Holiday TV movies 2012 – official list of new original movies

This is one list that keeps growing every year, the holiday TV movies 2012 list. Sure, we’ve got the classic holiday movies we view annually and that have long been a part of our family traditions, but a handful of networks are convinced that simply isn’t enough. This is the season in which a handful of networks go into overdrive churning out new holiday TV original movies. Here’s just a sampling of what’s new for the 2012 holiday TV movie season. Keep in mind that many of these movies have multiple air dates throughout the season, so search our TV listings by title if you miss the original premiere date, which is listed below.

HIarie Burton stars in Hallmark Channel's "Naughty or Nice"

Saturday, Nov. 24
Naughty or Nice (pictured)
Hallmark Channel, 8pm ET/PT
Notable Cast:
Meredith Baxter (Family Ties), Hilarie Burton (One Tree Hill), Matt Dallas (Kyle XY)
What’s It About? Krissy Kringle is a jaded ad executive who has become cynical and resentful of anything related to the Christmas holiday. But when Santa’s Naughty or Nice book ends up delivered to her, she begins to learn the power of the Christmas spirit.

 

Sunday, Nov. 25
Home Alone: The Holiday Heist
ABC Family, 8pm ET/PT
Notable Cast:
The supporting cast is impressive, with Malcolm McDowell, Debi Mazar and Eddie Steeples playing the crooks, while Ed Asner also contributes a cameo
What’s It About?
The fifth entry in the Home Alone series doesn’t have Macaulay Culkin, but still carries the same elaborate traps and buffoonish burglars fans of the series have come to love. The 8-year-old hero, Finn (Christian Martyn), has relocated with his family from California to a house in Maine he fears may be haunted. But the “ghosts” are actually a group of thieves out to steal a treasure left by an old bootlegger.

Hitched for the Holidays
Hallmark Channel, 8pm ET/PT
Notable Cast:
Joseph Lawrence (Blossom), Marilu Henner
What’s It About? Rob (Joseph Lawrence) and Julie (Emily Hampshire) find each other through a dating website as part of a mutual ruse, pretending not to be alone for the holidays. But when their respective Catholic and Jewish families conspire to get them to the altar, they find that things have gotten a bit more complicated.

Golden Christmas 3
ION, 8pm ET
What’s It About?
Heather is a charming, free spirit and Bobby is a naval officer home from serving over seas. Thanks to three golden retrievers, Bobby’s spirited 11-year-old niece, Myra, and a fun-filled theatre production of “A Christmas Carol,” these two unlucky and unlikely people end up falling in love at Christmas. Stars Shantel VanSanten, Rob Mayes, Orson Bean, Mark Famiglietti, Nikki Deloach, Alex Peters, Maxim Knight, Peter Holden and Matt Corboy.

A Bride for Christmas on Hallmark Channel stars Arielle Kebbel and Andrew WalkerSaturday, Dec. 1
A Bride For Christmas
Hallmark Channel, 8pm ET/PT
Notable Cast:
Arielle Kebbel (American Pie Presents Band Camp; Gilmore Girls fans will recognize her as Dean’s wife)
What’s It About? After three canceled engagements, Jessie (Kebbel) swears off any serious relationship, until charming but chronically single Aiden (Andrew Walker) comes along. But Aiden is working on winning a bet — to convince a woman to marry him by Christmas.

Sunday, Dec. 2
A Star for Christmas
ION, 7pm ET
Notable Cast: Corey Seiver (Immortals), Brooke Burns (Shallow Hal)
What’s It About?
The only thing that is working in Cassie’s world is her own business, Christmas Cupcakery. Cassie’s whole universe is turned upside down when she falls in love with a co-worker who is revealed to be a famous yet troubled actor. But, can their relationship survive the pressure of Hollywood and the holidays? Stars Corey Seiver, Brianna Evigan, Travis Van Winkle and Brooke Burns.

Mira Sorvino stars in the 2012 Lifetime Original Movie "Finding Mrs. Claus"Finding Mrs. Claus
Lifetime, 9pm ET/PT

Notable Cast:
Mira Sorvino (Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion)
What’s It About?
Mira Sorvino as Mrs. Claus? Yep, that’s the setup. And, Mrs. Claus is feeling neglected by Santa (Will Sasso), so she goes to Las Vegas to help a little girl with her Christmas wish. When Santa finds out and follows her to Sin City, all bets are off on whether Christmas will go down as planned.

The Christmas Heart
Hallmark Channel, 8pm ET/PT

Notable Cast:
Teri Polo (Meet the Parents)
What’s It About? Teri Polo and Paul Essiembre star in this surprisingly dark (for Hallmark Channel) and emotional story of a 15-year-old boy who suffers heart failure and needs an emergency heart transplant just before Christmas. In another town in another state, a different tragedy unfolds that will have consequences for everybody and could result in a Christmas miracle — but the circumstances are more difficult than they seem.

A Christmas Wedding Date
ION,
9pm ET
Notable Cast:
George Wendt (Cheers)
What’s It About?
After being fired from her high-powered job, Rebecca heads back home to see her mom, Shirley, and attend her friends’ small-town wedding on Christmas Eve. Initially convinced that the trip is a terrible mistake, especially her botched romantic conversation with former beau, Chad , Rebecca soon learns that, indeed, you can go home again, and, again — until you get it right. Stars Marla Sokoloff, Chris Carmack, Catherine Hicks, David DeLuise and Chelian Simmons.


