Here’s What It’s Really Like on the Set of a Hallmark Christmas Movie

It’s been a stressful year, but at least you can count on Hallmark Christmas movies to come through with the holiday cheer. After all, what’s more relaxing than watching an overworked woman fall in love with a Christmas tree farmer? So decompress with all of our delightful holiday content right here.

"Wait, we added too many Santa hats!" is not a line you hear that often on the set of a movie. But then again, I wasn't on just any set—I was in Ogden, Utah for the filming of Christmas Made to Order, one of Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas originals. When I arrived (in early November, when the temperature was a chilly but mild 40 degrees), stars Alexa PenaVega and Jonathan Bennett were in the middle of a three-day shoot at a cozy log cabin bed and breakfast high in the mountains.

It felt surreal to be there. For all the times I've said, "This looks like something straight out of a Hallmark Christmas movie!" now it was actually true. The phenomenon that is Hallmark's Countdown Christmas has propelled the network to record ratings, and it's growing with each passing season.

But back to this film, Christmas Made to Order: It took about a year to make, from the first pitch meeting to filming. (It premieres on Saturday, December 23 at 8 p.m. ET.) When I was on set in early November, it was one of two Hallmark Christmas movies still in production—the other being Small Town Christmas, which premiered last weekend. The bulk of Hallmark's 36 Christmas movies were finished earlier this fall.

And while all Hallmark Christmas movies are showered in holiday cheer, there was an added element of authenticity to Christmas Made to Order. Holiday decorations were up around the town of Ogden and the air was crisp. When I arrived at the Alaskan Inn—today's filming location—I noticed how charming it looked nestled at the bottom of Ogden Canyon alongside mountain homes and pine trees. The scenery was so inspiring, I seriously debated never leaving.

The cast and crew actually stayed about 20 minutes away in a suburb of Salt Lake City and were at the tail end of two-plus weeks of production. Half the crew on the film were locals, while everyone else came from L.A. For many crew members, this was the third or fourth Hallmark Christmas movie they've worked on this year. "It's a lot, but so much fun," Lawrence Humphreys, the film's on-set dresser, said. "I wouldn't change it for the world."

As we walk to the Inn, there's a huge truck unloading Christmas props, including a plastic Santa (but of course). Humphreys tells me that they have two trucks and a cargo van dedicated solely for props, and it's completely filled with Christmas decorations. Basically, it's like a Hallmark store meets Party City on wheels.

The Inn is closed to the public for the next three days, and a production trailer with a makeshift office is set up nearby. The crew brings their pets to work so they can hang out with the cast and producers in between scenes. It dawns on me that spending one day on set is not going to be enough. I should have stayed the whole week.

Before I went onto set, though, I talked to Jonathan Bennett at one of the individual log cabins on the property. Each log cabin has a different theme, and I'm pretty sure this one was the equivalent of Grizzly Bear Cottage. Everything from the toiler paper rack to the mirrors had bears on them. There was even a five-foot bear in the entry way. You can't make this stuff up.

Jonathan—or Johnny, as he said I could call him—burst in with the energy of a five-year-old. Christmas Made to Order is his first Hallmark movie as a lead, and he said he was just as excited as when he was cast in Mean Girls. "Both are such amazing guilty pleasure, fun movies to watch. There’s nothing better than to be involved in a movie that brings so much people happiness."

He certainly knows firsthand what a feel-good movie can do, which is why he credits Hallmark with helping him out of a dark time he endured after his parents passed away. "The holidays always meant a time of sadness," he said. "Once my parents passed, each Christmas wasn't what it used to be. But then I started being involved in and watching these movies, and it really reminds you that it's all about love."

Bennett also said his Hallmark "roster of angels"—Alexa PenaVega, Danica McKellar, Lacey Chabert, Rachel Boston and Jen Lilley—helped him find joy after so much heartache. "They are some of the most beautiful human beings I've ever met, so it makes me so happy to be part of a network with so many dear friends."

At that point, production called him for camera-blocking with PenaVega—my cue to leave Grizzly Bear Cottage and finally head to set.

The lobby of the Inn was a bustle of activity, with prop artists, set designers, and production assistants working hard to get everything in place. The scene I saw being filmed features PenaVega teaching Bennett's on-screen family how to make apple cider. The set was completely decked out in Christmas props, but the crew still stressed the importance that each and every frame in each and every scene look festive. In other words, details, details, details. As easy as it is to laugh at the directions given on set ("Rotate the ribbon!" and "That gentleman in the elf hat...can he take a step to the left to fill the space?"), it's a crucial part of Hallmark's success. Viewers tune in for Christmas magic, and Christmas magic is what they're going to get.

Color, no surprise, is a big part of each scene as well. "There's no such thing as grey or white or neutral in Christmas movies," PenaVega told me, when we talked later that day. "It's got to be colorful, and you cannot blend. Sometimes that can get a little hard because if you're in a colorful red Christmas sweater, you have to make sure that the background—which is also colorful—doesn't clash."

Humphreys loves a white tree with silver bulbs, but he told me those are often reserved for high-rise office buildings in cosmopolitan cities. Since this scene was at a log cabin, the vibe was more "old-school Christmas with big, colorful bulbs." Basically, cozy is in, chic is out.

At this point, as if on cue, we were told that the production office had homemade cinnamon buns. While it's not unusual for a production to amp up the "welcome" factor when press like myself visit, I was told this is a regular occurrence. A that point, if Mr. and Mrs. Claus had shown up with real reindeer I wouldn't have been that shocked.

Upstairs at the Inn, production designer Melissa Mae and her team were putting last minute touches on signage and wooden props. It's the ultimate arts and crafts store—and if not for my sticky cinnamon bun fingers, I would have offered a helping hand. Instead, I turned my attention to the festive Christmas village nearby. Amber Dahl, the film's art director, even used a few pieces for the film that were donated by her mom. "There's a lot of homemade stuff in this movie," Humphreys said. "The ornaments are actually handmade from Amber's family."

Aside from homemade pieces, Humphreys said they try to shop locally whenever possible. Nearby mom and pop stores are great options, especially for all the food scenes in Hallmark films. "We like to go to the local bakeries to help local business. It's good for everybody."

As for all those Christmas trees, they're usually not real, but that's a matter of convenience above anything else. "We've tried to use real trees in the past, but they just make too much of a mess and die halfway through filming," Humphreys explained. "Even the fake trees can get banged up over time because we move them around so much."

Later in the day, PenaVega's husband, Carlos, and their son, Ocean, stopped by for a visit. Bennett had finished filming, and Carlos offered to drive him back to the hotel where they were all staying. (When Hallmark says they're a family network, they're not kidding.)

I, on the other hand, stuck around to watch one more scene: a fireside chat featuring PenaVega and the woman playing her aunt. It was a touching moment about taking a leap of faith and trusting that things will be OK. And in today's world, who doesn't need more of that?

Christmas Made to Order premieres on Sunday, December 23 on Hallmark. For more behind-the-scenes photos and videos from the set, follow @glamourmag on Instagram, where West Coast editor Jessica Radloff will be doing an InstaStories takeover this Saturday.