To celebrate Hallmark’s 15th annual Countdown to Christmas movie lineup, the network pulled out all the stops — literally. On October 16, 2024, over a dozen Hallmark stars boarded decked-out buses for the first-ever “Jingle Stop Tour,” which took them up the East Coast for fan events in Washington DC, Philadelphia, and New York City.
Longtime Hallmark stars including Kristoffer Polaha, Nikki DeLoach, Jonathan Bennett, Andrew Walker, Rachel Boston, Tyler Hynes, Tamera Mowry-Housley, and Benjamin Ayres began the day at District Pier in DC where thrilled fans — many decked out in Christmas sweaters and Santa hats — packed the pier and posted videos of the event as they delighted in seeing their favorite stars onstage.
The stars seemed equally excited for the epic field trip, with many chronicling their travels to DC to meet up with their colleagues the day before. Multiple stars, including Bennett and Boston, posted trip photos in their Instagram Stories and, like superheroes gathering for a secret mission, wrote, “@HallmarkChannel Avengers Assemble!”
The group probably did seem like superheroes to the patients and staff at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, which was their next stop on the tour. After cheering up patients, families and staff, it was on to New York City, where fans braved chilly weather at Hudson Yards to get a glimpse of their favorite Hallmark stars.
Hallmark Channel Fan Favorites Put on a Show
GettyTamera Mowry-Housley speaks onstage at Hallmark Channel’s Countdown To Christmas Jingle Stop Bus Tour Fan Event at District Pier in Washington, D.C. on October 16, 2024.
At the morning event in DC, stars greeted fans and had fun onstage, talking about their upcoming Christmas movies — 31 of which will begin airing on Hallmark Channel on October 18 — and activities like a holiday dance-off between DeLoach and Mowry-Housley, whose holiday film, “Scouting for Christmas,” premieres on October 20. DeLoach and Bennett also wowed the crowd with their dance routine, seen in a video shared by Hallmark.
Not to be outdone, “Three Wise Men and a Baby” stars Walker, Hynes and Paul Campbell performed their infamous dance from the movie and teased their highly-anticipated sequel, “Three Wiser Men and a Boy,” which premieres in November.
GettyHallmark Channel stars posed at District Pier in Washington DC on October 16, 2024. Back row: Jonathan Bennett, Andrew Walker, Kimberley Sustad, Kristoffer Polaha, Paul Campbell, Ser’Darius Blain. Front Row: Tamera Mowry-Housley, Tyler Hynes, Heather Hemmens, Nikki DeLoach, Nolan Gerard Funk, Rachel Boston and Beth Broderick
Also at the DC event, Bennett served as the ringleader of a funny demonstration on how to master a “perfect Hallmark kiss,” much like the contestants have to do on his upcoming reality competition show, “Finding Mr. Christmas” on Hallmark+.
In a video shared by Hallmark Channel, Bennett told the crowd, “A lot goes into getting the perfect Hallmark kiss. It’s the end-of-the-movie moment — you know the moment I’m talking about, right? It’s the moment everyone goes, ‘Awwww!’”
Bennett had a blast — and so did the crowd — as Ayres and Kimberley Sustad, who just wrapped filming “The Santa Class,” demonstrated while mistletoe hung above their heads, only to have Campbell step in. But just as he was about to plant one on her, Walker interrupted, drawing laughs from the crowd.
Ahead of the big day, on October 15, many of the stars hung out together in DC, taking photos at historic sites like the White House and Lincoln Memorial, where Canadian-born Campbell joked in one video Hynes posted in his Instagram Stories, “I think Lincoln did a great job building this!”
Hallmark Channel’s Jingle Stop Tour Took Stars to Philadelphia & New York, Too
GettyHallmark Channel stars gathered onstage at Hudson Yards in New York City during their Countdown To Christmas Jingle Stop Bus Tour on October 16, 2024 in New York City.
Rather than host a large fan event for the public in Philadelphia, Hallmark stars piled into Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to deliver some pre-holiday cheer.
The actors split up at different stations to brighten the day for patients and their families. Seen in videos shared by Hallmark and the stars, Campbell and Sustad served hot chocolate, Hynes and DeLoach made snowmen with young patients, Boston colored and crafted with kids, and DeLoach sat down with Ser’Darius Blain, who’s in two Hallmark holiday movies in 2024, at the hospital’s TV studio for an interview that was beamed out to all of the hospital rooms.
Hallmark Channel execs also presented a $15,000 check to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, which serves as home base for characters in Blain’s upcoming movie “Christmas On Call” about first responders.
The stars climbed back on the buses to head to New York City, and their Instagram Stories showed that the ride there was right out of a Hallmark movie, with the actors chatting, laughing and even singing. Blain posted one video in which DeLoach was leading a sing-along of “Killing Me Softly.”
For the evening event at Hudson Yards, the stars took the stage again for fun activities, like a Christmas stocking match game played by multiple stars including Heather Hemmens, Beth Broderick and Hallmark newcomer Nolan Funk. Longtime fan favorites Wes Brown and B.J. Britt also joined the group in New York for photos and onstage antics, including an epic snowball fight.
In addition to Hallmark Channel launching its Countdown to Christmas lineup of 31 new movies starting October 18, Hallmark Mystery will also premiere nine new films, while seven more will debut on Hallmark+ (as well as four new holiday series), bringing Hallmark Media’s grand total to 47 new Christmas films airing between October 18 and December 21.
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