Holly Jolly Romances

For those of us who are crazy about Christmas and eagerly anticipate a healthy dose of holiday cheer during the summer months, the wait is almost over! Hallmark Movies & Mysteries continues their annual tradition of bringing us Merry Movie Week 2023 , leading up to Hallmark Channel's Christmas in July event. Merry Movie Week kicks off the evening of June 23 and runs through June 30. Hallmark's Merry Movie Week 2023 Details If you're hoping Merry Movie Week means 24/7 Christmas movies for an entire week, you may be disappointed.   You can expect round-the-clock festive movies on Saturday and Sunday, June 24 & 25, but for the rest of the week, it's regular mystery shows during the day and twinkly lights and tinsel from 5pm-11pm Eastern.  No new premieres will be featured during Merry Movie Week, but Hallmark Channel will unveil two new Christmas movies in July. Hallmark's Merry Movie Week 2023 Printable Schedule Hallmark Movies & Mysteries currently has

Everything is on an app these days, including the Hallmark Christmas in July 2023 movie schedule. Many of us, however, still prefer a paper checklist that allows us to see everything at once without swiping through screens.   Some like the Hallmark app since they can set reminders to alert them about the movies they plan to watch.  The rest of us love pouring over a tangible copy so we can make notations and highlights.  We can also share the document on social media and with our friends and family who look forward to the Christmas in July movie slate.  Hallmark's Christmas in July 2023 --What You Need to Know Contrary to what many people assume, Christmas movies are NOT playing 24/7 on Hallmark Channel during the Christmas in July 2023 event. Don't despair!  According to Hallmark Channel's website, there are 5-7 Christmas movies on tap for each day of July. In between Christmas movies, you can expect the usual sitcoms:  Golden Girls , Frasier , Cheers , and Reba .  Hal

Starring:  Merritt Patterson and Luke MacFarlane Released:  2020 Summary:  A world-renowned pianist returns to Chateau Newhaus to spend the holidays with her family and try to find her passion for music again. Chateau Christmas.  Image:  Crown Media Luke MacFarlane Is Julliard-Trained Julliard, located in New York City, is the world leader in training students in the performing arts--dance, drama, and music.  Luke MacFarlane's dad was a cellist, which inspired MacFarlane to start playing the cello by the time he was four years old.  He set his sights on attending Julliard, and he graduated from the prestigious institution in 2003, afterwards finding success off-Broadway, then on Broadway, and eventually on screen. The script for Chateau Christmas  originally cast MacFarlane playing the violin, but when he asked the writers to change his instrument to the cello, they quickly made the adjustment.  Luke MacFarlane really does play the cello.   While in quarantine before filming, MacF

Starring:  Lacey Chabert and Will Kemp Released:   2020 Summary:  After a woman's storybook Christmas wedding gets cancelled, a dance instructor helps her face her fear in life by fulfilling her dream of learning how to dance.   Lacey Chabert & Will Kemp wow fans with their beautiful dance performance in Christmas Waltz  Image:  Crown Media Jilted at Christmas Getting dropped like a dense fruitcake during the most wonderful time of the year would ruin Christmas for most of us.  Each subsequent, annual celebration would be marred by the memory of heartbreak.   Right after Avery (Lacey Chabert) decides on a Nutcracker-themed wedding cake and pays for 10 ballroom dancing lessons, she learns her fiance, David (Jeremy Guilbaut) has accepted a job in Boston and will be leaving New York.  Despite David's feeble attempts to keep their relationship alive after the devastating blow, Avery calls off the wedding and ends things with him for good. You must admire Avery's spunk.  To

Haul Out the Holly Plot Summary When a woman unexpectedly spends the holidays alone at her parents' house, their homeowner's association insists that she participates in its many Christmas festivities. Starring:  Lacey Chabert and Wes Brown Image:  Hallmark Media Fans' Response to  Haul Out the Holly is Divided A new Lacey Chabert movie each Christmas is always the season's icing on the sugar cookie.  Until recently, every Chabert romcom has been pure gold in terms of ratings and enjoyment.  For the first time in Chabert's Hallmark career, not everyone is raving about her latest movie.  One camp finds Haul Out the Holly  a sheer delight.  It's Chabert's first Hallmark comedy, and the emphasis is heavy on humor and light on romance.  Many love the change-up.  After years of the same recycled plot lines and cookie cutter tropes, fans are relieved to watch something new and fresh.  Life is too serious, so it's fun to laugh and be entertained. The other hal

