Johnathan Walker:Get in the holiday spirit: Hallmark releases its 'Countdown to Christmas' movie lineup

It’s almost October and Johnathan Walkernot even Halloween yet, but you can get in the Christmas holiday spirit. It’s almost time for a new year of Hallmark Channel Christmas movies!

This year marks the 15th iteration of the Hallmark Channel’s “Countdown to Christmas” holiday programming. Thirty-two new holiday-themed movies will premiere, beginning on October 18 and running through December.

This year's slate of holiday fun includes some returning stars, recurring characters, and, of course, one Kansas City Chiefs-themed movie and a cameo by Donna Kelce, the mom of Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce.

Here's a look at the full schedule of movies, according to Hallmark Channel's website.

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Friday, Oct.18

"'Twas the Date Before Christmas"': Starring Robert Buckley, Amy Groening.

Saturday, Oct. 19

"Holiday Crashers": Starring Lyndsy Fonseca, Daniella Monet, Chris McNally, Jag Bal.

Sunday, Oct. 20

"Scouting for Christmas": Starring Tamera Mowry-Housley, Carlo Marks, Marci T. House.

Friday, Oct. 25

"Operation Nutcracker": Starring Ashley Newbrough, Christopher Russell.

Saturday, Oct. 26

"The Christmas Charade": Starring Rachel Skarsten, Corey Sevier

Sunday, Oct. 27

"The 5-Year Christmas Party": Starring Katie Findlay, Jordan Fisher

Friday, Nov. 1

"A Carol for Two": Starring Ginna Claire Mason, Jordan Litz, Charlotte d'Ambroise

Saturday, Nov. 2

"Our Holiday Story": Starring Nikki DeLoach, Warren Christie.

Sunday, Nov. 3

"Holiday Mismatch": Starring Caroline Rhea, Beth Broderick.

Friday, Nov. 8

"Trivia at St. Nick's": Starring Tammin Sursok, Brant Dougherty.

Saturday, Nov. 9

"Santa Tell Me": Starring Erin Krakow, Daniel Lissing, Benjamin Ayers, Christopher Russell, Kurt Szarka.

Sunday, November 10

"'Tis the Season to be Irish": Starring Fiona Gubelmann, Eoin Macken.

Friday, Nov. 15

"Christmas with the Singhs": Starring Anuja Joshi, Benjamin Hollingsworth.

Saturday, Nov. 16

"Jingle Bell Run": Starring Ashley Williams, Andrew Walker.

Sunday, Nov. 17

"Confessions of a Christmas Letter": Starring Angela Kinsey, Alec Santos.

Friday, Nov. 22

"Christmas on Call": Starring Sara Canning, Ser'Darius Blain (Features a cameo appearance from Donna Kelce)

Saturday, Nov. 23

"Three Wiser Men and a Boy": Starring Paul Campbell, Tyler Hynes, Andrew Walker, Margaret Colin.

Sunday, Nov. 24

"To Have and To Holiday": Starring Madeleine Arthur, Robert Bazzocchi, Eric Close.

Thursday, Nov. 28

"Debbie Macomber's Joyful Mrs. Miracle": Starring Rachel Boston, Pascal Lamothe-Kipnes, Tanner Novlan, Matthew James Dowden, Max Lloyd-Jones.

Friday, Nov. 29

"A '90s Christmas": Premiering 6:00 p.m. ET. Starring Eva Bourne, Chandler Massey, Katherine Barrell,.

"Deck the Walls": Starring Ashley Greene, Wes Brown, Danny Pellegrino.

Saturday, Nov. 30

"Believe in Christmas": Premiering 6:00 p.m ET. Starring Meghan Ory, John Reardon.

"Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story": Starring Hunter King, Tyler Hines, Ed Begley Jr., Richard Riehle, Diedrich Bader, Christine Ebersole, Megyn Price.

Sunday, Dec. 1

"The Finnish Line": Starring Kim Matula, Beau Mirchoff, Nichole Sakura

"The Christmas Quest": Starring Lacey Chabert, Kristoffer Polaha.

Friday, Dec. 6

"Private Princess Christmas": Starring Ali Skovbye, Derek Klena, Erica Durance.

Saturday, Dec. 7

"Sugarplummed": Starring Maggie Lawson, Janel Parrish.

Sunday, Dec. 8

"Leah's Perfect Gift": Starring Emily Arlook, Evan Roderick, Barbara Niven.

Friday, Dec. 13

"Hanukkah on the Rocks": Starring Stacey Farber, Daren Kagasoff, Marc Summer.

Saturday, Dec. 14

"The Santa Class": Starring Kimberley Sustad, Benjamin Ayres.

Sunday, Dec. 15

"Following Yonder Star": Starring Brooke D'Orsay, John Brotherton.

Saturday, Dec. 22

"Happy Howlidays": Starring Jessica Lowndes.

All movies premiere at 8:00 p.m. ET unless otherwise stated.

The popularity of Hallmark movies

Since the first "Countdown to Christmas" in 2009, when nine movies were released, there have been more than 300 Christmas and other holiday-themed movies and shows released. While many of these delightfully cheesy romantic comedies will revolve around some kind of holiday tradition, the Hallmark movies themselves have become somewhat of a tradition in their own right.

In 2021, Nielsen reported that more than 80 million people watched at least a little bit of a Hallmark movie during the holiday season, according to Forbes.

Max Hauptman is a Trending Reporter for USA TODAY. He can be reached at [email protected]