Hallmark Countdown to Christmas 2026 Schedule: Holiday Touchdown, Disney World, Biltmore
Quick answer: Hallmark Channel's 17th Countdown to Christmas starts Friday, Oct. 16, at 8/7c with 'Tis the Season for Setups. There are 34 new movies, one every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night through Sunday, Dec. 20, plus extra 6 p.m. premieres over Thanksgiving weekend. Each one streams on Hallmark+ the next day.
Below is every premiere by date with its leads, the opening-weekend grid from Hallmark's own schedule, and what the season looks like month by month. We'll keep this page updated as encore times and any schedule changes get posted.
When does Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas 2026 start?
Friday, Oct. 16. Opening weekend runs three new movies in a row, one per night, and the second of them is the Bears movie, which tells you Hallmark isn't easing into the season so much as leading with one of its biggest swings. New titles air at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, which is 7 p.m. Central.
| Night | 6 p.m. | 8 p.m. (new) | 10 p.m. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Oct. 16 | A Christmas Cookie Catastrophe | 'Tis the Season for Setups | Mystery on Mistletoe Lane |
| Sat, Oct. 17 | 'Tis the Season for Setups (encore) | Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story | Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story |
| Sun, Oct. 18 | Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story (encore) | Mr. & Mrs. Christmas | The More the Merrier |
Handy to know: on opening weekend, the previous night's premiere comes back at 6 p.m. the next day. If you miss Friday's movie, Saturday evening is your first shot at it on the channel.
What's on the full 2026 schedule?
All times are Eastern/Pacific. Anything at 6 p.m. is a Thanksgiving-weekend bonus premiere, and the Dec. 5 special follows that night's movie at 10 p.m.
October premieres (8 movies)
| Date | Movie | Stars | ET/PT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Oct. 16 | 'Tis the Season for Setups | Amanda Schull, Victor Webster, Barbara Niven | 8 p.m. |
| Sat, Oct. 17 | Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story | Lyndsy Fonseca, Robert Buckley, Marsha Mason | 8 p.m. |
| Sun, Oct. 18 | Mr. & Mrs. Christmas | Brendan Penny, Pascale Hutton | 8 p.m. |
| Fri, Oct. 23 | Winter Wonderlanes | Ashley Newbrough, Franco Lo Presti | 8 p.m. |
| Sat, Oct. 24 | Forgotten Holiday | Janel Parrish, Daniel Lissing | 8 p.m. |
| Sun, Oct. 25 | What If Christmas | Lori Loughlin, Tom Cavanagh | 8 p.m. |
| Fri, Oct. 30 | Who's Coming for Christmas? | Rhiannon Fish, Jake Foy | 8 p.m. |
| Sat, Oct. 31 | Adopting St. Nick | Amy Groening, Michael Rady | 8 p.m. |
November premieres (17 movies, plus Mistletoe Murders)
| Date | Movie | Stars | ET/PT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Nov. 1 | A Danish Christmas | Emilie Ullerup, Corey Sevier | 8 p.m. |
| Thu, Nov. 5 | Mistletoe Murders Season 3 (season 3 premiere) | Sarah Drew, Peter Mooney | 8 p.m. |
| Fri, Nov. 6 | Merry Memories | Lindura, Brendan Morgan | 8 p.m. |
| Sat, Nov. 7 | Holiday Unplugged | Nikki DeLoach, Juan Pablo Di Pace | 8 p.m. |
| Sun, Nov. 8 | A Season of Promises | Brooke D'Orsay, Ali Liebert, James Denton | 8 p.m. |
| Fri, Nov. 13 | My Christmas Cowboy | Amy Acker, Luke Macfarlane, Sara Canning | 8 p.m. |
| Sat, Nov. 14 | The Nights Before Christmas | Tyler Hynes, Laci J Mailey | 8 p.m. |
| Sun, Nov. 15 | Mistletoe and Mimosas | Tamera Mowry-Housley, Kristoffer Polaha | 8 p.m. |
| Fri, Nov. 20 | Our Holiday Playbook | Taylor Cole, Charles Michael Davis | 8 p.m. |
| Sat, Nov. 21 | Christmas in Blue Dog Valley | Erin Cahill, Andrew Walker | 8 p.m. |
| Sun, Nov. 22 | Double Booked for the Holidays | Rachael Leigh Cook, Owain Yeoman, Stephen Hagan | 8 p.m. |
| Thu, Nov. 26 | Christmas Delivered | Autumn Reeser, Wes Brown | 8 p.m. |
| Fri, Nov. 27 | The Christmas Eve Feast | Daniella Monet, Kevin McGarry | 6 p.m. |
| Fri, Nov. 27 | Return to Santa | Paul Campbell, Rachel Boston | 8 p.m. |
| Sat, Nov. 28 | The Most Wonderful Secret | Tammin Sursok, Peter Porte | 6 p.m. |
