Hallmark Christmas 2026 Preview Show #3

[00:00:03] This is a Bramble Jam Podcast Hi, I'm Bran I love Hallmark Christmas Preview Shows I'm Brian, I like Hallmark Christmas Preview Shows I'm Dan and this is the last Hallmark Christmas Preview Show of the year I'm Jax and I'm having a great time with my boys on the Hallmark Christmas Preview Shows I'm Patrick Serrato and I'm wearing a Kringle shirt for the Krip Whatever Preview Show

[00:00:33] This is Alonzo and this is the last time all of these movies seem really good and this is the Deck The Hallmark Podcast Deck The Hallmark it's his podcast friends host his podcast we hope you like this jolly podcast what's wrong? quite frankly the worst picture of you of the

[00:01:03] photo shoot and Bran used it and it's so great it's the worst one the hunch that's the thing that the supermodels do I mean you still look amazing don't get me wrong Jax has got the weight on the front leg thing which is all you know is somebody is somebody knocking on the door? who's that knocking at the door? check the freezer oh my god the freezer? oh it's the Kringle of the Week Kringle of the Week

[00:01:31] it's your Kringle it's my Kringle Kringle of the Week oh it's Pumpkin Caramel this week guys I gotta be honest of all the wonderful fall flavors at Racine Danish Kringle Kringle.com Kringle.com where you can put in DTHOCT26 and get that 10% off site wide the Pumpkin Caramel is my favorite of the new autumn flavors it's amazing I love the Pumpkin Spice I can't wait for the November, December there's gonna be some gingerbread available

[00:02:00] that's gonna be awesome but you need to get some of this Pumpkin Caramel Kringle it's fantastic and look it can feed all of us it's so ginormous you can freeze it like we've been doing here you take it out in an hour it's ready to eat and you can take a slice of it out and you can put it back in the freezer if you want to it's that easy it's just that easy shout out Kringle and you're gonna wanna get some Kringle because we got the marathon coming up in just a couple of days can't wait to be hanging out with all of you in person for our 2026 live stream marathon

[00:02:29] kicking off the holiday season can you believe it it's finally here what is that two days tomorrow maybe one of these next two, three days you guys are all coming into town you guys ready to roll all packed that's right can't wait are you packed yeah yeah you're packed Marie at Marie Kringle as we call her Marie at Rissy and Dana Kringles has already told me she's sending us a whole bunch of Kringle for the marathon so get ready guys I hope I don't get sick this year I feel like I eat so much and I don't move

[00:02:58] that I feel I just normally Jax I would have some sympathy and be like we need to tone it back you eat pet food no one asked you that's not what makes me sick but I don't think it helps I don't think it helps probably doesn't help yeah it's real hard for me to feel bad when you are clearly you chug French dressing yeah oh is that Kinsch I will say too we need to really keep an eye on Jax's here because Alex pulled me aside when I was hanging out with him and Jax

[00:03:28] up in New York and he was like hey you have to stop with this and I'm like this is it's not my fault she does this is her idea she's initiated I really think that Alex would appreciate if we do everything that we can to make sure that she doesn't come home with dog food in the tummy I will not be controlled by a bunch of men yeah yeah alright you're right do whatever you want to I don't care but you know what it's gonna be exciting because Patrick Serrano and I have matching onesies

[00:03:57] oh wow wait what the heck nobody contacted any of us about the fist the late night crew I didn't get a onesie do you want me to get you one wait who's on the late night crew we don't know do we know yet I just feel like we Daniel and I are team petty we're team petty all the way we actually I do overnight with you I'll figure out I'm gonna get us all matching ones because no rye guy this year although rye guy usually isn't around for his he usually misses both of those ships

[00:04:27] actually he somehow is there for both but there for none I'm sure if we were putting me and Bran together we're not gonna talk about that I bet you are no we're not I'll take that big claims big promises we didn't really talk about it last year we did a lot of you're not gonna talk about it we did a lot of Patrick Brot's tarot cards that was incredible people calling in animal spirit cards animal spirit cards yeah so it was great it worked out really well

[00:04:56] we have gypsy rose we're good yeah we got gypsy rose we also have our December lineup our final what is that three six nine movies let's dive into this first one which is the snowflake effect starring Heather Hemmins and Mark Ganyme Ganyme Ganyme do we want to do a quick cream count before we do yes we should thank you Alonzo ever the professional how many creams do we have left

[00:05:26] for this episode Brian absolutely everybody gets eight Bran you've used six so you got two left okay Dan you have two left two left perfect I got three left Jax you're out of cream yeah of course dry December Alonzo and Patrick both have four creams left wow for nine movies so every other movie you pretty much got a cream or four in a row I mean however yeah yeah we set the precedent last year that you can go more than one cream per film what wait a second

[00:05:55] we did that we did too take it to the tape I don't believe take it to the tape I guarantee you this is Bran's fault Jax and I gave multiple creams to the Christmas baby last year it's so stupid I can't believe we did this and I can't believe you let it happen this is 100% Bran's fault I didn't know that I mean we haven't been doing that at all this year that was you put us in a tough spot we were told Alonzo we can't double cream the Christmas baby yes I would have well you didn't you didn't I don't know how it happened I'd love to take it to the tape

[00:06:24] I was also very excited about that movie so there may have been that may have been the problem let's review we'll do a review of that preview show we'll review it we'll look back at it alright this is Friday December 4 this is how we're kicking off December here when driven corporate attorney Tanya she's a corporate attorney rushes into a charming gift shop searching for last minute white elephant gift she crosses paths with Jason a handsome laid back clerk

[00:06:53] their brief encounter leads Tanya to purchase a beautiful antique glass snowflake which unbeknownst to her or Jason is a good luck charm that carries a generation's old Christmas tradition however since the however since the ornament is entered into a holiday gift exchange rather than gifted with proper intention Tanya suddenly finds herself on the receiving end of everyone else's misfortune

[00:07:22] after Jason's Aunt Coco explains the snowflake's magical lore Tanya reluctantly teams up with Jason to track down the snowflake as it makes its way from one recipient to the next across Chicago before Christmas Day or she'll be stuck with bad luck until Christmas along the way the pair is swept into a festive holiday adventures unexpected encounters and a journey that challenges Tanya's carefully structured life of course

