Photos: Crown Media

Lacey Chabert and Sam Page are returning to Hallmark this holiday season!

EW reported today that the two are teaming up for “Christmas in Rome”, set to film partially in Italy.

Chabert plays the role of Angela, an independent-minded American tour guide who is fired from her job in Rome just before Christmas and ends up crossing paths with Oliver (Page), an American executive, who wants to buy a high-end Italian ceramics company. In true Hallmark holiday movie style, Oliver hires Angela to be his guide around the city because the owner of the company won’t sell to him until he learns “the heart and soul of Rome”.

But, Oliver might just win the heart of more than just Rome.

Just like Candace Cameron Bure, this will be Chabert’s 8th Christmas movie with the network, but we’ll have to wait until Hallmark kicks off the 10th anniversary of their epic Countdown to Christmas programming event later this year to see “Christmas in Rome”.

Between both the Hallmark Channel and its sister channel Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, we can expect 40 new movies to roll out this Christmas. However, knowing their jolly history, we could end up with even more! I’m so excited!

Stay merry!

Photo: Crown Media

It wouldn’t truly feel like Christmas on the Hallmark Channel without a new movie from network favorite Candace Cameron Bure, and we don’t have to wait long to hear about the latest one because it was announced today!

Bure will star in the Countdown to Christmas Hallmark Channel original movie, “Christmas Town,“ based off of the 2016 bestselling novel by Donna VanLiere.

In the movie, Lauren Gabriel (Bure) leaves everything behind in Boston to embark on a new chapter in her life and career. But an unforeseen detour to the charming town of Grandon Falls has her discover unexpected new chapters – of the heart and of family – helping her to embrace, once again, the magic of Christmas.  Tim Rozon (“Wynonna Earp”) will co-lead in the role of Travis, a town local who helps Lauren out with a ride from the train station in to the town of Grandon Falls.

Photo: Crown Media

Today’s movie news is sure to be major for all my fellow Andrew Walker & Jodie Sweetin fans!

We didn’t get a new *Hallmark* Christmas movie from Walker last year but — not only did he return this spring for “Bottled with Love”, he’ll also appear alongside Sweetin (“Finding Santa”, “Entertaining Christmas”) for the ‘most wonderful time of the year’!

Walker and Sweetin will lead “Merry and Bright”, the story of Cate (Sweetin), CEO of the Merry & Bright Candy Cane Company, who meets Gabe (Walker) during the busy Christmas season. She assumes Gabe is the suitor her well-meaning mother is trying to set her up with when in reality, he works for Empire Corporate Recovery, which has been hired to take a closer look at Merry & Bright’s operation and find ways to make the company more profitable. As Cate and Gabe begin to work together, they find ways to elevate the business and find that they have more in common than savvy business sense.

Although the network will air a new movie during it’s Christmas in July programming, I think it’s likely that we’ll see “Merry and Bright” premiere during the Countdown to Christmas lineup later this year.

This marks the ninth new Christmas movie announcement from Crown Media this year — following “The Christmas Song“, “Holiday for Heroes,” “The Christmas Company,” “Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses,” “Five Cards for Christmas,” “A Family Under The Christmas Tree,” a third installment to the ‘Graceland’ series and an untitled Blake Shelton-produced project.

Stay merry!

L-R: DeVitto and Murray | Photos: Crown Media

Last holiday season was quite the fête for “One Tree Hill” fans when several former cast members of the long-running drama appeared in four festive movies on Lifetime, and Chad Michael Murray, who starred in the series made his Hallmark Channel Christmas movie debut in “Road to Christmas”!

Well, now it’s just the gift that keeps on giving because we’re getting another mini reunion this year during the 10th anniversary of Hallmark’s holiday programming event, Countdown to Christmas.

Murray will join forces with former OTH co-stars Torrey DeVitto (“Best Christmas Party Ever”) and Drew Seeley (“A Christmas for the Books”) for a new movie, “Five Cards for Christmas” (w/t).

Brown and Pickler on set of ‘Christmas at Graceland’. | Photo: Crown Media

Following the success of last year’s original movie “Christmas at Graceland”, starring Kellie Pickler and Wes Brown as Laurel and Clay — former Memphis sweethearts who rekindled their romance during the most wonderful time of the year at Elvis Presley‘s mansion — Crown Media Family Networks have ordered two more sequels set to air this year.

“Wedding at Graceland” finds Laurel (Pickler) accepting Clay’s (Brown) marriage proposal only to discover they can get married at the Graceland Chapel in three weeks or wait 18 months for the next opening. In addition when Laurel and Clay’s family meet the two families discover they are more different than alike.

