Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas 2026 is here, and so is our new Fantasy Land News video show. Every week this season, Holly reviews Hallmark’s new Christmas movies and tries to get her husband Greg, a Disney guy who has never watched a Hallmark movie on purpose, to sit down and watch one. In Week 1, we talk about ‘Tis the Season for Setups, Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story and Mr. & Mrs. Christmas.
Holly has watched Hallmark Christmas movies for years. Greg has covered Walt Disney World every day since 2020, but Hallmark has never been his thing. This season, Holly is on a mission to change that, one movie at a time.
Holly’s Week 1 Reviews
- ‘Tis the Season for Setups, starring Amanda Schull and Victor Webster: [Holly’s one-line take.]
- Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story, starring Lyndsy Fonseca and Robert Buckley: Marsha Mason steals the show.
- Mr. & Mrs. Christmas, starring Brendan Penny and Pascale Hutton: Lighter on romance, but any parent will feel this one.
Greg’s Hallmark Homework
Every week, Holly assigns Greg one Hallmark movie to watch before the next episode. For his very first assignment, she went with Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story. A football movie seemed like a safe place to start for a guy who would rather be watching sports. Greg will report back on Week 2.
Is Greg a Hallmark fan yet? Not yet. Ask us next week.
Hallmark and Disney News of the Week
Hallmark: Carlinville, Illinois, won Hallmark’s first Merriest Christmas Towns Contest, and the town will get its own Hallmark Christmas movie. Hallmark also teamed up with Michaels for Holiday Unplugged, with free crafting workshops and Hallmark exclusives in Michaels stores.
Disney: The Hexed popcorn bucket is a cauldron named Bucket, and it is coming to AMC, Regal and Cinemark. And Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro toured Monstropolis, Tropical Americas and Lakeshore Lodge with Imagineers at Walt Disney World.
Next Weekend on Hallmark Channel
All three premiere at 8 p.m. ET on Hallmark Channel and stream the next day on Hallmark+.
- Winter Wonderlanes, Friday, October 23: Ashley Newbrough and Franco Lo Presti star as a restaurateur and her high school ex who team up to save her late grandfather’s bowling alley.
- Forgotten Holiday, Saturday, October 24: Janel Parrish and Daniel Lissing star as a couple retracing their romance after a car accident erases his memories of the past year.
- What If Christmas, Sunday, October 25: Lori Loughlin and Tom Cavanagh star in a story about a woman who lands in a life where she became a famous fashion designer and never married her husband.
Holly will review all three here on Fantasy Land News, and we will talk about them on next week’s episode. See the full lineup in our Countdown to Christmas 2026 schedule.
New episodes come out every week. Subscribe on YouTube so you do not miss Week 2 and Greg’s verdict on Holiday Touchdown. Tell us in the comments which movie he should watch next. Follow every movie of the season in our Hallmark Channel guide.