[00:07:51] it does as they race against the clock to undo the snowflake's magic Tanya and Jason's relationship turns into something more and they may find that their biggest stroke of luck was meeting each other okay it's a magical based on the book of Job uh Bri guy yeah um I don't I don't know how to say this but I feel like whether I want to or not I'm creaming this movie uh these two look magical together this is gonna be chemistry listen there's no

[00:08:21] doubt that the two leads on screen are just gonna be a smoke show there's no doubt about that no doubt about that yeah so uh a lot of it sounds pretty standard but we do got some cool sounding magical stuff and I think they're just gonna be a fun time to watch so I feel like I'm gonna go four and a cream on this one a lot of feels for you I uh I love the idea of this movie I think it's so much fun a lot of the uh extra fluff that they put in that synopsis is uh trying to throw me off the case here and I'm not gonna

[00:08:50] let it I am going five and a cream on this movie very excited about it Jax five and a cream one left ready are you okay to be honest I am not at all interested in this plot whatsoever however yeah these leads yeah we can't argue with the fact that they are going to be absolute fire together and I met Heather Hemans for the first time in person and she smells so good and her skin is so soft and she's an incredible actress and I'm gonna give it four

[00:09:20] and a half you sure you're out of cream Ryan said he was creaming it even he said he couldn't help with cream it how did you frame that yeah yeah he did say that you're right that's right a little premature ask your doctor four and a half though I think that this is gonna be I think that she is just delightful and even though I'm not super interested in the plot it's gonna be worth it for her uh Patrick sounds like this ornament

[00:09:50] like you know when once it gets away from her a lot of bad luck is gonna happen so I'm ready for a bad luck montage of like what possibly could be bad luck at Christmas um so that sounds really fun like does she drop the the Christmas turkey does she you know wrap her finger in a bow and she can't get it out you know like the bad luck it's dangerous Christmas can be a dangerous time those two things don't involve a lot of luck it's mostly just being stupid

[00:10:21] look I don't know how luck works but you gotta make your own you miss the train this guy just gotta the worst luck yeah you dropped the turkey yeah there's a lot of ways that's not that's just not being smart you know what I mean it happens right yeah or or it's luck so for luck what Patrick didn't tell you is that a hole opened up in the kitchen that's right came out of nowhere bad luck that's right yeah that's bad luck so I'm gonna go four in a cream for

[00:10:51] bad luck all right for bad luck all right Alanta if you want a great Christmas bad luck montage go back and watch a Billy Joel music video for a song called she's right on time it is nothing but montage of bad luck Christmas things I like the two leads a great deal and I'd say in both cases they have each taken a movie that I thought wasn't going to be good and elevated it just by being in it so together that should be a dynamite combo so I'll say four four what do I know

[00:11:20] Ganyme from no the one with Kimberly Susted where he has the motorcycle accident and she saves his life and he tried to figure out who she is and she's got the elephant pendant remember me this Christmas or something like that Dan so the magical Christmas MacGuffin is typically not my favorite like this thing that is magical or they need to find or a piece of jewelry they need to find those things don't typically work for me these

[00:11:50] two leads do work for me so I'm going two nogs one for each of the leads hold on to a cream hold on to all right that gets us to the following evening Saturday December 5th with a grand Biltmore Christmas starring one Holland Roden and Niall Mader and a spaceship if you can hear that going overhead as Bill Morehouse opens for the first time on Christmas Eve

[00:12:20] 1895 13 year old Elizabeth and her family are holiday guests when she notices Michael a fellow teen caught trespassing by the staff Elizabeth well I'm sorry I just like would like to go into this not knowing the plot that's all this is not the right show for you Elizabeth comes to his rescue by claiming to know him I know him much to his relief the two share an instant connection and set out to explore Biltmore but Michael inexplicably

[00:12:49] vanishes 20 years later Elizabeth is spending Christmas at Biltmore and this time is accompanied by James a suitor her aunt May Maseley is keen for her to wet when a stranger asks Elizabeth to dance at the Christmas gala she's shocked to discover it's Michael to Elizabeth

[00:13:26] and Michael must find a way to send her back to her time while not arousing the suspicion of Michael's mother and sister during their family vacation as Elizabeth experiences life in Christmas in the 21st century she and Michael become close when the time comes for her to return to 1915 Elizabeth must decide whether she'll resume life that she's been present for or her heart will lead down the path to the present wow there's a lot going on there I gotta be honest

[00:13:56] I don't understand it all entirely I'll start with you Brian sure that was too much too much too much that ruins a lot of it the movie's going to be better than that synopsis even leads us to believe yeah I'll go with four I'm gonna go with four nogs on this it's a mess of the synopsis but I loved last year's Biltmore movie was it last year two years ago two years ago I think that this one has the potential to be even better we'll see what happens I really like you think it has the potential to be even better

[00:14:26] than the Christopher Billa Bethany Joy Lins Biltmore movie that's exactly what I just said and so I am going to go four and three quarters you know what I would agree with Bran I think it could also be better here's the thing I know why you think it I don't know why I like a little lighter on the rom

[00:14:56] this is not going to be that it broke my heart to watch Niall Mader say at the 25th anniversary that he got so much heat and backlash when they announced this because people were like where is Kristen Purple Laha be a good film I the first one was fine I think this one will be fine I'm not particularly excited about I'm going to

[00:15:23] be a good time for what it is Patrick love a fish out of water story so seeing this you know lady go into the future and be confused by cell phones you know that never gets old does it I mean I don't think it does and you know

[00:15:52] Blythmore and Baltimore look the same to me like that so the title confuses me but you know I think I'm going to go with this time travel thing and be into this so I'm going to say three and a half yes yes

[00:16:23] Alonzo yeah I mean look if Hallmark is going to turn certain things into a franchise this is a good way to go this particular property in both senses of the word and they brought back the writer and director of the first Biltmore movie so that is a promising sign also if we're bringing the person from the past into the future then we skirt the one thing that really bugged me about the first Biltmore which is that he should be dead he should

