Hallmark Bingo 2019
Psst! Want to hear my secret to getting my husband, kids, and other friends and family members to happily binge-watch Hallmark Christmas movies with me each year? We make it a game! Now they beg to watch “just one more” as soon as the final credits roll.
The Federalist Hallmark bingo game – required reading for trope-watchers, as they go into some detail about facets of the genre like product placement and overzealous house decorating. (Many of these movies feature middle class working parents living in homes and neighborhoods that look like the work of a professional set decorator.).
Last year they were mocking me for watching them, so I made up some basic, handmade Bingo boards and told them to fill the squares with all the things you might see in a Christmas movie. They had a blast making fun of the movies while watching for things on their boards that might win them Bingo.
- Hallmark Christmas Movie Bingo makes watching your favorite cheesy Christmas flicks even more fun by bringing in some competition. Every time you spot some mistletoe or a soon-to-be couple enjoying a romantic carriage ride, for example, you're one step closer to a holiday bingo. Make the stakes high with Christmas cookies, wine or whatever.
- These bingo cards are great for movie fans, series bingers, and trivia gurus. Maybe you want to play a fun drinking game when watching another episode of Friends, or maybe you are looking for a kid friendly game to play at a Disney themed birthday party. Perhaps you just want to prove you really have watched the most Hallmark movies. Movie and TV bingo is a fun way to bring together true fans.
- November 9, 2019: November 10, 2019: 1: Hallmark Channel Super Fan Gift Set $ 79.97: Today’s Prize 18: November 10, 2019: November 11, 2019: 5: Hallmark Channel Movie Bingo & Mugs Set $ 44.97: Today’s Prize 19: November 11, 2019: November 12, 2019: 10: Grow Your Own Christmas Tree Jars $ 44.00: Today’s Prize 20.
This year I refined it a bit and figured out some new ways to play, so I thought I’d share them with you. Take a look!
Note: You can play this with any of the Christmas TV movies playing this time of year, whether they’re on Hallmark, Lifetime, Netflix, or wherever. Also, there are Amazon affiliate links in this post that may earn me commission.
How to Play Hallmark Christmas Movie Bingo
I especially love the holiday movies that feature fabulous houses like the one in Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane, which I featured last year.
I’m using “Hallmark” as a shorthand to describe the types of movies I’m talking about. They can be on any of the stations that roll out these kinds of flicks, really, like Lifetime, Netflix, or UPtv.
Even though the plots may be as thin as a Gingerbread cookie, they’re usually mindless fun.
And I found that they’re even more addictive when you watch with friends or family members with a Bingo card in hand.
Here’s the first Bingo card I made last year when I was trying to convince everyone to play:
I cut up yellow Post-It notes to use as “markers” to cover the squares, as you can see below.
A Bingo App for Your Phone
That was pretty basic, and the sheets didn’t hold up well with repeated use.
So this year we decided to experiment with Bingo apps on our phones.
There are several out there to choose from, but we settled on the app called “Bingo Editions.”
It’s free, easy to use, and makes it possible to change up and scramble the options on the board for each round, which keeps things interesting.
With the Bingo app, you can create different game boards with however many entries you’d like.
Hit the “Refresh” button whenever you’re ready to start a new game and it’ll scramble them for you.
(Note: There’s not a lot of room to write the words in the squares, so you sometimes have to abbreviate them or use code words that the group agrees on.)
Here’s what a typical Bingo board will look like on your phone:
Some of the Hallmark Christmas Movie categories we all agreed on were:
- The main character wears a red coat
- An ex boyfriend or girlfriend comes on the scene
- Story involves a Christmas-themed business like a candy cane factory
- A kiss gets interrupted
- There’s a Christmas miracle
- Someone bakes a family recipe
- Main character lost a mother or father and talks about them
- Character travels from a big city to a small town
- The snow is obviously fake
- The green screen in a scene is so bad it’s laughable
- Main character lives in a charming house they probably couldn’t afford in real life
- Someone drives a classic red pickup truck
See the house from Holly & Ivy (it’s for sale!)
