Hallmark Channel movies are known for their typical formulas that make up lovey-dovey romcoms and Christmastime classics. For over 20 years, the network has aired hundreds of films that tell new but predictable love stories by mixing and matching their roster of notable actors.

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But some Hallmark movies have hopped on the common craze in media known as the Easter egg hunt. From nods to other popular franchises to a phrase only Mean Girls fans would catch to some beloved actors reuniting, some Hallmark movies offer fans more than your everyday romcom.

'Fuller House' Nods — 'The Christmas Contest' (2021)

The Christmas Contest

The Christmas Contest came out in 2021 and was an exciting moment for Fuller House fans when Full House alum Candace Cameron Bure reunited with her reboot beau John Brotherton. But that wasn't the end of the Fuller House nods.

A notable Easter egg to the '80s sitcom was during the poker scene when it's revealed the winning hand was a full house. More Easter eggs can be found on a Christmas tree in the film, decorated in ornaments featuring real-life candid photos of the two actors, including one taken in front of the iconic red door of the Tanner house.

Danica McKellar's Books — 'Christmas At Dollywood' (2019)

Christmas at Dollywood

2019's Christmas at Dollywood is remembered as country music phenomenon Dolly Parton's Hallmark Channel debut, but the Christmas film also carries an Easter egg for another one of its stars, Hallmark alum Danica McKellar.

The actress, who holds a Ph.D. in mathematics, has authored several children's books on math, some of which appear in this film. The 2017 book Goodnight, Numbers, among others, can be seen on the table at the beginning of the movie. This wouldn't be the first Hallmark film to nod to McKellar's love of math, as the 2017 film Campfire Kiss starred the actress as a high school math teacher.

Soap Stars Reunite — 'A Little Daytime Drama' (2021)

A Little Daytime Drama

A Little Daytime Drama came out in 2021 and told the story of two former soap opera stars who are asked back to their old stomping grounds to help its writer save the show from cancelation. But the movie wasn't too far from home for its stars.

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The film starred Jen Lilley and Ryan Paevey, who previously starred in Hallmark's Harvest Love together, but their connection doesn't end there. The two actors are real-life former soap stars, Lilley starring on Days of Our Lives and Paevey starring on General Hospital. Their connection goes even further when Lilley previously played Maxie Jones, who was married to Paevey's Nathan West on GH, though a different actress played Maxie at the time.

Making Fetch Happen — 'The Holiday Sitter' (2022)

'The Holiday Sitter'

Jonathan Bennett took Hallmark Channel by storm in recent years when he played a gay character in 2020's The Christmas House and its 2021 sequel. The actor then made history when he played Hallmark's first leading gay character in 2022's The Holiday Sitter.

Long before he made waves on Hallmark Channel, Bennett starred as Aaron in the hit teen comedy Mean Girls, which got an unexpected shout-out in The Holiday Sitter. When Bennett's character wakes up one morning to the family dog on top of him, he tells the dog, "Stop trying to make fetch happen," about the 2004 film's unforgettable slang term.

A Blake Shelton Song — 'Time for Me to Come Home for Christmas' (2018)

Time For Me To Come Home For Christmas

The Time For Me To Come Home series started in 2018 when Time For Me To Come Home For Christmas premiered, based on a book by Dorothy Shackleford and Travis Thrasher, which in turn was based on the Blake Shelton song "Time for Me to Come Home."

The movie spawned four sequels, most recently with 2022's Time for Him to Come Home for Christmas, and all five films hold a special Easter egg. You can hear a version of Shelton's song that started it all sung in each movie in the series.

Kissing Bridge From 'When Calls The Heart' — 'Always Amore' (2022)

When Calls The Heart

The Hallmark Channel primetime series When Calls The Heart has gained a cult following since it premiered in 2014, starring Hallmark favorites like Erin Krakow, Chris McNally, and Jack Wagner. But fans of the show can spot an unexpected Easter egg in the 2022 movie Always Amore.

The Hallmark Movies & Mysteries film features a scene at what When Calls The Heart fans know as Kissing Bridge, making viewers wonder if the leading couple Elizabeth and Ben visited some familiar faces of Hope Valley.

'Wizard Of Oz' Nods — 'If I Only Had Christmas' (2020)

If I Only Had Christmas

If I Only Had Christmas starred Candance Cameron Bure and Warren Christie in 2020 in a film about a cheerful publicist who must work with a cynical VP on a charity event. While the film's title is a play on the song "If I Only Had A Brain," the movie features several other nods to The Wizard of Oz.

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Not only is Bure's character Darcy from Kansas City, but she works at Dumm Public Relations, a nod to Judy Garland's given name is Frances Gumm. Darcy's father and stepmother are named Henry and Emma, referencing Dorothy's Uncle Henry and Auntie Em, and Darcy even wears red shoes similar to Dorothy's ruby slippers.

Merry and Bright Sign —''Tis the Season to Be Merry' (2021)

Merry And Bright

'Tis the Season to Be Merry is your typical Christmas romcom about a woman who travels to Vermont to work on writing her relationship book and winds up meeting the man of her dreams. But this 2021 film holds an Easter egg for another Hallmark Christmas movie from years past.

After the auction, the camera settles on a Merry & Bright Candy Cane sign: this sign is an Easter egg for the 2019 movie Merry & Bright, which centered around a candy cane manufacturer of the same name.

Lacey Chabert Shouts Out A Co-Star — 'Haul out the Holly' (2022)

Lacey Chabert Hallmark Movies

2022's Haul Out the Holly starred Christmas queen Lacey Chabert alongside Kristoffer Polaha and followed Chabert's Emily, who comes home for Christmas and ends up celebrating with other members of her hometown when her parents leave on an unexpected trip.

During a scene when Emily sits down to watch a Christmas movie, she pokes fun at the network by saying she hopes it's one about a prince just before Hallmark's Christmas in Vienna comes on. Chabert's character says, “Oh, it’s the one in Vienna. I love this guy!” about the film's star, Brennan Elliott, who Chabert starred with in the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries series Crossword Mysteries.

Christopher Lloyd And Lea Thompson Reunite — 'Next Stop, Christmas' (2021)

Next Stop, Christmas

Hallmark Channel is known for recycling when it comes to its actors, mixing them up into new pairings while sometimes allowing actors to star alongside each other more than once. But the 2021 film Next Stop, Christmas starred two actors new to the network while reuniting an iconic acting duo.

Starring alongside Chandler Massey and Lyndsy Fonseca, who both made their Hallmark Channel debuts in the film, was actors Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson, who memorably starred together as Doc Brown and Lorraine McFly in the Back to the Future trilogy.

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