[00:16:53] be dead he should be dead you know and so but the other way it's different and so yeah I think this could work so I'm going to say four and a cream four and a cream I'm cautiously optimistic optimistic about this movie and I'll tell you why it's because all the stuff Alonzo said also Jonathan Frakes also the pride of South Carolina Andy McDowell but also Niall does this thing similar to Chris actually which is Niall you're

[00:17:23] as an actor especially in Hallmark you're supposed to be excited about all of your projects that you work on and the actors are very well trained in how to tell you the talking points they want to Chris Palaha is that way he is you can listen very carefully and you will hear when it was a paycheck and you will hear when it's something he's really proud of and he'll never say that out loud because he's a

[00:18:08] right right up the hall and road in front the first one of these movies is in my opinion one of the best hallmark Christmas movies of all time I really the

[00:18:37] group and Marco Grazini Amanda and Jack had a whirlwind romance and got married after knowing each other for only three months their first and only Christmas together was Calamitous we should have let them go for a while I would have gotten there I think Calamacious Calam language of origin please Calamacious definition make the boys go loco and was the beginning of the end to their brief

[00:19:07] marriage three years post divorce and still harboring an aversion for the holiday Amanda is heading to Vermont with her sister Lucy to enjoy an un-Christmassy getaway Vermont what I say Vermont is going to be Christmassy if you want un-Christmassy yes head right to the snowy hills of Vermont that's the opposite white Christmas they go there to spend a Christmas

[00:19:37] anyway and finds that Jack is on their flight in a row Amanda meets Margaret a quirky traveler who disappears without a trace oh my god and without being seen this is a lifetime movie and without being seen by anybody else leaving Amanda mystified bad weather diverts the plane to a remote town in Pinecone Lake leaving Amanda with the last person she wants to be stranded with Jake shortly after arriving Margaret inexplicably

[00:20:07] reappears and convinces a confused Amanda that she is in fact her guardian angel and has been her been her entire life as the days leading up to Christmas pass by Amanda slowly begins to feel connected to the community and with Margaret's guidance sees beyond past circumstances and follows her heart to where and with whom she truly belongs braga I didn't really understand suspenders until I saw them on Marco Grazini in that

[00:20:37] picture they look phenomenal that just looks great they look perfect that's how you wear suspenders we've all been doing it wrong it's embarrassing a lot of this sounds fun I'm afraid the town is going to freak us out it's going to be freaky there's going to be no life behind the eyes of these towns people I'm freaking out right now I'm freaking out man so I don't know I'll go three and a half on this one I don't know if this

[00:21:07] is a faith based movie or not I can't tell you how Hallmark tries to do that once a year and I can't tell if the Guardian Angel thing is serious or if it's funny if this helps this is from the writer of It Was Always You and the one that Bran liked the rest of us didn't The Christmas Promise and it's directed by Ali Liebert the guy goes to get ice and nobody checks on him

[00:21:36] for six hours that's the one the Ali Liebert of it all I think that this could be like the fact that she sees this woman on the plane and no one else can see her and that could cause some really fun comedy and I think the goob kit is up to the task there I'm going to go four and a half on this one I'm really intrigued by it if I have one cream left

[00:22:06] do I dare use the cream on intrigue I know I know I'm going to hold on to my cream just in case I got we got six more movies left so Jax nothing says romance like three years post your divorce with that person and I'm serious like there is something about reflecting on

[00:22:47] turn 40 you're going to get divorced and then at 43 back together yep you're going be stranded in a Vermont town somewhere you'll find each other in escape room in a few years exactly I'll have a few girlfriends in between then just for fun well yeah sure just lock those assets in a trust or something so yeah for sure I'm there's going to be a very careful I'm going to need to do that I know a guy who can help you with your finances his year just ended his fiscal year just ended

[00:23:17] I want to go ahead and say for this one love that Ali Liebert is directing I really like Fiona Goldman I loved her on The Good Doctor I Angels so an angel Christmas movie is always going to be good for me love that if it's a religious angel if it's a funny angel if it's someone

[00:23:47] named angel I'm into it so yeah I definitely am going to do four and a cream for this what did you Jax what did you give it I missed it you did not cream it I think

[00:24:34] you gave I have some cousins three and a half what Alonzo doesn't know is that I have actually been his guardian angel this whole time do better I've got some notes Dan yeah so one surefire way to get me out on a movie is Hallmark presents a

[00:25:04] Christmas Angel match movie last year one of the if not the worst of the season so terrible that and the Christmas cup down there duking it out terrible movie I just don't have any I like Marco Grazini and Fiona Gubelman both a ton I have zero confidence now we're all looking for that one late December Hallmark movie that's going to surprise us all it happens every year I just don't believe this is it would love to be proven wrong this ain't it half a knock all right

[00:25:35] let's take a break

[00:26:05] what else is new let's get to our next movie our next weekend this is Friday December 11th this is Christmas in Canterbury Christmas in Canterbury starring Jesse Schramm and Will Kemp Rose arrives in Canterbury England eager to spend the holidays with her childhood friend so many childhood friends Patrick it's nuts Asha as she leaves behind her

[00:26:35] hometown of Vienna Ohio following the passing of her beloved grandma bud having first met having first met in a children's choir Rose and Asha went on to pursue careers as choir masters as Rose arrives Asha is put on bed rests in the final days of her pregnancy Rose steps in with the head mistress

[00:27:04] offers her a job not realizing there was confusion over which Vienna's children choir she worked with that's funny Rose's glass half full attitude is tested when she crosses paths with Harrison the traditionalist boys choir master who has an unwavering allegiance to history and presidents I like president

[00:27:34] Lincoln etc we had time for it that was wonderful the boys choir always performs at the annual Christmas Eve concert in an episode that was going to be too short but Rose questions why the girls don't have that opportunity when the school's head mistress decides that the two choirs should compete against each other for the honor they get to work to prepare their students along the way their rivalry sparks of romance

[00:28:04] and these two seemingly opposites from opposite sides of the pond discover that they might not be so different or opposite after all why stop there why I'm going to

[00:28:34] go with it wow it's a gut cream I'm going to hedge a bit three and a half and the cream how about that Dan this movie is the Christmas in July movie we did with Ryguy that last one that's the for

[00:29:04] a while now I'm going three and three quarters Jax I love being in choir I love Jesse Schramm I love Will Kemp I think I'm going to give this one a three and a half not super intrigued by the

[00:29:36] great but it also means whatever you want to me Patrick okay hey look I don't know roller coaster going real slow that tick tock is great okay so this movie triggered me I am not about it because guess what I'm not going to be in the gay men's Christmas show this year the gay men's Christmas show I songs and there just wasn't

[00:30:06] any solos for me so I said I'm out of here these solos suck I am not doing this show but truthfully I was going to miss too many rehearsals because they changed the rehearsal policy and I didn't go to camp this year because we all know chorus camp is yeah I'll be going on tour and doing all the stuff

[00:30:36] you know later in the year but the holiday show no so this movie is going to make me feel like I'm missing out so I'm gonna have to give it to whatever I all I'm saying is Patrick said choir camp is

[00:31:06] lame and there's a nude party so well see you might like that but that's not for me in the chat Patrick somebody

[00:31:37] okay I admittedly I laughed when you the whole you know wrong Vienna that's a funny idea and I think they could go with something there like these two leads a lot it is directed by Shamim Sarif proud lesbian and director of nothing but love the recent Shakespeare ish Ashley Williams now made her movie and from the writer

[00:32:06] of hang on I've lost it hang on I've it's a great movie it's hard to find yeah oh okay sorry it is from the writer of six episodes of mistletoe murders so I'm liking all of this so four and a half and a cream for me wow yeah so before Alonzo told me about the director and the writer I would have said that literally none of this sounds appealing to me in the slightest a big fat zero because I hear

[00:32:36] it's got some good pedigree behind it behind the camera I'll give it one all right very good let's see what else we got that weekend up next we have snow globe town snow

[00:33:11] globe grove the town famous Lee known as the Christmas proposal capital of America all breaking famously town's famous Lee known I don't even know what you're talking about Lee known nice to meet you what did I do nothing keep going expecting to help capture photos of Zoe's perfect engagement moments as is their family's tradition Emily instead finds herself unexpectedly sidelined

[00:33:41] by the town couple's only tradition and paired with Burt Baxter a skeptical journalist researching the celebrated romantic legacy inspired by his grandfather as Emily quietly works behind the scenes to help Zoe's proposal plans come together she and Burt are drawn into the town's festive traditions holiday competitions and Christmas celebrations along the way over a shared outlook on love and life that

[00:34:11] challenges both of their expectations as old assumptions are tested and new possibilities emerge pine growth reminds them that love family and spirit in the spirit of Christmas often arrive in the most unexpected ways yeah I don't know I feel like Kim Suss said even though it sounds very down down the middle of the road she'll elevate it because she's a good time I'll go three and a

[00:34:41] half nogs on this one three and a half nogs all right I gotta be honest I don't know what I read what is this movie what happens in it he's in a town expected Lee we got a famous Lee bro mantic it just felt like you left your body for a second that's what happens when I read that's right yeah I'll go

[00:35:11] three right down the middle one there's a town nearby my hometown of Mount Carmel Pennsylvania called Pine Grove and it is definitely not idyllic and not the proposal capital of the is that they somehow managed to be able to thread the needle which is so difficult of being able to not get into the perils or traps of giving a hallmark

[00:35:41] performance while still like they can color outside the lines but still hallmark execs are happy with it so I think putting the two of them together is gonna be for a fantastic movie I think it's gonna be really charming and funny I actually think the premise sounds quite delightful I'm gonna give this four four very good Patrick yeah so Scott Michael Foster was on Greek which is how I know him from that show

[00:36:11] on ABC Family I think it was and he's pretty hot and I mean I see that he was in a movie with Lacey Chabert where they went to Paris was that good it was a TV show and it was excellent maybe the best thing Hallmark's done non-Christmas yeah okay I don't think he's done like a Christmas movie lead Hallmark he did return to office go ahead yep he did return to office that's his lead for Hallmark he may

[00:36:40] return to office wonderful so I'm not really familiar with him like in his like you know 40 year old era but I'm like interested I'm like putting in my boyfriend application for that and yeah so then I gotta go like four and a cream for him four and a cream for Scott Michael Foster only took 33 movies and we're finally getting the boyfriend application out wow dust it off save it yeah he's definitely my type that's sarcastic like kinda

[00:37:10] yeah you gotta save it for the right time alright Alonzo yeah I never saw Greek and I never saw Paris always a good idea so I don't have the collective thing for this dude but I do adore Kimberly Tusted this is written by the woman who gave us the finish line and Mystic Christmas both of which I liked I am still mad at Brad Paisley for shoving Nikki to low chop the stage at the end of Grand Ole Opry Christmas when she should have been singing that song but all told

[00:37:40] I'll say three three Dano Scott Michael Foster is so good and Paris is always a good idea and we said for six straight weeks this guy needs to be a more hallmark he was excellent and the fact that he gets to be in a Christmas movie as a lead opposite Kimberly Susted kind of like they heard us and they were like yep we got you so happy about that the rest of this doesn't do much for me so based upon those two things and the writer of the final

[00:38:12] one one one more break this is Noel Nomads it is starring Benjamin Ayers and Tori DeVito this is Sunday December 13th before they can embark on their luxurious Hawaiian holiday uptight sports

[00:38:42] medicine physician Joseph and his daughter Annie must first begrudgingly make a pit stop at a remote campground and deliver a package from his late father to a mysterious person named Bertie wow that's a lot of mystery there their plans are derailed when Joseph accidentally crashes into free-spirited Nora's RV at a rest stop that happens sometimes things go from bad to worse when they not only fail to find the elusive Bertie

[00:39:11] but their ancient Winnebago breaks down as well forced to spend the next few days at the campground while they wait for the replacement parts Nora introduces Joseph and Annie to rumors of romance begin to glow as Nora shows Joseph how to embrace the freedom of camp life you know how that is

[00:39:41] when the mystery of who Bertie is becomes clearer and the much-awaited parts arrive, allowing Joseph and Annie to finally make their Hawaiian getaway, Joseph must decide if leaving the campground and the person who makes it feel more like home is in the plants. Yes, it is. Going to Hawaii is still in the plants. For the love of God, please don't go to Hawaii. Anyway, Brian.