Photos Used: Crown Media

Last year Hallmark debuted a record-breaking 37 original movies during the holiday season, but they’re ready to top themselves in 2019!

Crown Media Family Networks announced that they will be premiering 40 brand new films between their Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries networks later this year to help spread the joy of the season. While Hallmark Movies & Mysteries will debut 16, the remaining 24 will be celebrated during the 10th anniversary of the Countdown to Christmas holiday programming event on Hallmark Channel – including “Holiday for Heroes” and an untitled Blake Shelton project.

There are also plans to premiere a new movie during Hallmark Channel’s Keepsake Christmas, the annual event during July to coincide with Hallmark’s Keepsake Ornament Premiere preview in stores.

So, I’m guessing one of those 24 films will be that movie — and my guess is that it will be the previously announced “The Christmas Song” starring Kristin Chenoweth and Scott Wolf or, perhaps, the tentatively titled “A Family Under The Christmas Tree” starring Merritt Patterson (“The Christmas Cottage”, “Christmas at the Palace”) and Jon Cor (“Love on Safari”).

— Updated 07/14/2019: This movie has officially been named “Picture a Perfect Christmas”! —

Photo: Crown Media

Hallmark has featured Christmas programming mainly across their Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channels as well as Hallmark Movies Now, an on-demand streaming video service, but it looks at though they have plans to expand it to their Hallmark Drama station this year.

Crown Media announced last Friday that two new original reality programs would be added to Hallmark Drama this season, “Project Christmas Joy” and “Christmas Cookie Countdown”.

“Project Christmas Joy” – In this special, a town will received an extreme Hallmark holiday transformation. This includes an extravagant Christmas tree lighting to a Main Street Makeover, the series goal is to spread holiday cheer for a town that needs it the most.

“Christmas Cookie Countdown” – This five-episode competition series will feature some of the most talented amateur home bakers around the country in the most exciting yuletide cookie challenges the holiday season has ever seen. The series will be judged by a panel of three well-known pastry chefs and hosted by a rotating panel of beloved Hallmark stars who will be on hand to offer encouragement and support throughout the competition.

Air dates have not yet been announced.

Visit HallmarkDrama.com to find out where you can watch Hallmark Drama in your area!

Stay merry!

L-R: Matthew Davis, Jill Wagner, Donna Mills | Photos: The CW/Crown Media

According to ET Online, Hallmark Channel fan-favorite Jill Wagner will return for an all-new movie that’s set to premiere during the 10th anniversary of the network’s beloved holiday programming, Countdown to Christmas.

Wagner will lead “Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses” alongside Matthew Davis, best known for his roles on The CW’s “The Vampire Diaries” and its spin-off “Legacies”, as well as television icon Donna Mills (“Knots Landing”, “General Hospital”).

The movie focuses on Wagner’s character, a single mom named Abbey who takes a leap of faith to pursue her passion for interior design. After landing a possible career-advancing job decorating the estate of a local businessman Nick Sinclair (played by Davis), Abbey learns that she must complete the job by Christmas Eve. How will she balance the fast approaching holiday and deadline while managing to break down the wall between her and Nick?

We’ll have to tune-in this holiday season to find out!

Mills, who previously starred in “12 Gifts of Christmas” (2015), will play the role of Nick’s mother.

While it will be a Hallmark debut for Davis, this film marks Wagner’s fourth Christmas movie for the network; she previously starred in “Christmas Cookies” (2016), “Maggie’s Christmas Miracle” (2017) and “Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa” (2018).

Stay merry!

The first day of March can only mean one thing to Christmas fanatics… Hallmark Channel’s Merry Madness Christmas Bracket begins!

The third annual bracket is officially open, so pick your favorite holiday movies in a head-to-head match-up to earn points. You can create up to 10 brackets until March 22nd — entering gives you the chance to win $10,000, $2,500 & $1,000!

For more information, visit HallmarkChannel.com.

Stay merry!

Photo: Crown Media

Deutschman (left) and Connell (right) | Photos: IMDb

It may be February, but it’s currently Christmas in Almonte, Ontario! According to Pembroke Today, Hallmark is taking advantage of the Canadian winter season to film an upcoming Christmas movie for their holiday lineup later this year.

While there’s no plot reveal just yet nor do we know which Hallmark network it will premiere on, “The Christmas Coach” is currently in production with “Christmas at Grand Valley” star Chad Connell and Erica Deutschman (“Shadowhunters”) in the starring roles.

— Updated 09/12/2019: This movie has officially been named “A Cheerful Christmas”! —

I know Christmas has been over for two months, but the fact that we’re already getting holiday movie news has me feeling like the season never left.

I’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available!

Stay merry!