'Inn Love by Christmas' Is a Classic Holiday Romance With an Authentic Location

There’s a whole subculture dedicated to TV holiday rom-coms these days and, while Hallmark might have had the jump on them, Lifetime isn't far behind. And with Inn Love by Christmas, it certainly has the formula down. The made-for-TV movie follows a young businesswoman who had made a life for herself in Miami, but when she’s called back home during the holidays and has her eyes on the local inn for sale for her company, she butts heads with her former high school rival.

He also happens to want to buy the inn, by the way, and he’s obviously her love interest. But as you watch the inevitable love story unfold, you might find yourself wondering where the movie itself was filmed. Often for these kinds of movies, filming is done wherever producers can recreate a quaint little snowy village and fake snow is pumped in to give it the perfect aesthetic. For this movie, though, that’s not necessarily the case.

According to IMDb, Inn Love by Christmas was filmed entirely in Ontario, Canada. It was shot specifically in Hamilton and Dundas, which are both small enough cities to emulate the small-town feel given off in the movie. In fact, Hallmark’s Heart of the Holidays was also filmed there, proving just how authentic of a setting it provides for these types of movies.

Inn Love by Christmas was also filmed during the winter, so chances are, fake snow was only brought in to add a little fluff, if at all. Inn Love by Christmas leading man Jesse Hutch shared set photos on Instagram back in January 2020. So not only was the movie filmed in the cold Canadian climate, but it was done during the winter, when the movie takes place.

Although the cast isn't full of B-list celebrities who usually make the rounds in similar holiday TV movies, you might recognize the actress who plays Mandy in Inn Love by Christmas. Jonna Walsh was in Hallmark’s A Feeling of Home in 2019. She was also on Freeform’s Baby Daddy and an episode of Chicago Fire.

Even with such a long rap sheet, Jonna was excited to be a part of the Lifetime holiday movie. In December 2020, she shared some photos from the movie on Instagram with a caption that said, "So thankful to be a part of the talent that made this adorable movie, and cannot wait to share it with all of you. So cozy on up and enjoy our story."

Most of the plots from Hallmark and Lifetime romantic holiday comedies sound like they could be ripped from the pages of a romance novel. And sometimes, that’s the case. With Inn Love by Christmas, however, there is no book to go off as source material. There is a romance novel called Christmas Inn Love, but it’s about a woman’s efforts to save the family bed and breakfast from being closed down.

To be fair, that also sounds like the plot of at least a third of the holiday TV romance movies out there, but the novel wasn’t the basis for Inn Love by Christmas. It’s also not based on a true story, but you probably knew that already.

Watch Inn Love by Christmas on Dec. 11, 2020 on Lifetime at 8 p.m. ET.