*Please Note: The items below contain affiliate links. If you buy something through these links, I may earn a commission at no cost to you. Thank you all for your support.
Great American Pure Flix posted a special video yesterday (see below) to social media, featuring actor Jesse Hutch, who portrayed Otto, an angel, in the Great American Family movie, A Christmas Blessing.
On the first Sunday of Advent for this Christmas season, December 3rd, 2023, Great American Pure Flix shared, along with Jesse's video, this important message...
"Today is the first Sunday of Advent — a time of waiting and expectancy for what's to come."
"Each week, we'll share a special message on how to fulfill God's hope for the Christmas season in your personal life. Hear from
@Jesse_Hutch as he shares about the joy of giving 💙"
Today is the first Sunday of Advent — a time of waiting and expectancy for what's to come.
Each week, we'll share a special message on how to fulfill God's hope for the Christmas season in your personal life. Hear from @Jesse_Hutch as he shares about the joy of giving 💙 pic.twitter.com/0Bqx0OMing
Jesse Hutch also shared this thought with his followers, along with the wonderful reminder of God's love in the video above, "I’m so thankful to be a part of everyone's day!! Here’s a quick reminder for us all during this holiday season. PS: The character of OTTO from my latest Christmas film dresses way better than I do! 😜 God bless you all!!"
More details on the First Sunday of Advent via Christianity.com:
"On the first Sunday of Advent, Christians light the first candle on the Advent wreath, which is often purple or blue in color. This candle is called the "Hope" or "Prophet's Candle," symbolizing the anticipation of the coming Messiah and the hope that He brings to the world. The Scripture readings and prayers during this week often focus on the prophecies in the Old Testament about the promised Savior and the expectation of His arrival."
My thoughts on Advent:
For many years, my family and I have kept the Advent tradition, and we all come together on Christmas Eve to light the last candle and sing Christmas carols in Praise to the Lord. I cherish this holy and reverent tradition and the precious time shared with family as we honor and reflect on the Christ Child's birth.
FOX has added a NEW Christmas Movie Comedy to their December Schedule starring Justin Long and India Mullen as a married couple who travel to Ireland for Christmas to visit her large family.
This film looks like it will be filled with a lot of heart of humor! See the press release and trailer below.
Press release from FOX:
FOX GETS INTO THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT
WITH "THE CHRISTMAS BREAK,"
A NEW TELEVISION MOVIE EVENT
FROM MARVISTA ENTERTAINMENT,
AIRING THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21
THE CHRISTMAS BREAK STARS
JUSTIN LONG AND INDIA MULLEN
Long and Mullen star as a couple who travels to Ireland for Christmas, where her large extended family force them to confront their marital differences!
The Christmas Break Airs Thursday, December 21 at 8:00/7:00c on FOX!
See the movie trailer here...
About The Christmas Break: When couple Jack (Justin Long) and Caroline (India Mullen) travel to Caroline's native Ireland for Christmas, they find themselves at a crossroads in their marriage: Jack is ready for kids, and Caroline isn't. Will spending Christmas with Caroline's big Irish family make them realize they're ready for a family of their own? Or will it scare them away from the idea of having kids altogether? All-new movie from MarVista Entertainment, The Christmas Break airs on Thursday, December 21 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
About MarVista Entertainment: MarVista Entertainment, a FOX Entertainment Company, is a leading global entertainment studio, producing a variety of content across the world. With a library showcasing nearly 2,500 hours of content, and with an average of 80 new movies per year added to the company's development and production pipeline, MarVista is one of the largest suppliers of movies to the worldwide marketplace. With distribution from FOX Entertainment Global, MarVista titles can be seen in more than 125 global territories and is a pre-eminent programming partner to major streamers and media companies, including streamers Tubi, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Peacock, Disney Networks, Warner Bros. Discovery's Food Network, Discovery+, Lifetime, Hallmark Channel, E!, OWN, Nickelodeon, BET, as well as key international platforms. MarVista's recent projects include the comedy "First Time Female Director," from comedian, actress and WGA Award nominee Chelsea Peretti; the romantic comedy, "Daughter of the Bride," starring Marcia Gay Harden, Halston Sage, Andrew Richardson, and Aidan Quinn; the thriller "Body Language," starring Christina Milian, Steven Strait, Annie Gonzalez, Gregg Wayans and Robert Belushi and produced by The Hayes Brothers, the brilliant minds behind the "The Conjuring"; "The Kiss List" a young adult feature film that stars Megan Suri, Parminder Nagra, Emjay Anthon and Lachlan Watson based on Sara Jo Cluff's book of the same name; and the Hallmark's series "The Way Home," which quickly rose to the top of the ratings charts and is currently in production on a second season.
