About this episode
The gang is all here to help us break down the first batch of 2025 Hallmark Christmas movies! This week, we cover... Saturday, October 18: A Royal Montana Christmas Stars: Fiona Gubelmann (The Good Doctor), Warren Christie (Happy Town) Overwhelmed by her royal duties during the Christmas season, Princess Victoria of Zelarnia (Gubelmann) is ready for a change of pace. Looking to decompress in the days leading up to Christmas, she decides to take a vacation to Peaceful Pines Ranch in Montana where she celebrated Christmas as a child with her late father. Upon arrival, she meets her dashing guide Huntley Blaylock (Christie) who presents her and the other guests at the ranch with a rustic experience that is far from the royal treatment. This Christmas, Huntley must decide if he wants to step into a leadership role and carry on the family ranch’s legacy as his parents, the owners, approach retirement. Unaware of her status as a princess, Huntley puts Victoria through the rigors of a Montana ranch experience. Victoria also plans to help Huntley revive the ranch’s Christmas Holly-Day Dance. Victoria finds herself charmed by both Huntley and this different pace of life. As the two start to fall for each other, things get complicated when Huntley discovers Victoria is a princess. As Christmas approaches and her time at the ranch comes to an end, Victoria must decide if she should return to her royal life or stay in Montana with Huntley and the ranch she has grown so fond of. Sunday, October 19: A Christmas Angel Match Stars: Meghan Ory (Chesapeake Shores), Benjamin Ayres (Saving Hope) Monica (Ory) and Michael (Ayres) are Christmas Angels tasked with bringing destined soulmates together during the most magical season of all. Typically, Angels work alone, but when the Christmas Connection Department faces the threat of downsizing, Monica and Michael are unexpectedly paired to ensure Daisy and Patrick fall in love before Christmas. The partnership isn’t without its challenges: Monica is a by-the-book traditionalist who follows every heavenly rule, while Michael embraces spontaneity and delights in earthly joys like hot chocolate, snowball fights, and holiday dancing. Their clashing styles – and the undeniable spark growing between them – complicate their mission. As Christmas Eve draws near, Monica and Michael worry that their differences will keep them from completing their mission in time. But just when it seems all hope is lost, a surprising turn of events changes everything – leading to a Christmas connection no one saw coming. Saturday, October 25: Merry Christmas, Ted Cooper! Stars: Robert Buckley (Chesapeake Shores), Kimberley Sustad (The Santa Class) Weatherman Ted Cooper (Buckley) loves Christmas, but the past three have been terrible. This year, Ted has made up his mind that things will be different – this will be the Christmas things turn around for him. But Ted’s relentless optimism is about to be put to the test as he is faced with a litany of injuries and obstacles when he travels back to his hometown of Lackawanna, NY for the holidays. Within hours of arriving at his sister Kate’s house, he finds himself making a trip to Urgent Care after falling off a ladder while hanging decorations. While there, he runs into Ruth Mittens, his former high school science teacher who was always his cheerleader. He also reconnects with the charming Hope Miller (Sustad), except now she’s Dr. Hope Miller, with whom he went to high school and quietly crushed on from afar. Ted is optimistic that this budding romance is the beginning of his Christmas comeback, but his looming holiday bad luck still has a few curveballs in store for him. Luckily for Ted, he won’t have to face them alone – he’ll have the support of Kate, Ruth, and Hope to help him overcome the challenges thrown his way and finally enjoy a well-earned merry Christmas. Saturday, November 1: Christmas On Duty Stars: Janel Parrish (Pretty Little Liars), Parker Young (Enlisted) Blair (Parrish) and Josh (Young) have been bitter rivals ever since they trained together at The Basic School in Quantico, where they were both at the top of the class, competing to be number one. After graduation, Blair got Josh’s dream job, and they haven’t spoken since. Three years later, their paths cross unexpectedly at the base holiday party, where the two get into an argument and cause a scene. As punishment, Blair and Josh are both assigned to Christmas Duty, where they’ll work through the Yuletide