2020 got you down? Here’s Hallmark’s Christmas movie schedule

2020 has been a rough year for humanity as a whole. We’re anxious, we’re angry, we’re sliding into hopelessness, and we’ve been struggling to find a light at the end of this massive tunnel of a year. From the pandemic, to political unrest everyone is stressed beyond belief.

So, we’re bringing you some good news. It may only be July, but Hallmark has confirmed they’re doing everything in their power to make sure their annual Christmas movie marathon will be happening this December.

About Countdown to Christmas

The Countdown to Christmas is the Hallmark channel’s annual holiday season marathon where they play your favorite Christmas romcoms, and debut a slew of new ones. Most of them are Hallmark originals meaning they’re cheesy, PG, and have several iterations of every common romance trope.

Obviously, to make a Christmas movie in time for a December release the movie needs to be made earlier in the year, usually spring & summer. But with a worldwide pandemic raging in the year of 2020, almost all Hollywood production came to a grinding halt. Fans who anticipate the Countdown to Christmas were worried that yet one more good thing would be taken from them this year.

The good news

Luckily, Hallmark has announced they have every intention of making the Countdown to Christmas a reality this year with 23 brand new movies slated for release. They’re moving forward with summertime productions (send your sympathies to the actors wearing knitted sweaters in August), and some actors have already posted selfies of their masked-up faces as they sit on airplanes headed to Canadian film sets.

On top of the announcement that Countdown to Christmas is a full go, the separate, but related channel Hallmark Movies & Mysteries has also confirmed their Christmas marathon – Miracles of Christmas –  is still in the works with production also beginning for their 17 movies.

What to expect this year

Both the Countdown to Christmas and Miracles of Christmas will begin their programming on October 23rd. While this is rather far away, it’s a lot closer than December is, the actual month of the holiday. It will be nice to have something good & heartwarming to look forward to as this year continues to be a source of stress for just about everyone.

While Hallmark hasn’t released their entire production list, they have released information about a large number of the movies they’re working on. Here is a list of the movies we know will be part of Countdown to Christmas, as well as the stars that will be in them:

A Royal Holiday: with Laura Osnes, Aaron Tveit, and Krystal Joy Brown

Jingle Bell Bride with Julie Gonzalo and Ronnie Rowe

A Christmas Tree Grows in Brooklyn with Rochelle Aytes and Mark Taylor

If I Only Had Christmas with Candace Cameron Bure

Deliver by Christmas with Alvina August and Eion Bailey

On the 12th Date of Christmas with Mallory Jansen and Tyler Hynes

Christmas Waltz with Lacey Chabert

Christmas in Vienna with Sarah Drew and Brennan Elliott

Christmas in Evergreen 4 with Rukiya Bernard and Holly Robinson Peete

Chateau Christmas with Merritt Patterson and Luke Macfarlane

Cross Country Christmas with Rachael Leigh Cook

Christmas Carnival with Tamera Mowry-Housley

When Calls the Heart Christmas 2020 with Erin Krakow, Pascale Hutton, Jack Wagner, Kavan Smith, Chris McNally, Kevin McGarry, Paul Greene, Andrea Brooks, and Martin Cummins

Meanwhile, the Miracles of Christmas on Hallmarks movies & mysteries channel has also released a small list of movies so you can get your hype ready and dream about your solo hot cocoa watch parties.

Christmas Tree Lane with Alicia Witt and Andrew Walker

Holly & Ivy with Janel Parrish, Jeremy Jordan, and Marisol Nichols

The Christmas Bow with Lucia Micarelli and Michael Rady

Cranberry Christmas with Nikki DeLoach and Benjamin Ayres

Christmas Doctor with Holly Robinson Peete