Aman Goyal
The Hallmark holiday-themed movie ‘A Very Vermont Christmas’ revolves around Joy Keogh, a former skier who leaves her career and returns to her hometown to take care of her family’s seasonal microbrewery. Joy reconnects with Zac Chase, a former teammate and local champion. They develop an unlikely romantic connection as extreme financial threats loom over the brewery. With only three weeks until Christmas, they work together to create a seasonal microbrew just in time to save the business. Directed by John Stimpson, the heartwarming rom-com complements the cold season with its cozy and festive vibes. The charming locations and Christmas magic enhance the authenticity and visual appeal of ‘A Very Vermont Christmas.’
Where Was A Very Vermont Christmas Filmed?
‘A Very Vermont Christmas’ is set in the Maple Glen region of the city of Bountiful in Utah. As the title suggests, it also has a profound connection to Vermont. However, the production team did not visit either state. Instead, they completed filming in Massachusetts, a neighboring state. Principal photography took place in March 2024 and concluded the same month.
Worcester County, Massachusetts
To provide an outlook matching that of Utah in winter, ‘A Very Vermont Christmas’ was filmed in Worcester County within the state of Massachusetts. Director John Stimpson, who hails from the state, crafts most of his projects in the local yet versatile mountains, beaches, and urban landscapes. The Boston-based production companies and longtime collaborators of Stimpson, Moody Independent, and H9 Films retained the services of both local and contracted crew members from Los Angeles.
Together with the location scouts, Stimpson searched for and finalized the required destinations. The cast landed in Boston and explored the city before heading to the shooting sites, nearly 60 miles away into the hills. Most of the production took place in and around the towns of Princeton in the hilly regions of Mount Wachusett. Westminster, another nearby town in the county, was also crucial to the production team.
Utilizing the mountainous landscapes, the crew taped the skiing sequences at Wachusett Mountain Ski Area at 41 Mile Hill Road. Production designer Jere Sallee arranged the Christmas decorations, as well as a significant portion of the interior of the fictional brewery, Mogul Joe’s Brew Pub, which is featured in the movie. Similarly, the director of photography, Amanda McGrady, handled the lighting masterfully, complementing the background and the camera angles.
The hills explored by the team of ‘A Very Vermont Christmas’ also play a significant role in the storylines of the limited series ‘Dexter: New Blood’ and the Academy Award-nominated film ‘The Holdovers.’ Several portions of the movies ‘Super Size Me,’ ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,’ and ‘Letters to Santa’ were also filmed in the region.
A Very Vermont Christmas Cast
‘A Very Vermont Christmas’ features Katie Leclerc as Joy Keogh, known for portraying Daphne Vasquez in the drama series ‘Switched at Birth’ and Auburn Reed in ‘Confess.’ Her episodic appearances include ‘NCIS,’ ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,’ and ‘Veronica Mars,’ as well as the sitcoms ‘The Big Bang Theory’ and ‘Community.’ Her other credits in holiday-themed features include ‘Christmas a la Mode,’ ‘A Cape Cod Christmas,’ and ‘Letters to Santa.’ Ryan McPartlin, who stars opposite Leclerc as the skier turned brewer Zac Chase, is similarly recognized in the genre. His television movies include ‘A Clüsterfünke Christmas,’ ‘The Flight Before Christmas,’ and ‘The Holiday Fix Up.’ He is also known for the series ‘Chuck,’ where he appears as Devon “Captain Awesome” Woodcomb in all five seasons.
Joanna Herrington, who essays Mary Keogh, is known for her work in the movies ‘The Sleepover,’ ‘Measure of a Man,’ and ‘Christmas Camp.’ She also has minor roles in the sitcoms ‘Julia’ and ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.’ John Forest plays Joy’s ex-boyfriend, Greg Harris. The actor is recurring as John in ‘30 Second Somebodies.’ He also has roles in ‘For All Mankind,’ ‘Chicago Fire,’ and ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Also starring are Ivan Cecil Walks as Kevin, David J. Curtis as Bob Salimano, Jenna Lea Scott as Liftie Lucy, and Brett Davern as Ethan. Rounding out the ensemble are Kimaya Diggs and Bob Amero as Rosie and Nathaniel Chase, respectively, while Ethan Lavigne appears as one of the contestants.
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