Author: Newsroom
STUDIO CITY, CA – September 19, 2023 – Just as Santa’s annual arrival on Christmas Eve is anticipated by kids everywhere, viewers of every age and walk of life count the days to the start of their favorite yuletide tradition – Christmas on Hallmark, the OG destination for Ho-Ho-holiday movies. Once again, fans of feel-good holiday fare have much to celebrate as Hallmark Media gifts them with 40 all-new, original movie premieres across Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries as well as special offerings on Hallmark Movies Now, the company’s subscription streaming service.
The perennial popularity of the annual holiday programming event placed Hallmark Channel at the top of Santa’s “nice list” last year as it became the most watched entertainment cable network in Fourth Quarter 2022*, with the network taking the ratings crown in Women 18+ for nine consecutive years.**
Christmas starts early as the pop culture phenomenon returns with round-the-clock holiday programming kicking off on Friday, October 20, when Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’ Miracles of Christmas ring in the yuletide season.
MERRY THANKSGIVING WEEKEND
An annual tradition, Hallmark Channel serves up extra helpings of holiday fare during Merry Thanksgiving Weekend. After a long day of football and feasting, viewers can unwind with an all-new original movie premiere on Thanksgiving night at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Starting Friday, November 24 and continuing through Sunday, November 26, fans can take a break from their holiday shopping and enjoy a double feature with new movies premiering at 6 p.m. ET/PT and 8 p.m. ET/PT each night.
JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS, STREAMING ALL THE WAY
As the #1 streaming destination for holiday viewing with an industry-leading library of hundreds of movies from Christmas past and Christmas present to make the season merry and bright, Hallmark Movies Now also joins the ho-ho-holiday party. Subscribers will be treated to early access to two all-new original premieres one week before they air on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries – “A World Record Christmas” and “Time for Her to Come Home for Christmas” – as well as the Hallmark Movies Now exclusive premieres of “An Ice Palace Romance” and “Rescuing Christmas”(wt). Adding to the movie merriment is the extended version of the 2022 Countdown to Christmas original “A Holiday Spectacular”, as well as the never-before-seen extended version of last year’s breakout hit, “Three Wise Men and a Baby”, that offer extra Christmas joy and are exclusive to Hallmark Movies Now.
FAMILIAR FACES IN HOLIDAY PLACES
Viewers can look forward to seeing their favorite stars returning in all-new holiday movies, including Lacey Chabert who stars in both “A Merry Scottish Christmas” and “Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up” and brings her Hallmark Christmas movie count to a record 14 films. Other familiar faces helping fans celebrate the holidays include Benjamin Ayres, Katherine Barrell, Catherine Bell, Jonathan Bennett, Krystal Joy Brown, Warren Christie, Cindy Busby, Erin Cahill, Paul Campbell, Nikki DeLoach, James Denton, Brooke D’Orsay, Jaicy Elliot, Brennan Elliott, Tyler Hynes, Dan Jeannotte, Hunter King, Bethany Joy Lenz, Luke Macfarlane, Chandler Massey, Niall Matter, Barbara Niven, Ryan Paevey, Janel Parrish, Brendan Penny, Kristoffer Polaha, Michael Rady, Marcus Rosner, Ronnie Rowe Jr., Jessy Schram, Kimberley Sustad, Andrew Walker, Victor Webster and more.
FESTIVE FRESH FACES LIGHTING UP THE HALLMARK HOLIDAY PARTY
Helping light up the season this year are new talent Hallmark is thrilled to welcome to the family, including Chris Carmack, Erica Cerra, Jonathan Frakes, Mark Ghanimé, Humberly Gonzalez, Bryan Greenberg, Rick Hoffman, Grace Leer, Vic Michaelis, Mishael Morgan, William Moseley, Jim O’Heir, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Robert Picardo, Phylicia Rashad, Juan Reidinger, Vincent Rodriguez III, Emily Tennant and Julie Warner and among others.
