It’s Christmas in July, which means there are some brand new upcoming Hallmark movies coming down the pipeline. To celebrate this month of joy and cheer, Hallmark alum Paul Greene –whom you know both from his work in movies and When Calls The Heart on the channel – is sharing some secrets about filming Hallmark flicks. Amongst them was the reveal one holiday movie was “sweltering” to film.
The Christmas Wishing Tree first aired in December of 2017. Given the popularity of When Calls The Heart at the time, it’s no surprise the flick was a highlight of the network’s TV schedule that year, and landed the coveted December 25th slot. What is a surprise? The entire cast was stuffed into coats in the hot, hot heat while filming. Per Greene’s fun new blog, they filmed in the middle of “big heat” and “humidity.”
As always, we had to pretend it was cold and snowy. Kavan Smith is a natural at this, effortlessly bringing winter to life in the midst of summer. It was quite the challenge, but the illusion of a snowy Christmas was beautifully maintained despite the sweltering heat.
Paul Greene isn’t the first star to talk about filming Hallmark movies in the heat, nor do I believe he will be the last, as the network films throughout the year to prepare for the holiday season. But every time I’m told a movie filmed in “sweltering heat” I’m still surprised. If you’ve seen the trailer for The Christmas Wishing Tree, it looks and feels cold. There’s no snow, but everyone is bundled up in coats! In heat!
When Calls The Heart notably films on MacInnes Farms in Langley, British Columbia, Canada, a property that’s outside of Vancouver. Given that location, you don’t think about it being super hot, but anytime a project films in the warmer months and you throw in some wool coats, boots and other outerwear, you have to realize it gets uncomfortable.
One thing Greene did enjoy about filming the movie? He was new to the When Calls The Heart cast at the time, though he’d already filmed a slew of holiday movies for the network, including A Christmas Detour and A Wish For Christmas. But When Calls The Heart gave him the opportunity to be in a period setting and to work with horses, which he said really helped make the movie feel “authentic.”
I got the chance to ride often and work with them. This episode was really special with the kids caroling, snow-covered trees, and wagon rides. I miss the horses and my When Calls the Heart family dearly. The quiet moments with the horses added a touch of nostalgia to the bustling set and made each scene feel truly authentic.
Greene left When Calls The Heart back in 2021, but he's still been churning out movies for the cabler, and hopefully that will continue in 2024.
Meanwhile, Hallmark is known for some of the best rom-coms cable has to offer, particularly now that it has increased its offerings in terms of diversity. I know we’re just past the halfway point of the year here, but there’s a lot to look forward to coming as Christmas season ramps up. Hopefully, we’ll get some more fun set tidbits as that happens.
