Photos via BarbaraHinske.com

There are 40 original movies slated for Hallmark’s iconic Christmas programming event this year, and one in particular is sure to warm your heart this holiday season! The Christmas Club, starring Camerson Mathison and Elizabeth Mitchell, tells the inspiring story of random acts of kindness, friendship and love — and it’s set to premiere during the 10th Anniversary of Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas lineup. Lolly Christmas chatted with Barbara Hinske, the author of the novella on which the film is based, about the writing process and being on the festive set as her imagination came to life — read what she had to say below!

Can you tell me more about The Christmas Club?
An elderly woman slips on the ice and her hard-earned Christmas Club money is lost to the wind. Two strangers come to her aid and a series of pay-it-forward, random acts of kindness is set in motion.

What inspired the story?
A sermon I heard many years ago contained the story of a stranger helping someone recover money that had blown out of their hands and centered on the theme of doing kind things for people in nice ways. Anonymous kindness is sometimes the nicest approach and that idea stuck with me because I — like many of us — love to be acknowledged for doing something generous. I expanded and fictionalized this story but kept the main theme intact.

Photos and screengrabs: Crown Media

As one of the Hallmark original new Christmas movies I was most looking forward to, “Write Before Christmas” starring Torrey DeVitto and Chad Michael Murray, did not disappoint! In the film, Jessica (DeVitto) sends Christmas cards to five people who have greatly impacted her life–one of which, gets received by the son (Murray) of her former teacher.

The story was great, the chemistry was bliss and the clothes were fabulous!

Valerie Halverson, the Costume Designer for the film, dressed Torrey in this Banana Republic ‘Melton’ Car Coat. Not only does she wear it for the official key art, her character also wears this look in the film with a plaid scarf.

Photos: Crown Media

Kellie Pickler returned to the Hallmark Channel this holiday season with Tyler Hynes in “The Mistletoe Secret”, a sweet festive story set in a small town and wrapped in a little mystery. In the movie, Kellie plays Aria Eubank whose hometown is selected for feature story by travel writer, Sterling Masters (Christopher Russell), but little does she know that the voice behind her favorite adventurer is not quite who she thinks.

Aria sticks to cute and cozy winter wear in this film, but that didn’t stop her from having quite the show-stopping moment for a holiday party or two! Check out some of the fashion highlights below.

Images: Crown Media/Net-A-Porter

If you’ve been binge-watching Christmas movies on Hallmark Channel, you may have noticed the 7 Night Thanksgiving Movie Event promo with Candace Cameron Bure, which means you probably fell in love with the totally festive plaid skirt she was wearing the commercial–right? Right!

I know this to be true because my inbox has been flooded with emails from Festive Fashion lovers who wanted the scoop on the designer! If you too are on the hunt, you can rest easy…I have it for you.

(L-R) Murray, Ricci and Turner. | Photos: Crown Media

When the Hallmark holiday movie lineup was announced back in September, you may remember seeing the title “Alice in Christmasland” included… and then it moved around the schedule before finally disappearing altogether. Well–it’s back, and with a little bit of a title change!

Chad Michael Murray announced in an Instagram post this morning that he began production on Alice in Winterland alongside Italia Ricci (Rome in Love) and Jack Turner (One Winter Weekend, One Winter Proposal, One Winter Wedding).

There is still a little bit to learn about this particular film project because, we don’t know the plot, if it’s staying on Hallmark Channel or heading to Hallmark Movies & Mysteries–or if it’s slated to premiere this holiday season or next year. In fact, the script might have even been reworked to premiere during the Winterfest 2020 lineup, which kicks off in January, considering the title change.

In the meantime, make sure you tune in for Murray’s film, Write Before Christmas when it premieres on Hallmark Channel on Sunday, November 17th.  If Alice in Winterland should premiere this holiday season, it would mean that Murray is the third actor to star in two holiday movies for Hallmark this season following Andrew Walker (Merry & Bright, Christmas On My Mind) and Michael Rady (Two Turtle Doves, A New Year’s Resolution).

Update 11/20/19: This movie has been confirmed for the Winterfest 2020 lineup with yet another title change! The current working title is Winter Inn Love.