together...for 24 hours straight. They plan to stay away from each other, but when a snowstorm prevents all the Christmas presents from being delivered to base, they are forced to team up for a special mission...to save Christmas. Sunday, November 2: A Newport Christmas Stars: Ginna Claire Mason (A Holiday Spectacular), Wes Brown (Haul out the Holly: Lit Up) Ella (Mason) is a charitable and spirited Newport socialite in 1905 who dreams of using her wealth to start a foundation to help others in town. After learning her father intends for her to become engaged to a man she’s never met at the upcoming Christmas Eve ball, Ella goes for a nighttime sail in her schooner to clear her head. Upon seeing a comet shoot across the sky, she wistfully wishes for a different life. Ella is shocked to suddenly find Nick (Brown), a sailor and local Newport historian, aboard her schooner and accuses him of being a stowaway. But Nick insists he owns the boat and a standoff ensues. Once on dry land, Ella realizes that somehow, she’s traveled from 1905 to 2025. As she spends time there and gets a glimpse at what her future in 1905 appears to be, she becomes reluctant to return, especially since she and Nick have grown close and she now knows how true love feels. But the legacy Ella built in her time – and the course of Newport’s history – risks being erased the longer she stays in the present, so the two plot a course for her trip back through time. But what awaits her at home is even more surprising that what she found in the future. Saturday, November 8: Christmas Above the Clouds Stars: Erin Krakow (When Calls the Heart), Tyler Hynes (The Groomsmen trilogy) When workaholic CEO Ella Neezer (Krakow) tries to skip Christmas by flying to Australia, she’s in for the flight of her life. Haunted by her past, present and future, she’s forced to confront the choices that led to her success yet left her flying solo. With the help of three quirky spirits and a surprise reunion with her ex (Hynes), she might just rediscover the magic of Christmas – and the love she thought she’d lost. Sunday, November 9: A Keller Christmas Vacation Stars: Jonathan Bennett (Mean Girls), Brandon Routh (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), Eden Sher (The Middle) Christmas this year is going to be a little different for the Keller family, as parents, Anne and Ben, buy their three adult children – oldest son, Cal (Routh), middle son, Dylan (Bennett) and daughter, Emory (Sher) – a river cruise down the Danube River from Germany, through Salzburg, to Vienna touring beautiful European Christmas Markets and towns along the way. The one problem? The very different siblings, who are each going through their own personal life challenges, have naturally gone in separate directions over the years and the idea of spending 10 days cooped up on a river cruise together makes each Keller child cringe for their own reasons. But they say “yes” because that’s what families do, never expecting it to turn out to be a glorious once-in-a-lifetime experience full of missed connections, new friendships, stunning vistas, relationship upheaval, budding romances, shipboard games, family bonding, and a secret that brings them all together in time for Christmas. Saturday, November 15: Three Wisest Men Stars: Paul Campbell (The Cases of Mystery Lane), Tyler Hynes (The Groomsmen trilogy), Andrew Walker (Curious Caterer Mysteries), Margaret Colin (Veep) The Brenner family is back, and their lives are more chaotic than ever! As Luke (Walker) is expecting twins, Taylor (Hynes) is debating a monumental job opportunity out-of-state, and Stephan (Campbell) attempts to plan for his upcoming nuptials, everyone’s stress heightens when they learn their mom (Colin) has put their childhood home up for sale, marking their final Christmas in the Brenner house. With unexpected in-laws visiting, wild animals lurking in freshly cut Christmas trees and a hesitant mall Santa, the boys will have their work cut out for them as the holiday begins to loom. As they navigate adulting at a level they have yet to reach, they must learn to once again lean on one another to rise to the needs of their growing family, conquer the newest challenges in their lives and, most crucially, have the best Christmas EVER! Sunday, November 16: Tidings For the Season Stars: Tamera Mowry-Housley (Scouting for Christmas), B.J. Britt (The Groomsmen), Elijah- Justus Lewis (Adults) Adam Kade (Britt) is the serious face on the local news. His