YULETIDE REUNIONS: ‘PARTY OF FIVE’ AND ‘GOOD WITCH’
The holidays are a time for reuniting with loved ones and holiday movies are no different. Lacey Chabert has not one, but two movies that pair her with castmates from the past. In “A Merry Scottish Christmas”, she shares the screen with her former “Party of Five” TV brother Scott Wolf as they pair up to portray siblings learning about the family history they never knew and trying to bridge the divide that’s grown between them over the years. And in “Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up”, the sequel to last year’s hit, Chabert reteams with Jennifer Aspen, another “Party of Five” alum, as a new homeowner on Evergreen Lane whose arrival on the cul de sac is set to heat up the annual Christmas decoration competition. After starring together for seven seasons on Hallmark Channel’s popular series “Good Witch,” Catherine Bell and James Denton find on-screen romance with each other once again in “Christmas on Cherry Lane”.
PASSPORT TO CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD
Countdown to Christmas is adding an international flair to this year’s festivities and transports viewers to a picturesque German town for its annual Christmas market in “A Heidelberg Holiday”; the beauty Bergen and its fjords in “My Norwegian Holiday”; the unique charm of the Highlands in “A Merry Scottish Christmas”; a quaint, French village in “Joyeux Noel” and takes them across the pond to experience some jolly good holiday traditions in “Christmas in Notting Hill”.
CHRISTMAS ESCAPADES AND NOT-SO-SILENT NIGHTS
Holiday festivities take on a life of their own and can result in unexpected adventures and – sometimes – lessons learned along the way. In “The Santa Summit”, three best friends who head out for a night on the town to take part in the annual Santa Summit, an event where revelers don Santa suits and visit local spots on the circuit to eat, drink and be merry in true holiday fashion. Nine strangers are brought together for the adventure of a lifetime in “Holiday Road” when bad weather leaves each of them stranded at the airport for the holidays, leaving a desperate, disparate group of travelers to band together and rent a shared van to embark on a road trip to Denver. An aspiring news anchor’s big break is put in jeopardy in “Catch Me if You Claus”, which finds her on the eve of her big break anchoring her station’s Christmas morning newscast. But it may all unravel when she captures an intruder in her home wearing a red suit claiming to be Santa’s son, Chris on his first mission.
THE SOUNDTRACK OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON: ORIGINAL SONGS FROM TOP ARTISTS
Music sets the mood and that’s especially true during the most wonderful time of the year. Keeping with tradition, Hallmark has teamed with top recording artists to feature special songs that are sure to get viewers into the holiday spirit. Hallmark Channel’s “A Heidelberg Holiday” features the song “This Christmas”, written and performed by Ingrid Michaelson especially for the movie and will be released November 10, ahead of the movie’s premiere on Sunday, November 12. On Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, “Heaven Down Here” is inspired by country star Mickey Guyton’s song of the same name, which is featured in the film. Former “American Idol” contestant Grace Leer performs her original song “Star on Top of the Tree” and also lends her acting talents to “Time for Her to Come Home for Christmas”, the sixth installment of the network’s popular franchise executive produced by Blake Shelton.
In addition to exciting, new holiday music, viewers will be wrapped in the nostalgia of such classics as Angela Lansbury’s rendition of “We Need a Little Christmas” in “Haul out the Holly: Lit Up,” Judy Garland’s “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” in “A Biltmore Christmas” and Elton John’s “Step Into Christmas” featured in “Christmas in Notting Hill.”
FESTIVE EASTER EGGS KEEN VIEWERS CAN UNWRAP
Be on the lookout! Whether surprise appearances by familiar faces, knowing nods to favorite Hallmark movies or a wink to past iconic roles, viewers are in for a holly jolly, yuletide Easter Egg hunt throughout the holiday season.
HALLMARK HOLIDAY COMES TO LIFE IRL
EXPERIENCE THE SEASON WITH HALLMARK CHANNEL
Countdown to Christmas continues to shine off screen with captivating opportunities for people to experience the Hallmark Channel holiday movie lifestyle throughout the season.
Fooji – Every weekend, viewers in select cities will engage on social for a chance to win exciting instant prize packs themed to that night’s new movie premiere. Select fans will have the chance to receive their prizes from special, high-tech Santa’s helpers – robots and drones!
Hilton – The network also celebrates the return of the Hallmark Channel Countdown to Christmas Holiday Suites by Hilton, with suites at three Hilton Hotels & Resorts properties across the United States transformed into the ultimate holiday stay to celebrate everything that our fans love about the network during the holidays. Hilton and Hallmark enthusiasts alike should mark their calendars for November 1, when photos, locations, booking details, and more information will be officially announced.
