Hallmark Channel Christmas movies: The five you'll be watching

The Hallmark Channel’s annual “Countdown to Christmas” programming extravaganza begins Nov. 2. Here are the abbreviated synopses for the five original movies you’ll tune in for (whether you’ll admit it or not):

1. Snow Bride (premieres Sunday, Nov. 9, at 8 p.m. ET): Katrina Law (Spartacus: War of the Damned) stars as “Greta, an L.A. tabloid reporter assigned to get the scoop on a senator’s son whom they hear is planning a Christmastime marriage proposal. If Greta gets it right, there’s a big promotion in it for her. But when she sets out for the political family’s snowy estate, a series of crazy mix-ups lands her in a wedding dress posing as a runaway bride to handsome son Ben (Jordan Belfi). After spending time with the family, including Ben’s mom, (Patricia Richardson), Greta must decide between her career, the truth — and her attraction to Ben.” Note: I obviously pitched my movie, Spoiler Alert: Love!, to the wrong network. Call me, Hallmark. I’ll add snow.

2. A Very Merry Mix-Up (premieres Sunday, Nov. 10, at 8 p.m. ET): “Alicia Witt (Friday Night Lights)…portrays an antique shop owner Alice Chapman, who flies ahead of her fiancé (Scott Gibson) to meet his family before his arrival at Christmastime. But after losing her luggage and breaking her cellphone, she’s lucky to meet her future brother-in-law Matt Mitchum (Mark Wiebe) at baggage claim. She heads home with him and loves the family, but it won’t be long before Alice finds she’s taken up with the wrong Mitchums. And after reconnecting with her fiancé, it’s his family that turns out to be all wrong. It’s instantly clear to Alice that Matt is her real true love, proving that sometimes mix-ups are necessary to open our eyes to the destiny that was there all along.” 1. I love how they don’t even try to pretend Alice and Matt won’t end up together. 2. How has Alice never seen photos of her fiancé’s family on Facebook?

3. Catch a Christmas Star (premieres Sunday, Nov. 17, at 8 p.m. ET): “Shannon Elizabeth (American Pie, That ‘70s Show) plays Nikki Cranston, a pop music superstar, who finds an opportunity to make things right with her high school sweetheart. … Nikki, one of the biggest singers in the world, has everything she could ever want — except the right man to love. She isn’t thinking that her first love, Chris (Steve Byers) is the one. Chris, after all, is a widowed New Jersey high school basketball coach. But his 10-year-old daughter Sophie (Julia Lalonde) has other plans, setting out to reunite her dad with the wildly famous songstress. But the glaring spotlight, and Nikki’s wary business handlers, could put the clamps on it before it has a chance.” I got chills. This may require a viewing party with heavily spiked apple cider.

4. Fir Crazy (premieres Sunday, Nov. 24 at 8 p.m. ET): “Sarah Lancaster (Chuck) stars as Elise MacReynolds, a high-powered marketing exec who finds herself suddenly unemployed with Christmas approaching. … Elise is also newly single and forced to operate her family’s tree lot, leaving her feeling pretty miserable. Things greatly improve when she sparks a romance with one of her customers, Darren (Erin Johnson). But when her landlord Gary (Colin Mochrie) suddenly decides that he needs the tree lot gone just before Christmas, a holiday miracle is needed to rescue Elise and fire up her Christmas spirit before it’s too late.” You can’t go wrong with the workaholic-needs-to-slow-down rom-com trope. Plus, that title, Fir Crazy, is even better than the 2008 ABC Family classic Snow 2: Brain Freeze.

5. Let it Snow (premieres Saturday, Nov. 30 at 8 p.m. ET): Trope, take two: “Can a driven Arizona executive summon the Christmas spirit after traveling to frosty Maine? Let It Snow…stars the beautiful and talented Candace Cameron Bure (Puppy Love) as Stephanie, an exec with a company owned by her distant father Ted (Emmy® nominee Alan Thicke). It’s after the firm acquires an old fashioned lodge in Maine that Stephanie’s life and attitude begin to change — complete with newfound yuletide affection and a budding romance.” Odds on the lodge getting snowed in and Stephanie swooning over its former owner who wears hot Henley sweaters?