Forever Hallmark Christmas Podcast

Rich & Rene
  • 5.0 (11)
  • TV Reviews

Just two guys talking about Hallmark Christmas movies. That’s it—nothing else. No other channels, no series, no reality TV, and no detours into Loveuary, Spring Into Love, Summer Nights, or Fall Harvest. If it’s not a Hallmark Christmas movie, we’re not covering it. Each week on The Forever Hallmark Christmas Podcast, we review a favorite from past years and keep up with the current films from Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas every October through December. Christmas... all year long!  *** The Forever Hallmark Christmas Podcast is not affiliated with Hallmark Media.

  1. 6d ago

    A Dickens of a Holiday!

    It’s Hallmark talent galore in A Dickens of a Holiday! Brooke D’Orsay (Cassie) and Kristoffer Polaha (Jake) lead the way, with one of Hallmark’s best writers, Julie Sherman Wolfe, delivering a fantastic screenplay. This movie has a little bit of everything: a Dickens festival in a cozy Ohio Christmas town, a Christmas Eve performance of A Christmas Carol, a director returning home from Manhattan, and a big-time action movie star doing the same. Throw in Christmas vibes, two brothers working through some old differences, and the mystery of a mixtape made back in high school—and you have one of the very best Hallmark Christmas movies of 2021. But what really sets this movie apart are the performances from Brooke D’Orsay and Kristoffer Polaha—with Kris delivering what may be the best monologue in Hallmark Christmas movie history. And if there’s a Mount Rushmore of Hallmark writers, Julie Sherman Wolfe is certainly on it… and the sharp snarky dialogue between Jake and Cassie is some of her very best. There’s a reason this is rated (per IMDb) as the 17th best Hallmark Christmas movie of all time.  And oh yeah… if you’ve ever wondered what Rich and Rene would have put on a mixtape in 1994, when Kris Polaha was 17 years old… we’ll give you our top five songs! In this episode of Forever Hallmark Christmas, we talk about: 🎄 Behind-the-scenes movie fun facts  🎄 Our favorite moments  🎄 Anything we’d rewrite?  🎄 The best supporting characters  🎄 “Are We Sure?” — our ultimate Hallmark logic check 🎄 Will Cassie and Jake’s relationship last? 🎄 The Mistletoe Meter — we give that final kiss a letter grade 🎄 Who — or what — truly won the movie 🎄 And, of course, our personal and completely unbiased final rating! For the Love of Hallmark. ❤️🎄 Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/foreverhallmarkchristmas Email: ForeverHallmarkChristmas@gmail.com *** Not affiliated with Hallmark Media.

    A Dickens of a Holiday!

  2. Sep 3

    Remembering Dolly Parton: Hallmark's Christmas at Dollywood

    On August 28th, 2026, the Hallmark Channel made a classy move, airing a special presentation of the 2019 movie Christmas at Dollywood just days after the world lost Dolly Parton at age 80. For a week, flags were ordered lowered to half-staff as people around the world mourned a beloved icon whose legacy stretched far beyond music to film, philanthropy, and so much more. Forever Hallmark Christmas is a movie review podcast. But this week, we’re putting that aside to celebrate Dolly and her incredible life. We dive into her one and only Hallmark movie—one of the most-watched Christmas movies of 2019—and explore how Danica McKellar’s connection to Dolly helped make the film happen. We also have plenty of behind-the-scenes stories, plus a deep dive into Dollywood and Dolly’s remarkable Imagination Library, including some things you won’t find in the movie. “When I’m inspired, I get excited because I can’t wait to see what I’ll come up with next.” — Dolly Parton RIP Dolly. 1946–2026 ❤️ Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/foreverhallmarkchristmas Email: ForeverHallmarkChristmas@gmail.com *** Not affiliated with Hallmark Media.

