Great American Family Moves Up Holiday Movie Slate One Week; Great American Christmas Launches Friday

You better hurry and haul out the holly, because Great American Family has decided that it cannot wait to get the holiday celebrations underway. So, the fast-growing cable channel announced on Thursday that its annual Great American Christmas programming block was moving up its premiere date by one week and will now kick off on Friday, Oct. 13. Holiday films will start airing on the network at 6 a.m. ET on Friday, and the first world premiere original film, “Destined 2: Christmas Once More,” will air on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. ET.

• Great American Family’s annual holiday movie event will kick off on Friday, Oct. 13 at 6 a.m. ET.
• This year’s Great American Christmas will feature 20 original films.
• GAF’s holiday celebration will air 24 hours per day into the new year.

Great American Family Moves Up Launch of 2023 Great American Christmas

The festivities of films will feature 20 all-new, original Christmas movies, which will mark the most expansive slate in Great American Christmas history. In addition to all of the original films, GAF will air encores of this year’s movies, along with classic Great American Christmas originals around the clock through the holidays. But, the celebrations won’t end on New Year’s Eve, because beginning this year, Great American Family will become the exclusive cable television home of the Tournament of Roses Parade, which airs annually on New Year’s Day.

Great American Family is available on five of the top seven live TV streaming services, but if you are looking for the cheapest way to watch Great American Christmas and the Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas — which will premiere on Friday, Oct. 20 — then the family-friendly skinny bundle Frndly TV is your best bet, starting at just $7.99 per month. We have more information on the best ways to stream these feel-good holiday films below.

What Original Movies Will Be a Part of Great American Christmas 2023?

Destined 2: Christmas Once More

Starring Shae Robbins and Casey Elliott | Saturday, Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. ET
In this sequel, Theo (Elliott) continues to miss connecting with his girlfriend, Kim (Robbins) as he attempts to propose at Christmas.

‘Twas the Text Before Christmas

Starring Merritt Patterson and Trevor Donovan | Saturday, Oct. 21 at 8 p.m. ET
An unexpected text message sent to the wrong number (Patterson) sets into motion a Christmas tradition with a new family (Donovan) over three separate years.

Bringing Christmas Home

Starring Jill Wagner and Paul Greene | Saturday, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. ET
A professor of military history (Wagner) teams with an antique store owner(Greene) to track down the original owner of a historic WWII uniform and the love letters left in its pockets.

Journey to Christmas (wt)

Starring Ash Tsai and Joey Heyworth | Sunday, Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. ET
While on a charity press tour, a model (Tsai) ends up stranded by the weather at the family home of the driver (Heyworth) she hired to assist her for the week.

A Dash of Christmas

Starring Laura Osnes and Christopher Russell | Saturday, Nov. 4 at 8 p.m. ET
A marketing exec (Osnes) must learn a recipe to get her dream job and ends up entered in a holiday bakeoff with a dream baker (Russell).

Our Christmas Wedding

Starring Holly Deveaux and Drew Seeley | Sunday, Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. ET
In the sequel, roles reverse as Nicole’s boss plans newly engaged Nicole (Deveaux) and Michael’s (Seeley) wedding in two weeks at Christmas.

Christmas Keepsake (wt)

Starring Jillian Murray and Daniel Lissing | Saturday, Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. ET
A father (Lissing) bonds with his daughter and stumbles upon an unexpected romance (Murray) while tracking down the original owner of a Christmas-time capsule.

A Christmas Blessing

Starring Lori Loughlin, James Tupper, and Jesse Hutch | Sunday, Nov. 12 at 8 p.m. ET
A TV chef (Loughlin) is divinely inspired to take over her late aunt’s charity with help from a new friend (Hutch) and a handsome business associate next door (Tupper).

Santa, Maybe

Starring Aubrey Reynolds | Saturday, Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. ET
Can theater director Lila (Reynolds) rise to the challenge of putting on the perfect Christmas ballet, while also discovering her office Secret Santa in the process?

