Hallmark’s 17th annual Countdown to Christmas
event kicks off Friday, October 16, 2026, featuring a record-breaking 34 original films airing across weekends through the end of December.
The seasonal programming event brings ten more original movie premieres than the previous year, featuring holiday titles that air every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday across ten weeks of festive broadcasting according to USA Today.
Opening Weekend Lineup and Major Premieres
Opening weekend features three distinct movie premieres at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the Hallmark Channel, alongside a holiday movie marathon on Hallmark Mystery as reported by Fantasyland News. The slate begins with ’Tis the Season for Setups
starring Amanda Schull, Victor Webster, and Barbara Niven.
The schedule also anchors itself with high-profile partnership films. Just Jared noted that Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story
continues the network’s collaboration with the NFL, while Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True
airs during Thanksgiving week following on-location filming at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
We’re thrilled to offer viewers exciting new movies that feature the heartfelt and inspiring storytelling synonymous with a Hallmark Christmas movie.
Darren Abbott, Hallmark Media president
Broadcast Schedules and Streaming Options
New movies premiere at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the Hallmark Channel throughout the holiday season noted The Pioneer Woman, with special double features scheduled during Thanksgiving week from Friday through Sunday starting at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET/PT. Viewers who miss a live airing can stream titles the next day on Hallmark+ according to Sling TV.
Series Returns and Holiday Specials
Alongside the standalone films, returning television content anchors the winter calendar. The third season of Mistletoe Murders
debuts on Thursday, November 5, starring Sarah Drew and Peter Mooney reported the Falls Church News-Press Online, with weekly episodes running through December 10 alongside guest appearances by Catherine Bell and Holly Robinson Peete.
Among the special sports-themed presentations, Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story
features freelance reporter Avery Clark, played by Lyndsy Fonseca, returning to Chicago where she connects with a passionate fan base and encounters familiar faces including Marsha Mason as Darlene, a superfan preparing for her five hundredth game. The cast list also includes Robert Buckley, Barbara Alyn Woods, and Khary Payton, alongside a cameo lineup featuring head coach Ben Johnson, quarterback Caleb Williams, tight ends Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet, franchise legends Mike Singletary, Charles Tillman, and Dan Hampton, Connie Payton representing the late Walter Payton, and Staley Da Bear.
Another major highlight of the winter schedule is A Grand Biltmore Christmas,
which pairs a time-travel narrative with an ensemble cast including Holland Roden, Niall Matter, Andie MacDowell, James Trevena, Jonathan Frakes, Rachel Boston, and Wes Brown. The story follows a visitor to the historic estate who crosses paths with a mysterious boy she once met as a child. Additional original titles fill the extensive 34-film catalog, featuring projects such as Winter Wonderlanes starring Ashley Newbrough and Franco Lo Presti, and Forgotten Holiday with Janel Parrish and Daniel Lissing.
The multi-week lineup also presents Mistletoe and Mimosas,
featuring Tamera Mowry-Housley as Manhattan business consultant Claire Bennett, who unexpectedly inherits her late Uncle Lou’s debt-ridden, Christmas-themed venue, The Tipsy Reindeer, located in upstate New York. The film co-stars Kristoffer Polaha and Jennifer Robertson. Meanwhile, other thematic stories include Merry Memories
starring Lindura and Brendan Morgan, Double Booked for the Holidays
starring Rachael Leigh Cook, Owain Yeoman, and Stephen Hagan, and Eight Nights for Love
starring Hunter King and Dan Jeannotte.
Viewers utilizing satellite and streaming providers like DIRECTV can tune directly to channel 312 for the Hallmark Channel linear broadcast or access the Hallmark+ app through Gemini devices. The expanded slate also incorporates unique holiday traditions, family gatherings at theme parks, culinary challenges involving the Feast of the Seven Fishes, and small-town community efforts that capture the traditional spirit of the network’s seasonal celebration.