Entertainment

These 7 Must-See Hallmark Christmas In July Movies Star So Many Of Your Favorite Actors

by Brad Witter

July's about to get jolly: Beginning June 29, the 2020 Hallmark "Christmas in July" movie marathon will serve an early dose of holiday cheer with a slate of 250 titles starring some of your favorite actors. Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries are promising to "bring the yuletide poolside" this summer with stars, including: Candace Cameron Bure, Lacey Chabert, Holly Robinson Peete, Chad Michael Murray, and even Dolly Parton.

Kicking off with The Mistletoe Inn, starring Alicia Witt, the month-long event will include such highlights as "Double Feature Fridays," pairing original movies from the same franchise, including Time for Me to Come Home for Christmas and Time for You to Come Home for Christmas on July 3, following by Christmas in Angel Falls and Angel Falls: A Novel Holiday on July 10.

To honor the men and women of the U.S. armed forces, the network will dedicate July 4 to military-themed holiday movies, including Operation Christmas, Holiday for Heroes, and A Veteran's Christmas. Then, on July 10, Hallmark Channel will begin its annual "Keepsake Christmas" tradition with 17 days of original holiday movies to round out the festivities.

You can view the full Hallmark Channel Christmas in July schedule here, as well as the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries lineup here. And if you don't have time to re-watch all 250 flicks, check out seven of the must-see movies below.

1. 'Christmas at Dollywood' — July 10

Danica McKellar stars as single mom and Broadway producer Rachel, who's seeking to produce a show during Dollywood's Smoky Mountain Christmas festival, featuring performance from Parton herself. Forced to collaborate with the park's entertainment director Luke (Niall Matter), the pair eventually form an unlikely romance.

2. 'Switched for Christmas' — July 10

In the movie starring Full House and Fuller House alum Candace Cameron Bure and Mark Deklin, identical twin sisters get stuck planning their respective Christmas parties, and are convinced "the grass is greener on the other side," according to Hallmark.

3. 'Write Before Christmas' — July 10

Former One Tree Hill costars Torrey DeVitto and Chad Michael Murray reunite for the story of a newly single woman named Jessica who sends Christmas cards to five people who have influenced her life, including her aunt, younger brother, music teacher, best friend, and a pop star.

4. 'Christmas in Rome' — July 13

Lacey Chabert plays Angela, an American tour guide, who's fired from her job in Italy just before Christmas. After an American businessman named Oliver (Sam Page) hires her to help him learn about "the heart and soul of Rome," sparks begin to fly between the pair.

5. 'A Christmas Duet' — July 14

While planning a Christmas festival and vying for the Top Winter Lodge Award, a Vermont innkeeper named Averie (Chaley Rose) rekindles both her love of music, as well as her love for her former music partner Jesse (Rome Flynn) when fate brings them back together.

6. 'Christmas in Evergreen: Tidings of Joy' — July 17

Starring Maggie Lawson, Paul Greene, and Holly Robinson Peete, the story centers on a skeptical writer arriving in Evergreen to investigate the small town's rumored Christmas Time Capsule and their "too-good-to-be-true" Christmas-fever.

7. 'Christmas Under the Stars' — July 17

After losing his high power finance job just before Christmas, previously career-obsessed Nick (Jesse Metcalfe) begins working at a Christmas tree lot, where he has a fateful meeting with an astronomy teacher, Julie (Autumn Reeser), and her son, Matt (Clarke Peters), who help him find the true spirit of the holidays.

By the time you finish those movies, and Hallmark's Christmas in July comes to an end, the real thing will be right around the corner.