You can use whatever you want on your boards, just as long as you all agree on them to make it fair.
You can make it harder to get Bingo depending on how specific you are with the categories. Last year we learned that certain things were hard to get and made the games drag on longer.
This year we opted for easier things like gingerbread houses and Santa sightings to keep things moving.
Hallmark Christmas Movie Bingo 2019
Our cat Cress has a habit of jumping up on the console in front of the TV and blocking the screen while we’re watching, so we even added a square for that! 🙂
Whenever you see something onscreen that you have on your board, point it out to the other players and make sure everyone agrees that it fits the category.
You’ll simply tap the squares with your finger to mark them and the square will turn green.
Here’s what the screen looks like when you get Bingo:
When you get 5 in a row in any direction, the app calls out “BINGO!”
We keep a running tally on a small white board throughout the holiday season.
We even bought a trophy to give whoever has the most points by New Year’s:
Hallmark.com has Bingo boards you can download, print out and use.
If you prefer a pre-made paper version, you can buy a game pad in Hallmark stores:
Visit my Movie Houses page to see all the holiday movies I’ve featured,
including Holly & Ivy and Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane.
Fun Gifts for Hallmark Christmas Movie Fans
(Amazon affiliate links below)
A Mug for Your Hot Chocolate While Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies
Do Not Disturb: I’m Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies Socks
Hallmark Shirt
A Hallmark Christmas-Movie Pillow
Hallmark Channel Bingo 2019
Are you hooked on houses? More to tour:
Are you a holiday Meet Cute movie trope-watcher? Do you have a personal mental checklist that you mark off every time a seemingly innocuous special Christmas gift (a snow globe, advent calendar, or stocking) starts messing with the lead character’s life? Do you lean forward on your sofa when a seemingly innocuous older person (especially when played by an actual star, past or present) seems to know too much about the workaholic protagonist’s life? Or do you just groan and go get another drink when the ex who dumped the lead character in the first 15 minutes suddenly shows up to propose — and the new love interest overhears just enough to cause a Big Misunderstanding?
If so, make it official with these bingo games. (Which also provide cover if you’re a closeted binge-watcher.) Just remember the “Candace Cameron Bure BINGO” is not that lovely actress’s real name.
Deck the Hallmark podcast bingo cards – These cards are unusual in two ways. You’ll need to provide your email address to receive the cards. And these bingo cards are best suited for listening to the podcast, rather than watching the movies, as some cells celebrate the quirks of the three podcasters. Best cell: “Ice Sculpture Contest Fiasco.” Candace Cameron Bure mentioned? Yep.
Addie Ziernan’s blog – 10 bingo cards. Best entry: “weather-inappropriate winter clothing” since these movies are filmed all year ‘round, and it shows in how the characters rock their outerwear. Candace Cameron Bure mentioned? You bet.
The Federalist Hallmark bingo game – required reading for trope-watchers, as they go into some detail about facets of the genre like product placement and overzealous house decorating. (Many of these movies feature middle class working parents living in homes and neighborhoods that look like… the work of a professional set decorator.) Candace Cameron Bure mentioned? Not by name, but there’s a cell for “TV star of bygone era.”
Milwaukee Journal Sentinal Hallmark bingo cards – Generate and download up to five cards. Best cell: “City slicker endures small town.” Good coverage of jerk boyfriends and Big Misunderstandings. Candace Cameron Bure mentioned? Covered under “Recognize actor from sitcom.”
If You’re REALLY Going to Play Hallmark Christmas Movie Bingo
Having an actual viewing party?
My Free Bingo Cards – print up to 100 Hallmark movie bingo cards or generic Christmas movie bingo cards. Candace Cameron Bure mentioned? Not in the card preview.
Tater Tots and Jello – Holiday movie cards perfect for children, since the cards feature pictures instead of words. So, Candace Cameron Bure isn’t mentioned, nor is the 90s-teen-star-comeback trend. These adorable cards are free of such cultural commentary tropes.