Hallmark "The Secret Gift of Christmas"
The Hallmark Channel’s newest Christmas movie, “The Secret Gift of Christmas,” premieres on Friday, December 15, at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central. The movie stars Meghan Ory and Christopher Russell. Read on to learn all about where it was filmed and the cast involved.
‘The Secret Gift of Christmas’ Was Filmed in Halifax, Canada, in October
Hallmark“The Secret Gift of Christmas”
According to the Halifax Info and Traffic Releases account on X, “The Secret Gift of Christmas” was filmed in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The account even got a behind-the-scenes video of one of the scenes being filmed, which it shared on October 3.
“No, that’s not snow and it isn’t Christmas yet. It’s the Hallmark Channel shooting ‘The Secret Gift of Christmas’ in front of Pacifico (The old Merrill’s) on George and Granville Streets in Downtown Halifax. Airing in mid-December on the W Network 📽️🎄,” they wrote.
No, that’s not snow and it isn’t Christmas yet. It’s the Hallmark Channel shooting “The Secret Gift of Christmas” in front of Pacifico (The old Merrill’s) on George and Granville Streets in Downtown Halifax. Airing in mid-December on the W Network. 📽️🎄
User @haligonia on TikTok posted a second video, showing the same scene but with different angles.
One person commented that it was 25 degrees that day (aka 77 degrees Fahrenheit.)
Christie Will Wolf, the director of the new Hallmark feature, shared a long video on her Instagram page that is filled with behind-the-scenes moments.
She also shared a thankful post, writing: “On this #femalefilmmakerfriday I wanted to get an appreciation post up… Here are some of the phenomenal filmmakers I recently made a movie with (of mention, it was female heavy).”
On October 1, she said they had one more week of filming in Halifax.
Ory said the film includes the “best Santa in town.”
She also revealed that the movie features an all female production team.
She also shared that she had to pump on set while they were filming.
And she loved the curly hair she had for the movie.
Aria Publicover also took to Instagram to share how happy she was to be in the movie too.
Meet the Cast
Hallmark“The Secret Gift of Christmas”
Hallmark’s synopsis reads: “Bonnie is a personal shopper who helps her new, widowed client Patrick reconnect with his young daughter. Though Bonnie and Patrick’s ideas of shopping couldn’t be more different, she is determined to get Patrick and his daughter everything on their wish list.”
Meghan Ory plays Bonnie. According to her bio, her journey into acting began at the age of five. She then entered the professional audition circuit at the age of 15 and four months later, secured a leading role in the Fox Family movie-of-the-week, “The Darklings.” In 2012, she joined ABC’s “Once Upon a Time,” taking on the role of Red Riding Hood. The following year, she landed a lead role opposite Josh Holloway in the CBS series “Intelligence.” She’s had starring roles in quite a few Hallmark movies too, like “The Memory Book” and “Debbie Macomber’s Dashing Through the Snow.” And of course, she’s well known for her role on “Chesapeake Shores.”
Ory currently splits her time between Los Angeles and Vancouver.
Christopher Russell plays the role of Patrick. Fans of the Hallmark Channel are likely familiar with Russell through his appearances in a variety of movies, such as “Love, Again,” “Midnight Masquerade,” “Where Your Heart Belongs,” “All Summer Long,” “Love Unleashed,” and “Merry Matrimony,” among others. Beyond the Hallmark Channel, Russell’s bio shares that he’s also starred in productions like “The Boy Next Door,” “Seduced By Lies,” and “Catch A Christmas Star.”
His first role as an actor was the portrayal of Mary and Joseph’s donkey during his pre-school’s production of The Nativity Story. Throughout high school, Russell actively participated in numerous productions, and even earned the prestigious Sears Drama Festival Award of Excellence.
Also starring in the movie, according to Hallmark’s press release, are:
- Aria Publicover (Samantha Parker)
- Jenn Grant (Fiona Appleby)
- Ellie Cluett (Phoebe Armstrong)
- Tim Houston (Mr. Houston)
- Juanita Peters (Corrine)
- Henry Keefe (Bernard)
- Guido Furlani (Marco)
- Marty Williams (Harry)
- Bob Mann (Ryan)
- Jean Daigle (John Parker)
- Michael Morrissey (Santa)
READ NEXT: Watch Deleted Scenes from ‘Three Wise Men & a Baby’