[00:40:09] Yeah, there's so much about this I don't understand. Is he RVing with his daughter to Hawaii? There's a one highway. It sounds like. How much camp stuff can you really do? Like you can have a fire at night. That's kind of like it. You hang out during the day and wait for the sun to go down. You go for hikes. I guess. I don't know. I'm really curious what they're going to do with all this time. Ben Ayer is going to.

[00:40:39] I mean, I like to see Ben Ayer. So I'm going to go three and a half Nogs, and I'm going to hold my last cream. All right. I am very confused by this synopsis. I will say this might be the most confusing synopsis we have. Just from a why. The amount of times I could have stopped and said, but why in the synopsis is a lot. But I do like this pairing. So it's a confusing three for me. A confusing three. Jax? I'm also going to go with a confusing three.

[00:41:09] I think it's a great pairing. No idea what's going on in the synopsis. The young lady that's in it, Caitlin Yoon McRae has done The Snow Must Go On, New Year's Resolution. I think she is just a doll, and I really like when kid actors are so skilled, so I'm excited to see her. So yeah, a confusing three. Not very interested in the actual story, but bring on those actors. Couple of confusing threes.

[00:41:39] Couple of confusing threes. Can we make it a third confusing three, Patrick? They come in threes. Well, you mentioned there was a car accident, and I have to admit something. We're going again. Here we go. So my parents were out of town. They were in Spain, and I drove their car to get a haircut, and I parked next to a U-Haul, and you know those mirrors on the U-Haul? They're really strong. They're really big, and I guess they're really strong.

[00:42:06] Yeah, so I knocked off my parents' mirror on their car because I hit the U-Haul mirror, and it's very expensive to get those fixed now. You know, it used to be like $100. You just get some glue. It used to be like a hundred bucks. Give a guy a hundred bucks. You have the pricing sheet from mirrors that got detached from cars over the years? I've knocked a few mirrors off of cars before. As you can see, the line continues to rise. That's right. But now with the computers,

[00:42:37] it's really expensive. It's like $500 to get a new mirror on your car. So I was very worried about the mirror. Whatever accident happened, I'm really worried. I'm hoping it's not the mirror, but if it is, I'm going to have to give it a two because it should be $200 to fix the mirror, not five. You should be whatever your insurance deductible is. You should be. Insurance? I don't go through insurance ever. Yeah. My bad. Sorry. Always do it under the table. Under the table.

[00:43:07] Got it. Alonzo? Yeah. Yeah. I'm also confused too. This plot sounds like somebody thought, what if we made Nomadland into a Hallmark Christmas movie? Oh, boy. I'm going to be safe and give this a confused zero.

[00:43:36] It's the wheels are starting to wobble here on this year's crop of films. The placement here is not great for me. I'm not mad at the actors in this movie, but between the plot, the placement of the film, I don't really think it has a lot going for it. But I also still have been scarred from the late in December airs classic, Miracle in Bethlehem, PA. That's right. So I just don't have a lot of high hopes for this movie. Classic was in air quotes.

[00:44:06] It's zero for me. Okay. All right. But luckily, this is an audio medium, and no one can see the air quotes, so therefore, you're with us. Close caption doesn't know anything about that. You're with me and Brian on this one. All right. Let's take a break. We'll come back. We will get to our final three movies, our final weekend of the 2026 holiday season here on Deck the Hallmark.

[00:44:36] We're back. We're having a great time. Give us, Brian, heading into our final week and give us a cream update so that we know what we've got to. It's a use it or lose it situation. These do not carry over into the 2027 season. You've got to use it. It's not use it or lose it. You've got to use it. Yes. That's the rule. Must dispense. Must dispense. Brian, you've got one cream left. Okay. Dan also has one cream left. I have one cream left. Jax, you are out of creams. Alonzo, two. Patrick, one. Wow. We're down to it. It feels like we've all played it perfectly.

[00:45:06] All right. It seems like it. Alonzo already has a plan to double cream one of these movies. Of course. Of course, because he already told us that. That's true. Wonder which one of it is. I'm just saying I could. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Of course. Of course. You could if you wanted to. And if you were concerned that maybe the movies that are happening at the very end of the season, we don't have as much to talk about. You're right. Oh, God. Here is Hearts All Aglow. It just makes my heart sink every time I see one in Snops. When the print gets this small on the Snops, like, oh, boy.

[00:45:35] Sheesh. Is that Michelle? Michelle Morgan? Didn't we just see her? Yeah, we did. Is that right? Yes, we did. BJ Britz and The Return of Holly Robinson P. This is Friday, December 18th. Marie is a fiercely intelligent music historian who manages to get an invite to the annual Christmas gala for the local music museum

[00:45:59] and has one goal, secure an interview with Tasha, the legendary Grammy award-winning singer, record producer, and museum's founder. Mary has to summon the courage to ask the mogul, who rarely does interviews these days, for the favor, which proves more difficult than anticipated. Also crashing the gala is Julian, a polished and perpetually busy New York attorney on a mission of his own.

[00:46:26] His late mother received the autograph of Nat King Cole on a piece of sheet music when she was a young girl, and he regrettably donated the treasured piece of family history to the Dupree Museum while emotionally numb in the aftermath of his mother's death. What in the Hades is happening? That was the sentence. Now his sister tells him she wants to give the frame sheet music to her daughter, his niece,

[00:46:55] who inherited her grandmother's musical talent for Christmas. Why do we need his niece there? His sister tells him she wants to give the frame sheet to her daughter. That is, by definition, his niece. We need a murder board here. But why does it matter to him? God. Oh, it's his niece? Oh. Oh. And Julian is determined to bring it back home. When Mary and Julian cross paths at the gala, they ultimately team up as they look for their chance to talk to the elusive host

[00:47:23] while participating in increasingly chaotic Christmas contests. Good alliteration there. Whose winners will get a tour of the museum that night by Tasha herself. What neither of them expects is how their partnership deepens over the course of the unforgettable evening and leads them to discover that what they are searching for isn't necessarily what they actually need. Woo! Yep. You did it. Nice one. All right. Braga. Yeah, we just saw it, Michelle Morgan in Pumpkin Regatta.

