GAC's 2022 Holiday Movies You Need To Watch This Year

The Hallmark Channel has pretty much cornered the market on Christmas in recent years, enchanting TV viewers with a seemingly endless stream of holiday-themed romantic comedies guaranteed to get those jingle bells ringing. What viewers may not have realized is that Bill Abbott, chairman of Hallmark Media, parted ways with the company in 2020 and the next year acquired GAC, formerly known as Great American Country. He rebranded the channel as GAC, with the GAC Family and GAC Living channels. To bolster this new venture, Abbott proceeded to scoop up numerous stars of those beloved Hallmark movies and brought them over to star in Christmas movies for GAC Family.

In fact, GAC has assembled a holiday dream team of talent for its 2022 Great American Christmas programming event, including Daniel Lissing, Jill Wagner, Cameron Mathison, Danica McKellar, Cindy Busby, Jessica Lowndes, Andrea Barber, Candace Cameron Bure, legendary Empress of Soul Gladys Knight, and many more.

With all those familiar faces set to deck the halls in heartwarming holiday flicks, it's a no-brainer that many fans of Hallmark holiday movies will want to switch over to Great American Family for its annual Great American Christmas event, kicking off on October 22 with new holiday movies debuting each weekend through December. For a complete rundown, read on for a look at GAC's 2022 holiday movies you need to watch this year.

Fledgling caterer Molly Frost (Merritt Patterson of "The Royals") has just launched her business when she lands a big contract to cater the annual Christmas gala dinner for the Harrison Foundation. Hired by the foundation's perfectionist director, Jean Harrison, Molly has her hands full. Enter Carson Harrison (Daniel Lissing of the Hallmark Channel hit "When Calls the Heart"), a 30-something photographer with zero ambition of accepting his expected destiny of taking control of his wealthy family's foundation. He reluctantly accepts when his aunt assigns him to ensure the catered dinner goes off without a hitch — which leads him to meet Molly. Sparks fly, and the oven isn't the only thing generating heat in the kitchen.

Stars Patterson and Lissing spoke to Entertainment Tonight from the set in the Ontario town of Sudbury, where "Catering Christmas" was filmed. He pointed to the lavish set decoration that conjured Christmas, noting, "You can't help feel, like, warm and fuzzy with every frame of this movie."

"I feel like my character's a little bit cheeky when we first meet him and wants to distance himself a little bit," said Lissing of the onscreen romance. "But through this beautiful relationship with Merritt's character, Molly, he kind of grows up a little bit in this movie. I hope."

"Catering Christmas" will premiere on GAC on Saturday, Oct. 29.

Growing up in a small town, Angie's (Samantha Cope) favorite part of Christmas has always been the annual tree lighting in the town square each Christmas Eve. But this year marks her first Christmas since losing her mother, and the last thing she feels like doing during this holiday season is celebrating. 

Then, she learns something she never knew about her mother: Her long-held dream was to win the town's tree-decorating contest and have her winning tree lit up in the square for everyone to see. Angie sees an opportunity to lift herself out of her funk while also honoring her mom by entering the contest and giving it her all. What she didn't count on, however, is that David (Ross Jirgl), her one-time high school flame, has also entered the contest, joined by his young daughter Gabby (Eliza Donaghy). 

Given that David is recently widowed, Gabby and Angie find common ground by sharing their grief over losing their mothers. Meanwhile, long-buried feelings start to rekindle as she and David rediscover their love for each other. As Angie pays tribute to her mother's memory, she also begins to create some new Christmas memories of her own.

"Love at the Christmas Contest" will air on Sunday, Nov. 6.

When Ashley (Breanne Hill) returns home for the holidays, she's dismayed to discover that her former boyfriend (Tanner Novlan) has moved on and found a new love, cozily ensconced in a relationship with another woman. Not wanting her ex to think that she's pathetic for remaining single after their breakup a decade earlier, she enlists her best friend Liam (Colton Little) to pretend to be her boyfriend over the Christmas season. As the two play make-believe, what are the odds that their friendship will blossom into true love as they continue their faux romance? 

If Hill seems familiar, it's because she has an impressive roster of previous screen credits under her belt. She starred alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (twice, in both 2015's "San Andreas" and again in 2018's "Rampage"); opposite Jason Momoa in the TV series "Frontier," which ran for two seasons between 2016 and 2018; and headlining the 2019 Lifetime TV movie "Deadly Assistant."

"My Best Friend's Christmas" will debut on Sunday, Nov. 13.

Kyla (Emma Johnson, who previously starred in the Hallmark Channel holiday movie "Time for Us to Come Home for Christmas") is a top genealogy researcher who's built a successful career putting together family trees for others. Her own family history, however, has always been somewhat murky, something she hopes to change after uncovering some previously unknown information about her mother's mysterious extended family.

In order to learn more, Kyla and her sister (Marnie Mahannah) make a trip to the small Michigan town of Conifer, where she hopes to find the missing pieces of her own ancestry. Her search leads her to a Christmas tree farm that's been owned by the same family for generations. The farm is currently run by Joel (Giles Panton, "The Picture of Christmas"), whose rugged good looks are matched only by his stubbornness — which doesn't prevent Kyla from being drawn to him. As she and Joel find themselves falling in love, however, she makes a shocking, game-changing discovery about their respective ancestors that threatens the future of the Christmas tree farm — and their budding romance. 

"My Favorite Christmas Tree" will air on Sunday, Nov. 20.

