Hallmark Coming Home for Christmas: Time, Cast, Discussion

Crown Media Coming Home for Christmas

Tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern (7 p.m. Central), Hallmark’s latest Countdown to Christmas movie, Coming Home for Christmas, will premiere. It’s a story of a young woman who’s planning a final Christmas Eve gala while being pursued by two handsome men. The movie stars Danica McKellar, Neal Bledsoe, and Andrew Francis. After you read all about this movie and watch it, come back and share any comments or questions that you may have about the movie in our comments section below. Take time to let other readers know what you thought and talk about the movie with other viewers.

To find out what channel Hallmark is on for you, click here to go to TV Guide’s listings. Then change the “Provider” (right under TV Listings) to your local provider. You’ll be able to scroll down to see what channel Hallmark is on for you. (To find out how to stream Hallmark’s Christmas movies live, see our story here.)

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The synopsis reads:

Lizzie Richfield is at a crossroads when she lands a job as house manager for the exclusive Ashford Estate in the Virginia countryside. While preparing the place for sale, Lizzie plans one final Christmas Eve gala for the Marley family, though they seem to be a family in name only. There’s Kip Marley, who never met a party he didn’t like; Robert, the handsome but all-business executor of the estate; Sloane, who arrives with her two young children, sans husband, and the 80-year-old matriarch, Pippa, a spitfire who doesn’t want to put the house up for sale at all. As Lizzie is inserted into the home and the lives of the Marley family she finds herself drawn to Robert – even as Kip pursues her. Can she navigate her suddenly complicated love life while helping mend family feuds and maybe teaching all the true spirit of Christmas?

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The movie stars Hallmark favorite Danica McKellar as Lizzie Richfield, a woman who is out of work, recovering from a breakup, and ready to restart her life. McKellar has a long and successful history in TV and film. Her appearances include The Wonder Years (Winnie Cooper), The West Wing (Elsie Snuffin), Dancing with the Stars, The Wrong Woman (Lifetime), and many Hallmark movies including Perfect Match, Crown for Christmas, Wedding Bells, Campfire Kiss, and My Christmas Dream. McKellar is also the founder of McKellarMath.com and bestselling books that tackle math education. She’s not just an actress, she’s also a mathematics genius.

Crown MediaNeal Bledsoe

The movie also stars Neal Bledsoe as Robert Marley, a handsome but all-business executor of the estate. Bledsoe has many past appearances, including Guiding Light (Quinn), CSI-NY (Sam Friar), As the World Turns, Six Degrees, Law & Order: Criminal Intent (Kevyn), The Beautiful Life: TBL, Gossip Girl, Ugly Betty, Body of Proof, Ironside, The Mysteries of Laura (Tony Abbott), The Ridge (Noah), Sex and the City 2 (Kevin), and more.

Crown MediaAndrew Francis (right)

The other man who is pursuing Lizzie’s affections is Kip Marley, played by Andrew Francis. Kip is a fun-loving guy who’s never met a party he didn’t like. Andrew Francis himself is well-known to Hallmark viewers, as he portrays Connor O’Brien on Chesapeake Shores. He’s also done voice work for numerous projects, including Dinotrux, Ninjago, My Little Pony, and Max Steel.

Crown MediaLindsay Maxwell, Danica McKellar, Rebecca Staab

Also starring in the movie are:

Lindsay Maxwell (Megan Richfield, Lizzie’s sister)
Paula Shaw (Pippa Marley, the 80-year-old matriarch who doesn’t want to sell the family estate. Paula Shaw is well known for Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove and other roles.)
Andrew Kavadas (Gerard)
Brenda Crichlow (Anna)
Chelan Simmons (Sloane: She arrives with her two young children, but without her husband. Simmons is known for her role on How I Met Your Mother.)
Rebecca Staab (Camille Richfield)
Bekham Skoddje (Sammy)
Christian Convery (Paul)
Scott Perrie (Jackson)
Tosca Baggoo (Carla)
Roz Murray (Gladys)

If you miss the movie tonight, you’ll have lots of other times to catch it. The movie will have encores on Sunday Nov. 19 at 2 p.m. Eastern, Wednesday Nov. 22 at 6 p.m., Saturday Nov. 25 at 4 p.m., Tuesday Nov. 28 at 8 p.m., Saturday Dec. 9 at 6 p.m., Friday Dec. 15 at 10 p.m., Tuesday Dec. 19 at 12 a.m., Monday Dec. 25 at 3:30 p.m., and Sunday Dec. 31 at 8 p.m.

The movie is based on the book “Coming Home for Christmas’ by Jenny Hale. Here are some more photos to get you in the holiday mood, all courtesy of Crown Media: