Stuti Gokhale
‘Our Christmas Journey’ is a beautiful family movie from Hallmark Movies And Mysteries, set in the holiday season. Directed by Kevin Fair, the story revolves around Lena, a single mother raising her two kids — daughter Maya and son Marcus, who has autism. When her ex-husband Rick proposes to send their son to a prestigious program for people with cognitive challenges, she travels upstate with her children and mother for the interview. Over the Christmas weekend, Rick and Lena spend time together and realize that they still have unresolved feelings for each other.
However, she is hesitant to give things another chance as well as let Marcus out into the world without her care. Thus, Lena has to gradually learn to allow her son to be independent and navigate his path in life by himself. She and Rick are also at crossroads over whether to bring their family together again or let things remain the same. An emotional story about family values, parenting, and love, ‘Our Christmas Journey’ also sensitizes viewers about autism and is packed with beautiful visuals perfect for the Yuletide season. If you are curious about where this movie was filmed, we have got your back. Let’s find out!
Our Christmas Journey Filming Locations
The production team of ‘Our Christmas Journey’ chose to film the movie in various regions of British Columbia, specifically Vancouver, Mission, and seemingly Abbotsford. Principal photography for the film commenced in late September 2021 and ended on October 8 or 9 of the same year. Over the decades, British Columbia has become a prominent filming location for major film and TV productions, especially for Hallmark movies.
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The province provides decent tax benefits, along with technologically well-equipped production studios and varied landscapes to shoot movies and shows of diverse genres. Some of the movies filmed in British Columbia are ‘Tomorrowland,’ ‘Man of Steel,’ and ‘Road To Christmas.’ Here are the exact details of the filming locations for ‘Our Christmas Journey!’
Vancouver, British Columbia
Major filming for ‘Our Christmas Journey’ took place in Vancouver, a seaport city in the westernmost province of The Great White North. Also known as Hollywood North, Vancouver is a hotspot for the productions of movies and shows and an ideal location to film Christmas movies, given its lush scenery and talented film crew. Popular TV shows like ‘Flash,’ ‘The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,’ and ‘Arrow’ were shot in the city. ‘Juno,’ ‘Fantastic Four,’ and ‘Godzilla’ are a few movies filmed in Vancouver.
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Mission, British Columbia
Located 80 km southeast of Vancouver, Mission is a beautiful city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. Several important scenes of ‘Our Christmas Journey’ were filmed in the quaint little town. Zajac Ranch For Children, located at 15600 Florence Lake Road in the city, is one of the main shooting sites for the movie. It is an actual ranch that hosts yearly inclusive camps for children and young adults with medical conditions and disabilities and their families. Therefore, the ranch proved to be an authentic choice for the crew to film the movie.
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During the filming of the heartwarming Christmas movie in Mission, actress Holly Robinson Peete chose to stay at The Little Red Barn, a gorgeous Airbnb that looks like a scene straight out of children’s stories. After wrapping up the shoot for the day of the feel-good film, Holly shared sweet snaps from the cozy little cabin with her fans on social media.
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Abbotsford, British Columbia
Abbotsford is a border city in British Columbia and served as an outdoor location for the shoot of ‘Our Christmas Journey.’ Just on the outskirts of Vancouver, this picturesque city has seen the filming of many holiday movies like ‘My Christmas Family Tree’ and ‘A Christmas Treasure.’
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Our Christmas Journey Cast
The cast of ‘Our Christmas Journey’ comprises Holly Robinson Peete as Lena, a single mother raising two children. Lyriq Bent plays her ex-husband Rick, who reaches out to her to consider admitting their son with autism to an esteemed program for children with disabilities. Peete is known for her appearance in the TV drama ‘21 Jump Street’ as well as the reality shows ‘For Peete’s Sake’ and ‘Meet The Peetes.’ On the other hand, Bent is known for his performances in movies like ‘Saw 4’ and ‘An Ice wine Christmas.’
Nik Sanchez, an actor living with autism, plays Lena and Rick’s son, Marcus. Interestingly, the makers cast Nik to play the son with autism to promote inclusivity in cinema. The movie also stars Hilda Martin as their daughter Maya and Aloma Wright as Lena’s mother, Robin. Other cast members include Caroline Cave (Beth), Graham Verchere (Henry), Lily Johannesson (Morgan), Miranda Edwards (Madelyn), and Anthony Timpano (Misho).
Read More: Best Hallmark Christmas Movies
