Hallmark’s Countdown To Christmas 2023: The Full Schedule
Hallmark has announced the complete Countdown To Christmas 2023 schedule. Best of all, the premiere is on Saturday, October 20. The network is kicking it off with Kevin McGarry and Kim Matula in the hockey-themed holiday movie Checkin’ It Twice.
Despite the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Hallmark has the full slate of 40 movies this season. As Lisa Hamilton Daly, the EVP of Programming at Hallmark Media, told Variety, “Christmas is a year-round business at Hallmark, so we were able to mitigate early in the year understanding that the strikes were unfortunately imminent.”
Daly added, “We’re grateful to meet all of our goals for a full, all-new holiday slate and to bring our viewers the content they love most to celebrate the season.”
Not only did they bring Christmas movie fans a full slate of holiday movies, but they also brought many fan favorites back. The actors that are returning include Benjamin Ayres, Katherine Barrell, Catherine Bell, Jonathan Bennett, Krystal Joy Brown, Warren Christie, Cindy Busby, Erin Cahill, Paul Campbell, Lacey Chabert, Nikki DeLoach, James Denton, Brook D’Orsay, Jaicy Elliot, Brennan Elliott, Tyler Hynes, Dan Jeannotte, Hunter King, Bethany Joy Lenz, Luke Macfarlane, Chandler Massey, Niall Matter, Barbara Niven, Ryan Peavey, Janel Parrish, Brendan Penny, Kristoffer Polaha, Michael Rady, Marcus Rosner, Ronnie Rowe Jr., Jessy Schram, Kimberley Sustad, Andrew Walker, and Victor Webster.
Here is the full schedule on the Hallmark Channel. According to Variety, all times are 8 p.m. Eastern, except when noted.
Week 1: Countdown To Christmas Kicks Off October 20
Friday, October 20: Checkin’ It Twice, starring Kim Matula and Kevin McGarry. He is a hockey player who moved into a new town. In hockey terms, he is considered a journeyman, traded from one team to another. Then he meets a real estate agent who is also experiencing her own career issues. They are brought together because he is renting her family’s backyard cottage.
Saturday, October 21: Where Are You Christmas? starring Lyndsy Fonseca, Michael Rady, Jim O’Heir, and Julie Warner. Frustrated Addy wishes for one year without Christmas. When she wakes up, everything is in black and white. Now, she needs to undo her wish. She seeks the help of her hometown auto mechanic to save Christmas.
Sunday, October 22: Under The Christmas Sky, starring Jessica Parker Kennedy and Ryan Paevey. “Kat is an esteemed astrophysicist who is scheduled for her first trip into space next year until an accident grounds her. While on leave, coming to terms with her reality that her dreams of being an astronaut are over, she volunteers at the local planetarium. There, she is paired up with by-the-book David to work on an exhibit right before Christmas. Will the stars align to bring these two together at the holidays?”
Week 2: Countdown To Christmas Continues
Friday, October 27: Christmas By Design, starring Rebecca Dalton and Jonathan Keltz. A fashion designer is excited to be participating in a Christmas challenge. Her job is to create a holiday-themed collection. But, as she starts to look for inspiration, she learns what is important in life.
Saturday, October 28: Mystic Christmas, starring Jessy Schram, Chandler Massey, Patti Murin, and William R. Moses. “Juniper travels to Mystic, Connecticut, during the holidays to work at the rehabilitation center and aquarium. She reconnects with Sawyer, the owner of the pizza shop.”
Sunday, October 29: Joyeux Noel, starring Jaicy Elliot and Brant Dougherty. A copy editor, inspired by a romantic painting of a Christmas market, heads to France to see it for herself. She is sent along with a no-nonsense reporter who is looking for the mysterious painter.
Share the cheer, Christmas fans! 🎄 It's your reason to be jolly this season. Save our #CountdownToChristmas 2023 programming guide and check off all new movies as you watch Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 8/7c all season!! ✨🍭 pic.twitter.com/J2XrkPOWvj
— Hallmark Channel (@hallmarkchannel) September 19, 2023
Week 3: Hallmark Christmas Movies Continue
Friday, November 3: Flipping For Christmas, starring Ashley Newbrough and Marcus Rosner. Abigail is a busy realtor at Christmas, but she agrees to take time to help her sister with a “simple flip.” However, her sis didn’t bother to tell her that there is a co-beneficiary that has other plans for this property.
