Another Yuletide is upon us, and you know what that means: It's Hallmark Christmas movie time! Since 2009, the romance-minded network has exhausted Hollywood's reserves of fake snow for its annual Countdown to Christmas movie marathon. These holiday flicks might be small-town love stories, uplifting family dramas, sister swaps or time hops. Bottom line: They deliver on the Christmas magic big time. This year, Hallmark unveiled 40 all-new Christmas movies that will air on the Hallmark Channel starting Oct. 20. It's an inspiring lineup featuring some of the network's greatest stars. So we've compiled the ultimate Hallmark Christmas star ranking to help guide your cocoa-fueled viewing.
You've got Lacey Chabert holding it down in her umpteenth holiday flick, Paul Campbell following up last year's all-time-great Three Wise Men and a Baby and, of course, the return of network fave Luke Macfarlane. Sure, Candace Cameron Bure and Jill Wagner jumped ship for Great American Family. But if 2023's Countdown to Christmas lineup tells us anything, it's that Hallmark fans are in good hands with the network's current stable of gorgeous, ultra-charming holiday stars.
We've rounded up the top 10 actors and actresses and ranked them according to the number of Hallmark Christmas films they've been in, their impact on Christmas culture and their potential for making an even bigger mark on festive fare. These smiling faces literally put the Holly in Holly Jolly Christmas. And to put a cap on our Hallmark Christmas journey, we've also compiled a list of Hallmark's gone-but-not-forgotten stars of Christmas past.
Lacey Chabert
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14 Movies: Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up (2023), A Merry Scottish Christmas (2023), Haul Out the Holly (2022), Christmas at Castle Hart (2021), Time for Us to Come Home for Christmas (2020), The Christmas Waltz (2020), Christmas in Rome (2019), Pride, Prejudice and Mistletoe (2018), The Sweetest Christmas (2017), A Wish for Christmas (2016), A Christmas Melody (2016), Family for Christmas (2015), A Royal Christmas (2014), Matchmaker Santa (2012).
Impact on Christmas Culture: Of course Lacey Chabert (formerly known as Gretchen Wieners) is the Queen of Hallmark Christmas. The Mean Girls alum will have starred in a whopping 14 Hallmark Christmas movies by year's end, and more than 30 Hallmark flicks altogether. And she learned from the best: Chabert starred alongside Mariah Carey in the singer's directorial debut, A Christmas Melody. This year, Lacey stars in a Haul Out the Holly sequel and reunites with her Party of Five co-star Scott Wolf in A Merry Scottish Christmas.
Paul Campbell
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9 Movies: Magic in Mistletoe (2023), Three Wise Men and a Baby (2022), The Nine Kittens of Christmas (2021), The Santa Stakeout (2021), Christmas by Starlight (2020), Holiday Hearts (2019), A Christmas Coincidence (2018), Once Upon a Holiday (2015), Window Wonderland (2013).
Impact on Christmas Culture: Paul Campbell broke the mold with Three Wise Men and a Baby, which he co-wrote with Kimberly Sustad, who also made our list. The laugh-out-loud funny bromance was 2022's most-watched cable TV movie. Campbell told Wide Open Country that he plans on reuniting with Brenner brothers Andrew Walker and Tyler Hynes for future stories: "We want to take the three of us — the three boys — and keep making different movies with the three boys. Reinvent ourselves every time." This year, Campbell stars in Magic in Mistletoe, premiering Dec. 8. With infinite good-guy presence and an acerbic wit, he's one to watch.
Andrew Walker
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11 Movies: Christmas Island (2023), Three Wise Men and a Baby (2022), A Maple Valley Christmas (2022), An Unexpected Christmas (2021), My Christmas Family Tree (2021), Christmas Tree Lane (2020), Christmas On My Mind (2019), Merry & Bright (2019), A Dream of Christmas (2016), Debbie Macomber's Dashing Through the Snow (2015), A Bride for Christmas (2012).