A Paris Christmas Waltz

Starring Jen Lilley and Matthew Morrison | Sunday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. ET
A novice dancer (Lilley) pairs with a professional (Morrison) to enter a renowned dance competition… in Paris! The film is the next story in The Christmas Waltz universe, the highest-rated Christmas rom-com of 2020, from Michael Damian and Janeen Damian.

My Christmas Hero

Candace Cameron Bure and Gabriel Hogan | Friday, Nov. 24 at 8 p.m. ET
An army reserve doctor (Bure) tracks down her family’s military history with the help of a new romance (Hogan).

A Royal Date for Christmas (wt)

Starring Danica McKellar and Damon Runyan | Saturday, Nov. 25 at 8 p.m. ET
When a European Duke (Runyon) arrives in the United States, he realizes that his bags have been lost in transit. He has no choice but to be styled, and ultimately inspired, by Bella (McKellar) the owner of a local boutique.

A Christmas for the Ages

Natasha Bure, Anna Ferguson, Kate Craven, and Cheryl Ladd | Sunday, November 26 at 8 p.m. ET
Prompted by their youngest granddaughter (Bure), four generations celebrate family and what Christmas was like in the ’40s, ’60s, ’90s, and present day.

Christmas on Windmill Way

Starring Christa Taylor Brown and Chad Michael Murray | Saturday, Dec. 2 at 8 p.m. ET
To save her family’s legacy windmill, a woman (Taylor Brown) must remind her ex-boyfriend (Michael Murray) of the best of their hometown.

The Jinglebell Jubilee (wt)

Starring Erin Agostino and Marshall Williams | Sunday, Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. ET
A city manager (Williams) recruits the help of a childhood friend (Agostino) in setting right his town’s Christmas Charity event, while she sets to work setting him up with her close friend.

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe

Starring Sarah Fisher and Simon Arblaster | Saturday, Dece. 9 at 8 p.m. ET
Two rival realtors (Fisher and Arblaster) are forced to work together to sell one special house before Christmas.

Peppermints & Postcards

Starring Ella Cannon and Christopher Russell | Sunday, Dec. 10 at 8 p.m. ET
When a Christmas letter concerning her love life goes viral, one mom discovers that romance might be right at her door.

Designing Christmas with You (wt)

Starring Susie Abromeit and Liam McIntyre | Saturday, Dec. 16 at 8 p.m. ET
With her career on the line, a decorator (Abromeit) must work with an unexpected partner (McIntyre) to showcase a house for an upcoming Christmas gala.

12 Games of Christmas

Starring Johnny Ramey and Felisha Cooper | Sunday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. ET
In “12 Games of Christmas,” a group of old friends and neighbors are transported into a Christmas-themed board game during a Christmas party.

A Royal Christmas Holiday

Starring Brittany Underwood and Jonathan Stoddard | Saturday, Dec. 23 at 8 p.m. ET
In search of her big break, a reporter (Underwood) arranges a Christmas interview with a European Prince (Stoddard) visiting the States. Will the reporter’s big story become her love story?

What Is the Best and Cheapest Way to Stream Great American Family and Hallmark Christmas Movies?

As mentioned above, if you are exclusively searching for a way to stream GAF and Hallmark’s Christmas programming, then Frndly TV is the best option. After a seven-day free trial, a monthly subscription will only cost as little as $7.99. Admittedly, the reason that the service is able to keep the price so low is because it only offers a limited number of channels. So, if you need a little more on your streaming lineup, Philo might be the one to go with. Like Frndly, it does not have local, sports, or news channels, but it does come with 18 of the 35 top cable channels, while Frndly only has four. Both services have a one-week free trial, but Philo runs $25 per month.

The cheapest option to consider which includes both Great American Family and Hallmark, and has major broadcast networks and sports and news channels, is Sling TV. While the service does not offer a free trial, if you combine the service’s two base packages, you can get up to 27 of the top 35 cable channels. However, you would have to upgrade to the Heartland Extra package for an extra $6 per month to get Great American Family and the Lifestyle Extra package — also an extra $6 — to get Hallmark. Sling is currently offering a 50% discount on your first month of service, so if you time it right, you could get just about half of Great American Christmas and Countdown to Christmas for $39.50.