Our first Christmas movie of the 2026 season is here. And it is Hallmark’s ‘Tis The Season For Setups. The title only vaguely makes sense and I really wish they picked a different one. I hope this isn’t setting the tone for the season.
Lexi (Amanda Schull) is a tight-knit party planner. Her mother, June (Barbara Niven), is a free spirit who travels the world by herself. When Lexi’s daughter, Piper (Verity Marks), misses out on a ski trip with her friends over the Christmas break, June gets Lexi a job at the ski resort planning their annual holiday party. Once there, Lexi and Ridge (Victor Webster), the son of resort owner Dan (John B. Lowe), try to set June and Dan up on a date. But June and Dan are trying to set Lexi and Ridge up as well! Ah, Christmas love!
Yes, I know the movie is basically about everyone trying to set everyone else up on dates. That is why the title only vaguely works. There are probably a million other puns that would have worked better.
Anyway, ‘Tis The Season is fine. Verity Marks is the standout actor here as Lexi’s teenage daughter. She is the one thing that seems to bring everyone together. Everyone else is fine. They are all capable actors and no one really misses the mark. There just isn’t a lot for them to do. The party planning stuff takes a backseat to hanging out and having fun. But the having fun parts end up as montages. The rest is just walking and talking. And that is boring. But it’s a decent start the season. It could have been a lot worse than this.
Rating: Are snow banks the winter equivalent of quicksand?