Sneak Peek at Tamera Mowry-Housley & Kristoffer Palaha in Hallmark’s ‘Mistletoe and Mimosas’

Hallmark

More than 12 million people have tuned in to Hallmark Channel Christmas movies this year — and that was before Halloween even rolled around.

With that in mind, it’s clear that the channel’s annual Countdown to Christmas programming event continues to be a blockbuster.

Coming up this weekend is a new rom-com partnering two Hallmark favorites, Tamera Mowry-Housley and Kristoffer Polaha, who star in the upcoming “Mistletoe and Mimosas.”

‘Mistletoe and Mimosas’

“Claire Bennett (Mowry-Housley) is a successful business consultant in Manhattan who unexpectedly inherits her beloved Uncle Lou’s Christmas-themed bar, The Tipsy Reindeer, in upstate New York,” reads the synopsis.

“When she returns, Claire discovers the bar comes with high debt — her Uncle Lou was overly generous to people in town while the booming business of Algorithm, an upscale and trendy new club, added insult to injury,” the synopsis continues.

“She intends to turn things around before Christmas and sell to someone who will preserve her uncle’s legacy and then return to her life in the city. Claire meets Zach (Polaha), Algorithm’s part owner and manager, who tells her they want to buy The Tipsy Reindeer so they can expand,” the synopsis adds. “Claire bristles at the proposition and they agree to face off in a ’12 Days of Christmas‘-inspired series of festive events to see who can bring in the most business — if Claire wins, Zach will use his contacts to find the right buyer but if Zach emerges victorious, Claire agrees to consider Algorithm’s offer. As they compete over the course of the 12 days their attraction is undeniable. Rivalry leads to romance and the two are faced with figuring out how their shifting priorities might somehow lead them down the same road, together.”

‘Great Chemistry’

“Mistletoe and Mimosas” marks the first time that Polaha and Mowry-Housley have worked together on a Hallmark Channel project, yet Polaha recalled their connection was instant as soon as they arrived on the set.

“And we walked on and immediately had great chemistry,” Polaha said in an interview with Movieguide.

In fact, he’d long wanted to work with her, admitting he’s a big fan.

“I respect her as an artist, as an actor,” Polaha added.

His co-star felt the same way about their onscreen chemistry, with Mowry-Housley telling MovieGuide of working together, “It just felt so natural.”

As Polaha told EntertainmentNow earlier this year, he and Mowry-Housley first met during Hallmark’s Jingle Stop Tour in the fall of 2024, when they were among the many Hallmark stars who spent a day traveling from Washington, D.C. to New York City, meeting with fans throughout the journey.

“She is someone who is on my short list of actresses that I really wanted to work with,” he said at the time, admitting they “really hit it off” during their time together on the Jingle Stop Tour.

“I was just about to reach out to the casting director at Hallmark in June with her name (as a possible co-star) when this offer came in,” he added, so it was kismet!”

“Mistletoe and Mimosas” debuts Sunday, November 15 on Hallmark Channel.