life takes an unexpected turn in early December when he meets Robbie (Lewis), a 10-year-old who is Adam’s biggest fan. Robbie has an important request: He wants his favorite newscaster to talk about more than just what's going wrong in the world. How about reporting on the good stories too? Adam is ambitious and wants to move up in the world, but he takes this question to heart as the holidays approach. He discovers Robbie’s mom, Lucy (Mowry-Housley), is a single parent working hard to take care of her son. The last thing she needs is anything complicating a very busy schedule, including Adam. As new friendships form and Adam gains a healthy perspective, his reporting changes. He starts covering feel-good stories about hometown heroes during the holidays. A romance develops between Adam and Lucy, and Lucy lets go of always being so self-reliant as she and Adam draw close. But when Adam’s reporting leads to bigger opportunities, he must decide what matters most this holiday season – the bigger job he has been longing for or his newfound community, including the love of a boy who thinks of Adam as his hero. Saturday, November 22: Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story Stars: Holland Roden (Teen Wolf), Matthew Daddario (Shadowhunters), Joe Pantoliano (The Sopranos), Tracy Pollan (Law & Order: SVU), Caroline Aron (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Steve Schirripa (The Sopranos), Patti Murin (Mystic Christmas) The Quinns and DeLucas have lived next door to each other for decades in the shadow of Highmark Stadium – the home of their beloved Buffalo Bills. With their longtime friendship rooted in being proud members of Bills Mafia, the two clans have enjoyed cherished traditions that revolve around cheering for their favorite team – especially at the holidays when they celebrate the last home game before Christmas. Pediatric doctor Morgan Quinn (Roden) and the Bills’ VP of Stadium Development Gabe DeLuca (Daddario) have been lifelong friends, but Gabe has always held a torch for her – a fact obvious to their families (Pollan, Aaron, Schirripa, Murin)...and everyone else who crosses their path. When Morgan learns from her Uncle Tommy (Pantoliano) that someone anonymously helped her family get by after he was drafted more than 60 years ago – and that he continues to receive a Christmas gift each year to this day – she decides to find his benefactor and give her uncle a Christmas he’ll always remember. Aided by Bills Mafia friends of theirs, Morgan and Gabe work together to unwrap the gifter’s identity. Along the way, Gabe’s love for Morgan deepens and in turn, she begins to see him in a new light though neither is daring enough to admit their feelings. Meanwhile, Morgan’s hopes of pulling off her surprise for Uncle Tommy get sacked. That is, until Gabe takes matters into his own hands and uses his connections with the Bills to pull off the surprise of a lifetime for Morgan and both their families that will make this a Christmas they’ll never forget. Cameos: Coach Sean McDermott, Ray Davis, Damar Hamlin, Dion Dawkins, Dawson Knox, Reid Ferguson, DeWayne Carter, Joshua Palmer; Jim Kelly, Steve Tasker, Thurman Thomas, Scott Norwood, Andre Reed; Chris Brown; Luke Russert. Sunday, November 23: Melt My Heart This Christmas Stars: Laura Vandervoort (Smallville), Stephen Huszar (The Jane Mysteries) Holly James (Vandervoort), a passionate glassblower striving to establish her artistic identity, dreams of showcasing her creations at the Fern Grove Fair. Despite previous rejections from Jack Dubois (Huszar), who oversees the entries, Holly finds an unexpected opportunity to assist legendary glassblower Bianca Bonhomme, to help Jack. Unfortunately, Bianca is struggling with a creative slump and needs help managing her booth. While Holly assists Bianca, she also secretly displays her own art under a pseudonym and her vibrant work becomes a surprise hit, overshadowing Bianca’s work and challenging the fair's traditional norms. Holly does everything she can to help Bianca without giving away her identity while also growing closer to Jack, but unfortunately Walter, a news reporter, discovers the mystery and outs Holly, shattering her relationship with both Bianca and Jack. Holly is now forced to pick up the pieces and try to melt them back together. Watch the show on Youtube - www.deckthehallmark.com/youtube Interested in advertising on the show? Email bran@deckthehallmark.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.