[00:47:53] That's right. Regatta. Regatta. Regatta. And Regatta DeVita. Really enjoyed her in that. Look forward to her in this one as well. But I don't know. The rest of it, I guess, I don't need. Maybe we'll have some really good music. Sometimes you get, we're in the world of music, and so maybe we'll see some or hear some good music, and that could be nice. So I'm going to go three right down the middle. Happy to see HRP again. It's been, what, three holiday seasons or something crazy like that?

[00:48:21] And I think that this is going to be a really great role for her. This powerful mogul, maybe elusive, going to come out of her show a little bit, have fun at Christmas time. I think that could be really great and will probably make this movie better than it actually is, because as is, I'm a little bit hesitant about it. I'll go three and a half. That extra half there is for HRP alone. Got it. And I'm going to hold on to my cream. Okay. Jax.

[00:48:53] BJ Britt, as an attorney and HRP, is just going to automatically get me to four. And I like that the Nat King Cole of it all, that they didn't invent, like, a fake famous singer. Love that. Right, right. That we're supposed to, like, enjoy. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. It's my favorite Christmas song of all time. Jack Frost. Nat King Cole Christmas song. Come on. Nipping at your nose.

[00:49:21] Brand, that was very tender. Thank you. They call me a tender brand. I felt a tender. They call me a tender. That's what I call you. For the chicken tenders. For the chicken tenders, I'm usually way more abrasive. Okay. Anyway, go on. In high school, it was McTender. They must, right? I would hope that we get to hear some Nat King Cole in this movie. Okay. Well, then, in that case, four baby. I'm feeling really confident about that. Patrick? So, correct me if I'm wrong.

[00:49:49] Allegedly, Holly Robinson-Pete was, like, you know, aged out of the system at Hallmark. Wasn't she a part of that crop of actors? That was hearsay, but there was some talk of that for sure. Yes. So, yeah. I'm glad they found a way to, like, Vivica A. Fox her way back into the system. You know, I hope she says the title at the movie at the end. You know, she's popping in and out. Look at these hearts all aglow. Is that the name of the movie? Hearts all aglow?

[00:50:20] Maybe. Maybe. So, yeah. Because I think that really hurt her feelings when they kind of, like, aged out some people. And the way she didn't give up, she said, you know what? I'm going to find a way to get back into Hallmark movies. And we're going to, like, pour it up for that. So, I am giving it four. Well, I'm going to give. It doesn't sound good. I'm going to give it three Haberman mochas and a cream.

[00:50:48] He's going to pour it up with three mochas and a cream. Nogs. Nogs. Nogs. Alonzo. Yeah. You know, if you are a reclusive musician, you really want to open a museum so that you're running a nonprofit but never giving any interviews to, like, support it as you do. This also, I mean, I feel like we saw this. That sounded a little sarcastic. What? No. I know this is a video medium, but I'm giving it my all here.

[00:51:17] I also didn't HRP make this movie where she's interviewing Patti LaBelle. Yeah, I think you're right. There is a similar movie. As her aunt who runs a B&B now or something. Anyway. Yeah. I don't know. This sounds like a messy plot and it's late in the season. I do like all three of these folks and I'm thrilled that HRP is back. But two and a half down the middle. Yeah. Similar boat here.

[00:51:47] I would say HRP is a champion of a human being and a champion of an actor. But as a person, I don't know if you get much better of a person than HRP. She is a delight and also she's incredibly inspiring. And so I can't give this a zero because of that. I also love Nat King Cole. So let's do two. Let's do two here. Very good. Two Nogs. All right. Let's see what we got for Saturday night. This is Barking All the Way. Good God.

[00:52:14] This is starring our boy Ian Harding and Tori Anderson. Billy is a workaholic realtor. Join the club. Who heads home for Christmas, but her journey is derailed after a lovable but chaotic canine named Yappy almost causes her car to crash. After talking to Yappy's owner, the mysterious yet oddly familiar Mrs. C. Billy. Mrs. C, comma. Got it. Thank you. C. Billy.

[00:52:44] Hey, C. Billy. C. Billy, Ron. C. Billy. Mrs. C. Billy. Come on, Adam 12. See the man. Familiar Mrs. C. Billy agrees to watch Yappy while she visits her grandparents for the holiday. Wow. Yappy ends up playing the role of matchmaker and new best friend, pulling Billy towards her traveling contractor ex-boyfriend from high school. Good Lord, that's so many things back to back. Hutch! Hutch. Hutch is his name.

[00:53:09] Eager to move on, she's determined to leave Hutch in the past, but when her mother hires him to work on their shed, she finds herself spending more time with him than she ever expected. As the holidays draw closer, Billy begins to question whether chasing her dream of becoming her firm's number one seller is truly what she wants. When the mysterious Mrs. C leaves her cabin for Billy and Hutch to breathe her life into. What? New.

[00:53:39] New life into, not her life into. Wake me up! You gotta... Okay, sorry. I'm still trying to figure out who Mrs. C. Billy is. I'm gonna give it one more go. She needs CPR, apparently. When the mysterious Mrs. C leaves her cabin for Billy and Hutch to breathe new life into. That's right. Mrs. Claus? Mrs. Claus. You think so? Yeah, I sure do. Her answer... Mrs. C, Billy. Her answer may come sooner than expected. Bry guy. Yeah. Mrs. Claus? Yeah, I think we're getting Mrs. Claus here, leaving people gifts.

[00:54:10] I think after this we have one movie left. You're embarrassing. I don't know what it is. Because I'm creaming this movie, and I'm gonna go... I like Ian Harding a lot. I don't know much about Miss Anderson, but Mrs. C is in the house. So I'm going four and a cream. Wow. All right. Mysterious. Can Hallmark make a good dog movie? That's what we're here today to discuss.

[00:54:36] If you take a look at my PowerPoint, I will show you that Hallmark has struggled over the year to land the plane. You mean Happy Holidays wasn't great? What? I am hopeful that the addition of perhaps a Mrs. Claus into the mix here, with the addition of one Ian Harding, whom I love, I am going to go four and a cream on this one.

