Now that we have had a few days to digest and read the entire Countdown to Christmas announcement, we have thoughts. There are a lot of movies on the slate, 34 to be exact. Countdown to Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year for many people. This year we are starting earlier than ever. Countdown to Christmas kicks off on Friday, October 16th. There are some things to be excited about this season. We look forward to watching and reviewing all 34 movies. Then there are some things missing. Looking at You, Finding Mr. Christmas. We are not getting Season 3 of Finding Mr. Christmas. We are getting the dream team of Jonathan Bennett and Melissa Peterman in The Hallmark Christmas Experience: A Hometown Holiday.
Let’s take a look at what we are most excited for!
Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True (starring Lacey Chabert, Travis Van Winkle, Christy Carlson Romano, Richard Kind). Obviously, this is the number one movie we are waiting for. Fantasy Land News covers Hallmark Channel and Disney Parks, and this is the perfect blend of everything we cover and love. Premieres November 28th
A Grand Biltmore Christmas (starring Holland Roden, Niall Matter, and Andie MacDowell). I’ve been looking forward to this since I’m a huge fan of the original classic. Time travel is usually not a bad idea for me. This time, we flip back and forth from 1895 to 1915 to the present day. The hourglass is back! Premieres December 5th.
The Nights Before Christmas (starring Tyler Hynes and Laci J Mailey). Again, a time plot. We love a time loop, à la Groundhog Day or Round and Round. One Christmas Eve, Marty, whose life is in a bit of a rut, finds himself wishing he had more time. Thanks to some holiday magic, he awakes the next morning to discover it’s Christmas Eve – again. I’m a Tyler Hynes fan, and I am a fan of Laci J Mailey. This should be a great movie. Premieres November 14th
A Danish Christmas (starring Emilie Ullerup and Corey Sevier). I love a European movie. I’m happy to see Emilie Ullerup back in Countdown to Christmas. This is the second in a row with an O’Brien sister. I love Chesapeake Shores. This movie allows Emilie to embrace and celebrate her Danish heritage. Marie returns home to Copenhagen to spend the holidays with her family and puts herself to work at their inn. When Ryan checks in, a case of mistaken identity leads Marie to believe he’s a travel writer. Premieres November 1st.
What If Christmas (starring Lori Loughlin and Tom Cavanagh). Lori’s back! In this movie, we get an alternate reality movie. What if? I usually am here for this trope and hope that this won’t disappoint. Erin has always supported her heart surgeon husband Adam’s (Cavanagh) career by organizing the hospital’s Christmas charity galas. However, when he moves to a new hospital, her help is no longer needed. Feeling lost and without a purpose back in New York City, her long-suppressed regrets over giving up her dream of pursuing fashion design start bubbling up. When Erin is given a peculiar heart-shaped Christmas ornament, she wakes up in an alternate reality where she’s a world-famous fashion designer. Premieres October 25th.
Double Booked for the Holidays (Rachael Leigh Cook, Owain Yeoman, Stephen Hagan). Rachel Leigh Cook is playing twins!!!! More importantly, it’s a trip to Wales. I’ve already mentioned that I love a European movie, but Wales has my heart. So I’m sat for this one. There’s only one thing identical twins, quiet and bookish Abigail and globe-trotting event planner Charlie, agree on is that this first Christmas without their mom will be difficult. When they unexpectedly get a last-minute chance to travel to Wales and spend a week running the Story Shoppe, an AirBnb/bookshop in Hay-on-Wye, they jump at the opportunity. Premieres November 22nd
Return to Santa (starring Paul Campbell and Rachel Boston), let’s be real. Have they ever been in bad movies? These two were fantastic when they starred opposite each other in Dating the Delaneys. I have high hopes for this. Hopeful and dreamy eight-year-old Jake writes a letter to Santa with all his most fantastical wishes. But when the letter gets lost in the North Pole, young Jake wakes up disappointed and no longer a believer. Decades later, Santa discovers the misplaced letter and immediately sets out to make things right. Now an adult, Jake’s life is about to get turned upside down when the appearance of his childhood wishes clashes with his practical life. All while his childhood best friend Julie unexpectedly moved back to town. As Santa continues to check off Jake’s list, Jake and Julie combine forces to anticipate each new wish’s chaotic consequences, all while growing closer to each other – and possibly leading Jake closer to his most important childhood dream.
