Will Ferrell in “Elf” (2003). | Photo: New Line Cinema

It may be only October 2nd, but SANTA’S COMING! Are you ready for the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER?

AMC Networks has announced the return of their holiday season programming event, which has been dubbed ‘Best Christmas Ever’. The network debuted the lineup last year and, safe to say, it was a hit with viewers so, beginning Monday, November 25 through Christmas Day, you can look forward to festive programming including holiday-themed movies, specials and family favorite films across all of AMC Networks* — more than 700 hours worth!

“We are delighted for the return of ‘Best Christmas Ever,’ which quickly resonated with viewers last year and has become a new holiday tradition in celebration of the season as we showcase 31 days and nights of Christmas movies and specials all-month long,” Tom Halleen, executive vice president of programming strategy, acquisitions and scheduling for AMC Networks, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to extend our largest ever holiday slate to all five of our networks so that viewers can easily access their favorite holiday movies all-month long.”

Among the lineup will be Christmas favorites, such as: Elf, The Polar Express, Christmas with the Kranks, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Miracle on 34th Street (1994), Four Christmases, and tons more — check out the list below and WATCH A TEASER HERE!

Photos: Crown Media/IMDb

We finally got some more information on the upcoming Blake Shelton-produced movie for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries — the sequel to last year’s “Time for Me to Come Home for Christmas”.

Entertainment Tonight revealed that Alison Sweeney (Days of Our Lives, Murder, She Baked, The Chronicle Mysteries) and Lucas Bryant (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) will take on the leading roles in “Time for You to Come Home for Christmas”!

Sweeney will star as recent widow Katherine who, along with her son, Will, returns to her hometown to spend Christmas with family. On the train to Virginia, Katherine meets Jack (Bryant), a veteran on his own holiday journey. Katherine and Jack part ways, only to discover they had the same destination. While volunteering for the local Christmas dance, a fundraiser for military families, the two grow closer. But Katherine struggles to move on from her late husband and Jack is focused on a mysterious mission that brought him to town. As Christmas nears, the two learn of a hidden connection that may be the Christmas miracle they were looking for.

As you can see, the plot is very similar to its predecessor; the 2018 film starred Josh Henderson and Megan Park and was based on Shelton’s 2012 holiday song, “Time for Me to Come Home,” which was turned into a festive novel by Shelton’s mother, Dorothy Shackleford, and published in 2013.

“Time for You to Come Home for Christmas” is slated for a December 6th premiere on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries at 9pm/8c for its Miracles of Christmas 2019 holiday programming event.

Sweeney has previously starred in the Hallmark holiday movies: “Christmas at Holly Lodge” (2017) and “Murder, She Baked: A Plum Pudding Mystery” (2015), and while this will be Bryant’s first Christmas movie for the network, he has previously starred in “Country at Heart” (2019), “Tulips in Spring” (2016) and “Summer Love” (2016).

Stay merry!

Movie Images and Screencaps via Crown Media

One of the movies set to premiere during Hallmark Channel’s 10th Anniversary of Countdown to Christmas celebration this year is “Picture a Perfect Christmas”, which stars Merritt Patterson and Jon Cor. The movie is about a photographer (Patterson) who returns home to care for her ailing grandmother, and gets involved with her neighbor (Cor) who is looking after his nephew.

During the preview I’ve seen courtesy of Hallmark’s preview specials, I can say that I’m already interesting in finding a lot of the cozy sweaters Merritt will wear in the movie–but, I couldn’t resist posting early because I recognized her red blouse from the production stills and had to share the info!