You may be surprised to learn that there have secretly been quite a number of Christmas movies made in Edmonton. From the early 2000’s till now, a whole range of different Christmas movies — from hallmark dramas, to slasher spoofs — have been shot and produced in Edmonton and Alberta at large.
It makes sense when you think about it. Where else in North America has an almost guaranteed winter supply of never-ending snow? What better place to capture wintery dreams and seasonal miracles! It all started in the early 2000’s when a flurry of Christmas movies sprouted out of our prairie pastures. Here are some of the most interesting films made in Edmonton.
The first yuletide flick that set off Christmas film production in Edmonton was 2000’s Snow Day (directed by Chris Koch). Set in Syracuse, but shot in both Edmonton and Calgary, Snow Day features a hilariously ironic plot line. When snow descends on a small Syracuse town in December, school is cancelled and kids spend the day frolicking and tobogganing in Christmas cheer. Meanwhile, when was the last time schools were actually closed because of snow in Edmonton? Well, at least we can imagine what it might feel like by watching Snow Day and seeing kids spending a weekday sledding in Bonnie Doon.
Another mid 2000’s Christmas gem takes our beloved West Edmonton Mall as its central location. Christmas in Wonderland (directed by James Or, 2007) follows a family who move to Edmonton just before Christmas, leaving the two kids without much Christmas spirit in their new town. That is, of course, until they visit WEM and stumble upon a duffle bag full of money that two robbers have accidentally thrown onto the ice rink while trying to escape. The kids take the money and romp around the mall purchasing everything they can till their hearts are content — what could be more Christmas than that! If you are thinking about visiting WEM for some last minute gift getting, this might be the perfect film to dissuade you of such notions!
There were a few other mistletoe movies shot in Yeg in the aughts before the film production companies got frostbite and moved elsewhere in the 2010’s. The Neil Patrick Harris staring The Christmas Blessing, for instance, came out in 2005, while The 12 Days of Christmas Eve came out the year before in 2004. We also couldn’t go amiss and not mention the truly absurd slasher Santa’s Slay which imagines Santa Clause as a demon who spreads evil and murder all throughout an Albertan town (Terrifier 3 eat your heart out!).
Once 2010 hit, Christmas movies just stopped being made in Edmonton for some reason. That was, however, until just a couple of years ago when local filmmaker Dylan Pearce started producing made-for-TV Christmas movies of his own here. It started in 2018 with Christmas Cupcakes which was shot in some of Edmonton’s finest bakeries and cake shops. If my memory is correct, I believe it was even shot partly in Whimsical Cake Studio when it was still located on 109 st. right next door to the Metro Cinema. How’s that for serendipity!
Since the success of Christmas Cupcakes, Dylan Pearce has gone onto direct a sleigh full of Christmas movies in Edmonton: Christmas with a Crown (2020), Meet Me at the Christmas Train Parade (2023), and Engaged by Christmas (2024)! So, Christmas movie production is quietly making a return to our little big city.
If you feel the need for a double dose of Christmas spirit and local pride, look no further than the films on this list!