18 films on Hallmark’s Christmas movie schedule that have famous pop culture faces

Like that meme of Leonardo DiCaprio pointing at the TV, we watch the Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas movie series every year and at some point find ourselves shouting at the screen saying, “Hey, I know that actor!” Then we scramble to pull up IMDB on our phone, potentially missing a delicious cookie-driven plot point or an awkward encounter with an ex’s sweet golden retriever.

We’re saving you some brainpower with our guide to some of this year’s Hallmark Christmas movies featuring stars you know from somewhere!

Scouring the Hallmark Channel’s Christmas movie lineup for 2021, we’ve boiled down the plots of 18 of the 31 new original movies and remind you how you know that guy who is running a down-on-its-luck hot cocoa stand at the town’s Christmas festival (probably a CW show) but then gets help from a kindly drifter who is actually an angel (and was very possibly a star of a major network drama in the early ’90s).

This year’s crop includes multiple actors from titles as varied as “Back to the Future,” “Mean Girls” and “One Tree Hill.”

The premieres started well before Halloween, so if you missed them, be aware that there’s an app with a checklist and schedule information where you can set reminders to catch up. (Ask us how we know.) You can find information about all of the movies at hallmarkchannel.com.

“A Christmas Treasure”

Plot: A writer opens a 100-year-old time capsule and things heat up with a local chef. Somehow, this derails her plans to make a name for herself in New York after the holidays.

Hey, I recognize them: Our writer soon to be in love is singer Jordin Sparks, who became famous after season six of “American Idol,” you know, back when Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson were still around.

“A Kiss Before Christmas”

Plot: Hallmark believes in the ethos that you can never have too many “It’s A Wonderful Life”-style alternate universe Christmas movies. In this one, a real estate exec turns his wish for a different life, one without his two teenagers and his wife, into reality.

Hey, I recognize them: It’s a “Desperate Housewives” reunion up in here with James Denton and Teri Hatcher. Throw in Marilu Henner, of “Taxi” and “Evening Shade” fame, and you have some TV hall of famers in this one.

“An Unexpected Christmas”

Plot: Exes have to pretend to be back together for the holidays — probably because someone didn’t tell a frail grandparent about the breakup that happened 4 years ago.

Hey, I recognize them: The ex-girlfriend is played by Bethany Joy Lenz, who was one of the lead actors in the CW teen drama “One Tree Hill.”

“Christmas at Castle Hart”

Plot: In recent years, Hallmark has upped production values and given some films exotic international locales — real ones, not the vaguely European kingdoms with appallingly fake names that produce all of those eligible Christmas princes. This one takes place in Ireland, where the female lead is searching for her family’s roots and then she’s mistaken for a party planner.

Hey, I recognize them: Hallmark pulled out the big guns beyond the location for this one, which stars Stuart Townsend as the Irish earl. He played Lestat in the film version of “Queen of the Damned” and Dorian Gray in “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.”

And before Lacey Chabert became one of the queens of Hallmark’s holiday offerings, she was known for her role in TV’s “Party of Five,” for providing the voice of Eliza Thornberry in the animated show “The Wild Thornberrys” and for playing Gretchen Weiners, who kept trying to make “fetch” happen, in snarky teen satire “Mean Girls.”

“Christmas in Harmony”

Plot: Exes reunite in a holiday chorus. They could have called it “A Christmas Love Song” but we’re pretty sure there’s already a Hallmark movie with that title.

Hey, I recognize them: Ashley Murray, from The CW’s “Riverdale” and “Katy Keene” is the leading lady, named…Harmony. Her ex is played by Luke James, who is on Showtime’s “The Chi.” However, only one of the cast members was in Destiny’s Child. While Hallmark doesn’t have a Beyoncé-sized budget just yet, they did get Michelle Williams, whose character is seriously named Melo D Star.

“Christmas in Tahoe”

Plot: A woman’s family owns a hotel and they’re in a bind for the annual Christmas show — because no holiday production can go off without a hitch in Hallmark land — and she has to ask her ex, who is now in a famous band, to help out. Oh, and she used to be the band’s manager until she was fired years ago. What are the odds?

Hey, I recognize them: They aren’t getting top billing, but comedian George Lopez and Pat Monahan, singer for the band Train, appear in this one. Monahan’s involvement makes me think that all of the adult contemporary Christmas songs for this year’s batch of movies will be coming from the pop band in the form of originals and covers of yuletide chestnuts. And it’s entirely not outside the realm of possibilities that the band’s heavenly hit “Calling All Angels” makes an appearance. Angels are totally a Christmas thing.

“Christmas Sail”

Plot: A woman reconnects with her BFF after she returns home to care for her estranged father. Oh, and she has a daughter and wants to make it the Best Christmas Ever. And there’s a sailboat.

Hey, I recognize them: The woman with daddy issues is played by Katee Sackhoff, best known for her role as Lieutenant Kara “Starbuck” Thrace on the 21st-century version of TV’s “Battlestar Galactica.” You’ll also see actor Terry O’Quinn, who should be recognized for his role as the rich, borderline-obsessive father of a gold medal-seeking figure skater in ’90s big-screen rom-com “The Cutting Edge,” but is likely better known for his role as John Locke on ABC fantasy drama “Lost.”

“Eight Gifts of Hanukkah”

Plot: “A woman journeys to find her secret admirer during Hanukkah,” is the only description on the Hallmark website at the time of publication. We’re going to assume he’s not a serial killer since this isn’t Lifetime. (Kidding. Lifetime goes more traditional, less psycho killers for the holidays. They even have multiple members of “The Brady Bunch” in a movie this year.)