Saturday, November 4: Never Been Chris’d, starring Janel Parrish, Pascal Lamothe-Kipnes, and Tyler Hynes. “Home for the holidays, BFFs Naomi and Liz reconnect with high school crush Chris Silver. A complex love triangle forms, forcing them to take stock of their lives and find the value of friendship.”
Sunday, November 5: The Santa Summit, starring Hunter King and Benjamin Hollingsworth. “It’s time for the annual Santa Summit, in which revelers put on Santa suits and hop around designated locations in town to eat, drink, and be merry. Three best friends decide to go together: Jordin, a recently dumped art teacher looking to cut loose, Ava, a shy woman hoping to run into her crush, and Stella, a Christmas cynic with no interest in the Santa Summit whatsoever. At the start of the night, Jordin meets and bonds with Liam but doesn’t get his name before getting separated and lost in a sea of Santas. As the night progresses and hijinks ensue, amidst the chaos, celebration, and a sea of Santas, they all find what they’re looking for: Christmas spirit, potential romance, and a strengthened bond of friendship.”
Week 4: Countdown To Christmas In Early-November
Friday, November 10: Everything Christmas, starring Katherine Barrell, Cindy Busby, Corey Sevier, and Matt Wells. Lori Jo is headed on a road trip. This Christmas-loving gal is headed to Yuletide Springs with her roomie Tori. This town celebrates Christmas all year, and she is headed there to honor her grandmother. Soon, the two friends meet Carl and Jason. The quartet enjoys the small-town vibe and non-stop Christmas. But, after some unfortunate incidents, Christmas magic rights all the wrongs.
Saturday, November 11: Christmas Island, starring Rachel Skarsten and Andrew Walker. “When a snowstorm diverts Kate’s first private flight en route to Switzerland to Christmas Island, she must team up with the air traffic controller to secure her dream job as the family’s pilot.”
Sunday, November 12: A Heidelberg Holiday, starring Ginna Claire Mason and Frédéric Brossier. Heidi Heidelberg is an artisan who makes handmade glass ornaments. She is invited to sell them at the Heidelberg Christmas Market in Germany. There, she met Lukas. Lukas helps Heidi “reconnect with her family heritage.” In addition, this movie features the song “This Christmas.” This song was written and performed by Ingrid Michaelson just for this Hallmark movie.
The most spectacular time of year just got a bit sweeter! 🍭 @EW has exclusive #CountdowntoChristmas images and all new movies here 🎄 🎁 Click here: https://t.co/eXwQHXprur
— Hallmark Channel (@hallmarkchannel) September 19, 2023
Week 4: More Countdown To Christmas
Friday, November 17: Navigating Christmas, starring Chelsea Hobbs and Stephen Huszar. Melanie is a recently divorced single mom to her son Jason. To do something new, they go to a remote island for Christmas. Somehow they find themselves running a lighthouse. There, she meets a “curt but cute” owner.
Saturday, November 18: A Merry Scottish Christmas, starring Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf. Lindsay and Brad are estranged siblings who agree to get along on their trip to Scotland. There, they spend time with their mother, Jo. However, their trip gets more interesting as a family secret is revealed.
Sunday, November 19: Holiday Hotline, starring Emily Tennant and Niall Matter. “After leaving London, Abby connects with an anonymous caller while working at a cooking hotline. The caller is single dad “John” who Abby unknowingly has become smitten with in real life.”
Week 5: Thanksgiving Weekend Part 1
Sunday, November 19: Catch Me If You Claus, starring Italia Ricci, and Luke Macfarlane. “Avery Quinn is an aspiring news anchor who’s finally getting her big break on her station’s Christmas morning newscast. But that’s put into jeopardy when she captures an intruder in her home wearing a red suit, claiming to be Chris, Santa’s son, who is on his first mission. A night of adventure ensues as they find themselves being pursued by the police as well as some lady characters. Along the way, they connect over living in the shadow of their parents and inspire each other to go after their dreams.”