Join the #FOXTV conversation: TWITTER: @FOXTV INSTAGRAM: @foxtv FACEBOOK: @FOXTV
It's that TIME again... to look forward to another weekend filled with Christmas movie premieres, as we transition from November to December! Christmas is in full swing now, and I'm loving all of the hustle and bustle the Christmas season brings! It truly is The Most Wonderful TIME of the Year!!!
Look for NEW Christmas movie premieres on Great American Family, the Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Lifetime, and UPtv!
See ALL of the movie details below, plus details on the Christmas movie I removed from the Christmas schedule, and extra Holiday Programming Notes...
Synopsis: Facing her first Christmas without her mother and looking to avoid loneliness, Carly (Grimes-Beech) heads to a quaint town to lead the church choir at Christmas. Once there, Carly meets Matthew (Carmack), a man back in town after serving in the army. As she gets to know Matthew, the choir and townspeople, she stumbles across clues that suggest she may have been brought here for a life changing reason. As the mystery unravels one thing is clear, this journey will teach Carly about true love, learning to trust, and that forgiveness is needed to finally heal.
Synopsis: JJ (Rhiannon Fish), grieving the loss of her grandmother and seeking dissertation inspiration, stumbles upon an unexpected holiday destiny. Meeting Henrik (David Elsendoorn), a Norwegian from Bergen, their connection deepens when he discovers she has a troll figurine from his hometown. To explore the troll's history and her grandmother's ties, JJ agrees to join Henrik on a journey to Norway. In Bergen, they're drawn into Henrik's family Christmas and wedding traditions, with his sister's wedding the day before Christmas Eve. JJ embarks on a holiday adventure, uncovering the troll's origins and finding her own path to healing, love and family.
Synopsis: Tabloid journalist Charlotte (Brooke D'Orsay) attempts to land an interview with a reclusive Count. In response, the royal family has a groundskeeper (Will Kemp) pose as the Count since the real one fled years ago.
Synopsis: In Ladies of the '80s: A Divas Christmas, five glamorous ‘80s soap opera stars reunite to share the spotlight to shoot the final Christmas episode of their long-running soap opera. The producer, Alex (Travis Burns) and director Nell (Taylor Ann Thompson), old college friends, do their best to keep things on the rails but as the ladies come together, old rivalries resurface that threaten to tear the whole production apart. With the show nearly canceled before it even begins due to the ladies' famous diva behavior, they reluctantly agree to set aside their differences and past secrets to "act" as if they all still love each other. When old sparks reignite between Alex and Nell, the ladies become eager to play cupid and conspire to bring the couple together. Along the way, the divas also discover that the love between them all is still very strong too.
Synopsis: When small-town wedding planner Rachel is faced with planning her biggest Christmas wedding yet for an out-of-town influencer couple, she is thrown an unexpected surprise when the bride’s manager turns out to be Logan, her first love and high school sweetheart. He reminds her what it is to love, and through rediscovering the magic of Christmas, she rediscovers a part of her heart she closed off long ago.
Synopsis: A city manager (Marshall Williams) recruits the help of a childhood friend (Erin Agostino) in setting right his town’s Christmas Charity event, while she sets to work setting him up with her close friend.
Synopsis: A Mahogany presentation. A woman (Morgan) returns home to help with her family's Christmas Carnival and romance ignites. A photojournalist (Rowe) curates a surprise reunion.
With the holiday season in full swing, Olivia Hayes (Elena Juatco) goes undercover to provide her readers with an in-depth and cynical look at the hugely successful annual Secret Santa for Singles event. There, she meets single dad and handsome widower Thomas (Ryan Bruce) who is just as skeptical about the program as she is. Sparks soon fly, but with a once in a lifetime promotion on the line, will she risk losing it all for the romance she never saw coming?
Christmas Cartoons on Saturday night...
Reindeer in Here, Robbie the Reindeer: Hooves of Fire, and Robbie the Reindeer: Legend of the Lost Tribe
(*Reminder: Candace Cameron Bure is the voice of "Pinky" in the Christmas cartoon "Reindeer In Here.")
