It may still be fall, but the winter season is right around the corner. That means Hallmark’s 2026 movie schedule is officially getting festive as it airs a ton of Christmas content. In fact, there are so many holiday films that the annual Countdown to Christmas lineup has already begun. And even though Halloween hasn’t even happened yet, it seems like people are happy to get into the holiday spirit with Hallmark. That was proven by the insane number of viewers who have already watched the channel’s Christmas movies during spooky season.
Hallmark’s beloved annual lineup of Christmas movies began on October 16, with new films premiering every weekend on both Hallmark Channel and Hallmark+. According to Forbes, as of Thursday, a whopping 12 million people have tuned in to the programming slate, which has 40% more new Christmas films than it did in 2025. Since Countdown to Christmas kicked off this month, six new movies have aired, with over two dozen still on the schedule.
Considering it’s not even Halloween yet, the fact that so many people are already turning on the Christmas movies is both impressive and mind-blowing. Five of the new movies have broken into the 200-most watched cable programs of their respective weeks, even beating college football games. Janel Parrish’s Forgotten Holiday, which also stars former When Calls the Heart star Daniel Lissing, brought in 1.5 million live viewers and is the most popular new film so far.
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I love a good Christmas movie as much as the next one, and when it’s Hallmark, you know it’s going to be just the thing you need to get into a festive mood. However, personally, I don’t like to get into the Christmas spirit until after Halloween, maybe even until after Thanksgiving. Clearly not everyone feels this way, though, because Hallmark’s holiday slate has already roped in 12 million viewers.
I can only imagine how much that number is going to rise over the next couple of months.
Speaking of what’s to come, among the new movies is What If Christmas. It just premiered on Hallmark+, and marks Lori Loughlin’s first Hallmark movie in eight years. The Full House alum previously admitted she read a draft of the script around three or four years ago, and it ultimately didn’t come to fruition. However, when she came back to the network and they wanted to do a Christmas movie, she knew the perfect one. She stars as a supportive wife who is in the midst of feeling lost and regretting her dreams until a heart-shaped ornament allows her to live out her dreams in an alternate reality. The premise is definitely intriguing, and I can see why she wanted to do it.
There are plenty of other Christmas movies to look forward to on the schedule, including the much-anticipated Hallmark Disney movie, Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Dream Come True. Starring Lacey Chabert and Travis Van Winkle, the film is set to premiere on November 28.
However, before then, there are going to be many more Hallmark Christmas films to watch, and I bet that impressive viewership number will only continue to grow.
