The perfect USA backdrop for a Hallmark Christmas movie? Durham (especially Port Perry) of course!

Nothing says New England at Christmas than a small town in Durham Region.

Especially if it’s a Hallmark movie.

Durham’s small towns, with Port Perry chief among them are perfect for depicting American villages in New England – a favourite setting for many Christmas movies – with their beautiful scenery and great locations that could (and do) pass for Vermont or New Hampshire in December.

And with snowmaking equipment available – albeit at some cost – you don’t even need it to be winter to make a Christmas movie.

Sometimes the settings even get to play a version of themselves, such as the Hallmark television series ‘No Way Home’ – starring Andie MacDowell, Chyler Leigh and Sadie Laflamme-Snow – which is set in the fictional Canadian town of Port Haven.

This original prime time television series follows the lives of three generations of women within the Landry family of Port Haven in a heartfelt family drama with a twist of time travel.

Season three of the show was shot in Port Perry in early September, with fake snow and Christmas trees brought in to make the late summer days feel like Christmas.

No Way Home production in September

No Way Home season three will air on Hallmark next fall.

Hallmark holiday movies may be corny but they have become a staple of the festive season for many people. They may even be good for your mental health, said Film Durham (a division of the Region of Durham), as they typically boost our Christmas spirit and help us get in a ‘festive mood,” an important benefit during this stressful season.

So why do people like watching Hallmark movies at Christmas? Is it due to nostalgia and the keeping of traditions? Or do we just want to ‘feel good’ as we escape from reality for a couple of hours. Hallmark movies, Film Durham said, “take us on an emotional journey, providing romance, conflict, and resolution and bring new positive perspectives on dealing with family and life’s problems.”

Even the most die-hard Hallmark holiday movie fans will admit that the acting is over-the-top, Film Durham added. “The plotlines are unrealistic, and the endings are predictable. But we like knowing that it will all turn out okay in the end, so we keep coming back for more.”

Other seasonal shows shot in Durham over the years include:

• Christmas in Vermont (2016)
• Season for Love (2018 Hallmark)
• Home for Harvest (2019 Hallmark)
• The Christmas Chalet (2019)
• Mistletoe Magic (2019)
• Christmas by Chance (2020)
• The Enchanted Christmas Cake (2021)
• Unperfect Christmas Wish (2021)
• A Royal Corgi Christmas (2022 Hallmark)
• The Art of Christmas (2022)
• Sappy Holiday (2022)

Local film and television industry veteran Libby Hodgson also worked on A Royal Queen’s Christmas as a 1st Assistant Director, a movie shot in Toronto around Halloween in 2021 that needed the snow-making machines brought in for four days of ‘winter’ scenes. The film went quickly to post-production so it could be released in time for the Christmas season.

Downtown Port Perry