ABC:
Christmas programs on Sunday night:
The Santa Clause and The Great Christmas Light Fight
Hallmark Drama:
Christmas Classics:
Catch some wonderful Classic Christmas Movies Saturday and Sunday on Hallmark Drama, including the Hallmark Hall of Fame movies- A Season for Miracles (Love this one sooo much!) and Fallen Angel, Window Wonderland (so fun!), Northpole, and more!
INSP:
*Catch an encore airing of Christmas in the Rockies on Saturday night.
Freeform:
25 Days of Christmas is Here! See beloved Christmas classics...
Eloise at Christmastime (one of my faves!) airs Friday morning at 11am/10c.!
Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York air Friday night.
The Santa Clause trilogy airs Saturday night.
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, and more air Sunday night.
TBS:
A Christmas Story (1983) and A Christmas Story Christmas (2022) air on Saturday and Sunday nights. (Note: I have not seen the 2022 sequel)
UPtv:
MUSICAL SPECIAL - HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS: A CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING, a Christmas Music Special on SATURDAY AT 7:00PM ET.
Show details via UPtv: Get ready to ring in the holidays with Bill & Gloria Gaither and all of their homecoming friends on Home for the Holidays: A Christmas Homecoming! Sit back and listen to an array of Christmas standards, nostalgic seasonal favorites, and power-packed anthems. This timeless recording features the powerful voices you have grown to love during the most wonderful time of the year. Featuring Gospel Music Hall of Fame Members, Gaither Vocal Band singing “Home for the Holiday’s”, Multi-platnum-selling recording artist Josh Turner’s rendition of “Joy to the World”, award-winning singer/songwriter Mark Lowry performance of “Mary Did You Know?”, DOVE Award-winning musical artist Lynda Randle & brother Michael Tait’s lively cover of “Go Tell It On the Mountain”, the unparalleled tenor voice of David Phelps’ moving edition of “O Holy Night”, and many more of your friends from the Homecoming Family of artists. Home for the Holidays: A Christmas Homecoming is sure to usher you into the holiday season of joy and love.
*Following Home for the Holidays is an encore airing of the musical special Josh Turner: King Size Manger at 8pm/7c.
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WEEKEND MOVIE PICKS:
It looks like we have another weekend of great Christmas movies!
I'm very much looking forward to seeing Great American Family's TWO NEW Christmas movies this weekend, Christmas on Windmill Way and The Jinglebell Jubilee, especially since I like both of the main actors in these films - Chad Michael Murray (An Autumn Romance) and Marshall Williams (When Hope Calls).
Another movie that has piqued my interest is Hallmark Channel's A Not So Royal Christmas. Will Kemp and Brooke D'Orsay are two of my all-time favorites, and this one, based on the promo, looks delightfully comical.
I'm also looking forward to the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries premiere of Time for Her to Come Home for Christmas. By the way, Maria (who is such an excellent reviewer here at It's a Wonderful Movie) has seen this and she said (paraphrasing) it is family-friendly, plus the movie has some Easter eggs in it! That sounds like so much fun! Thank you so much, Maria, for giving us this early review!
Also, it has been announced that country singer-songwriter, Grace Leer, will be seen in Time for Her to Come Home for Christmas, and her new song, "Star on Top of the Tree," will be featured prominently in the film.
You can hear the song here...
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MOVIE REMOVED FROM SCHEDULE:
Although this movie is not premiering this weekend, I wanted to inform you all that I have decided to remove the Lifetime movie A Cowboy Christmas Romance from my Christmas Schedule, and I will not be promoting it next week due to sexual content. You can see details in the article at EW. My suspicions were first raised when I saw the promo for this movie last week, but this article confirmed it. As much as I like a Christmas movie in a country setting, this will be a skip for my family and me. I believe the Christmas season should be held in reverence as a holy time.
Please note: I haven't pre-screened the new Christmas movies listed above. If you'd like to post a review on whether a film is family-friendly, please share in the comments below.
Caution: Based on the promos I've seen, please know that Ladies of the ‘80s: A Divas Christmas will contain Adult Dialogue and is not suitable for young children.
***********************
SPECIAL LINKS:
Visit the *Christmas TV Schedule* for the dates and times of NEW Christmas movies airing in November and December.
New romantic comedies are coming to the Hallmark Channel in the New Year, and an all-new mystery to Hallmark Movies & Mysteries! Hallmark Media has released their upcoming movie premieres.
