Danica McKellar Gives a Behind-the-Scenes Look at How Hallmark Christmas Movies Are Really Made

From Good Housekeeping

There's something magical about the wonderful world of Hallmark Christmas movies — maybe it's the constant twinkle, the mistletoe-worthy romances, or the snow-covered small towns. Whatever the reason, Hallmark Channel's "Countdown to Christmas" and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries' "Miracles of Christmas" have become a holiday tradition for many.

We're firm believers that some things are better left a mystery — and Hallmark Christmas movies aren't one of them. With every Christmas movie binge, comes a longer list of questions: Are all movies filmed in the dead of winter? Do they actually eat all of those gingerbread cookies? Are Hallmark actors required to know how to [insert winter sport here]?

While some of these questions will continue to go unanswered (for now), actress Danica McKellar has been dropping behind-the-scenes secrets from her new movie, Christmas She Wrote, which airs on Sunday, December 6 on Hallmark Channel.

It all started with a now-viral TikTok, which has already racked up nearly 9 million views. Since figure skating isn't her strong suit, a body double worked her magic on the ice and Danica showed herself being filmed from the shoulders up. To make it look more realistic, they pulled Danica, who was dressed as her character Kayleigh, across the ice on a wooden plank — no skates necessary.

The next question at hand: How does Hallmark always find the snowiest towns? As Danica points out in another TikTok, Hallmark makes the snow. On her movie, they used industrial fans to blow around ice shavings, mimicking falling snow. (Shameless plug: I was an extra in Candace Cameron Bure's Christmas Town, where they had to use ice from Vancouver's fish markets due to the unusually high temperatures.)

If you're a loyal viewer, then you might've caught on to Danica's last secret. Since they often film these movies in real-life towns, there are unavoidable noises that the camera picks up — honking horns, barking dogs, you get the idea. To make the dialogue more audible, actors must re-record the talking parts in a studio a.k.a. ADR or automated dialogue replacement.

So, the next time you turn on Hallmark Channel (you're watching it right now, aren't you?), keep an eye out for these movie-making tricks. Who knows, they might even make you love Hallmark Christmas movies even more — if that's at all possible.

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