Friday, November 24, at 6 p.m., Eastern: Letters To Santa, starring Katie Leclerc and Rafael de la Fuente. Santa gives some young siblings a magic pan. Consequently, it is for granting wishes. Therefore, what do these young tots want more than anything in the world? Turns out, they want their parents to get together. Will Christmas magic make it happen?
Friday, November 24: Holiday Road, starring Sara Canning and Warren Christie. “When bad weather leaves each of them stranded at the airport for the holidays, a tech entrepreneur, a travel writer, a devoted mother and her son, a stubborn senior, an enigmatic woman with a hint of mystery, a couple traveling from Hong Kong and a social media influencer all agree to rent a shared van to embark on a road trip to Denver. When their unexpected journey brings them into uncharted territory, they navigate a series of misadventures together and form a deeper bond that just might change the trajectories of each of their lives. Inspired by true events.”
Worth noting that Hallmark's 2023 line-up has both visually impaired and hearing-impaired leads (not in the same movie), with Ben Mehl, MY CHRISTMAS GUIDE, and Katie Leclerc, LETTERS TO SANTA. pic.twitter.com/hDaUZKPN3q
— Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! (@SleepyKittyPaw) September 19, 2023
Thanksgiving Weekend Part 2
Saturday, November 25: Christmas In Notting Hill at 6 p.m., Eastern, starring Sarah Ramos and William Moseley. Graham Savoy is a famous soccer star home for the holidays. Although he is a desirable bachelor, he never has time for love. Now, he just wants to relax at home in Notting Hill. But things change when he meets Georgia. Furthermore, she is the only one in Londontown who doesn’t know who he is.
Saturday, November 25: Haul Out The Holly: Lit Up, starring Lacey Chabert, Wes Brown, Stephen Tobolowsky, Melissa Peterman, Ellen Travolta, Seth Morris and Jennifer Aspen. Emily and Jared are going to spend the holidays together, but this time as a couple. Emily is on board with Evergreen Lane’s over-the-top festive spirit. Although she is the HOA president’s girlfriend, she still gets those pesky citations. However, things get a little tense in the neighborhood. A house goes up for sale, and the new occupants are “holiday royalty.” That only means that this Christmas, “Evergreen Lane is going to sleigh!”
Countdown To Christmas Thanksgiving Weekend Part 3
Sunday, November 26, at 6 p.m., Eastern: Our Christmas Mural, starring Alex Paxton-Beesley and Dan Jeannotte. “Olivia is a single mom who returns home for Christmas. Her mom secretly enters her into a mural contest, she wins but partners with teacher Will to create a Christmas masterpiece.”
Sunday, November 26: A Biltmore Christmas, starring Bethany Joy Lenz, Kristoffer Polaha, Jonathan Frakes, and Robert Picardo. “Lucy Hargrove is a screenwriter who lands the job of a lifetime when she’s hired to pen the script for a remake of the beloved holiday movie classic, His Merry Wife!, which was filmed in 1947 at the beautiful, historic Biltmore House. When the head of the studio isn’t satisfied with the ending Lucy wrote because it deviates from the original’s feel-good conclusion, he sends Lucy to Biltmore Estate for research and inspiration.”
“While there, she unwittingly discovers the ability to travel to the 1947 set of HIs Merry Wife! through the help of an hourglass. While on set, she and Jack Huston, one of the film’s stars, spend time together and become close. But her sudden appearance has set off a chain of events that put the production in jeopardy. Before she can return to the present, Lucy must make things right or threaten to alter the future forever.”
Countdown To Christmas: First Week Of December
Friday, December 1: My Norwegian Holiday, starring Rhiannon Fish and David Elsendorn. “JJ, grieving the loss of her grandmother and seeking dissertation inspiration, stumbles upon an unexpected holiday destiny. Meeting Henrik, a Norwegian from Bergen, their connection deepens when he discovers she has a troll figurine from his hometown. To explore the troll’s history and her grandmother’s ties, JJ agrees to join Henrik on a journey to Norway. In Bergen, they’re drawn into Henrik’s family Christmas and wedding traditions, with his sister’s wedding the day before Christmas Eve. JJ embarks on a holiday adventure, uncovering the troll’s origins and finding her own path to healing, love, and family.”
