In the Wild: Hallmark’s Jingle Stop Tour
In this election season, there’s no shortage of politicians embarking on whistle-stop tours. But if you’re looking for something more cozy and less partisan, Hallmark Media delivered this month with its first-ever Jingle Stop Tour to celebrate the 15th anniversary of “Countdown to Christmas.”
Hallmark-themed Christmas tour buses lined up near Washington, D.C.’s District Pier on Oct. 16 for the very first stop on the tour to launch the annual programming stunt. More than 500 fans showed up—some as early as 7am—making their way through the entry line, where they were gifted Santa hats, hot cocoa and cookies. A 16-person roster of Hallmark movie stars, including Jonathan Bennett, Tamera Mowry-Housley and Nikki DeLoach—were on hand to interact with the crowd, sign autographs, take selfies and, of course, sing Christmas songs.
Getty Images for Hallmark Media
After D.C., the festive red buses made their way to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where the stars made crafts (with Hallmark-owned Crayola products, natch!), handed out gifts and visited with families and patients. Hallmark presented a check for $15,000 toward the hospital’s toy drive initiative, Snowflake Station. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has a mention in this season’s Hallmark film, “Christmas on Call” (premieres Nov. 22).
From there, it was on to New York’s Hudson Yards, where there were more fan meet-and-greets, treats and holiday games. There were also plenty of press interviews, scoring Hallmark nice impressions for its holiday hullabaloo.
The next day, the stars celebrated Countdown to Christmas Eve at the iconic Hudson Valley restaurant Blue Hill at Stone Barns. The evening included a special performance by three-time Grammy award-winning superstar duo Dan + Shay, who will have music from their first-ever holiday album featured in Hallmark’s new movies this season.
Countdown to Christmas kicked off on Oct. 18 with three original holiday movie premieres: “Twas the Date Before Christmas,” “Holiday Crashers” and “Scouting for Christmas.” They kept the holiday tradition alive, becoming the top three entertainment programs of the week among households, total viewers, women and persons 18+. – Amy Maclean