Hallmark’s upcoming Countdown to Christmas film, “We Met in December,” premieres on Thursday, November 27, at 8 p.m. Eastern/ 7 p.m. Central (with encores expected throughout the season). The movie stars Autumn Reeser and Niall Matter. Read on to learn all about where the movie was filmed and see behind-the-scenes cast and crew stories.
‘We Met in December’ Was Filmed in Canada, Including at a Beautiful Hotel that Fans Can Visit
Although the storyline is set in Chicago, “We Met in December” was actually filmed in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. And there’s at least one key location that fans can experience for themselves.
Many scenes were filmed at the Fairmont Château Laurier, which doubles as the movie’s Christmasy “holiday hotel,” 4Filming reported. This hotel may look familiar to you, because it was also a focal point for “Fit for a Prince” and “A Christmas Carousel.”
The Fairmont Chateau Laurier is a luxury hotel in Ottawa that takes reservations all year round.
Some scenes were also shot at St. Matthew’s Anglican Church in the Glebe neighborhood, 4Filming reported, along with additional Ottawa locations dressed to look like wintry Chicago streets.
Reeser shared a series of behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram.
She wrote, “One of the reasons I love making movies is the massive amount of cooperation and coordination that it takes to give birth to a story on film. It’s like a symphony and when it works well, the whole thing sings. Harmony, coherence, resonance. A small miracle:) All of the beautiful people in the photos above lent their talents to Nina Weinman’s smart script and I cannot wait to share with you what we’ve made.”
A background actor posted on Facebook that they’d landed work on a Hallmark project called “We Met in December”, tagging #hallmarkchristmasmovies and #Ottawa. This is her second Hallmark film, Katye Donoghue Ajine posted, and she encouraged others in the local acting community to “do the thing” and go for it.
Brenda Ngo, who also stars in the movie, posted on Threads that “the shoot was a blast!” She wrote that Reeser “definitely kept me on my toes with all the improvising in our scene. 😄.”
In a recent interview with Survived the Shows, Niall Matter discussed “We Met in December” and what went into making the film.
Meet the Cast
Hallmark’s synopsis reads: “On an unexpected layover in mid-December, Annie Lane and Dave Weeks meet as strangers in a beautiful hotel all decorated for the holidays. It’s love at first sight, and they end up having a magical night of sharing hopes, dreams…and a perfect kiss. But when they fail to exchange numbers and miss each other the next morning, Annie and Dave fly back to Chicago with no easy way to track the other one down. The only clues they have are those shared about plans for the upcoming holiday season, and the two embark on separate quests to find one another. Along the way, insightful wisdom shared during their time together leads Annie and Dave to make important changes in their lives, leading them both to find ways of making this Christmas special for themselves, their families, and their loved ones.”
Autumn Reeser plays Annie, one half of the duo whose meet-cute leads to a holiday-long search. Reeser is a familiar face to fans, with movies like “A Glenbrooke Christmas,” “Christmas Under the Stars,” “A Bramble House Christmas,” the multi-movie “Wedding Veil” franchise, “Junebug,” “The 27-Hour Day,” and more.
Niall Matter is Dave. His many Hallmark films include works like “When I Think of Christmas,” “A Christmas Together With You,” and “Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater,” “Holiday Hotline,” “Come Fly With Me,” and the “Family History Mysteries” franchise.
Also starring, according to IMDb, are:
- Lara Amersey (Olivia)
- Michael Barbuto (DJ Wolf)
- Valentina Capetola (Cora)
- Zoe Fraser (Courtney)
- Brenda Ngo (Manager)
- Maya Paciocco (Sasha)
- David Pinard (Brady)
- Dave Rose (Reverend)
- David Rosser (Mike)
- Nora Sheehan (Gail)
- Tristen Sky (Gen Z Coworker)
- Kyana Teresa (Kate)
- Jon Welch (French chef)
- Tara Yelland (Violet)
I really, really liked this movie. Perfect casting! Recorded it for a rewatch.