Even though Hallmark Channel launched in 2001, it didn’t start their Countdown to Christmas lineup until 2009. Prior to that, they did air a Christmas movie or two including A Season for Miracles and The Christmas Card, but it wasn’t until 2009 that they officially launched their slate of Countdown to Christmas movies. At the time there were only four movies to premiere that holiday season. Meager beginnings, for sure.
The Christmas movies have become so popular that it spawned a Hallmark Christmas Cruise as well as a weekend fan experience in Kansas City, Missouri where Hallmark’s parent company, Hallmark Cards, Inc. is located.
With each year, Hallmark added a few more movies to its slate. A lineup of Christmas movies that once started after Thanksgiving soon began to grow so large that the schedule had to be moved earlier and earlier until now Countdown to Christmas starts in mid-October! Fan favorite stars like Lacey Chabert, Tyler Hynes, Andrew Walker, Alison Sweeney, and Brennan Elliott return year after year to film these joyful movies for Hallmark. This year, on the 17th anniversary of Countdown to Christmas, the network will premiere a record 34 original movies!
Let’s take a look at the first Countdown to Christmas movies to the upcoming tentpole holiday movies on Hallmark Channel.
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What were the first Countdown to Christmas movies?
The very first Countdown to Christmas lineup was back in 2009 and featured a small slate of just four original movie premieres. These films set the groundwork for the holiday extravaganza the network celebrates today.
The Original 2009 Countdown to Christmas lineup included:
(L to R: Kari Matchett as Faith Russell, Andrew McCarthy as Corey Burdock, Evan Williams as Rock Burdock, Paula Brancati as Katie)Hallmark Media
The National Tree
Premiered on Nov. 28, 2009Starred Andrew McCarthy, Kari Matchett, Evan Williams
A teenager wins a national contest to provide the official White House Christmas tree, prompting a road trip with his father to transport the massive tree across the country.
Fun Fact: Evan Williams, who starred as McCarthy’s son in the film, went on to play Elliot Augustine in Hallmark Channel’s original series, The Way Home!
Just when single dad Seth Webster (James Van Der Beek) begins to feel that he’ll never be able to control his rambunctious six-year-old twins, housekeeper extraordinaire Emily Merkle (Doris Roberts) shows up to help all three Webster boys find their way. Photo Credit: Chris Large/2009 Crown Media.Hallmark Media
Debbie Macomber’s Mrs. Miracle
Premiered on Dec. 5, 2009Starred Doris Roberts, James Van Der Beek, Jewel Staite
An overwhelming single father of twin boys gets unexpected help from an enigmatic, magical nanny named Mrs. Merkle (whom the boys call “Mrs. Miracle”). Roberts made two Mrs. Miracle movies. Subsequent reboots of Mrs. Miracle movies starred Caroline Rhea and Rachel Boston in the titular role.
Related: 12 British TV Shows That Make It Hard to Stop at One Episode—From Twisty Crime Dramas to Cozy Countryside Escapes
Although he doesn???t have the money to buy his loved ones real gifts, widowed farmer Daniel Burton (Billy Ray Cyrus) finds a way to provide hope and make Christmas special for his family. Photo by Chris LargeHallmark Media
Christmas in Canaan
Premiered on Dec. 12, 2009Starred Billy Ray Cyrus
Set in 1960s rural Texas, a white boy and a Black boy are forced by their parents to spend time together after a schoolyard fight, leading to a lifelong friendship during the Civil Rights era.
Jack and Cherie Green (Dean Cain and Jean Louisa Kelly) run a wooden toy company which brings joy to kids everywhere, even though they have no children of their own to share it with. But that all changes when they take in three troublemaking orphans during the holidays. Photo: Alexx Henry/2009 Crown MediaHallmark Media
The Three Gifts
Premiered on Dec. 19, 2009Starred Dean Cain, Jean Louisa Kelly
A childless couple agrees to foster three rowdy, orphaned brothers over the Christmas holiday, permanently changing the lives of everyone involved.
Related: Hallmark Just Revealed Its 2026 Christmas Movie Lineup—See the Full Schedule
This Year’s Countdown to Christmas Tentpole Movies
Amongst the record 34 original holiday films on this year’s Countdown to Christmas slate, three films stand out. Check them out below.