[00:55:06] You guys both read the synopsis I read, right? Yes, yes. Yappy? Okay, just making sure. I'm just making sure. Just making sure. Jax? Y'all are just using your creams because you didn't use them when you shut up. That's exactly right. And you're gonna regret it later, I think. You are gonna regret it later, 100%. Y'all, chaotic, canine, named Yappy. Yes. I'm not gonna be able to do this. It's gonna be full stop.

[00:55:35] I'm not gonna be able to do this. Even with the Ian Harding of it all, who I adore. Amazing. He's done so many great films. He was so great in our Netflix joint with Lindsay Lohan. He's incredible. This, he'll get a one for me, but whoa, woof. I'm not, no pun intended, but now pun intended. Yeah, yeah. This is a one for me. I'm not gonna be able to watch this. Why do you hate dogs so much? Oh, no, I like dogs. They just, Brian, you said yourself they can't land the plane on these movies. No, they can't.

[00:56:05] And this is our second dog movie of the year. Yes! And in the synopsis, they say it's a chaotic canine named Yappy. This dog is going to be annoying intentionally so. So I'm not doing this. That's fair. That's a fair point. Yeah, no one names a chill dog Yappy. No, no. Patrick? Here's how you do it, Hallmark. You cast Lacey Chabert.

[00:56:33] I'm trying to think of a male actor, like an older one. Reginald Johnson. Oh, Victor, not Victor Carver. Victor Webster. Victor Webster. He loves dogs. Yeah, it's Victor Webster. And then a cute child actor. And we do a dog movie with no humans. It's all dogs, like a voiceover acting. With the Incredible Journey. Yeah. Homeward Bound. Yeah. Exactly. You don't want a Homeward Bound. So that's how you do a dog movie, Hallmark.

[00:57:02] I don't know if I want a Homeward Bound, to be honest with you. Wow, okay. All right. Yeah. They send a dog script to Lacey Chabert. They get an envelope full of ashes back. Yeah, that's true. They've never done it. And I think if you're going to do a dog movie, go all the way. Just have the dogs as the actors and do a voiceover. So this is a zero for me. Until I get my Homeward Bound, Hallmark Christmas, then we'll talk. Then we'll talk. Yeah. Alonzo?

[00:57:32] This is going to be my favorite episode of Deck the Hallmark this season. Because Dave White is coming on to talk about it. That's right. This movie, on the other hand, is a half an og. There you go. Very kind of you, half an og. All right, Dan. We're not helped by the fact that Heart of the Beast was just released. And it features maybe the best dog actor in the history of dog actors. That and the dog from Good Boy. Yeah. No, no. I would agree with you. But this dog, whose real name I believe is Uber.

[00:58:02] I read about this dog. It's Uber! It's unbelievable how good of a job this dog does. Let's bring that dog in. This movie's pretty... Uber, get in here. It's a pretty straightforward movie, survival movie. But the dog, if you're a dog lover, you've got to watch this movie. It will absolutely wreck you. The dog does not die. Should we bring in all of our dogs for that episode? We should bring them all in and see what happens. All of them. Wow. That's a lot of... That's six dogs. Yeah. That's crazy. Not even... Seven if you bring your in. Oh, my goodness. I have to. You got it. All of them. Yeah.

[00:58:32] So this movie sounds... I love Ian Harding. This movie sounds downright awful. It sounds terrible. It sounds so bad, it might be great. It sounds so bad that when we watch this movie, because we're going to be like, oh, here comes the dog movie name, yeah. Like, I'm giving it a zero. I want to be clear. But we're going to watch this. And these two yokels over here, who went four or five in a cream, there's going to be a reverberation just how bad the expectation is that if the movie is decent,

[00:59:02] they're going to have license to rave. And that is a little bit disconcerting. I'm happy Dave White's going to be here to set him straight. This sounds... I love Ian Harding. I'm so happy he's in a Christmas movie. Could it be any movie without a crazy, chaotic canine named Yappy? Sure. But it isn't. Zero. Sorry, not sorry. I think the one thing we have going for us is I have never once remembered what movies I've creamed. So I think that's going to help. That's going to help. It's going to come in handy. It's true.

[00:59:30] Once the cream gets dispensed, it's... Yeah, you forget all that. A British brand, that's what they call them. Honestly, Alonzo, you're not wrong. Okay, let's get to our final movie of the holiday season. This is Save the Date for Christmas. I told you you'd regret it. I don't regret it, Alonzo! You shouldn't regret it. This is starring Jonathan Bennett and Italia Ricci. He just creamed the yappy movie. Sunday, December 20th, my son's birthday.

[00:59:59] So I'll sit him down. I'll be like, you've got to watch this. That's right. Over and over again. That's exactly right. Susie has... One day this business will be yours, my child. Yes, it will. Actually, a quarter. That's right. Susie has checked out on dating. While Alec... Well, Alec... I'm Alec. Alec looks a lot like Eric. I'm Alec. Is a hopeless... They both have a C at the end. Is a hopeless romantic.

[01:00:26] And these lifelong friends have both struck out in the love department. After failing to meet the right man. After being each other's... Plus one to what feels like the 20th wedding this year. They vow to take a break from attending weddings and looking for their respective Prince Charming. That break doesn't last long, though. The next day, Susie's sister announces a last-minute Christmas wedding. Ta-da! And Susie convinces Alec to tag along. The objective for the week?

[01:00:56] Survive as the two lone single people and avoid family matchmaking. Over time, their Christmas wedding duties and time with family during the holidays force these two to be best friends to forge a new appreciation for love and marriage. Susie finds herself turning over a new leaf in pursuing romance while Alec discovers love can walk into your life when you least expect it. I'm not sure what happened there. I kind of just... Yeah. You got a rig in your throat. You got a rig in your throat. Yeah, that's right. All right.

[01:01:26] Bri Guy, final movie. What you doing? Can't cream it. I've made a huge mistake. Huge mistake. I forgot about this. Someone call all the ambulances. Oh, man. This is going to be a good one. I mean, this is five eggnogs. We're going to end the season probably stronger than we ever have. This is going to be so good. Ever. No, Christmas baby into the season last year. Christmas baby was last year. Yeah, I was about to say. Ever. No, I don't. This is going to be really fun. Yeah, so five. I don't have a cream. I regret it. You're right. Yeah.

