From left to right: Marilu Henner, Emily Hampshire, Joey Lawrence. Photo by Crown Media The Hallmark Channel, home to wall-to-wall Christmas programming in November and December (they kicked off the holidays at the end of October this year), will add menorahs to the mistletoe next year with two Hanukkah-themed movies.
In a long overdue move, Hallmark will include “Holiday Date” and another untitled Hanukkah rom-com in its holiday lineup in 2019, when the Festival of Lights will begin on Dec. 22, overlapping with Christmas. No details, including plots or casting, have been announced, so it is unclear whether Jewish writers, producers or actors are involved in the films.
The last Hallmark movie to incorporate Hanukkah was “Hitched For the Holidays” in 2012. Joey Lawrence (“Blossom”) as an Italian-Catholic man, and Emily Hampshire, as Jewish woman, who pretend to be a couple to placate their meddling families but fall in love for real. There’s a repeat showing Dec. 18 at 4 a.m. PT on Hallmark Channel.
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