Hallmark Countdown to Christmas 2026 Movie Lineup Revealed

Hallmark has revealed its 2026 Countdown to Christmas lineup, with the main Hallmark Channel schedule running from October 17 through December 20. There are football fans, rival bar owners, a lost letter to Santa, a Disney World reunion and a time-traveling romance at Biltmore House. With 33 new movies on the calendar, the hardest part may be choosing which premiere to watch first.

October Kicks Things Off With Football and Festive Romance

The season starts before Halloween, with seven October premieres to ease viewers into Christmas mode. Opening weekend pairs a big-city sports story with a holiday romance, and the rest of the month brings a steady run of new titles.

A Bears Fan Hits a Milestone in the First Premiere

Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story premieres October 17, starring Lyndsy Fonseca and Robert Buckley. Fonseca plays Avery, a freelance reporter visiting family in Chicago who ends up profiling Darlene, a devoted Bears fan preparing to attend her 500th game. Avery knows little about football, so Darlene’s grandson Matt, a firefighter and Bears die-hard played by Buckley, shows her the team’s traditions and the city. Marsha Mason plays Darlene, with Barbara Alyn Woods and Khary Payton also in the cast.

On October 18, Brendan Penny and Pascale Hutton star in Mr. & Mrs. Christmas. The following weekend brings Winter Wonderlanes on October 23, Forgotten Holiday on October 24 and What If Christmas on October 25. October wraps up with Who’s Coming for Christmas? on the 30th and Adopting St. Nick on Halloween.

November Turns Up the Holiday Volume

More than half the announced lineup arrives in November, with premieres on most weekends and several dates featuring two films. The stories range from a Christmas-themed bar facing competition to childhood wishes that finally reach Santa decades late.

A Bar Battle Comes With Unexpected Chemistry

Mistletoe and Mimosas, premiering November 15, stars Tamera Mowry-Housley as Claire, a Manhattan consultant who inherits her uncle’s Christmas-themed bar, The Tipsy Reindeer. The bar is deep in debt, and a trendy nearby club called Algorithm wants to buy it. Its part owner Zach, played by Kristoffer Polaha, suggests a deal based on festive competitions: if Claire wins, he’ll help her find another buyer; if Zach wins, she’ll consider his offer. Their business rivalry gets complicated as their attraction grows. Jennifer Robertson also stars.

Before that showdown, November opens with A Danish Christmas on November 1, followed by Merry Memories on November 6, Holiday Unplugged on November 7 and A Season of Promises on November 8. My Christmas Cowboy arrives November 13, followed by The Nights Before Christmas on November 14. The next weekend brings Our Holiday Playbook on November 20, Christmas in Blue Dog Valley on November 21 and Double Booked for the Holidays on November 22.

Thanksgiving Weekend Brings Santa, Disney World and Double Premieres

The late-November stretch starts with Christmas Delivered on November 26. Two films follow on November 27: The Christmas Eve Feast and Return to Santa. In the latter, Paul Campbell plays Jake, whose fantastical childhood letter to Santa went missing at the North Pole. When Santa finds it decades later and starts granting the wishes, adult Jake faces the consequences alongside his childhood best friend Julie, played by Rachel Boston.

November 28 also brings two premieres. The Most Wonderful Secret stars Tammin Sursok and Peter Porte, while Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True stars Lacey Chabert and Travis Van Winkle. Chabert plays Lindsey, whose family Christmas trip to Disney World takes an awkward turn when she discovers that Philip, a disastrous recent first date, is staying next door. Their repeated vacation encounters might give the pair a chance to see each other differently.

The month ends with another double feature on November 29: Eight Nights for Love, starring Hunter King and Dan Jeannotte, and Miles to Christmas, starring Ashley Williams, Steve Lund and Alison Sweeney.

December Saves a Time-Travel Romance for the Home Stretch

Nine December premieres carry the schedule toward Christmas. One is a return to Biltmore House, where a story that begins in the nineteenth century sends its heroine somewhere she could never have imagined.

A Grand Biltmore Christmas Crosses More Than a Century

A Grand Biltmore Christmas premieres December 5, starring Holland Roden and Niall Matter. In 1895, young Elizabeth meets Michael while her family is visiting Biltmore House, but he vanishes. Twenty years later, they reunite at a Christmas gala. Michael, it turns out, is a visitor from the present who traveled into the past with a magical hourglass. When Elizabeth is transported to his time, the two must find a way to send her back to 1915. Elizabeth must then decide whether she wants the future planned for her. Andie MacDowell, James Trevena, Jonathan Frakes, Rachel Boston and Wes Brown are also in the cast.

The December schedule starts with The Snowflake Effect on December 4. After Biltmore, An Angel in My Stocking premieres December 6, followed by Christmas in Canterbury on December 11, Snow Globe Town on December 12 and Noelle Nomads on December 13.

The Final Weekend Goes Out With Three More Movies

Hallmark’s announced run closes with Hearts All Aglow on December 18, starring Mishael Morgan, B.J. Britt and Holly Robinson Peete. Barking All the Way, with Ian Harding and Tori Anderson, follows on December 19. The final listed premiere is Save the Date for Christmas, starring Jonathan Bennett and Italia Ricci, on December 20.

From a Chicago stadium to a Christmas bar to a magical hourglass, this year’s lineup gives familiar holiday romance plenty of different settings. Whether you watch every premiere or pick a few favorites, the countdown starts October 17.