A Family Christmas Gift: Where It's Filmed, Cast & Photos

Crown Media

Hallmark Movies & Mysteries continued its 2019 Christmas TV movie series with A Family Christmas Gift, starring Holly Robinson Peete, Dion Johnstone, and Patti LaBelle. Read on to learn all about the movie, including the cast, where it was filmed, and see behind-the-scenes photos. This article will have minor spoilers in terms of photos from the movie, behind-the-scenes pictures, and film locations.

How To Watch ‘A Family Christmas Gift’

A Family Christmas Gift premiered Sunday, December 22, 2019 at 9 p.m. Eastern/8 p.m. Central on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. Encores still air.

To find out what channel Hallmark Movies & Mysteries is on for you, click here to go to TV Guide’s listings. Then change the “Provider” (right under TV Listings) to your local provider. You’ll be able to scroll down to see what channel Hallmark Movies & Mysteries is on for you.

The synopsis for tonight’s movie reads: “When Amber spends the holidays with her Aunt Dora and helps plan a fundraising Christmas Concert, it brings Amber closer to her aunt and a new love into her life.”

‘A Family Christmas Gift’ Was Filmed in Canada

The movie was filmed in Canada, including Vancouver, according to IMDb and Instagram posts. Here are some behind-the-scenes photos that Peete shared during the filming. The movie was filmed in October.

For this one, Peete wrote: “Somebody please pinch me!!! I have known this beautiful woman most of my life but have never had the pleasure of working with her. ??Now we get the chance to bring you an awesome new holiday film where we play family even though we are already family LOL! Thank you @mspattilabelle for starring in #AFamilyChristmasGift with me. It’s a dream come true!”

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Somebody please pinch me!!! I have known this beautiful woman most of my life but have never had the pleasure of working with her. ??Now we get the chance to bring you an awesome new holiday film where we play family even though we are already family LOL! Thank you @mspattilabelle for starring in #AFamilyChristmasGift with me. It’s a dream come true! ?????? #Dora #Amber @hallmarkmovie #PattiLaBelle #HallmarkChristmasMovies

A post shared by Holly Robinson Peete (@hollyrpeete) on Oct 8, 2019 at 11:17am PDT

And here’s a photo while she was getting ready for a scene.

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On set today shooting #AFamilyChristmasGift for @hallmarkmovie feeling overwhelmed with gratitude and appreciation for the legacy of #DiahannCarroll. It is largely because of her that I can even be the lead in a television movie. I stand on her shoulders. I walked on her path. I benefit from her life lessons. Her triumphs. Her hurdles. I had the unique blessing to have known her and I remember at a very low point in my career I sought out her wisdom when I was fired and publicly humiliated by a group of women and a network—-It was a low point of my career. Ms Carroll told me “Honey, you were excellent on that show.But your shine was too bright for them. It was their own insecurities. So hand them some sunglasses and go shine somewhere else. Never dim your light for anyone. I’ve had to learn this the hard way and had many difficult moments such as this.” Her wisdom was invaluable and helped me move past that moment and continue to shine. ???????? She was there to share her experiences with so many of us. What a treasure. Thank you Ms. Carroll ✨??

A post shared by Holly Robinson Peete (@hollyrpeete) on Oct 4, 2019 at 2:26pm PDT

She wrote on October 9: “Getting caught up with my Philly sis @mspattilabelle between shooting scenes of #AFamilyChristmasGift for @hallmarkmovie I can’t wait for everyone to see this heartwarming #Christmas love story. It’s emotional even shooting it. Having Ms Patti here is just incredible…. if you’ve ever met her you know that she makes you feel like family immediately.”

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Getting caught up with my Philly sis @mspattilabelle between shooting scenes of #AFamilyChristmasGift for @hallmarkmovie I can’t wait for everyone to see this heartwarming #Christmas love story. It’s emotional even shooting it. Having Ms Patti here is just incredible…. if you’ve ever met her you know that she makes you feel like family immediately. ?????????? #legend ?

A post shared by Holly Robinson Peete (@hollyrpeete) on Oct 9, 2019 at 5:27pm PDT

Oh, and that pink coat she’s wearing is from Ted Baker. This photo was tagged in Vancouver.

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So that’s a wrap on a great first week of shooting of #AFamilyChristmasGift my new #hallmarkchristmasmovie for @hallmarkmovie !! Back at it shooting early Monday morning. ?? ? And I can’t wait until you see who my co Star is!!!!?????????? Hint: She’s an Icon…… ? Hair: @valabronharrell @robbirogers1 Makeup: @sweetpeabeautylounge FIERCE Holiday COAT: @ted_baker

A post shared by Holly Robinson Peete (@hollyrpeete) on Oct 5, 2019 at 10:07am PDT

Some scenes were filmed in Aldergrove, British Columbia too.

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Little sneak peek of behind the scenes of #AFamilyChristmasGift ????????? Coming this Christmas to @hallmarkmovie!!!

A post shared by Holly Robinson Peete (@hollyrpeete) on Oct 7, 2019 at 1:46pm PDT

The Cast for ‘A Family Christmas Gift’

Holly Robinson Peete, Patti LaBelle

Holly Robinson Peete stars as Amber. She has a long and successful history, including appearing in TV and films like Chicago Fire (Tamara Jones), Angel of Christmas, Instant Mom, Mike & Molly (Christina), Blue, RuPaul’s Drag U, 21 Jump Street, The Bridget Show, Love Inc. (Clea), Like Family (Tanya Ward), One on One (Stacy), For Your Love (Malena Ellis/Melena Ellis), Strong Medicine, The Jacksons: An American Dream, 21 Jump Street (Judy Hoffs), Booker, and more. She also stars in Meet the Peetes on Hallmark.

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Dion Johnstone stars as Alan. His many credits include Star Falls (Craig Brooks for 20 episodes), Frankie Drake Mysteries, Ties that Bind (Devin), Defiance (Nizar), Flashpoint, The Listener, Sea Wolf, Stargate SG-1, Hope Island (Marcus Griffith), and more.

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Patti LaBelle stars as Dora. She’s a singer, actress, and author who’s sold more than 50 million records over the decades. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and has performed numerous popular songs, including If Only You Knew, New Attitude, Stir It Up, and more. Her numerous film and TV appearances include The Masked Singer, Star, Greenleaf, Daytime Divas, Christmas Everlasting, American Horror Story, Empire, A Different World, Out All Night, and more.

Also starring in the movie are: