When Hallmark drops a new holiday movie, you know that means it’s officially time to crank up the carols, light the menorah, and grab the hot cocoa. But this year, the network is gifting us something extra special with a sparkling, sweet, cross-faith celebration that’s all about unity.
Oy to the World!, premiering Sunday, December 14 on Hallmark Channel, is the heartwarming Hanukkah-meets-Christmas story we didn’t know we needed… and now absolutely can’t live without.
Starring Hallmark fan-favorite Brooke D’Orsay and Broadway alum Jake Epstein, the film follows Nikki Roberts and Jake Cohen — former high-school rivals who suddenly find themselves forced to team up when an unexpected building disaster leaves Temple Beth Am without a place to celebrate Hanukkah. Lucky for them, St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church sits just across the street and opens its doors with holiday spirit.
But with both Christmas Eve and the last night of Hanukkah landing on the same night — a once-in-a-lifetime cosmic collision — the rabbi and reverend join forces for a single joint service. And that means Nikki, St. Joseph’s youth choir director, must collaborate with Jake, the substitute choir director from Temple Beth Am… whether they like it or not. And spoiler alert: they definitely do not at first.
When Celeb Secrets caught up with Brooke at Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas Party in Nashville back in October, she lit up talking about the movie’s message.
“It’s about high school rivals from different faiths coming together,” D’Orsay tells us. “The themes are unity and togetherness and oneness.”
It’s the exact kind of feel-good harmony Hallmark does best, but with a beautifully fresh perspective, as it showcasing how two traditions, two communities, and two people can find common ground through collaboration, compassion, and a whole lot of music.
Fans might be surprised to hear that Brooke — who has starred in hit Hallmark films like A Not So Royal Christmas, A Fabled Holiday, Wedding of a Lifetime! and more — took on something brand new this time around: singing.
“There’s singing in the movie,” she reveals with a laugh. “I’m not a singer, but I tackled it. It was fun, it was awesome.”
Helping her hit the high notes? None other her co-star Jake.
“My co-star is a Broadway singer… he carries it very well,” she jokes. “It was a new challenge… I’m inspired now to get better at it and maybe not have to have as much help in the booth next time around.”
In the movie, Nikki and Jake can barely stand each other for the first half as they channeled all that old rivalry and comedic competition. But behind the scenes? Total friendship.
“Jake and I got along swimmingly from the second we met each other,” Brooke gushes. “For the first half of the movie we’re really at odds, but we were just good buds the minute we met.”
And that chemistry shines on screen, especially as their characters slowly realize that teamwork, trust, and a little festive magic might be the key to pulling off the community’s biggest holiday celebration yet.
As Nikki and Jake race to lead a unified youth choir, raise money for the temple, and create a joint holiday service that honors both traditions, they discover something bigger than rivalry — and bigger than themselves.
By the time Christmas Eve and the final night of Hanukkah arrive, the duo proves exactly what this movie is about: finding connection through the power of song, celebrating each other’s traditions, and opening your heart when it counts the most.
It’s joyful. It’s emotional. It’s quintessentially Hallmark with a sweet interfaith twist, and it’s absolutely going to make you call your best friend crying after.
Brooke’s resume is stacked with fan-favorite Hallmark titles as she’s starred in films like Miss Christmas to A Godwink Christmas to Nostalgic Christmas; but Oy to the World! adds something new to her holiday legacy. It blends laughter, love, and cultural celebration in a way that feels modern, meaningful, and totally binge-worthy.
And if you’re wondering how Brooke celebrates the holidays herself? “Every Christmas is different,” she tells us. “I have family all over, so I’m always on planes, trains, and automobiles visiting everybody… The fact that Christmas happens every year is all I need.”
Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, both, or just love a cozy holiday rom-com, Oy To the World! is the kind of movie that brings people together both literally and figuratively. It’s charming. It’s funny. It’s warm. And it might just be Hallmark’s most joyful unity-themed holiday premiere yet.
Make sure to watch the full trailer below and don’t forget to catch Oy to the World! this Sunday, December 14th @ 8/7c on Hallmark Channel.
