Hallmark Holiday 2026 Movies, Ranked From Worst to Best
Hallmark Channel’s “Countdown to Christmas” in 2026 has officially begun, with the first three movies airing over the October 16 weekend.
This year’s offerings — 34, the most ever, for the 17th annual event — include Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story, continuing that set of films and the partnership with the NFL as well as Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True team-up with The Walt Disney Company. There’s also a new Biltmore movie. All your Hallmark faves are back, as are some new faces joining the lineup.
Below, we’re ranking the movies from this year’s event, from worst to best. Let us know what tops your list in the comments section. (Note: This list will be updated as films continue to air throughout the holiday season.)
3. Mr. & Mrs. Christmas
Taylor (Brendan Penny) and Sophie (Pascale Hutton) team up to lead the charge for their city’s holiday event. There’s the typical meet-cute, developing relationship, familial relationships, and what not, and Penny and Hutton are good together, but it doesn’t have that special something that makes it a Hallmark standout. Plus, if you ask us, Taylor’s mistake with the budget is just a bit too big for a Hallmark movie?
2. 'Tis the Season for Setups
Party planner Lexie (Amanda Schull) and ski instructor Ridge (Victor Webster) team up to try to get her mother June (Barbara Niven) and his father Dan (John B. Lowe) together, only to, of course, fall in love themselves. And, it turns out, June and Dan are already together! It’s a mid-Hallmark movie, with a decent build for the romance, kiss before the end, and great supporting characters, but the familial relationships do outshine Lexie and Ridge’s. We care more about Lexie’s relationships with her mom and daughter (Verity Marks) and Ridge and Dan’s, if we’re being honest.
1. Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story
There’s a reason these movies are continuing each year, and it’s that they’re appealing to football and non-football fans alike. They’ve found the right balance in that regard, and the leads and supporting characters are compelling. There’s a fun, easy chemistry between Lyndsy Fonseca and Robert Buckley from the beginning, and we want to see Avery and Matt get together (but also enjoy the build). Marsha Mason as Matt’s grandmother about to attend her 500th Bears game is a standout (no surprise) and it’s a sweet story, and Khary Payton is a standout and a delight as Avery’s stepfather, especially as he brags about her newspaper article (page 3!). Oh, and a bonus: We actually see Avery recording an interview quote on her phone. It’s the little things.
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J
These all sound pretty bad and formulaic. Back in the '90s, the Lifetime & Hallmark holiday movies were actually pretty good (most of them, anyway). but that was before the networks started churning them out like fast food french fries.
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