Starring:  Cindy Busby and Benjamin Hollingsworth  Released:  2019 Summary:  Multiple coincidences and a chance meeting bring two strangers from very different family backgrounds  together for a weekend wedding celebration. Image:  Crown Media, United States LLC This One's A Tear-Jerker! A Godwink Christmas: Meant for Love  stands out among the 2019 Hallmark holiday releases because it is based on a true story. Maybe that's why it touches the heart and causes the eyes to start squirting. Alice Marina is running the retail store her dad and uncle founded as young men, fresh off the boat from Italy.  She tries to preserve their dream and legacy, but her heart isn't in it.  She craves connecting with people, listening to their stories, and helping them through difficult seasons of her life. When Alice meets Jack Totah, he inspires her to follow her dreams of becoming a therapist.   Just as romance begins to bloom and Jack prepares to accept a promo

Summary:  A man ends up traveling from 1903 to 2020 and meets a woman who helps him experience what Christmastime is like in the 21st century. Starring:  Erin Cahill and Ryan Paevey Released:  2020 Erin Cahill and Ryan Paevey star in A Timeless Christmas Image:  Crown Media A Well-Done Time Travel Romance When Hallmark produces movies that are based on novels by other writers instead of staffers, the refreshing contrast is unique and captivating, rather than heaven-laden with the same, tiresome tropes. Ryan Paevey plays Charles Whitley, an intelligent, successful, and wealthy entrepreneur, skilled in engineering--in 1903, a forward-thinking man ahead of his time.  Decked out in period-appropriate clothing and demonstrating all the proper etiquette of a respectable gentleman, what we suspected all along about Paevey is quite apparent -- he is HOT in any era ! To quote the movie Zoolander , Paevey is really, really, really ridiculously good-looking . A busy man trying to perfect his mo

Three Wise Men and a Baby Plot Summary Three brothers get the surprise of their lives when they are forced to work together and care for a baby over the holiday. Starring:  Paul Campbell, Tyler Hynes, and Andrew Walker Image:  Hallmark Media What's to Love About Three Wise Men and a Baby ? THE ACTORS It's no wonder fans are raving about Three Wise Men and a Baby and have made it the most watched cable movie of the year.   Paul Campbell, Tyler Hynes, and Andrew Walker together make the perfect tag team for a comedic holiday delight. The movie was written by Campbell and his faithful Hallmark cohort, Kimberley Sustad (who has a cameo), proving the two have chemistry both onscreen and behind the scenes. Casting Hallmark's top male talent into the same movie was a stroke of genius.  All three delivered outstanding performances, with each complementing the other better than cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg! The movie is highly entertaining and fresh. IT'S LESS PREDICTABLE Whe

Four days before Christmas, Elizabeth receives a voicemail from a number she doesn't recognize from a man who makes one final plea to the love of his life. Starring:  Holland Roden, Tyler Hynes, Tenille Townes  Image:  Hallmark Media Time for Him to Come Home for Christmas Is a Compelling Story The movie plot combines tragedy, triumph, love, and mystery--there's a lot going on to keep the viewer engaged.  Time for Him to Come Home for Christmas also uses my favorite trope:  The Misunderstanding . Elizabeth (Holland Roden), Josh (Tyler Hynes), and Andrew (David Lennon) have been best friends for years.   After college, Elizabeth has big plans to be a writer for The New York Times .  Three years later, she is working as an executive assistant at her mom's company instead of following her dreams. When a man accidentally leaves Elizabeth a voicemail asking the woman he loves to meet him at "their spot" on Christmas Eve, she is determined to follow the few clues s

Five More Minutes:  Moments Like These Plot Summary    A young widow's Christmas wish for her son is answered in unexpected ways when she returns to their old home. Starring:  Ashley Williams and Lucas Bryant Image:  Hallmark Media Hallmark's Second Movie Based on Scott McCreery's Hit Song Grab the tissue box before you sit down to watch Five More Minutes:  Moments Like These because you're going to need them--no matter how many times you've seen it. Kaitlyn Morrison was living her dream life.  She met her husband, Brian, at the real estate office where both of them worked.  It was a perfect match:  she was a commercial photographer, and he was an architect.  They built a business together and lived in the beautiful house he designed. One fateful Christmas Eve, Brian realized he had forgotten to buy the bell for their son's new bike, so he dashed out to get one and was involved in a tragic accident. Kaitlyn moved to L.A. with their son, Adam, to escape all t