Mistletoe and Mimosas (starring Tamera Mowry-Housley and Kristoffer Polaha and Jennifer Robertson). This pairing could be one of the best of the season. Their ability to play both serious and comedic roles could make this movie shine. Claire Bennett is a successful business consultant in Manhattan who unexpectedly inherits her beloved Uncle Lou’s Christmas-themed bar, The Tipsy Reindeer, in upstate New York. When she returns, Claire discovers the bar comes with high debt – her Uncle Lou was overly generous to people in town while the booming business of Algorithm, an upscale and trendy new club, added insult to injury. She intends to turn things around before Christmas and sell to someone who will preserve her uncle’s legacy and then return to her life in the city. Claire meets Zach, Algorithm’s part owner and manager, who tells her they want to buy The Tipsy Reindeer so they can expand. Claire bristles at the proposition, and they agree to face off in a 12 Days of Christmas-inspired series of festive events to see who can bring in the most business – if Claire wins, Zach will use his contacts to find the right buyer, but if Zach emerges victorious, Claire agrees to consider Algorithm’s offer. As they compete over the course of the 12 days, their attraction is undeniable. Rivalry leads to romance, and the two are faced with figuring out how their shifting priorities might somehow lead them down the same road, together. Premieres November 15th.
Eight Nights for Love (starring Dan Jeannotte and Hunter King), our lone Hanukkah movie this season, looks to be fantastic. Again, a time-travel type of movie. Hannah, who works for a large auction house in New York City, is excited for her best friend Ethan to return home for a visit during Hanukkah and is looking forward to some much-needed time off from work. That plan is short-lived when Ethan shares the news that he’s convinced the daughter of his wealthy boss to use Hannah’s auction house to sell their family’s collection of Judaica, with the condition that Hannah handles the sale. Complicating her holiday further, she meets the mysterious Pearl, who gifts her with an antique menorah that is anything but ordinary, as it takes her back to different times of her life each night of Hanukkah, with Pearl as her guide. Premieres November 29th.
Hearts All Aglow (starring Mishael Morgan, B.J. Britt, and Holly Robinson Peete). This lineup of stars is bringing me to this movie. I’m super happy to see Holly Robinson Peete again. It’s been a minute since we saw her, and yes please, bring her back. Mari is a fiercely intelligent music historian who manages to get an invite to the annual Christmas gala for the local music museum and has one goal: secure an interview with Tasha, the legendary Grammy Award-winning singer, record producer, and the museum’s founder. Mari has to summon the courage to ask the mogul who rarely does interviews these days for this favor, which proves more difficult than anticipated. Also crashing the gala is Julian, a polished and perpetually busy New York attorney on a mission of his own – his late mother received the autograph of Nat King Cole on a piece of sheet music when she was a young girl, and he regrettably donated this treasured piece of family history to the DuPree Museum while emotionally numb in the aftermath of his mother’s death. Premieres December 18th.
The Christmas Eve Feast (starring Daniela Monet and Kevin McGarry). This movie is executive produced by celebrity chef Giada DeLaurentiis. As an Italian, this movie speaks to my childhood Christmas memories. Silvana “Silvy” Gianetti is disillusioned with her job as the Executive Chef at a swanky restaurant in New York. Growing up in a large and loving Italian-American family, Silvy is drawn to the food and comfort of her home. When her beloved Nonna suffers a minor wrist injury, Silvy is called back home to Boston’s Italian North End to prepare the family’s beloved “Feast of the Seven Fishes” Christmas Eve dinner. As she preps for the big feast, her family is joined by Ethan, a photographer who is documenting different family traditions around town and who’s become close to her Nonna. After a rocky start with Ethan, things begin to heat up as Silvy grows to appreciate the heart and soul he puts into capturing the magic of the little moments, and a romance could be simmering. Every day leading up to Christmas Eve, Silvy gathers in the kitchen with her Nonna, mom, and aunt to prepare the pasta, struffoli, and other Italian classics near and dear to Silvy’s heart. This special family time reminds her of the kind of cooking that truly brings her joy and leads Silvy to rethink where she belongs and get a clear picture of who should be by her side.
The number of movies is up this year to 34 new original movies. While this is just a look at what we are excited for, we are looking forward to watching every single movie. I have enjoyed both Holiday Touchdown movies, and the Bears one looks like a lot of fun. Nikki DeLoach, Erin Cahill, Andrew Walker, and Jonathan Bennett are never bad ideas. These are just the movies we chose to highlight right off the bat. There are some I’m skeptical about but we will give all of these a fair shot! We know that during Countdown to Christmas, there will be the Hallmark Christmas Cruise and the Hallmark Christmas Experience. Fantasy Land News will be attending both events this year. Let us know what you
Here’s a Look at What We are Most Excited for in Countdown To Christmas
