'Letters to Santa': What to know about new Hallmark Channel Christmas movie shot in Worcester
Princeton filmmaker John Stimpson is back with his latest holiday fare, “Letters to Santa,” which made its debut Black Friday on the Hallmark Channel and will be repeated throughout December.
Central Massachusetts’ answer to Frank Capra, Stimpson’s latest movie was shot in Worcester, Auburn and Princeton in late April. It wrapped up in 11 days.
“Letters to Santa” airs at 8 p.m. Tuesday, 10 p.m. Sunday, 2 a.m. Dec. 8 and 4 p.m. Dec. 18 on the Hallmark Channel.
The plot is classic Hallmark Channel holiday fodder.
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For the benefit of their two kids, Izzy (Taylor Pezza) and Sam (Kellen Raffaelo), recently split parents Rebecca (Katie Leclerc) and Enrique (Rafael de la Fuente) struggle to navigate their new family dynamic as the holiday season approaches.
When the young siblings receive a “magic pen” from a department-store Santa, they request a Christmas gift they want more than anything: For their separated parents to reconcile.
“It’s really cute,” Stimpson said. “We had two kids and a dog in this movie, a puppy. And people always say, don’t work with kids or animals. And let me tell you, it worked out so well. And the kids were terrific. The movie is really charming and I’m really proud of it.”
“Letters to Santa” is the third film Stimpson has done with Leclerc. Previously, the two had worked together on "A Cape Cod Christmas” (2021) and “Christmas a la Mode” (2019).
“She’s just amazing and such a wonderful person and so easy to work with,” Stimpson said. “We've just become dear, dear friends over the years. I would love to keep doing movies with her as long as I can.”
As for the Worcester locales in the film, none is more prominent than Bedlam Book Café, 138 Green St., which was chosen as a backdrop for the family’s visit to Santa, as well as the cheerful old man presenting the magic pen to Sam and Izzy.
Bedlam Book Café first pops up in the movie at the seven-minute mark and the action stays there for three minutes. The action returns at the bookstore when the two children confront Santa during his downtown visit. That scene lasts five minutes.
This is the second time Stimpson used Bedlam Book Café as a backdrop in one of his movies. He filmed a small scene in “Christmas on Ice” there as well.
“It was part of a montage. I think it was one shot. We came in and she was trying to get signatures for her thing to keep the ice rink open in 'Christmas on Ice,'” Stimpson recalled. “For 'Letters to Santa,' we actually shot for an entire day and we had two big scenes there.”
Stimpson has nothing but praise for Bedlam’s owner, Nicole DiCello, and the café as a film location.
“Nicole is great. And she was just more than happy to let us come back,” Stimpson said. “Bedlam Book Café just has a great feel to it. It feels cozy. It's got books everywhere and you know what’s cool? The bookracks are on caster wheels so you can move them around and that made our lives so much easier. It’s a beautiful space.”
Stimpson also shot at Lock 50, located at 50 Water St., which was used as Camilla's Mexican Bistro, which is the family-owned business run by Enrique's mom, and a house on Whitman Road was used as Rebecca's home.
Lock 50 first pops up around the two-minute mark and again at the 20-minute, 30-minute and one-hour-and-eight-minute marks.
Also prominent in the movie is The Glass Tower at 446 Main St., which serves as the headquarters of Rebecca's publishing firm.
In addition, a genuine, ocean green-colored, 1955 Chevy pickup truck that usually promotes Sneakerama shoe store at 12 Lake Ave. makes a cameo in the film as Enrique's main source of transportation. We see the vehicle first near the two-minute mark and later at the 33-minute mark when the truck experiences "engine trouble" and, in turn, complicates matters at home.
“Steve (Genatossi), the owner at Sneakerama, is great," Stimpson said. "He just got the truck refurbished and he didn’t have his logo back on the side of it. So, we just got a magnetic decal and stuck it on the side. It added a lot of color and flavor. In the same way, he uses it for Sneakerama, we thought the restaurant in our movie would use it for PR and be just visible in the neighborhood. So, that just worked out great.”
And, if that isn't Worcester-centric enough for you, a stuffed white Polar Beverages bear complete with a blue scarf with the word "Polar" and red Santa hat pops up at the 52-minute mark.
The credits also list The White Room, Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center and Bay State Brewery & Taproom as Worcester locations featured in the movie.
The opening scene of the film features an aerial view of Luks Tree Farm, 38 Laurel St., Auburn.
“What’s cool is that farm is like 10 minutes out from downtown Worcester. And it looks like we’re out in the country somewhere,” Stimpson said. “It was like 90 degrees that day. We had that crazy heat wave in April and we had all our kids in their winter coats bundled up and hats, and they’re sweating their butts off.”
A Princeton resident for 35 years, Stimpson also used his hometown’s tree-lined landscape in a few scenes in "Letters to Santa," as well as a farmhouse in town.
Christmas films shot in Worcester and Central Massachusetts have become a holiday tradition for Stimpson.
In addition to his latest, “Letters to Santa,” projects include “Christmas on Ice” from 2020, which was shot on the Worcester Common Oval; “Christmas a la Mode,” which was shot at Whittier Farm in Sutton; "The March Sisters at Christmas,” from 2012, shot all around Grafton; and “A Christmas Kiss,” from 2010, that had a horse-and-carriage scene shot on the Worcester Common.
“The city (of Worcester) has been terrific for us and to us,” Stimpson said. “And people are so friendly and welcoming when we look for locations and ask people to participate. They just love it. So, we don’t have any plans to go anywhere else.”
Stimpson said he loves making holiday movies because they’re happy, wholesome, heartwarming films that are family-friendly.
“You can’t beat going to a location and saying, ‘Hey, we’re making a movie. We sold some to Hallmark and Lifetime. It’s a Christmas movie.’ And, people immediately go, ‘Ahhh, I’d love to help.’ It’s such an easy sell,” Stimpson said. “And likewise, our investors have been very happy with that, making films or being involved in projects that they can show to their kids or their grandkids and feel good about, as opposed to us going in and saying, ‘We’re shooting this kind of bloody horror film.’ You can’t digest that quite so nicely.”
Stimpson said making holiday films is also just good business.
“A lot of filmmakers try to get going in the business. They want to make their opus and that’s all good and I love that and I think it’s terrific to want to make high art,” Stimpson said. “At the same time, I’m lucky because I get to do this and make a living at it and do it over and over again. Every few years, I try to do something that’s a little offbeat, but I’ll keep going doing this stuff because it keeps people employed. It keeps me busy and they make money, so I’m happy to do it.”
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: 'Letters to Santa': New Hallmark Channel Christmas movie shot in Worcester