Hey, I recognize them: The woman is Inbar Lavi, who starred in TV shows such as “Lucifer” and “Prison Break.” The male star, who must be the secret admirer, is Jake Epstein, from “Degrassi: The Next Generation.”

“Nantucket Noel”

Plot: A New England Christmas movie is a yearly must and so is the trope of the evil developer trying to ruin something that’s sentimental and Christmasy but sadly run-down. This time, our heroine has a toy store on a wharf that’s marked for demolition. But wait, she falls in love with the developer’s son.

Hey, I recognize them: The aforementioned developer’s son is Trevor Donovan, who starred as Teddy Montgomery on the CW reboot of “90210” and is a Hallmark Channel Christmas romance regular.

“Next Stop, Christmas”

Plot: We have another entry in the trope of somehow ending up in the past and getting a do-over — this time, with a famous sportscaster boyfriend. Our heroine boards some kind of special time-traveling train to her hometown to make this happen. (Maybe it’s kind of like the train to get to Hogwarts?)

Hey, I recognize them: Our leading couple isn’t made up of seasoned screen stars, but we do get multiple members of the “Back to the Future” cast supporting them. Lea Thompson, who played Marty’s mom Lorraine McFly, is in this one. So is Christopher Lloyd, aka Doc Brown, who plays the enigmatic train conductor. Wait, time travel, casting people from “Back to the Future,” and didn’t “Back to the Future Part III” include a train? I get it now. Very clever, Hallmark.

“Sister Swap: Christmas in the City” and “Sister Swap: A Hometown Holiday”

Plot: Two sisters are super close, but one lives in the city and the other lives in their hometown, so we get a pair of new movies. And there might be a ghost of a favorite uncle played by a former “Saturday Night Live” star — or at least flashbacks,.

Hey, I recognize them: Real-life sisters Kimberly Williams-Paisley (“Father of the Bride” and “Father of the Bride, Part II”) and Ashley Williams (“How I Met Your Mother,” “Something Borrowed”)  star in this series. Comedian Kevin Nealon also appears as their late Uncle Dave.

“The Christmas Contest”

Plot: Only in the world of Hallmark do so many communities have Christmas contests that seem to pit exes or long-feuding families against each other. In this film, it’s the former.

Hey, I recognize them: Can you even have a new crop of Hallmark Christmas movies without Candace Cameron Bure? She became famous as D.J. Tanner on the sitcom “Full House,” a role she reprised for the Netflix reboot “Fuller House.” And joining her for this Christmas competition is “Fuller House” co-star John Brotherton.

“The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls”

Plot: This is a sequel to last year’s “The Christmas House,” Hallmark’s first movie to feature an LGBTQ couple prominently. Now the brothers from the first movie are battling over who has better decorations.

Hey, I recognize them: This is among the most star-studded casts in Hallmark Christmas movie pantheon. You have Emmy nominees Sharon Lawrence, from “NYPD Blue,” and Treat Williams, who was nominated for the TV movie “The Late Shift,” but who also starred in the CW’s “Everwood,” and the 1970s movie musical “Hair.” Then there’s Robert Buckley from the CW’s “iZombie” and “One Tree Hill,” and Jonathan Bennett, who is our second “Mean Girls” star of the season.

“The Nine Kittens of Christmas”

Plot: A couple has to find homes for a litter of kittens. Another holiday sequel, this one is the follow-up to 2014’s “The Nine Lives of Christmas.” The original was still better than the movie version of “Cats.”

Hey, I recognize them: Zachary, the male lead, is played by Brandon Routh, who played Superman on the big screen. His fire chief boss is played by Gregory Harrison, perhaps best known as Gonzo on “Trapper John, M.D.”

“The Santa Stakeout”

Plot: Odd couple police detectives pose as newlyweds to crack the case of heists happening during holiday parties. Their charade becomes real and the community’s Christmas committee chair may be the one fleecing everybody.

Hey, I recognize them: One of our detectives is Tamera Mowry-Housley, who starred in the ABC sitcom “Sister, Sister” with her twin Tia in the ’90s. They also shared the screen in a reality show called “Tia & Tamera” in the ’10s. You’ll also spot Joe Pantoliano on screen in this crime caper. He’s better known for playing Ralphie on “The Sopranos,” a role that snagged him an Emmy, Cypher in “The Matrix” and one of the villainous Fratelli family members in “The Goonies.”

“‘Tis the Season to be Merry”

Plot: A writer named Merry heads to Vermont for a “fresh angle to her book on relationships,” according to the Hallmark site.

Hey, I recognize them: Our main character is Rachael Leigh Cook, who played Laney Boggs in the 1999 teen rom-com “She’s All That” and Josie in the underrated live-action movie version of “Josie and the Pussycats.”

“You, Me & the Christmas Trees”

Plot: A Connecticut Christmas tree farmer can’t figure out what’s happening to the trees on his 100-year-old family farm. Enter a tree expert and there’s more than the pines that are full of sap.

Hey, I recognize them: This movie features a reunion of stars of “The Wonder Years,” the original, not the current remake. Danica McKellar, a perennial Hallmark Christmas leading lady, is best known for her role of Winnie Cooper on “The Wonder Years.” Joining her in this winter wonderland is Jason Hervey, who played Wayne Arnold, the annoying older brother of series protagonist (and Winnie’s love interest) Kevin Arnold. Sadly, there’s no Fred Savage to be found — but his younger brother Ben DID star in a Hallmark Hanukkah movie in 2020.