Robert Buckley, Lyndsy FonsecaHallmark Media
Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story
Premieres Saturday, Oct. 17Starring Lyndsy Fonseca, Robert Buckley, Marsha Mason, Barbara Alyn Woods, Khary PaytonFeatured Cameos by Chicago Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson, quarterback Caleb Williams, tight end Colston Loveland, tight end Cole Kmet, legendary Bears alumni Mike Singletary, Charles “Peanut” Tillman and Dan Hampton, Connie Payton, wife of the late Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton, and the team’s beloved mascot Staley Da Bear, Tamera Mowry-Housley, Marilu Henner, Jake Connelly and Dyon “Mojo” Brooks
When ambitious freelance reporter Avery Clark (Fonseca) returns to Chicago to spend Christmas with her mom (Woods) and new stepdad (Payton), she’s hoping for a little holiday downtime before her next assignment. Instead, she lands a feel-good story profiling Darlene Donnelly (Mason), a beloved Chicago Bears superfan about to celebrate an incredible milestone – attending her 500th game. There’s just one catch: Avery knows next to nothing about football or Chicago. Enter Darlene’s handsome grandson Matt (Buckley), a Chicago firefighter and die-hard Bears fan who, with a little gentle nudging from Darlene, agrees to show Avery what being part of Bears Nation is all about. As Avery follows Darlene’s remarkable story through cherished game-day traditions, festive Chicagoadventures and memories of a love story that began at a stadium, she starts to understand that football is about much more than what happens on the field. And as sparks fly between Avery and Matt, this Christmas may just convince a woman who’s always on the move that sometimes the greatest adventure is finding a place, and someone, that feels like home.
Bryce Durfee, Asher Alexander, Travis Van Winkle, Lacey Chabert, Taegen Burns, Richard Kind, Christy Carlson RomanoHallmark Media
Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True
Premieres Saturday, Nov. 28Starring Lacey Chabert, Travis Van Winkle, Richard Kind, Christy Carlson Romano, Bryce Durfee, Taegen Burns
Lindsey (Chabert) and her extended family head to the Walt Disney World Resort® to spend a magical Christmas together. But the dream of a jolly holiday gets quickly dashed when Lindsey discovers her room is next door to Philip (Van Winkle), a disastrous first date she recently had, who’s also there on a family trip. As Lindsey and Philip’s paths cross throughout their stay, the frost starts to thaw as they learn they’re not so different from each other after all. Thanks to some Walt Disney World magic, the holiday wish Lindsey made in Cinderella Fountain just might turn their rivalry into romance.
Niall Matter, Holland RodenHallmark Media
A Grand Biltmore Christmas
Premieres Saturday, Dec. 5Starring Holland Roden, Niall Matter, Andie MacDowell, James Trevena, Jonathan Frakes, Rachel Boston, Wes Brown
As Biltmore House opens for the first time on Christmas Eve 1895, 13-year-old Elizabeth and her family are holiday guests. When she notices Michael, a fellow teen caught trespassing by the staff, Elizabeth comes to his rescue by claiming to know him, much to his relief. The two share an instant connection and set out to explore Biltmore but Michael inexplicably vanishes. Twenty years later, Elizabeth (Roden) is spending Christmas at Biltmore and this time is accompanied by James (Trevena), a suitor her Aunt Maysilee (MacDowell), is keen for her to wed. When a stranger asks Elizabeth to dance at the Christmas gala she’s shocked to discover it’s Michael (Matter). Thrilled to reunite with her friend, she throws herself into his arms. But the world around her changes in an instant when Elizabeth is transported into the modern world with Michael, a tourist from the present day who had traveled to the past 20 years prior with the help of a magical hourglass in Biltmore’s library. Now, Elizabeth and Michael must find a way to send her back to her time, while not arousing the suspicion of Michael’s mother and sister during their family vacation. As Elizabeth experiences life and Christmas in the 21st century, she and Michael become close. When the time comes for her to return to 1915, Elizabeth must decide whether she’ll resume the life that’s been chosen for her or if her heart will lead her down a new path in the present.
Next, A Writer Finds Herself Back in Time in Hallmark Channel’s ‘A Biltmore Christmas’
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