Ah, Hallmark movies. They’re cheesy, trope-filled, and somehow addicting to watch, whether you love or hate them. When it’s time to film their Christmas movies, they often need a quaint, picturesque New England town (or several) to film in. I’m from Ledyard, a small Connecticut town where you’ll find a more popular town called Mystic nearby. Mystic is a massive tourist attraction all year long, from the Historic Districts, Olde Mistick Village, the Mystic Seaport, downtown Mystic, and the Mystic River Bascule Bridge, making it an ideal location for a holiday movie.
Over the years, numerous Hallmark Christmas movies have been filmed in and around my hometown. One of the more recent films, The Holiday Fix Up, was filmed at the Mystic Seaport and nearby locations. It was interesting to watch a historic shipyard building turned into the male protagonist’s workshop and downtown Mystic into the epitome of a winter wonderland. It gets strange sometimes because these places are part of my daily life and childhood. I get my hair cut at a salon in Olde Mistick Village, and I love to peruse a little bookstore in downtown Mystic. While these places are beautiful, I’m so accustomed to seeing them that I forget their cozy New England charm enchants outsiders.
Hallmark isn’t even the only company that films holiday movies in my hometown. This year, Lifetime has been filming 12 Days of Christmas Eve, starring Kelsey Grammer (who I only know as the ex-husband of Camille Grammer Meyer), filmed at places such as UConn Avery Point and Mohegan Sun. Again, these places are parts of my childhood. I’ve had picnics at Avery Point and saw my first concert at Mohegan Sun.
It does give me a sense of pride to see my little corner of the world glamorized and used as the backdrop for a movie. Whether you watch them unironically or to make fun of them, Hallmark movies have become a holiday staple.