Andrew McCarthy stars in the Hallmark Channel original "Come Dance With Me" on Dec. 8
Saturday, Dec. 8
Come Dance With Me
Hallmark Channel,
8pm ET/PT
Notable Cast:Pretty in Pink and St. Elmo’s Fire heartthrob Andrew McCarthy; Michelle Nolden (The Time Travelers Wife, Saving Hope)
What’s It About? Andrew McCarthy stars as an ambitious financial executive at a firm run by his girlfriend’s (Stephanie Mills) wealthy father. In hopes of creating a memorable wedding proposal, he takes ballroom dance lessons, but is caught in a moral dilemma when his feelings for his instructor (Nolden) move beyond the dance floor.

Holly’s Holiday
Lifetime,
8pm ET/PT
Notable Cast:
Claire Coffee (Nadine from General Hospital, Adalind on Grimm)
What’s It About?
The handsome mannequin in the perfect holiday window display draws the attention of an advertising executive (Coffee) every day she passes it. When she is knocked unconscious by a falling icicle, her once fake window man becomes the man of her dreams, but he’s far from being perfect.

Sunday, Dec. 9
Anything But Christmas
ION, 7pm ET
Notable Cast:
Back to the Future’s Christopher Lloyd
What’s It About?
A romantic comedy filled with chaos with exes, misunderstandings, parents and in-laws. John loves Grace and her 10-year-old son, Zachary. Although he wants to propose to her at Christmas, it’s the one holiday John runs from. Stars Elaine Hendrix, Sergio Di Zio, Sean Michael Kyer, Christopher Lloyd, Jessica Harmon and Adrian Holmes.

The Mistle-Tones
ABC Family,
8pm ET/PT
Notable Cast:
Original 90210 starlet and now tabloid queen Tori Spelling; Sister, Sister twin Tia Mowry
What’s It About? The storyline reminds us of Pitch Perfect; Tia uses her vocal talents to portray a young woman auditioning for a newly vacated spot in a legendary local Christmas group founded by her late mother. Upset when the slot goes to a barely talented friend of the group’s leader, Marci (Spelling), she sets out to create her own musical group — The Mistle-Tones.

Help For The Holidays
Hallmark Channel, 8pm ET/PT
Notable Cast:
Summer Glau (Firefly, Alphas), Eva La Rue (CSI: Miami), Dan Gauthier (Kevin Buchanan on One Life to Live), John Brotherton (Clint Buchanan on One Life to Live)
What’s It About?
Santa’s elf Christine (Glau) wonders if there could be more to life than making toys. When Santa receives an emergency wish from a little boy in Los Angeles, he puts Christine on special assignment to help the boy’s mom (La Rue) and dad (Gauthier) with a holiday wake-up call.

All About Christmas Eve
Lifetime, 9pm ET/PT
Notable Cast:
Haylie Duff (Napoleon Dynomite), American Idol finalists and real-life couple Ace Young and Diana DeGarmo make cameo appearances.
What’s It About?
Haylie Duff stars as Eve Wright, an overextended New York City party planner whose romantic Christmas vacation with her beau is jeopardized when a top client insists on throwing a huge Christmas Eve party 3,000 miles away in Los Angeles.

Christmas Twister
ION, 9pm ET
Notable Cast:
Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers)
What’s It About?
It was only a matter of time before the holidays found their own natural disaster-type movie, this one being Christmas Twister. After a massive, out-of-season swarm of  Texas tornadoes levels weather scientist Ethan Walker’s home on Christmas Eve, he must find courage in the face of devastation to help restore his marriage and rescue their missing children. Stars Casper Van Dien, Victoria Pratt and Richard Burgi.

Saturday, Dec. 15
Baby’s First Christmas
Hallmark Channel, 8pm ET/PT
Notable Cast:
Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers), Rachel Wilson
What’s It About? A pair of feuding colleagues (Van Dien and Wilson) is forced to get along after their respective siblings (played by Noah Cappe and Natalie Lisinska) fall in love, get pregnant and then encounter major money troubles. The colleagues band together to help but end up on a snowy New York adventure.

The Real St. Nick
Lifetime, 8pm ET/PT
Notable Cast:
Torrey DeVitto (The Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars), Callard Harris (Dallas)
What’s It About? An unconscious man in a Santa Suit awakens and insists he is Santa Claus. When his Christmas spirit soon “infects” everyone in the hospital ward, a psychiatrist (who the man saved in an earthquake) can’t help falling for the man even before she finds out his real identity.

George Wendt and Shelley Long star in Merry-In-Laws, a Lifetime original movie, on Dec. 16Sunday, Dec. 16
Merry-In-Laws
Lifetime, 9pm ET/PT

Notable Cast: Shelley Long and George Wendt star together for the first time since Cheers
What’s It About? Imagine saying “yes” to your boyfriend’s marriage proposal and then finding out that your future in-laws are Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus (Wendt and Long). That’s the premise in this holiday comedy.

Royal Pains: Off-Season Greetings
USA Network, 9pm ET/PT
Notable Cast:
The regular cast of Royal Pains including Mark Feuerstein and Paulo Costanzo
What’s It About?
This movie based on the hit Royal Pains series both advances the show’s storyline and goes backward with it, as doctor-to-the-rich Hank Lawson (Mark Feuerstein) recalls his earlier romances while his brother Evan (Paulo Costanzo) prepares to walk down the aisle with fiancée Paige (Brooke D’Orsay).

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