Graphic by LollyChristmas.com

It feels like the beginning of the year went by slowly, and now everything is moving so quickly! I can’t believe it’s already October and the holiday season is upon us! The Christmas programming schedules have started pouring in recently, which just adds an extra little dose of excitement… a few fun things to anticipate, especially when you’re spending most of your time at home these days.

In fact, Hallmark Channel’s Countdown To Christmas, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’ Miracles Of Christmas and Lifetime’s It’s A Wonderful Lifetime lineups all kick off on October 23rd while Netflix will premiere “The Holidate”, starring Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey, on October 28th!

There’s a lot to look forward to around the world this month — including Canadian Thanksgiving and Halloween, for those who celebrate. I hope you have a wonderful October and #StayMerry! 🎃✨🍁
 
Stay merry!

Photos: Williams-Sonoma, Inc.

In an addition to with releasing a brand new Christmas album this month, Country music icon Dolly Parton, is teaming up with retailer Williams-Sonoma, Inc. this holiday season to launch a collection inspired by Dolly’s own holiday traditions, which includes her signature sugar cookie mix, a replica gingerbread log cabin reminiscent of her childhood home, and a Christmas patchwork apron along with matching oven mitts.

“Sharing my families’ Christmas traditions is a dream come true, and who better to partner with than Williams Sonoma. We joined together to create a whole bunch of goodies that will fit in perfectly with your family celebration or get you started on creating new traditions that will last a lifetime,” Dolly said in an official statement.

“My mama always made us feel loved by making us treats in our little mountain cabin around the holidays. Now I get to invite all my nieces and nephews and their kids for what we like to call ‘cookie night’. It’s the perfect way to spend time with the special people on your Christmas list.”

Photos: UPtv

With the holidays approaching, UPtv has announced their merry offering this year, which features five world television movie premieres that will join the networks collection of 500 hours of Christmas programming that includes over 60 movies to celebrate family, love, and the spirit of the season!

UPtv’s Merry Movie Christmas kicks off on Sunday, November 1st with the premiere of A Very Country Christmas Homecoming starring Bea Santos and Greyston Holt, the third title in the A Very Country franchise! Additionally viewers will be able to add alerts for showtimes with the new My UPtv Movies app that launches in mid-October.

Read on to learn more about the Christmas movies premiering on UPtv!

Photo: Capitol Records Nashville

Carrie Underwood will be bringing her brand-new Christmas album right into your homes with her own holiday special that will exclusively stream on HBO Max towards the end of the year!

The seven-time GRAMMY® Award-winning country singer will perform holiday classics and modern favorites and, of course, songs from her newly-released first ever full-length Christmas album, My Gift, alongside an orchestra and choir.

“The journey of writing and recording this album started last year when I finished my tour and we could have never anticipated the circumstances we would be in this year,” she in a press release. “Creating this album has been good for my heart, and I’m thrilled to get to share it with the world and to bring it to life with Playtone and HBO Max.”

The special is produced by Gary Goetzman and Tom Hanks for Playtone, in conjunction with Underwood and her manager Ann Edelblute.

An official premiere date has not been released yet.

(Updated: 11/17/20) – Apple TV will stream the music special, My Gift: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood, beginning December 3, 2020!

Stay merry!

Top-Bottom, L-R: Ryan Paevey, Candace Cameron Bure, Tamera Mowry-Housley, Jonathan Bennett, Bethany Joy Lenz and Ben Savage.
(Photos courtesy of Crown Media)

The wait is over, Hallmark has released their highly-anticipated 2020 Christmas movie lineup!

There was a time this year where I wasn’t sure if we would get any Christmas movies, but I’m thrilled to announce that Crown Media has unveiled their list of 40 new festive films that will premiere during Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’ Miracles of Christmas all-day-and-all-night continuous holiday programming, which runs from October 23rd through January 2020. Are you as excited as I am?!

Get ready to see all-new heartwarming stories starring Candace Cameron Bure, Ryan Paevey, Lacey Chabert, Andrew Walker, Jonathan Bennett, Bethany Joy Lenz, Tamera Mowry-Housley, Laura Osnes, Brennan Elliott, Niall Matter, Holly Robinson Peete, Danica McKellar, Jill Wagner, Sam Page and many more fan-favorites.

Aaron Tveit, Krystal Joy Brown, Robert Buckley, Sarah Drew, Wynonna Judd, Sara Evans, Rochelle Aytes, Jeremy Jordan, Janel Parrish, Marisol Nichols and Lucia Micarelli are among the actors making their Hallmark Christmas movie debuts!  Twilight star Ashley Greene, who starred in her first film for the network last December, will return in a new feature. Hallmark premiered two Hanukkah-themed movies last year for an extra helping of cheer, and they’re doing it again with Love, Lights, Hanukkah! starring Mia Kirshner, Ben Savage and Marilu Henner.

Check out the full lineup for both networks below, and keep checking back for additional movie news, photos and more as we get closer to the kick off!

Graphic by LollyChristmas.com

Today we usher in a new season, and it’s my most favorite of all… fall!  I always say that autumn is my ‘new year’, and I say that because it always feels like it’s filled with a fresh start; this is the time of year where students return to school, our favorite television series begin a new season of episodes…or debut for the first time and, of course, let’s not forget the trees shedding leaves to prepare for new ones next spring.  Additionally, the smell of autumn is nostalgic, and I always purchase those cinnamon pine cones to fill my home with the spicy scent because it brings my whole family a little comfort. 🍂

I love apple cider and pumpkin spice… I love cozy sweaters and boots… I love watching Fall Harvest movies on Hallmark, and I love reading books by the fire or on my porch as I inhale the scent of the chilly mornings, because it definitely has a particular scent that I’d never be able to describe.

Last, but most certainly not least, this time of year brings us closer to the holidays… the end of the year is filled with celebration — and that includes the kick off of Hallmark and Lifetime’s holiday programming (which happens on October 23rd, by the way) as well as Freeform’s Kickoff to Christmas in November.  Oh, fall how I love you.  I hope you all are enjoying today and what’s to come as much as I am.  I know this has been a very difficult for everyone — some more than others, but I pray that this fresh start is also the beginning of better times ahead. 🍁

 
Stay merry!

L-R: Brandon Quinn, Jana Kramer, Kelly Rowland, Thomas Cadrot, Vanessa Lachey and Ryan McPartlin. | Photos Courtesy of Lifetime

With less than 100 days to go until Christmas Day, Lifetime unveiled its full lineup for the It’s A Wonderful Lifetime holiday slate! It’s going to be a season full of cheer on the network, and it all kicks off on October 23 through December 25 with over 1200 hours of programming.

Lifetime has made a commitment to offering not only lots of festive stories, but diverse and inclusive storytelling; among their holiday offering is “The Christmas Setup”, the network’s first holiday movie with a LGBTQ romance as the lead story; “A Sugar & Spice Holiday”, its first holiday movie centered on a Chinese-American family. The creatives behind the movie also include a trio of Asian women – director Jennifer Liao, writer Eirene Donohue and casting director Judy JK Lee – in creating the authentic vision of the movie.; “Christmas Ever After”, its first movie starring a lead actor with a disability; and “A Welcome Home Christmas”, Lifetime’s first movie centered on a military vet, airing prior to Veterans Day.

Beverley Mitchell, Jana Kramer, Ryan McPartlin, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Vanessa Lachey, Marie Osmond, Fran Drescher and Brandon Quinn are among the stars leading films this year!

Melissa Joan Hart will lead “Dear Christmas” this year alongside Jason Priestley, which will also feature some familiar faces in cameos: Former One Tree Hill stars Hilarie Burton and Antwon Tanner and Jamie and Doug Hehner (Married at First Sight: Couples Cam). Hart will also direct Mario Lopez and AnnaLynne McCord in “Feliz NaviDAD”.

Tiffany Haddish steps in as executive producer of “Christmas Unwrapped”, starring Amber Stevens West, Marco Grazzini and Cheryl Ladd, while Kelly Rowland and Thomas Cadrot return in Lifetime’s first-ever holiday sequel, “Merry Liddle Christmas Wedding.“

Check out the full lineup below — including movie details and air-dates!

Photo: Candace Cameron Bure (Crown Media)

Due to the unprecedented year we’ve been having, and the altered schedules, we didn’t have our usual Christmas: A First Look Preview Special on Hallmark back in July during Christmas Keepsake Week, so it’s certainly been a question of when we’d finally get that official first look. Hallmark movies have been in production for a few weeks now, so it was anticipated we’d get a preview special closer to the kickoff of the holiday programming on October 23rd, and if what I stumbled across on the Hallmark website is correct…we will be.

According to Hallmark’s website, Candace Cameron Bure will host the 2020 Countdown to Christmas Preview Special, a one-hour preview of Hallmark Channel’s upcoming Countdown to Christmas holiday movies on Saturday, October 17th at 11pm/10c.

2020 Miracles of Christmas Preview Special, a first look at the upcoming Miracles of Christmas original holiday movies on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, will air the following evening on Sunday, October 18th at 11pm/10c. The host is currently listed as TBA (To Be Announced).

(Update: 9/22/20) — The 2020 Miracles of Christmas Preview Special will be hosted by Jen Lilley and Trevor Donovan as they have an upcoming Christmas movie together!

It could end up being like last year where Candace hosted both specials — time will tell — but it’s nice to see a little bit of our festive routine back. I’ll keep you posted on further details.

Stay merry!

Graphic by LollyChristmas.com

Can you believe we’ve already hit the 100 DAY MARK UNTIL CHRISTMAS?!

This year has been a tough one, and while I will continue to enjoy the current season as much as possible, I shall not refrain from listening to my holiday tunes as often as possible until January 6th (and beyond!) because, honestly, this time of year — once those ‘Ber months start — goes by just way too fast! I hope you all take the moments to enjoy it to its fullest! ✨🎄✨

Photos: ION Television

Despite being September, it’s definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas thanks to all of the holiday news that’s been dropping in recent weeks, and ION Television is one of the first networks to announce their plans for this Christmas season with their Your Home for the Holidays slate!

You can look forward to seeing four all-new movie premieres and more than thirty returning favorites, ION will kick off their programming event on Sunday, November 29th, with special holiday fare airing weekends in December through Christmas Day.

“At a time when families are spending more time at home together, ION’s holiday lineup will provide an enjoyable escape for viewers who have made watching our movies a tradition of their own,” said Brandon Burgess, ION Media Chairman and CEO. “The network’s continued yearly success proves ION’s status as a go-to destination for holiday movie viewers.”

Check out the list of new movie premieres below; and make sure you check IONtelevision.com this fall when they post the full holiday movie schedule!