Jessica Lowndes ("Angel Falls Christmas," "Too Close for Christmas") stars as Holly, a sales clerk and part-time chorus girl who aspires to Broadway stardom. As the end of the five-year deadline she's given herself to achieve her goal draws nearer, she meets Jason (Paul Greene, aka Dr. Carson Shepherd on the Hallmark Channel series "When Calls the Heart"), a jingle writer and single dad. The two find themselves drawn to each other, but Jason is hesitant to bring someone new into his young daughter's life. 

Enter Cora Ross (music legend Gladys Knight), a wealthy landlord who's taken charge of their town's annual Christmas concert. Recognizing the spark between Holly and Jason, Cora hatches a plan to bring them together for the Holiday Lane Christmas concert, casting Holly in the lead role while charging Jason with writing what she hopes will be a new Christmas classic — while also playing Cupid behind the scenes.

"As anticipation builds for year two of Great American Christmas, we are delighted to be working with the incomparable Gladys Knight, who has inspired generations of fans by pushing musical boundaries with her numerous hit songs," said Great American Media President and CEO Bill Abbott, via Southern Living. "With high-caliber performances from Knight and the talented Jessica Lowndes and Paul Greene, 'I'm Glad It's Christmas' is a truly magical Christmas movie steeped in original music that audiences will want to see again and again."

"I'm Glad It's Christmas" will debut on Saturday, Nov. 26.

Candace Cameron Bure isn't the only "Full House" alum to join the GAC family. In "Christmas on Candy Cane Lane," Andrea Barber (aka Kimmy Gibbler) stars as Ivy, who's having a tough time coping with the outsized expectations thrust upon her as Christmas approaches. That's because her recently deceased mom was something of a local Yuletide legend in their hometown of Icicle Falls — she was head of the annual Candy Cane Lane Lights Extravaganza, owner of local shop The Christmas Haus, and a former TV star so associated with the holidays that her adoring fans nicknamed her the "Christmas maven." 

Ivy winds up experiencing her own holiday miracle when a series of comedic coincidences and unexplained events combine to bring the town together so seamlessly that even the "Christmas maven" herself would be envious. 

The film is the second project from Candace Cameron Bure's Candy Rock Entertainment production company. "It brings me great joy to bring you the incredibly talented and funny Andrea Barber," producer Cameron Bure said of the film, as reported by MovieWeb. "Having a 30-year bestie friendship both on and off camera has allowed me to find the perfect project to introduce the Christmas genre audience to her brilliant comedic skills, her heartwarming authenticity, and vulnerability that is a rare gem today ... audiences will fall in love with Andrea's warmth and relatability, and chuckle along with her all the way down Candy Cane Lane."

"Christmas on Candy Cane Lane" will debut on Saturday, Dec. 3.

Jennifer Freeman and Garrett Watson star as exes who unexpectedly run into each other while doing some Christmas shopping in a big box store — just as a freak snowstorm pummels the region and leaves them stranded in the store just before Christmas. Forced together by circumstances beyond their control — and with no cell service or Wi-Fi to distract them — they wind up reconnecting in a powerful and meaningful way as familiar sparks fly. 

While Freeman has an extensive roster of acting credits – and is best known for her longtime role in the ABC sitcom "My Wife and Kids" — Watson is more of a newcomer. As his IMDb credits indicate, since 2019 he's had a handful of TV appearances and roles in just two movies. 

Watson referenced that fact when he shared a photo from the set of "Big Box Christmas" to mark the end of filming. "That's a wrap on my 3rd feature film!" he wrote in an Instagram post. "The cast here in LA was top-tier fun to work with. Couldn't have asked for a better experience. (Crew included!!) Will update you guys on this amazing Christmas romance film release, which will be VERY soon!"

"Big Box Christmas" will premiere on Friday, Dec. 9.

A photographer named Kate (Jaclyn Hales) agrees to sub in when her best friend is unable to attend a course she'd booked at a famed Belgian culinary school during the holidays. Impersonating her pal, she winds up forming a special connection with the chocolatier who's instructing the class (played by Zane Stephens). As romance begins to bloom, there's one teeny problem: Because Kate is pretending to be her friend in order to take the class, she's forced to maintain the deception even as their relationship begins to deepen. When she finally does tell the truth, will it be too late? 

Hales, whose credits include such TV series as "Mayans M.C." and "Legion," can also be heard in the audio drama podcast "The Bystanders," in which she's part of a cast that includes Kristin Chenoweth, Jane Lynch, and "The Office" alum Oscar Nuñez. Stephens also has an extensive resume of TV credits, including appearances on such series as "The Vampire Diaries," "MacGyver," "The Resident," and the Showtime historical drama "The First Lady."

"A Belgian Chocolate Christmas" will premiere on Sunday, Dec. 11.

For anyone who thought there could be no possible way for GAC to deliver more than just one art-focused Christmas movie in a single year, prepare to be proven wrong with the aptly titled "The Art of Christmas." 

The storyline surrounds gallery owner Liv James (Brigitte Kingsley), who finds her life turned upside down when her most recent gallery exhibition literally goes up in flames. At loose ends and desperate for money, she reluctantly decides to accept a job teaching art to kids at a local elementary school. 

As she becomes more comfortable with her new environment, Liv comes to the unexpected discovery of her true self while also finding a sense of purpose that her life had been lacking. She also finds a surprising attraction when her new job leads her to meet her dream guy (Joe Towne), sparking a surprising romance that she didn't see coming.

"The Art of Christmas" will debut on Sunday, Dec. 18.