The holiday season truly is the most wonderful time of the year for Hallmark fans, with dozens of new movies premiering from October through December 2024. But when Hallmarkies are away from their TV screens, they can still lean on some of their favorite rom-com stars and movies for toe-tapping, heartwarming Christmas songs.
Though it was sooo hard to choose, EntertainmentNOW has curated (in random order!) our Top 10 Christmas Songs From Hallmark Stars & Movies. All 10 tunes are pretty new; the criteria was that the music had to have been released since 2020 by actors who double as musicians (swoon!) or the songs had been featured in Hallmark movies during the last two years.
If you check out our list and have favorites we missed, feel free to weigh in below via the comments or on our HallmarkNOW Facebook page! Happy listening and happy holidays!
‘It’s Officially Christmas’ by Dan + Shay
Country superstar duo Dan + Shay have several holiday tunes featured in Hallmark movies this year. The duo even performed at a Countdown to Christmas kickoff for a bevy of stars and media members in October, and appeared on Hallmark’s float in the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Among their tunes featured in Hallmark movies this year was “Christmas Isn’t Christmas,” which was included in Rachel Boston’s Thanksgiving weekend movie, “Debbie Macomber’s Joyful Mrs. Miracle.” Their upbeat 2020 tune “Take Me Home for Christmas” is featured in the just-premiered Wes Brown movie “Deck the Walls.”
But our favorite of them all is the upbeat, holiday kickoff tune “It’s Officially Christmas,” which is heard during a fun, festive moment in “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story.” If you’re not in the holiday spirit after listening to this one, you might as well not keep scrolling!
‘Let There Be Joy’ by Jennifer Hudson
EGOT winner and talk show host Jennifer Hudson released her first Christmas album in 2024 and Hallmark made her the voice of its 15th annual Countdown to Christmas programming. We can’t get enough of the “American Idol” alum’s soaring song “Let There Be Joy,” which can be heard in ads and promos for Hallmark’s movie lineup, as well as in “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story.”
Want a little more JHud on your holiday playlist? Her rendition of “Jingle Bells” is featured in “Holiday Mismatch,” while “Winter Wonderland” will be heard in Janel Parrish’s “Sugarplummed,” premiering on December 7. In addition, two songs — “Find the Love” and “O Holy Night” — will be heard during Brooke D’Orsay and John Brotherton’s “Following Yonder Star,” premiering on December 15.
‘Prepare My Heart to Wonder’ by Ginna Claire Mason
Broadway and Hallmark star Ginna Claire Mason, whose most recent holiday movie was November’s “A Carol for Two,” released her first Christmas EP this season, called “Prepare My Heart to Wonder.”
The tender title track, which the “Wicked” alum wrote with Christy Nockels and Donna Stuart, beautifully showcases the purity of Mason’s voice and faithful spirit. The rest of her EP is balm for the soul, too, including a remake of Amy Grant’s “Tennessee Christmas.”
‘A Holly Jolly Christmas’ & ‘Natchez Christmas Eve’ by Wes Brown
Be still our hearts! Longtime Hallmark star Wes Brown has not one but two Christmas albums, making our job to choose one song to highlight nearly impossible. So we’re cheating a little here, choosing a classic Christmas tune and an original tune.
Drumroll, please! Our pick for a classic holiday tune is “Holly Jolly Christmas” for Brown’s high-spirited delivery and eyebrow-raising piano skills. But the “Haul Out the Holly” star’s 2021 country-infused original “Natchez Christmas Eve” is also a heartwarming winner with its southern twang and sweet message.
Need more Wes Brown in your life this holiday season? His latest Hallmark movie is “Deck the Walls” and his three-part unscripted series “Ready! Set! Glow!” debuts on Hallmark+ on December 12.
‘Jingle Bell Rock’ by David Foster & Katharine McPhee
“American Idol” alum Katharine McPhee and her husband, legendary record producer David Foster, give new life to this classic tune, but with big band flair, from their 2022 holiday album.
Their version was featured in the 2023 Hallmark movie “Catch Me if You Claus” with Luke Macfarlane and it’s earned a permanent spot on our Christmas playlists. Bet you can’t listen without tapping your toes!
‘Season of Lights and Wonder’ by Brett Eldredge
Excuse us while we dab our eyes on this one! Brett Eldredge’s sweet “Season of Lights and Wonder” was featured in Ashley Williams and Andrew Walker’s 2024 movie, “Jingle Bell Run”, and instantly gave us goosebumps with his rousing chorus and sweet reflections on the beauty of the season.
‘Home for the Holiday’ by Jaymes Vaughan
Hallmark star Jonathan Bennett’s husband Jaymes Vaughan released his first Christmas EP — “Feels Like Christmas” — in mid-November, marking a triumphant return to music after a decade of focusing on other ventures.
Vaughan debuted two of his four new tunes aboard the Hallmark Christmas Cruises for thousands of thrilled fans. He told EntertainmentNOW how Hallmark wound up choosing one of his songs (and our pick for this list) — the warm and wistful “Home for the Holiday” — to be featured in a movie starring his husband, “Season’s Greetings from Cherry Lane.” The movie premieres on Hallmark+ on December 5, so listen for the tune when you watch!
‘Home’ by Cher & Michael Bublé
When Cher released her 2023 Christmas album, it included a new duet version of Michael Bublé’s hit song “Home,” and the way their voices blend on the chorus knocked our socks off!
Though the song works year-round, it was featured in Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf’s “A Merry Scottish Christmas” in 2023, which became the most-watched cable movie of the year. So it totally qualifies for our Top 10 List and, we think, fits right in.
‘This Christmas’ by Ingrid Michaelson
If there is such a thing as a Christmas lullaby, this fits the bill. Ingrid Michaelson wrote “This Christmas” after being shown the final scene of Hallmark’s 2023 movie “A Heidelberg Holiday,” and the sweet song that spilled out of her was then featured in the movie.
We love its hopeful melody and gentle reminder to “make this Christmas the best we’ve ever seen.” Hope this list of 10 wonder-full songs help you do just that!
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