    Remembering Dolly Parton: Hallmark's Christmas at Dollywood

  3. Aug 31

    Hallmark 2026 Christmas Preview Show - Part 2

    Countdown to Christmas 2026: The Forever Hallmark Christmas Preview Show… Part 2!!! Hallmark is expected to release the official Countdown to Christmas 2026 schedule in just a few weeks. Until then… we’re breaking it all down! In our first preview episode, we discussed 12 new Christmas movies coming in 2026. Now, in Part 2, we’re spotlighting 11 more movies that are on our radar! From October through December, these familiar faces will be hanging lights, building gingerbread houses, and sipping plenty of peppermint hot chocolate: Victor Webster • Amanda Schull • Jessy Schram • Will Kemp • Daniella Monet • Kevin McGarry • Daniel Lissing • Janel Parrish • Rachel Leigh Cook • Owain Yeoman • Emilie Ullerup • Corey Sevier • Rhiannon Fish • Jake Foy • Taylor Cole • Charles Michael Davis • Ali Liebert • Brooke D’Orsay • James Denton • Pascale Hutton • Brendan Penny • Lori Loughlin • Tom Cavanaugh We’ll break down what we know about their upcoming movies — and share our first thoughts along the way. The countdown starts October 17th… and we’re ready! For the love of Hallmark! Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/foreverhallmarkchristmas Email: ForeverHallmarkChristmas@gmail.com *** Not affiliated with Hallmark Media.

    Hallmark 2026 Christmas Preview Show - Part 2

  4. Aug 27

    Christmas in Evergreen: Bells are Ringing

    We wrap up the Christmas in Evergreen series with its fourth and final installment, Bells Are Ringing! Hannah (Rukiya Bernard) and Elliott (Antonio Cayonne) continue the relationship that started getting serious in Tidings for the Season, while an all-star supporting cast returns to Evergreen: Barbara Niven, Ashley Williams, Jaeda Lily Miller, Holly Robinson Peete, Malcolm Stewart, Chris Cope, and Keith Martin Gordey—one of Hallmark’s best Santas ever! If you like a movie with a lot going on—plots and subplots galore—this might be the Hallmark movie for you. Rich and Rene debate whether all those storylines add to the excitement of this final trip to Evergreen... or if the movie suffers because there’s simply too much happening. But one thing is for sure: if there’s an iconic Hallmark Christmas town, it’s Evergreen! In this episode of Forever Hallmark Christmas, we talk about: 🎄 Behind-the-scenes movie fun facts  🎄 Our favorite moments  🎄 Anything we’d rewrite?  🎄 The best supporting characters  🎄 “Are We Sure?” — our ultimate Hallmark logic check 🎄 Will Hannah and Elliott make it as a couple? 🎄 The Mistletoe Meter — we give those Christmas kisses a letter grade 🎄 Who — or what — truly won the movie 🎄 And, of course, our personal and completely unbiased final rating! For the Love of Hallmark. ❤️🎄 Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/foreverhallmarkchristmas Email: ForeverHallmarkChristmas@gmail.com *** Not affiliated with Hallmark Media.

    Christmas in Evergreen: Bells are Ringing

  5. Aug 20

    In Merry Measure

    Every Christmas season, we tend to get a storyline involving a youth choir, a high school theatre production, or some other holiday competition. But what happens when you take that familiar Hallmark setup, add the Broadway star who originated the role of Princess Anna in Frozen the Musical, put her opposite one of Hallmark’s leading hunks — wearing glasses for a good part of the movie, no less — and give them a script from a first-time Hallmark writer who would go on to write favorites like The Santa Summit, The Santa Class, and Merry Christmas, Ted Cooper? You get 2022’s In Merry Measure! Darcy (Patti Murin) was a famous pop star back in high school, but she returns home to Dayton for the holidays to spend time with her sister Gretchen (Jennifer Robertson) and her family. When Darcy’s niece Megan is cut from the high school choir by Adam (Brendan Penny), Darcy decides to start her own choir and compete against the team coached by Adam — who just happens to be a former high school classmate. But while the choir competition drives the story, it’s the script that really makes this movie stand out. The banter between Darcy and Adam is funny, sharp and genuinely entertaining. The secondary characters get surprisingly strong dialogue and development. And there are more memorable scenes than we can count. Writer Russell Hainline proves you absolutely can have both the rom AND the com in a classic Hallmark Christmas movie — and he does it in a way that is heartfelt, clever and incredibly entertaining. In this episode of Forever Hallmark Christmas, we talk about: 🎄 Behind-the-scenes movie fun facts  🎄 Our favorite moments  🎄 Anything we’d rewrite?  🎄 The best supporting characters  🎄 “Are We Sure?” — our ultimate Hallmark logic check 🎄 With a potential move back to Dayton, will Adam and Darcy actually make it as a couple? 🎄 The Mistletoe Meter — we give those Christmas kisses a letter grade 🎄 Who — or what — truly won the movie 🎄 And, of course, our personal and completely unbiased final rating! For the Love of Hallmark. ❤️🎄     Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/foreverhallmarkchristmas Email: ForeverHallmarkChristmas@gmail.com *** Not affiliated with Hallmark Media.

