this flower-strewn process inside out, while he's all business with no time for art. But working side-by-side over Christmas, they each learn the other is not who they seem. And together, with a ragtag team of volunteers, they might just have what it takes to create a magnificent Rose Parade float... IF they can pull it together by New Year's.

RUNAWAY SLEIGH - Sunday, December 18 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Laurel is in charge of her hometown's Christmas parade, and with budget cuts, she's having trouble making it a special event this year and, after a recent divorce, getting into the holiday spirit. When she and her daughter Scarlett cross paths with a lone farmer who has a sleigh that he claims came from Santa crash-landing on his property years ago, they are both skeptical. But the sleigh would make a great addition to the parade if it could be restored. When the farmer gives Laurel the sleigh for the parade, her 'luck' slowly changes. It's almost as if the sleigh is leading her to all the right pieces she needs to make the parade a success, including meeting a handsome man from town who has the loving touch to restore the relic. Laurel is converted into a true believer and rekindles that holiday spirit with her daughter, especially when she realizes the real Santa is riding his lost sleigh in the Christmas parade.

SHOOTING CHRISTMAS - Wednesday, November 23 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Taylor Cole
One of the most famous actresses in world heads to the Christmas-obsessed town of Homestead, Iowa, to shoot a holiday-themed. She is thrown for a loop when a romance brews between her and local inn keeper and single dad, Matt. As she gets a taste of small-town life and people who give of themselves without asking anything in return, she discovers the true meaning of Christmas.

THE NUTCRACKER - Saturday December 10 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Amy Acker and Sascha Radetsky
Lilly James' lifelong devotion lands her the lead role of Clara in the New York City Ballet's production of The Nutcracker. Grief-stricken and distracted after learning about her mother's death, Lily suffers an injury and is removed from the show by Mark, her boyfriend and dance partner. Heartbroken and betrayed, Lily vows never to dance again. Years later, her daughter lands the role of Clara in the prestigious Philadelphia Nutcracker Ballet and finds that the Ballet Director is Mark, who betrayed Lilly years ago. Will Lilly see the truth about her past, and allow herself a second chance to dance and another chance to find love?

WHEN CALLS THE HEART - Sunday, December 25 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring Erin Krakow, Daniel Lissing, Jack Wagner, and Lori Loughlin
An intriguing peddler comes to Hope Valley selling the townspeople his wears and teaching them valuable lessons about joy and giving. And when the townspeople realize that the recently displaced settlers in the area will not have a proper Christmas, they come together to create a special holiday celebration - including a Nativity presentation from the schoolchildren - that will infuse everyone with the true spirit of Christmas.


There have been changes to the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries list also, and I'll be posting that updated info as soon as I get a chance. Many of us Hallmark fans have come to expect the changes, and that doesn't make us love Hallmark any less!