Why Alison Sweeney’s New Movie Wasn’t Easy to Film: ‘Never My Favorite’

Hallmark/Heavy Alison Sweeney

Hallmark fans were thrilled with Alison Sweeney and Niall Matter’s latest Christmas movie, “This Time Each Year.” And the film was near to Sweeney’s heart: a product of years of planning. But behind the festive scenes, Sweeney faced a challenge that she told Cinema Blend was “never my favorite” and made filming the holiday magic trickier.

‘Movie Magic’ Helped Them Overcome Filming in the Summer Heat, Alison Sweeney Shared

In an interview with Cinema Blend, Sweeney revealed that the movie had to be filmed back in July because it was premiering on October 24. She had tried to avoid a summer filming date, but it became inevitable. Trying to maintain a Christmas-time feel during a heat wave wasn’t always easy, she shared.

“This movie [has] been several years in the making,” Sweeney said. “…I had aimed for this movie to be made in the winter for like three years. And then with all the stuff that went on the last year, it just wasn’t going to happen. And so, of course, it ended up inevitably being a July Christmas filming, Christmas in July type situation, which was never my favorite. But, I think we made it work.”

Sweeney said one of the toughest parts about filming Christmas in the summer is having to wear coats and other winter clothes when it’s so hot outside.

“I love Christmas,” she told Cinema Blend. “So I could be in the Christmas spirit all year round. The hardest part is pretending to be cold. You’re in these jackets and, you know, a scarf and a hat, and you could feel the sweat dripping down your the back of your neck…that’s the hardest part. But, like I said, I mean, that’s where the movie magic comes in. And hopefully, we’ve managed to help people forget that.”

Stars Have Tricks for Filming Winter Scenes in the Summer Heat

Unfortunately, many Hallmark Christmas movies end up having to be filmed in the middle of the summer. But stars have developed tricks for dealing with this.

In a post on his blog, Paul Greene revealed that the “When Calls the Heart” Christmas film, “The Christmas Wishing Tree,” was filmed in the middle of a heat wave.

“As always, we had to pretend it was cold and snowy,” Greene wrote. “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.”

Back in 2021, Danica McKellar filmed her Christmas movie, “You, Me and the Christmas Trees,” in the middle of an August heat wave in Canada. She said in an Instagram Story that the temperatures were in the mid-90s or hotter and she had to wear sweaters while filming. But she had a trick that helped her not overheat.

“I want to share a trick for cooling down that I’ve learned because a lot of us are experiencing a lot of heat these days,” she said. “…I was doing a scene and I was so hot. I didn’t think I could keep going. Because remember, we’re wearing sweaters, we’re shooting either outside in this sweltering heat or inside with no air conditioning because that’s bad for sound when that’s blowing. … I was so hot, I poured water into both of my boots and soaked my socks. It was heaven. If you’re ever overheated and you’re seriously needing to cool down, and you’re wearing shoes with socks, pour water. It’s amazing. … We’re experiencing a lot of heat waves in this country right now. Probably all over the world, so might come in handy.”

Candace Cameron Bure, now a star with Great American Family, shared similar thoughts back in 2019 about how tough it can be to film Christmas movies in the summer.

Good Housekeeping reported that Bure filmed one  Hallmark Christmas movie in May and had to wear a thick peacoat, scarf, and gloves, despite how hot it was.

“It takes a toll on you to film in this heat,” she told Good Housekeeping. “Not only are you sweating, but you have to act like you’re cold, which takes another element of your energy to pretend that you’re shivering instead of just naturally shivering.”

The cast aren’t the only ones who have to get creative with summer Christmas movies. The 2021 movie “The Christmas Promise” was filmed in Vancouver, Canada, in August 2021. It was too hot for snow, so crews created fake snow, as you can see in an Instagram photo.

The same thing was done for the 2023 movie “Sealed with a List.”  According to Vancouver is Awesome, there was some real snow on the ground while they filmed, but they still had to mix in some fake snow too since it was still only October.

For the 2019 Hallmark movie “Sense, Sensibility & Snowmen,” crews had to make fake snow with cotton batting, utilize a snow machine, and truck in real snow from nearby hockey rinks, Maple Ridge News shared.

And “Holly & Ivy” was filmed in Utah when it was 100 degrees. Janel Parrish wrote on Instagram: “Y’all will never know the pain of shooting a Christmas movie in a garage in 100 degrees, but it was worth it…”