[01:01:54] I mean, obviously, I love my JB. The fact that Finding Mr. Christmas is no more is a crime against humanity, and Hallmark will pay for their- What's the threat? They'll pay. Okay. They'll pay. Great. In eternity. In eternity? They're going to hell? I don't know how- Hallmark's going to hell. You heard it in your first. I don't know how it works out for TV networks. I just know that they're going to pay for it for eternity. There's a separate system.

[01:02:23] They forget to cancel the subscription. That's right. I also adore Italia Ricci. Great pairing. This sounds like a ton of fun. Gotta go five nogs to close out the season. Jax? Yeah, I love a friendship story, and I think the chemistry between these two is going to be really- I have one more cream? Yeah. Oh, I didn't think you did. Do I? I think you had one left. Yeah, you do. Boom. On the board. Cream it. Yep. Easy. No, he doesn't. He doesn't.

[01:02:51] One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. He's out. You know what? Barking all the way was his last one. I didn't want to cream this one, so it actually wasn't- What was the number you gave? I gave it five. Okay, great. Sorry, Jax. You wanted to cream barking all the way. You meant to do that. Jax, I stand by it more than anything I've ever stood by anything in my entire life. A hand to God? What? A hand on Bible? Here we go. Foot on yellow? Other foot on green? That's right. Twister.

[01:03:21] Naughty. Okay. Okay. Okay. Wow. This is going to be fun. Friendship movie. They're buddies. I love it. I love the chemistry between these two. Both really great actors. I think it's going to be heavy on the comedy. I'm giving this one a four. All right. Patrick, whenever you're ready. So speaking of finding Mr. Christmas, did Craig ever get his Christmas move? Did he get a movie this year?

[01:03:51] He just got to be in that Hunter King movie. Yeah, he was just in a movie. He didn't get a movie. He was in it, though. He was in it. He did fine. Yeah, he was fun. He was not bad at all. That is so sad. Yeah. I can't believe he didn't get... I would have much rather watched his movie than... It feels like Barking All the Way was made for Craig. Ezra's movie. Oh, Ezra was tough. Yeah, he got a whole movie. Yeah. Wow. Okay. That's crazy. Anyways, Jonathan Bennett, we love him.

[01:04:17] And I like that they're best friends and they're both single and can't find a man. That was in the synopsis. So they're both looking for men. They're not looking for the one. Well, men. They're working for men. This is a big year for friendship movies. Friendship movies. That's right. Yeah. So, and being single at a wedding is annoying because everyone, you know, if you don't have a date, like, I mean, I've never had that situation, but I'm sure it would be really annoying.

[01:04:51] So I'm excited to see what that will be like. And yeah, I think I'm going to go a four. It's going to end up the year. It's going to be great. All right. Alonzo. Yeah. I love Bennett. Love Richie. I enjoy a gay guy, straight gal on the prowl dynamic. And this is the one gay lead character that Hallmark is giving us as a treat. So I'm going to say five nogs and two creams. Yes. Double cream. What is with Hallmark 2?

[01:05:19] This is the second year in a row where they have the one movie with- On the very last day? A little time. Yeah. Let's, what about just the mid-November situation? Here's my thing. What drives me crazy is, is that new Hallmark has brought a lot of good. And I feel like we, I thought we had like an unwritten agreement with Hallmark that in new Hallmark, we are going to get at least one Hanukkah movie and at least one LGBTQ movie with two leads

[01:05:45] that are representing that population in a way that is inclusive for everyone. The fact that this is as close as we get is absurd. It's just crazy. You got 34 of these movies, 34 guys, and you can't have one? We get a half of one? I don't know. I don't know what that says about how you make decisions, but I'm not thrilled. This movie does sound really fun. I saved a cream for this very reason. Italia Ricci and Jonathan Bennett. This movie is going to be hilarious.

[01:06:15] It's a fun idea. What's, is it Always Be My Maybe? Is that a movie where they're, both of them, they always do wedding dates together? Yeah. Yes. And Plus One is one also. Plus One is another one. Both really fun premises. I think this has that opportunity to have similar vibes. So yeah, give me three and a half and a cream on this one. Three and a half and a cream. Very good. Well, we've done it, folks. We've officially previewed all 36 Hallmark Christmas movies, and we will be back, I believe,

[01:06:46] tomorrow to kick things off with our kickoff episode and then, of course, live tomorrow night. Of course, I forgot. Yes, we've got to talk about all these again. Not all of them. But the ones we're excited about. And if there's enough of us talking about, we could cover all of them. Three, six, nine. Damn, you're fine. No, I mean, the most we could talk about is 18. Eight. Eight. We used to do five each. Did we? I thought we did the top three. Top three now, but we used to do five each, I believe. Huh. Top five? When it was just you and me and Panda. I think we did five each. How interesting. Well. 15?

[01:07:16] Well, if the six of us did top three, bottom three, that would cover the entire calendar. But then later we'd have to draft them. So I don't want to talk about it anymore. Anyway, we're going back tomorrow night, 6 p.m. Eastern time. Deck the Hallmark.com slash marathon. It's going to be a ton of fun. Join us for that. Until then, may we be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas. Deck the Hallmarks, a Bramble Jam podcast presented by Racine Danish Kringles at Kringle.com. Produced by Brandon Gray and you have that Greenville, South Carolina. And for more information on the show, you can go to DeckTheHallmark.com or follow us on

[01:07:45] the Instagram at DeckTheHallmark. And leave us a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts to help others find the show. And then head on over to BrambleJamPlus.com. You can support the show financially. You can get ad-free podcasting. You can get live video watch-alongs, movie chats, the best corner of the internet. All that and more. BrambleJamPlus.com. You're about to hear some ads that help keep the lights on here in the old studio. Thanks for listening or don't listen. It's really up to you at this point.

[01:08:15] It's at the end of the show. I mean, you're listening to me. Hi. But here they come. I promise they're coming. Yep. Here they are. Happy day.