‘Tis the Season for Setups officially opens Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas 2026 tonight, Friday, October 16, at 8 p.m. ET. The holiday romance stars Amanda Schull, Victor Webster, Barbara Niven and John B. Lowe as two grown children who scheme to set up their single parents at a snowy ski lodge while the parents are scheming to set them up. Hallmark fans will find this one familiar, but it is a fun, cozy way to start the Countdown to Christmas 2026 schedule.
What happens when a meddling daughter and son try to set up his dad with her mom? You get ‘Tis the Season for Setups.
Lexi, played by Amanda Schull, is a hyper-organized single mom and party planner. She, her free-spirited mother June, played by Barbara Niven, and her teen daughter Piper, played by Verity Marks, are set to spend Christmas at a local ski resort after Lexi is hired to plan its annual holiday party. Almost as soon as she arrives, Lexi butts heads with Ridge, played by Victor Webster, the resort’s ski instructor and the son of lodge owner Dan, played by John B. Lowe.
Lexi and Ridge may get off to a rocky start, but they both notice a spark between June and Dan. So they team up to play matchmaker, planning one festive outing after another. June and Dan have a few schemes of their own, and those outings keep turning into a foursome.
The setups are where this movie shines. From sleigh rides to a Christmas-themed escape room, there are plenty of fun moments along the way, and the movie never takes itself too seriously.
It is hard to deny that Barbara Niven and John B. Lowe had a lot of chemistry and seemed like they had a lot of fun making this movie. The laughs between them feel hearty and real, and they come close to stealing every scene they share.
Amanda Schull is the perfect counterbalance to Barbara Niven. She plays the serious one to Niven’s zany beautifully, and their mother-daughter scenes give the movie its warmth.
It is also easy to believe Victor Webster spends his days on the slopes as an adventurer. If you have any doubt, check his Instagram. He is always off on some adventure in the great outdoors.
The best line in the movie belongs to Webster: “This is not an ugly bird. That’s a handsome bird!”
The setting is gorgeous. The lodge is one of the best settings we have seen for a Christmas movie, and it makes the whole film feel like a snowy weekend getaway you will want to book for yourself.
Jeff Beesley directed ‘Tis the Season for Setups. He recently directed Hallmark’s The Spirit of Halloween and many other titles over the years, and he is also set to direct Adopting St. Nick, Noelle Nomads and Save the Date for Christmas. Elena Zaretsky wrote the script.
Our Take – ‘Tis the Season for Setups is a familiar Hallmark story told with a lot of heart. The matchmaking setups are fun, the parents’ romance is a joy to watch, and the ski lodge is a beautiful place to spend two hours. It is a fun, feel-good way to kick off Countdown to Christmas.’Tis the Season for Setups premieres tonight at 8 p.m. ET on Hallmark Channel and streams on Hallmark+ the next day. Next up on the schedule are Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story on Saturday and Mr. & Mrs. Christmas on Sunday. Follow every movie of the season in our Hallmark Channel guide.