See what's airing this January 2024...
HALLMARK CHANNEL:
Love on the Right Course
Premiere Date: Saturday, Jan. 6 at 8 pm
Whitney (Ashley Newbrough) is a professional golfer who is struggling to make the cut to qualify for her next tournament in Europe. Concerned that she might not be able to continue competing on a professional level, she returns to Budapest, and the golf course her family owns there, to reevaluate her career. She finds that her father, who has grown reclusive since losing his wife two years ago, has handed over day-to-day operations of the club to a laid-back, new golf pro, Daniel (Marcus Rosner). Daniel’s casual style is at odds with Whitney’s and it throws her off her game, literally. As the pair get to know each other, their perspective changes and a romance develops. But, when Whitney’s former trainer returns and pushes Daniel out, it might just cost Whitney her best shot at love.
A Scottish Love Scheme
Premiere Date: Saturday, Jan. 13 at 8 pm
Lily (Erica Durance) travels to Scotland with her mother and reconnects with Logan (Jordan Young), a childhood family friend. Unbeknownst to Lily and Logan, their meddling mothers have come up with a plan to set them up.
Betty’s Bad Luck in Love
Premiere Date: Saturday, Jan. 20 at 8 pm
Cursed from childhood to fail at romance, Betty’s (Laci J. Mailey) relationships have always ended in disaster. But when she meets Alex (Marco Grazzini), she’s tempted to try once more. Can true love prevail over a curse?
Swinging Into Love
Premiere Date: Saturday, Jan. 27 at 8 pm
Luna (Jocelyn Hudon) is a former dancer, who left that dream behind for a grounded life managing her family’s construction business and gets the opportunity to transform a gymnasium into a studio for aerials. As she sneaks a moment to try dancing in the silks, she is surreptitiously discovered by Bennet (Oliver Renaud), a professional aerialist, who has returned home from performing around the world. Bennet is none too pleased to walk in to find his contractor messing around on the silks, but when his partner for an upcoming show drops out, he soon recruits Luna to perform with him. As the hard work of this dynamic sport and the joys of Luna returning to her roots as a dancer bring them closer together, will their relationship crash or will they find a way to reach new heights?
HALLMARK MOVIES & MYSTERIES:
True Justice: Family Ties
Premiere Date: Friday, Jan. 12 at 8 pm
A law school student (Katherine McNamara) with the help of her friends sets out to prove her brother was wrongfully convicted. The only way to clear his name is by finding the real killer, but the closer they get, the more danger they are all in.
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Hopefully, there will be some good films coming our way in 2024.
This looks like quite the mix of new movies in January; I'm not exactly sure which movie intrigues me, yet. I must admit, I still miss the Winter-themed movies in January, but perhaps when the promos are released, one or two will appeal to me.
If you loved the Christmas sweaters seen in the Great American Family Christmas movie, My Christmas Hero, you can find most of them here!
In the movie, Candace Cameron Bure and Teryl Rothery (who plays her mother) requested that their guests not refer to their sweater as the U-word, but Gabe Hogan accidentally slips with... *ugly*! Oops!
Most of the sweaters seen in the movie are cute and mostly wearable in day-to-day life, except Andrew Airlie's (Candace's father) sweater! I'm sorry, but it does qualify, in my opinion, as the U-word; however, he was a good sport to wear it, and I'm sure lots of humorous dads and guys out there are up for the challenge!
If you haven't seen "My Christmas Hero," yet, I must tell you it is such a deeply inspiring and emotionally stirring film. I highly recommend it! You can see mine and many wonderful, positive reviews for "My Christmas Hero" - here.
Also, I shared the links to the Christmas sweaters below, so you can shop them to wear for the Christmas season and snatch them up for gifts, too!
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*Please Note: The items below contain affiliate links. If you buy something through these links, I may earn a commission at no cost to you. Thank you all for your support.
(Fun fact: Candace's father in "My Christmas Hero" is played by Actor Andrew Airlie, who also portrayed Candace's father in the "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries.")
Hello Blog Friends & Followers! My Nickname is Net and more than Anything, I love my Savior, Jesus, and my precious Family! It's my joy to share and review Movies here on this Blog ~ that the entire Family can watch together on TV! Thank YOU so much for stopping by, Please leave a Comment... I enjoy hearing from You! ~ Net