| Sat, Nov. 28 | Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True | Lacey Chabert, Travis Van Winkle | 8 p.m. |
| Sun, Nov. 29 | Eight Nights for Love | Hunter King, Dan Jeannotte | 6 p.m. |
| Sun, Nov. 29 | Miles to Christmas | Ashley Williams, Steve Lund, Alison Sweeney | 8 p.m. |
December premieres (9 movies, plus a special)
| Date | Movie | Stars | ET/PT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Dec. 4 | The Snowflake Effect | Heather Hemmens, Mark Ghanimé | 8 p.m. |
| Sat, Dec. 5 | A Grand Biltmore Christmas | Holland Roden, Niall Matter, Andie MacDowell, Jonathan Frakes | 8 p.m. |
| Sat, Dec. 5 | The Hallmark Christmas Experience: A Hometown Holiday (special) | Jonathan Bennett, Melissa Peterman | 10 p.m. |
| Sun, Dec. 6 | An Angel in My Stocking | Fiona Gubelmann, Marco Grazzini | 8 p.m. |
| Fri, Dec. 11 | Christmas in Canterbury | Jessy Schram, Will Kemp | 8 p.m. |
| Sat, Dec. 12 | Snow Globe Town | Kimberley Sustad, Scott Michael Foster | 8 p.m. |
| Sun, Dec. 13 | Noelle Nomads | Torrey DeVitto, Benjamin Ayres | 8 p.m. |
| Fri, Dec. 18 | Hearts All Aglow | Mishael Morgan, B.J. Britt | 8 p.m. |
| Sat, Dec. 19 | Barking All the Way | Tori Anderson, Ian Harding | 8 p.m. |
| Sun, Dec. 20 | Save the Date for Christmas | Italia Ricci, Jonathan Bennett | 8 p.m. |
Count it up. November is the heavy month. Thanksgiving week alone brings seven premieres across four nights, starting with Christmas Delivered on Thursday, Nov. 26. After that, December settles back to three a weekend until the finale, Save the Date for Christmas, on Dec. 20.
Which movies are the big ones this year?
Hallmark has three brand tie-ins spaced about two weeks apart, and they're the titles getting the loudest promotion:
- Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story (Sat., Oct. 17) with Lyndsy Fonseca, Robert Buckley and Marsha Mason. Hallmark is re-airing 2024's Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story right after it at 10 p.m.
- Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True (Sat., Nov. 28) with Lacey Chabert and Travis Van Winkle.
- A Grand Biltmore Christmas (Sat., Dec. 5) with Holland Roden, Niall Matter, Andie MacDowell and Jonathan Frakes.
Chabert's Disney movie lands in the Saturday 8 p.m. slot of Thanksgiving weekend, which is about as prime as Hallmark's calendar gets, since plenty of families are home from Thursday through Sunday and looking for something everyone can watch. Our guess is it'll be the most-searched title of the season, but that's a guess, not a number.
What else is part of Countdown to Christmas?
Mistletoe Murders returns for season 3 on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 8 p.m., with Sarah Drew and Peter Mooney back. Thursdays, not weekends.
The Hallmark Christmas Experience: A Hometown Holiday is a one-off special on Saturday, Dec. 5, at 10 p.m., hosted by Jonathan Bennett and Melissa Peterman. Bennett also leads the closing movie two weeks later.
Lifetime hasn't announced its 2026 holiday movies yet. Last year it revealed the slate in mid-October, and we'll add it to the Hallmark Channel and Lifetime sections here once two outlets confirm it.
Where can you stream the new movies?
Hallmark says each premiere lands on Hallmark+ the day after it airs. Hallmark+ is an on-demand service, so for the 8 p.m. broadcast itself you need Hallmark Channel through a cable, satellite or live TV streaming package.
FAQ
What time do the new Hallmark Christmas movies air?
8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, 7 p.m. Central, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Thanksgiving weekend adds 6 p.m. premieres on Nov. 27, 28 and 29.
How many new Christmas movies does Hallmark have in 2026?
34. That's per the lineup Hallmark released in September. That doesn't include Mistletoe Murders season 3 or the Dec. 5 special.
When is the last new Hallmark Christmas movie of 2026?
Save the Date for Christmas, with Italia Ricci and Jonathan Bennett, on Sunday, Dec. 20, at 8 p.m.
Sources
- Hallmark Channel: Countdown to Christmas and official schedule (opening weekend grid)
- TVLine: 2026 Hallmark Christmas movie schedule
- Fantasy Land News: full 34-movie schedule
- Premiere listings cross-checked with TVmaze.