Brian is back, and this time he’s bringing along a very special guest — comedian and writer Jen Kirkman! Together, they dive into one of Hallmark’s most ambitious Christmas movies yet, A Newport Christmas. For more Jen, head to jenkirkman.com
ABOUT A NEWPORT CHRISTMASElla, a charitable and spirited socialite from Newport in 1905 who dreams of using her wealth to start a foundation to help others in town, goes for a nighttime sail in her schooner to clear her head when she learns her father intends for her to become engaged to a man she’s never met at the upcoming Christmas Eve ball. Upon seeing a comet shoot across the sky, she suddenly finds herself transported to 2025 Newport and meets Nick, a local historian. As Ella adjusts to her new surroundings and the two grow close, the legacy she built in her time and the course of Newport's history risk being erased the longer she stays in the present.
AIR DATE & NETWORK FOR A NEWPORT CHRISTMASNovember 2, 2025 | Hallmark Channel
CAST & CREW OF A NEWPORT CHRISTMAS- Ginna Claire Mason as Ella Stewart Grafton
- Wes Brown as Nick McManny
BRAN’S A NEWPORT CHRISTMAS SYNOPSISThe movie kicks off in 1905 in Rhode Island. Ella is a fun-loving socialite who cares deeply for people who are down on their luck. She dreams of starting a charity, but her father isn’t having it. He insists she focus on getting engaged instead. Upset, she rushes off in her boat.
Cut to present day in Newport. Nick is leading a historical tour when he hears that the Coast Guard needs help with a rescue. Being an ex–Coast Guard officer, he takes a boat out to assist. Suddenly, Ella appears in his boat — she’s been transported from 1905 to 2025!
They’re both shocked, but Nick sails them back to shore. Ella threatens to turn him in to the authorities, but she’s clearly confused — this is not the Newport she knows. When she introduces herself, Nick is thrown off. He asks what year she thinks it is. When she answers “1905,” he’s like, “Uh oh.” He assumes she’s just an overly committed cosplayer. Then she spots an inflatable snowman and faints.
When she comes to, she heads back outside and is horrified to see that women wear pants. She walks to what she believes is her home — but there are strangers living there. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?!” she yells. The family explains the history of her estate and how she’s actually a famous historical figure. Ella is stunned. She decides she has to get back home — and what better way than by boat?
But when Nick inspects the boat, he’s shocked: none of his modern equipment is there, the carvings are different, and the name on the boat has changed. It’s clearly her boat.
To prove who she is, Ella shows them a secret hiding spot containing her belongings — including a diary no one knew existed. They finally believe her and agree to let her stay at a local bed and breakfast. One guy, Francis, theorizes, “What if the present and the past are happening simultaneously? I believe her. 1905 Ella hasn’t started The Giving House yet, so clearly she must make it back.”
Nick tells Ella that he thinks she’s time-traveled. Ella mentions that before meeting him, she saw a comet — maybe that’s connected.
Nick takes her to see the town’s Christmas tree lighting, and she’s absolutely blown away. But when she spots a monument dedicated to The Giving House, she’s shaken. As she reads it, Nick gets word that Ella is beginning to disappear from old portraits — and right before their eyes, the text on the monument starts to fade. They realize they need to get her back to 1905 before she vanishes completely.
Nick researches the comet and learns there’s a “Christmas Comet” that appears every 20 years. Ella confesses that when she saw the comet in 1905, she wished for a different life. The good news? The comet is coming again — in just five days. The bad news? That gives Ella and Nick more time to fall for each other, which they definitely do.
As they stroll through town, Ella notices a man who looks vaguely familiar. She later learns he’s the man her father bought the boat from. Nick’s like, “Wait — that’s the same guy I bought the boat from.”
They track him down, and he introduces himself as Rex. Ella is stunned — that’s the man she’s supposed to marry. Rex admits that her father sent him out to rescue her after she ran away… but something went wrong, and he was transported to 2005 instead.
Rex explains that when he arrived, he found a letter leaving the boat to him, with instructions to eventually sell it to Nick. He doesn’t know who wrote the letter, but he figured out the Christmas Comet is the key to returning home. The twist? He’s not sure he wants to go back.
Ella’s torn. She knows she’s destined to marry Rex, but her heart belongs to Nick. Rex confides that he’s built a life in the present — and even fallen for another woman. Ella admits she kind of wants to stay, too.
Nick tells her she has to return — it’s her story, her legacy. She pleads, “Why can’t we be together?!” They share a kiss, but Nick pulls away. “We can’t do this,” he says.
It’s the night of the big Christmas ball. Ella and Nick dance and confess their feelings. Then, right as Rex walks in with his fiancée, the Christmas tree begins to disappear — reality is collapsing. They rush to the boat. Nick gives Ella an ornament to remember him by, and they share one last hug and a soft forehead kiss before she sets sail.
As she spots the comet streaking across the sky, Ella cries, “Why did you let me fall in love — but please, take me home!”
It works. She’s back in 1905. She bursts into the Christmas ball and tells her father she refuses to marry the man he chose. He insists, “But he’s come all this way!” When Rex is introduced… it’s Nick.
Back in 2025, her portrait has returned. Nick explains in voiceover that as Ella was sailing off, he realized if Rex wasn’t going to go back, he could. Knowing Rex had no family, he took his place — no questions asked.
They kiss, and above them, the Christmas Comet twinkles once more.