Impact on Christmas Culture: Andrew Walker takes the title of King of Hallmark Christmas thanks to his sheer number of holiday flicks with the network — not to mention his many entries in the Lifetime Christmas movie pantheon. He was a cad in the first season of When Calls the Heart, but Walker almost always plays a take-home-to-mom type. He melted our hearts as the responsible eldest Brenner brother in Three Wise Men and a Baby. Firefighters with infants... Hallmark really knows what it's doing.
Kimberly Sustad
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10 Movies: To All a Good Night (2023), Three Wise Men and a Baby (2022), Lights, Camera, Christmas! (2022), The Nine Kittens of Christmas (2021), Christmas by Starlight (2020), Sense, Sensibility & Snowmen (2019), A Christmas Coincidence (2018), Hearts of Christmas (2016), The Nine Lives of Christmas (2014), A Bride for Christmas (2012).
Impact on Christmas Culture: Kimberly Sustad is Hallmark's secret weapon. She's the rare leading lady who's not opposed to turning in scene-stealing supporting performances as the lead character's oddball BFF. Her collaborations with fellow Hallmark funnyman Paul Campbell, with whom she co-wrote Three Wise Men and a Baby and Christmas by Starlight, are always a hoot. This year, she stars opposite Virgin River's Mark Ghanimé (Dr. Cameron) in To All a Good Night, premiering Dec. 7.
Holly Robinson Peete
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8 Movies: Holiday Heritage (2022), Our Christmas Journey (2021), Christmas in Evergreen: Bells Are Ringing (2020), The Christmas Doctor (2020), A Family Christmas Gift (2019), Christmas in Evergreen: Tidings of Joy (2019), Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa (2018), Christmas in Evergreen (2017), Angel of Christmas (2015).
Impact on Christmas Culture: Behind her glossy leading-lady charm, Holly Robinson Peete is a Hollywood powerhouse. She frequently executive-produces her Hallmark films, and she made the uplifting Our Christmas Journey in honor of her bond with her son, who is on the autism spectrum. Peete even starred in her own Hallmark reality show, Meet the Peetes, alongside her husband, former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete, and their four children.
Luke Macfarlane
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9 Movies: Catch Me If You Claus (2023), A Magical Christmas Village (2022), Christmas in My Heart (2021), Chateau Christmas (2020), Sense, Sensibility & Snowmen (2019), A Shoe Addict's Christmas (2018), Karen Kingsbury's Maggie's Christmas Miracle (2017), The Mistletoe Promise (2016), Christmas Land (2015).
Impact on Christmas Culture: If the Hallmark Channel was a high school cafeteria, Luke Macfarlane would be the cool guy everyone wants to sit with. After starring in 2022's Bros, the first gay rom-com from a major Hollywood studio, it seemed Macfarlane was off Hallmark for good ("How many firefighters can I play?"). But he's always championed the network's expansion into queer love stories, and he made his Hallmark comeback in 2023's Notes of Autumn. This holiday season, he returns to Hallmark Christmas as Santa Claus' purported son in Catch Me If You Claus, premiering Nov. 23.
Nikki DeLoach
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9 Movies: A World Record Christmas (2023), Five More Minutes: Moments Like These (2022), The Gift of Peace (2022), Five More Minutes (2021), Cranberry Christmas (2020), Two Turtle Doves (2019), Reunited at Christmas (2018), A Dream of Christmas (2016), Christmas Land (2015).
Impact on Christmas Culture: In her first-ever film for the network, Christmas Land, Nikki DeLoach played that most Hallmarkian trope: A woman who inherits a Christmas tree farm. For that sacrifice alone she deserves to make our list. But we especially adore her collaborations with Andrew Walker and her roles in the Five More Minutes Christmas movie series, which is based on Scotty McCreery's hit song of the same name. Catch her in this year's A World Record Christmas, premiering Nov. 16.
Kristoffer Polaha
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8 Movies: A Biltmore Christmas (2023), Haul Out the Holly (2022), We Wish You a Married Christmas (2022), A Dickens of a Holiday! (2021), Double Holiday (2019), Small Town Christmas (2018), Rocky Mountain Christmas (2017), Hearts of Christmas (2016).
