From Hallmark hunks to NFL players, the stars came out to celebrate Hallmark Channel‘s 17th annual Countdown to Christmas lineup, for the Chicago premiere of “Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story” on October 13, 2026.
Robert Buckley, Lyndsy Fonseca and the rest of the star-studded cast of “Holiday Touchdown,” which premieres on October 17, were in the Chicago suburb of Lake Forest, as were stars of some of Hallmark’s other 33 original movies premiering on the network this holiday season.
Check Out Who Was At the ‘Holiday Touchdown’ 2026 Premiere
Attendees at Tuesday night’s event were the first to preview “Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story,” the third movie in Hallmark’s partnership with the NFL. The new flick, filmed at Soldier Field and around Chicago this past summer, follows 2024’s Kansas City-based “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story” and 2025’s Buffalo-based “Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story.”
Celebs at the party included Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and tight end Colston Loveland, who both made cameos, as well as the team’s mascot, Staley Da Bear.
Multiple Hallmark actresses gathered at the kick-off to celebrate their new movies, all dazzling in their premiere fashions. Tamera Mowry Housley, who has a cameo in the new “Holiday Touchdown,” even gave fans a preview of her different looks before the event. She’ll also star in “Mistletoe & Mimosas” with Kristoffer Polaha in November.
Also pictured were Lyndsy Fonseca, who stars in “Holiday Touchdown;” Ali Liebert and Brooke D’Orsay play sisters in “A Season of Promises;” Barbara Alyn Woods, who plays Fonseca’s mom in “Holiday Touchdown;” Sarah Drew, who was there to promote season three of “Mistletoe Murders;” and Erin Cahill, who co-stars with Andrew Walker in “Christmas at Blue Dog Valley.”
Kristoffer Polaha and Robert Buckley rubbed elbows with running back Zavier Scott, but that was nothing new for Buckley, who got to appear with numerous Chicago Bear players, legends and coach Ben Johnson during filming. He was so enamored that he declared himself a Chicago Bears fan for life.
Robert Buckley Had a Couple of Hallmark Reunions at the Premire
Buckley enjoyed a couple of sweet reunions with Hallmark pals at the kick-off event. He posed for funny pics with his longtime friend Brendan Penny, with whom he co-starred on “Chesapeake Shores” and in his 2025 holiday movie, “Merry Christmas, Ted Cooper.”
He also reunited with Jonathan Bennett, who played his brother in Hallmark’s beloved “Christmas House” movies. When Hallmark posted their pic on social media, Bennett shared it to his Instagram Stories and hilariously wrote, “So glad I got to see my number one fan @robertearlbuckley’s movie.”
Countdown to Christmas kicks off on October 16, with round-the-clock holiday movies and its first new original movie of the season that night, “‘Tis the Season for Setups.” On Friday, October 17, the new “Holiday Touchdown” premieres, and on Sunday, you can catch the premiere of “Mr. and Mrs. Christmas.” All movie premieres begin at 8 p.m. Eastern, and will be available to stream via Hallmark+ the next day. Here’s our full Countdown to Christmas schedule of new movies and shows.
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Hallmark Stars Shine at Kick-Off to 2026 Countdown to Christmas — Favorite Photos