I vote Alice Inn Winterland as the final title but, that’s just me.

Stay merry!

Screngrabs: Crown Media

Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away, which is pretty much kicks off the holiday season for many households and, to make the occasion extra-joyous, each year Hallmark celebrates with a full week of movie premieres! Cozying up to a festive movie with family is such a nice way to ring in the season.

Candace Cameron Bure will host Hallmark Channel’s 7 Night Thanksgiving Movie Event, a week-long celebration that begins on Monday, November 25th with the premiere of “A Christmas Duet” before concluding on December 1st with the premiere of Bure’s film, “Christmas Town”.

Andrew Walker in MERRY & BRIGHT (Photo: Crown Media)

One—or many—could say that Andrew Walker is the ‘Prince of Hallmark,’ and that might be why he has not one, but two new Christmas movies spanning both of Hallmark’s top networks this holiday season!  I chatted with Andrew about Merry & Bright, in which he co-stars with Jodie Sweetin and Sharon Lawrence, as well as his surprising second festive film alongside Ashley Greene; his outlook on acting, holiday traditions, and lots more!

Your new movie, “Merry and Bright”, premieres this weekend on Hallmark for the 10^th Anniversary of Countdown to Christmas. Can you tell me a bit about that?

Sure! It’s about a girl (Jodie Sweetin) who inherits a candy cane company from her grandfather, and the business has not been doing too well; she’s been struggling to keep it afloat and to grow it.  I represent an investment group that comes in to turn the business around.  I’ve been assigned by the investors to go in to, basically, just dismantle things and help her grow the business, and obviously she’s a very proud woman and she’s a very proud business owner, and she doesn’t feel like she needs my help so, she’s kind of giving me some pushback on that. Ultimately, we end up finding a common ground and, along the way, we end up falling for each other.

Grenier and Doubleday for CHRISTMAS AT GRACELAND: HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS | Photos and screengrabs: Crown Media

Hallmark is heading back to Graceland for an all-new holiday story and cast of characters for the 10th Anniversary of Countdown to Christmas — Kaitlin Doubleday and Adrian Grenier star in “Christmas at Graceland: Home for the Holidays”, which will premiere on Hallmark Channel.

We still have a little bit of time before we get to see this movie and delve into the festive fashion from it but, I noticed that Doubleday, playing the role of Harper, will wear a gown in the film that is also featured in another film on the 2019 Countdown to Christmas lineup!

In the early promos for the movie, we see Harper in the Betsy & Adam ‘Ellie’ Scuba Crepe Long Gown in Red, an elegant off-the-shoulder design with cascading ruffle detail down the back. This gown also comes in Pine Green, which is worn by Jill Wagner in “Christmas Wishes & Mistletoe Kisses”!

The gown is available for $279 at BetsyandAdam.com.

(Updated: 12/10/19) For more fashion from the movie, read on…

Photos and screengrabs: Crown Media

Chaley Rose and Rome Flynn star in the new Hallmark Channel movie, “A Christmas Duet”, as a former music group (and couple!) who are reunited at Christmas years after ending their relationship.

Averie Davis (Rose) wears a beautiful burgundy Burberry ‘Gibbsmoore’ Funnel Collar Trench Coat with cool grommet belt detail at the waist and wrists.  Unfortunately, this coat is sold out, but I found a cool lookalike with this Michael Kors look.

(Updated on 12/11/19) I caught up with the costume designer, Barbara Gregusova, who shared the scoop on some other items worn in the movie that I’ve worked into this post!

Photos and screengrabs: Crown Media

Jill Wagner and Matthew Davis will kick off the new movies coming to Hallmark Channel’s 10th Anniversary of Countdown to Christmas with the premiere of “Christmas Wishes & Mistletoe Kisses”. In the heart-warming romantic tale, Wagner plays Abbey, a single mom and interior designer who is hired by Nick (Davis) to decorate his estate by Christmas Eve.

When Hallmark went behind the scenes of the movie and Wagner talked about Abbey’s gorgeous gown in the movie, I knew I had to find it — and I did!  Abbey wears a striking off-the-shoulder deep green creation with ruffles traveling down the back making it the ultimate Christmas Eve gown!