Impact on Christmas Culture: Kris Polaha is one of the most prolific actors in Hallmark's stable, with roles in the Jurassic Park franchise and Prime Video's recent series Harlan Coben's Shelter. Oh, and his first-ever Hallmark film? The 2016 Meghan Markle-led romance Dater's Handbook. This year, he plays a Golden-era Hollywood film star in the much-anticipated A Biltmore Christmas, filmed at the real-life Biltmore castle. The time-travel romance, which also stars honorable mention Bethany Joy Lenz, premieres Nov. 26 on the Hallmark Channel.
Brennan Elliott
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8 Movies: Ms. Christmas Comes to Town (2023), The Gift of Peace (2022), Open by Christmas (2021), Christmas in Vienna (2020), Christmas at Grand Valley (2018), Christmas Encore (2017), Love You Like Christmas (2016), A Christmas Melody (2015).
Impact on Christmas Culture: Brennan Elliott's classic, square-jawed good looks make him a standout Hallmark hunk, but the guy is also disarmingly funny. His comedic chops were showcased in the Brooke Shields-led Hallmark miniseries Flower Shop Mysteries. You can also catch him opposite Lacey Chabert in the Crossword Mysteries and All My Heart film series. This year, he expands his holiday repertoire with Ms. Christmas Comes to Town, premiering Oct. 26.
The Williams Sisters
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12 Movies: Five More Minutes: Moments Like These (2022), Sister Swap: Christmas in the City (2021), Sister Swap: A Hometown Holiday (2021), A Nashville Christmas Carol (2020), Christmas in Evergreen: Bells Are Ringing (2020), Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater (2020), Christmas in Evergreen: Tidings of Joy (2019), Holiday Hearts (2019), Northern Lights of Christmas (2018), Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa (2018), Christmas in Evergreen (2017), The Christmas Train (2017).
Impact on Christmas Culture: One of them is married to Brad Paisley. The other played Jim Gaffigan's wife in the comedian's 2015 TV series. Collectively, they've been in 12 Hallmark Christmas movies. They're Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Ashley Williams, and they will not be stopped. The internet had a meltdown in 2022 when Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon pointed out that their Sister Swap films are basically the same movie told from two different points-of-view. Each Williams sister wears the same clothing and utters near-identical lines in both films, prompting theories that ranged from alternate timelines and multiversal storytelling to intergalactic cables. As Harmon put it, we "don't go to Hallmark for experimentation on this level." But we do. Thanks to the Williams sisters.
Stars of Hallmark Christmas Past
Gone but not forgotten, these actors dedicated years of festive service to Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas. Then, they flew the coop for Great American Family.
Candace Cameron Bure
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Full House veteran Candace Cameron Bure was the self-proclaimed queen of Hallmark Christmas, churning out a holiday flick every year for nearly a decade. But the controversial actress has since switched over to rival network Great American Family. Still, you'll likely find some of her oldies-but-goodies airing on Hallmark this Countdown to Christmas.
Danica McKellar
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Before hopping over to Great American Family, Danica McKellar graced a new Hallmark Christmas movie every year since 2015. She starred opposite Dolly Parton in 2019's Christmas at Dollywood, making her de facto Hallmark royalty.
Trevor Donovan
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Before joining Great American Family, Trevor Donovan gushed to Wide Open Country that the Hallmark Channel is "a place for people to sort of escape and know that they're [watching] this morally uplifting, positive message, feel-good story that's going to have a happy ending." We'll never forget his hunky brother-of-the-bride (an underrepresented group, if you ask us) in 2017's Marry Me at Christmas.
Jill Wagner
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2020's The Angel Tree marked Jill Wagner's final Hallmark film before—you guessed it—moving to Great American Family, and then starring in Taylor Sheridan's Special Ops: Lioness. But the woman who gave us the hilariously simply-titled Christmas Cookies (2020) will forever be in our hearts.