    In Merry Measure

  6. Aug 17

    Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas 2026: The Forever Hallmark Christmas Preview Show!

    Countdown to Christmas 2026: The Forever Hallmark Christmas Preview Show! We’re getting closer to the start of Hallmark’s annual Christmas movie season — so what can we expect in 2026? We’re breaking it all down: • We had 24 new Christmas movies in 2025 — how many will Hallmark deliver this year?  • What might the nightly programming schedule look like?  • How many episodes of Mistletoe Murders Season Three will we get — and when will they air? Plus, we’re spotlighting 12 of the 2026 Christmas movies we’re most excited about! We’ll talk about the “Big Three” — Disney, Biltmore and the Chicago Bears — plus nine more movies featuring some of your Hallmark favorites, including Tyler Hynes, Andrew Walker, Erin Cahill, Autumn Reeser, Wes Brown, Jonathan Bennett, Ashley Williams, Kristoffer Polaha, Luke McFarlane and so many more! The countdown is almost here — and we’re ready! For the love of Hallmark! Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/foreverhallmarkchristmas Email: ForeverHallmarkChristmas@gmail.com *** Not affiliated with Hallmark Media.

    Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas 2026: The Forever Hallmark Christmas Preview Show!

  7. Aug 13

    Snow Bride

    Snow Bride (2013) is one of those Hallmark Christmas classics that seems to land on nearly every fan’s favorites list. Katrina Law and Jordan Belfi make their Hallmark debuts, joined by Patricia Richardson (Home Improvement) in a fantastic supporting role. Shot in Southern California’s mountain community of Big Bear, this movie embraces the wonderfully bonkers side of the Hallmark rom-com. Deception runs rampant, the fake-boyfriend trope takes center stage, and somehow… it all works. And there’s a great story behind the script: Tracy Andreen—one of Hallmark’s best writers—wrote her first Hallmark screenplay after binge-watching Christmas in July movies the previous summer to learn the rhythms and structure of a Hallmark holiday film. Snow Bride is ridiculous, charming, and a whole lot of fun—and exactly the kind of movie Hallmark fans love to revisit. In this episode, we cover: • Behind-the-scenes movie fun facts  • Our favorite moments  • Anything we’d rewrite?  • The best supporting characters  • “Are We Sure?” — our ultimate Hallmark logic check  • After so much deception… will Greta and Ben survive as a couple?  • The multiple kisses… and the letter grades they earned – one was pushing towards an A+  • Who (or what) truly won the movie  • Our personal — and unbiased — final rating For the love of Hallmark! Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/foreverhallmarkchristmas Email: ForeverHallmarkChristmas@gmail.com *** Not affiliated with Hallmark Media.

    Snow Bride

  8. Aug 6

    Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade

    Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade (2012) marks the Hallmark debuts of Autumn Reeser, Antonio Cupo, and Ali Liebert. Featuring top-tier production from Ron Oliver (The Christmas Train) and a sharp script by Nancey Silvers (The Nine Lives of Christmas), it's widely considered one of Hallmark's most mature films of the era, with scenes you probably wouldn't see on the network today. But one question has fueled debate for years: Is it a Thanksgiving movie... or a Christmas movie? To settle the score, we polled fellow Hallmark podcasters, content creators, and even director Ron Oliver himself. The results? Much closer than we expected. This fan-favorite review is guaranteed to spark some holiday debate! As always, we cover: • Behind-the-scenes movie fun facts – courtesy of Director, Ron Oliver  • What we liked and our favorite scenes.  • Things we’d rewrite.  • The best supporting characters.  • “Are We Sure?” — our ultimate Hallmark logic check.  • Will Emily and Henry’s relationship last?  • The Mistletoe Meter – Let’s talk about that final kiss and give it a letter grade.  • Who (or what) truly won the movie.  • We rate the film and talk about what movie is coming up next! For the love of Hallmark! Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/foreverhallmarkchristmas Email: ForeverHallmarkChristmas@gmail.com *** Not affiliated with Hallmark Media.

    Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

Just two guys talking about Hallmark Christmas movies. That’s it—nothing else. No other channels, no series, no reality TV, and no detours into Loveuary, Spring Into Love, Summer Nights, or Fall Harvest. If it’s not a Hallmark Christmas movie, we’re not covering it. Each week on The Forever Hallmark Christmas Podcast, we review a favorite from past years and keep up with the current films from Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas every October through December. Christmas... all year long!  *** The Forever Hallmark Christmas Podcast is not affiliated with Hallmark Media.

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