Saturday, December 2: A Not So Royal Christmas, starring Brooke D’Orsay and Will Kemp. Charlotte is a tabloid journalist with a plum assignment. She is going to interview a reclusive Count. However, because the real Count ran off years ago, they have the groundskeeper pretend he is the royal.
Sunday, December 3: Christmas With A Kiss, starring Mishael Morgan, Ronnie Rowe Jr., and Jaime M. Calica. This is the Hallmark Mahogany Presentation. It is time for the Christmas Carnival. Therefore, when a woman returns home, she helps out with the annual event. While planning this event, romance blooms. Meanwhile, a photographer is busy documenting a surprise reunion.
🎄 Who’s ready for candy cane season? ✨🍭 @TODAYShow is kicking off the sweetness of Hallmark Channel’s 2023 #CountdowntoChristmas season. Click here for details! https://t.co/x2SJyOANYe
— Hallmark Channel (@hallmarkchannel) September 19, 2023
Countdown To Christmas Continues In December
Friday, December 8: Magic In Mistletoe, starring Lyndie Greenwood and Paul Campbell. Harrington is a writer of a successful book series. However, instead of enjoying his success, he has become a curmudgeon and a Scrooge. April works for the publishing house. She needs to spin his social media comments before he is canceled. However, as they get to know each other better, they find they have more in common. Moreover, Harrington opens up and allows her to see he is not as awful as he seemed.
Saturday, December 9: Christmas On Cherry Lane, starring Catherine Bell, Jonathan Bennett, John Brotherton, Erin Cahill, James Denton, and Vincent Rodriguez III. “A young couple preparing to welcome their first child; an empty-nester and her fiancé ready to start a new chapter; and a couple who unexpectedly have the chance to expand their family on Christmas Eve celebrate the holiday as they navigate these turning points in their lives.”
Sunday, December 10: Round And Round, starring Vic Michaelis, Bryan Greenberg, and Rick Hoffman. Rachel is living a nightmare. She is “stuck in a time loop, reliving the night of her parents’ Hanukkah party.” How can she move forward to the next day? Maybe Zach, the guy her grandma’s been trying to fix her up with, can help?
Still not actively following production, but stumbled across new Niall Matter Hallmark movie, HOLIDAY HOTLINE, set to start filming soon in Winnipeg. Spans Thanksgiving-Christmas, and apparently involves Butterball hotline. Single dad sets out to make perfect Christmas dinner. pic.twitter.com/RukUSKlM8F
— Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! (@SleepyKittyPaw) September 14, 2023
Final Week Of Hallmark’s Countdown To Christmas
Friday, December 15: The Secret Gift Of Christmas starring Meghan Ory and Christopher Russell. Personal shopper Bonnie is hired to help her recently widowed client Patrick shop for his daughter. The two do not connect, and he wants to find a way through gift-giving. While Bonnie wants to buy everything on her list, she is also determined that these two find a way together.
Saturday, December 16: Sealed with A List, starring Katie Findlay and Evan Roderick. Before the year is over, Carley wants to make all of her resolutions happen. She enlists her coworker Wyatt to help her achieve her goals. But, along the way, something special happened between them.
Saturday, December 17: Friends & Family Christmas, starring Humberly Gonzalez and Ali Liebert. “Daniella has recently moved to New York to pursue an art career and decides to stay in town to share the holidays with her circle of artist friends, instead of going home to see her sweet, if overbearing parents. Amelia is a talented entertainment lawyer trying to stay focused on her work after a broken engagement. While Daniella and Amelia are set up by their parents, they agree to pretend that they are dating to appease them for the holidays. However, as they spend time in each other’s worlds, they soon build a connection that is deeper than either of them could have hoped for.”
Hallmark Christmas movie fans, which movies are you most excited about?