KOA LIFE – Lights, camera, glam! KOA Life x Hallmark Channel brings viewers who love all things beauty a co-branded, limited-edition holiday product bundle for all of life’s merry occasions.
LuxAnthropy – To continue spreading joy through gifting all while supporting a worthy cause, Hallmark Media launched a partnership with online resale company LuxAnthropy to make fashion from Hallmark movies and series available to viewers for purchase, including items from this season’s “A Biltmore Christmas,” with all proceeds being donated to the Alzheimer’s Association®.
Hallmark Channel Gift Guide – Rounding out the holiday shopping experience, fans can look forward to the second annual Hallmark Channel Gift Guide, featuring a curated selection of hit seasonal items selected by Hallmark Media.
Hallmark Channel Radio on SiriusXM – Out and about, people can discover the Christmas season by listening to Hallmark Channel Radio on SiriusXM in-car and in-app, with the app providing three all-new holiday-themed music playlists.
Biltmore – Countdown to Christmas enthusiasts can also visit Biltmore for a special showing of costume displays from the film, as well as the Southern LivingIdea House to watch Hallmark Channel movies and enjoy a festive candy bar.
SNACKS, SIPS AND SWEET TREATS TO MAKE HOLIDAY VIEWING MERRIER
If cozying up inside to watch a Hallmark holiday movie isn’t already yuletide bliss, there is a slew of seasonal snacks, sips, sweet treats – and more! – that will amp up the festive factor.
Crav’n Flavor, Food Club and Wide Awake Coffee Co. – Hallmark Media’s new collaboration with these unique own brands will bring festive peppermint-flavored treats to local grocery chains across the nation, making it the perfect snack to pair with an all-new Hallmark Channel original movie.
Chex – Also on shelves, the network continues its Chex partnership, providing a chance for fans to unlock 12 special surprises on all Chex cereal boxes in top selling flavors.
Bissinger’s – Hallmark Channel and Bissinger’s have teamed up again to celebrate the sweetness of the season with their hit collaborations – the adored chocolate Advent Calendar and Hot Cocoa Bombs available at Bissingers.com and Hallmark Gold Crown stores.
Republic of Tea – Also returning are everyone’s favorite teas to pair with the season’s new Hallmark movies – the herbal blend of cardamom cinnamon or gingerbread cookies – both of which are naturally caffeine-free and perfectly joyous on cozy nights. The soothing Countdown to Christmas tea canisters from Republic of Tea are available at Cost Plus World Market, republicoftea.com, Amazon and Hallmark Gold Crown stores.
Hallmark Channel Countdown to Christmas lifestyle book – A must-have for holiday décor and gifting is the Hallmark Channel Countdown to Christmas lifestyle book,available on Amazon and at Hallmark Gold Crown stores. The book is filled with festive recipes from Hallmark Channel stars, beautiful and stylish decorating and wrapping tips, fun photos and memories from Hallmark movies, and much more.
Hallmark Channel Wines – And finally, wine enthusiasts can ring in the spirit of the holidays with Hallmark Channel Wines Jingle, Joy, Holly, and Jolly!
SEASONAL SWEEPSTAKES AND DIGITAL REINDEER GAMES
This holiday season brings audiences the chance to explore and engage with the joy of the Hallmark Channel brand on the Hallmark Movie Checklist App and HallmarkChannel.com in endless ways.
Very Merry Giveaway – Launching October 20, the network’s fan-favorite sweepstakes Very Merry Giveaway is back, featuring a Grand Prize for one lucky winner plus many more chances to win with over 60 days of festive daily prizes.
Holiday Home Decoration Sweepstakes – Meanwhile, kicking off November 1, the Holiday Home Decoration Sweepstakes will also return in partnership with Balsam Hill, giving fans the chance to win a Grand Prize of $10,000, a Balsam Hill tree and décor package, and weekly prizes.
Bake Your Way to the Big Screen Contest – Also, the return of HERSHEY’S co-branded Bake Your Way to the Big Screen Contest calls for fans to submit their best holiday baking creations utilizing Hershey’s baking products, which will allow them to enter for a chance to win a walk-on role for two within a Hallmark Channel original movie.
On the Hallmark Channel website, people can also enjoy the returning Christmas Movie Game, holiday-themed Matching Moments and view holiday sights through the Christmas Cams.