(L-R) Peete, Sanchez and Bent – Photos: Crown Media

Hallmark announced today that production has officially begun on an upcoming holiday movie starring Holly Robinson Peete called The Christmas Bond (working title), which is set up air during the Miracles of Christmas lineup during the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries holiday programming event.

Not only will Robinson Peete star, but she will also serve as executive producer for this all-new original movie. The Christmas Bond will also star Lyriq Bent (Acrimony) and Nik Sanchez (The Rookie) who, like the character he portrays, is on the autism spectrum.

In the story, as a single mom (Peete) and her teenaged son with autism (Sanchez) come to a crossroad during Christmas, she must learn to let go so he can flourish and finds her own heart healing in unexpected ways.

Photo: Atlantic Records

We have had quite a bit of Christmas movie news lately, but not enough holiday music information — until yesterday! Kelly Clarkson announced via a Twitter video that her obsession with Christmas has led to a brand new holiday song that she will be releasing next week!

Kelly’s song is called “Christmas Isn’t Canceled (Just You)”, and it will be released on Thursday, September 23rd. You can pre-save it now on Spotify, Deezer and Apple Music by clicking here!

The title is very interesting, so I’m excited to hear how this one sounds.

I also wonder if this means that a full Christmas album is on the way.  It’s been awhile since her last record; Wrapped in Red came out in 2013!

Stay Merry,

Graphic by LollyChristmas.com

There are officially 100 Days Until Christmas! That sounds like a long time, but believe us when we say it isn’t. The season will fly by, so we urge you to take each moment as it comes. Enjoy all of the cheer the entire holiday season has to offer… no matter how big or little that cheer is. ✨🎄✨

The Christmas movies will begin airing on Hallmark on Friday, October 22nd, and we can’t wait to share more info on all of the new films as they are made official. Let’s hope we learn more later today given the milestone we’ve hit. *fingers crossed*

Another way we’d like to honor the 100 day mark is to celebrate Lolly Christmas herself. If you read the latest post, the namesake of our website, is battling the motor neuron disease ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis aka Lou Gehrig’s disease), and we have created a GoFundMe to raise money for adaptive devices and treatments to help her in this fight. If you’d like to give back in honor of the holiday season — or because you’ve enjoyed the merriment Lolly has spread this past decade, then we ask that you please donate to her cause. If you’re unable to donate, please still share her GoFundMe on social media and with anyone you know; your church bulletin board, your community, etc. Every little bit helps and there’s strength in numbers. Click here to view the fundraiser!

We hope you #StayMerry today and every day that you’re blessed to be given. ✨🎄✨

Lolly’s Song of the Day: TobyMac – “Bring On The Holidays”

It has been 10 years since LollyChristmas.com was created. The website was created with Lolly herself — a nickname given to our Mother, Loretta, when she was very young, however, what was initially meant to be her holiday blog became a place where my sister and I could celebrate the love of the holiday season right alongside our super festive Mom… all year long.

LollyChristmas.com is now a family-run website that allows us to enjoy the most wonderful time of the year, and share our love of the holiday season with people all over the world.  We hope it will continue for many years to come, but in the meantime, our holiday cheer has taken a hit.

Our Mom… our “Lolly”… was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis aka Lou Gehrig’s disease), which is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord; ALS causes you to lose the ability to walk, use your hands, eat, talk and breathe.

While she can still enjoy listening to Christmas music, at this point, Lolly is more than 75% paralyzed; she can not walk, talk or eat, and has lost most function in her hands. We (her “little elves”) have started a #Care4Loretta GoFundMe fundraiser to help ease her stress when it comes to finances, and we’re in desperate need of adaptive devices, surgeries and treatments requiring specialists, and other supplies to help her during this incredibly traumatic illness.

According to the ALS Association, $250,000
is the estimated out-of-pocket cost for caring for a person with ALS.

The holidays are quickly approaching — our favorite time of year, but this year it’s clouded with sadness, stress and uncertainty.  We’d like for “Lolly” to not to worry about anything more than spending time with her family, who love her so much, and getting her treatments.   If you’re able, we ask that you please donate. We also ask that you share the fundraiser link on your social media or with anyone you personally know. There’s strength in numbers.

The direct link is: https://www.gofundme.com/f/care-for-loretta

Thank you for reading this, and in keeping with Lolly’s motto: Stay Merry!

