After this late and unpredictable winter, it's hard to believe spring is finally here. But look around. Daffodils are poking up their little heads, forsythia are budding and even the most cautious back yard horticulturalists are making plans. The seeds of Christmas have been planted, too. Though most might not think of Santa as a gardener, here at Hallmark Channel, we know him pretty well. And while you may still be thinking about chocolate bunnies, he's hard at work. How could he accomplish all he does by putting off projects until the cold weather?
Same with us! There's no way Hallmark Channel's COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries' THE MOST WONDERFUL MOVIES OF CHRISTMAS would have a record 32 new films heading your way for the holiday season if we weren't already tending to them in spring. Here are the next eight films slated for production:
"A Bramble House Christmas"
While settling his father's estate, Finn Conrad becomes suspicious as to why he left a nurse $50,000. His dad knew her for less than two months before he died. Just before Christmas, Finn wants what to reclaim what he considers his family's money so he goes undercover to investigate the bed and breakfast the nurse has recently taken over. When Finn meets Willa, he discovers she's not a conniving gold digger at all. She's the single mother of a sick boy who needed an operation. Finn's dad paid for the operation and financed Willa's dream of running the Bramble House B&B. Though Willa and Finn are protective of their hearts for different reasons, they fall in love - until she discovers his true identity and why he was there. Now Finn must gain Willa's trust to make this a Christmas to remember.
"Angel Falls"
Fallen angel Gabby must redeem herself. To do so, she's dispatched to - where else but the town of Angel Falls. It's not a job for any one being, even one endowed with her special powers. Luckily, Gabby has her own guardian angels, Anna and Michael. All of them work to help the citizens of Angel Falls and along the way, wings and love blossom.
"A Song for Christmas"
Pop superstar Adelaide Kay is so fed up with her controlling manager that she sneaks off the tour bus after their latest squabble. Though exhilarated to be free, she finds herself stranded in the freezing cold of a Pennsylvania winter, with no money and no plan. A local family, the Lapps, take her in. They know the true meaning of the season, even if they're close to losing their dairy farm. No one in
THE FAMILY recognizes Adelaide except Dillon, the oldest son. He figures she's the ticket to fast cash and plots to snap photos of Adelaide around the farm and sell them to the tabs. What he doesn't plan, however, is their mutual attraction. As they get to know each other, Dillon has two realizations: profiteering from invading Adelaide's privacy is wrong and his uptight girlfriend is not the one for him. When Adelaide performs a song, which Dillon's kid sister wrote, a lot of money is earned which aids the Lapps and other strapped farmers.
"Christmas for Joy"
Joy may be down-on-her-luck but her humanity is intact. She jumps to the aid of a stranger, rescuing the woman from a terrible accident. The woman who nearly died is quite successful and learns a great lesson from her accident: Helping others is the key to true success and could be the path to finding true love as well.
"Christmas Shuttle"
It's not easy being Henry, the only child of divorced parents. Every Christmas, he's flown cross-country to be with his dad. Because he's 8, a flight attendant looks after him from gate-to-gate. Henry instantly takes to the engaging Megan, who wears a Santa hat while helping him write a letter to the jolly guy. Megan promises to mail it to the North Pole, but slips the note to Henry's dad. Henry has already decided Megan and his dad would be a great couple. And with all the sophistication of a little boy, he tries setting them up. It turns out that Megan has no plans for Christmas dinner. Naturally, Henry invites her over, giving the adults a chance to see that they are perfect for each other.
"Good Sam"
As an L.A. news reporter, Kate has spent years covering people's worst actions, often on their victims' worst days. She's finally assigned to a story focusing on a wonderful act of generosity. An anonymous good Samaritan, dubbed Good Sam, has left $100,000 in cash on the front porches of 10 people. Kate tracks down Good Sam and her exclusive interview with him thrusts her into the national spotlight. Those years of having to dig for the truth have made Kate attuned to when people are lying and she suspects the man laying claim to the credit is not who he says he is. Searching for answers, Kate unravels the unexpected reason behind the mysterious cash gifts and the true identity of Good Sam becomes the biggest surprise story of her career, upending her personal and professional life.
"Karen Kingsbury's Maggie's Miracle"
Megan spent one unforgettable summer with a boy when they were teens and she's never forgotten his magical definition of love. Now a high-powered attorney in New York and the single mother, her young son unexpectedly connects them again but it's not until Christmas when Maggie finally gets the miracle - the love - she's longed for.
"Sugar and Spice"
Ginger may have had her hopes for a Christmas engagement dashed, but her hopes of resurrecting her pastry chef career pays off when she makes it into the finals of the American Gingerbread Competition. When a broken oven nearly derails her entry, help arrives from unlikely source: local pizzeria owner Bobby, who happens to be Kylie's high school sweetheart. As the pair collaborate their romance is rekindled - but will creative differences and an ex determined to win her back threaten her chances of winning the grand prize, and her true love?