Merry Wishes,
Lolly’s Daughter Elves

Photo: Crown Media

To enhance our excitement of the upcoming slate of new Christmas movies this year, Hallmark Channel has released a new promo ad to celebrate the Countdown to Christmas programming event!

Holiday movies will air all day and all night beginning on Friday, October 22nd, and for what I believe to be the first time, the promo ad pokes fun about the fact that the movies air before Halloween.

It was a fun ad despite not showing any of the new movies. Check it out below!

Lenz (left) and Hynes (right) | Photos: Crown Media

Hallmark Channel announced today that Bethany Joy Lenz (One Tree Hill, Five Star Christmas) and Tyler Hynes (Roadhouse Romance, On the 12th Date of Christmas) will lead An Unexpected Christmas, an all-new original holiday movie that is set to premiere as part of the network’s iconic Countdown to Christmas programming event this holiday season!

I know I’m not alone with being excited to finally have confirmation on this movie; Joy posted a video from her heading off to film the movie back in August, and I’ve been eager to learn more ever since!

In An Unexpected Christmas, Jamie (Hynes) hasn’t told his family that he and his now ex-girlfriend Emily (Lenz) broke up. After an inopportune run-in with Emily at the train station in his hometown, Jamie convinces her to pretend they’re still a couple to avoid ruining Christmas for his family.

Paevey (left) and Parrish (right) | Photos: Crown Media

We finally have details on the brand new Hallmark Channel holiday movie, Coyote Creek Christmas, starring Ryan Paevey and Janel Parrish that I told you about last month.

The network confirmed that the all-new original movie is set to premiere for the annual Countdown to Christmas programming event this fall… and gave us more information about the storyline.

In the movie, Paige (Parrish) offers to plan the annual holiday party at her parent’s hotel in the Rockies, the Coyote Creek Inn, which will surely help her score a promotion at the upscale event planning company she works for. She decides on a “Christmas around the world” theme, to showcase the universal magic of the season through the diverse Christmas traditions of the Inn’s guests.

Chenoweth with Santa Claus at the premiere of Hallmark’s A Christmas Love Story in 2019. | Photo: Crown Media

We need a little Christmas, and Kristin Chenoweth has a special delivery of it on the way!

The acclaimed singer and actress (and Broadway icon!) has announced that she will release her new Christmas album, Happiness Is… Christmas! on October 22nd and gave us a sneak peek with one song from the record (click here to pre-order).

The song, which is also the title track, “Happiness (Is Christmas)” is also very special for fans of Chenoweth and Peanuts because it’s a reworked version of “Happiness” from the Broadway musical, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, and “Christmas Time Is Here” from the Peanuts holiday classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas. In fact, Chenoweth actually won a Tony Award for her work as Sally in the musical revival back in 1999.

L-R: Bruce, DeVitto and Duffy. (Photos: Crown Media)

It’s always nice to kick off the ‘Ber months with a little Christmas movie news!

Deadline reports that Torrey Devitto (Chicago Med, Write Before Christmas, Best Christmas Party Ever) will be leading her third holiday movie for Hallmark, and will be joined by Dylan Bruce (Orphan Black, A Novel Romance) and Patrick Duffy (Dallas, The Mistletoe Secret, The Christmas Cure).

Production starts this week for The Christmas Promise, an all-new original festive film for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries that is set to air during this year’s Miracles of Christmas programming event.

In the new heartwarming holiday tale, DeVitto plays Nicole, a woman who learns to deal with grief with the help of her grandfather (Duffy) and a carpenter named Joe (Bruce), who she hires to renovate the home she was to share with her fiancé.

The Christmas Promise will be directed by Fred Gerber from a script by Kathy Kloves, who also serves as producer along with Risa Shapiro, Sunta Izzicupo and Front Street Pictures Inc.

Stay merry!

Graphic by LollyChristmas.com

Welcome, September! We’re finally in the ‘Ber’ months, and I’m thrilled! I know that while I get excited about the holiday season, and many of you share in that joy, a lot of people are going through a tough time and this time of year can be stressful. These past couple of years especially.

My prayers are with anyone going through a tough time. I hope you can find moments of joy this month and this upcoming holiday season. 🍂

Stay merry!