It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas – at least on our TVs. As you wind down for the year, gather with your loved ones, and curl up on the couch – check out these holiday movies, filmed or set in various locations throughout North Carolina.
Wilmington
No surprise here – the majority of holiday movies filmed in North Carolina were done so in Hollywood East, aka “Wilmywood.”
“Christmas in Harmony” (2021) – A woman is tricked into auditioning for a holiday chorus, directed by her ex-boyfriend. But by Christmas, could they be harmonizing in the key of love?
“USS Christmas” (2020) – A young reporter and a handsome naval officer meet aboard a Christmas-time Tiger Cruise. Together, they solve a mystery related to the woman’s past.
“Christmas in Conway” (2013) – In this tear-jerker starring Mandy Moore and Mary-Louise Parker, a man tries to create the perfect Christmas for his terminally ill wife by building a Ferris wheel in his backyard.
“The Angel Doll” (2002) – Two small-town boys try to find the perfect gift for one of their ailing sisters. This movie, set in the 1950s, is based on a book by North Carolina author Jerry Bledsoe.
“Inheritance Up Christmas” (1996) – A woman deals with her father, who is convinced he’s the real Santa Claus, as she runs for mayor.
“One Christmas” (1994) – A young boy in 1930 is sent to visit his estranged father for Christmas. The movie is based on an autobiographical short story by Truman Capote and stars Katharine Hepburn and Henry Winkler.
Charlotte
Queen City normally gets mentioned more for banking and NASCAR, but a surprising handful of holiday heartwarmers have been filmed in the city.
“A Nashville Christmas Carol” (2020) – A television producer is forced to work on a country music Christmas special with the man who broke her heart. Will visits from the Christmas spirits make her reevaluate her past?
“A Christmas Love Story” (2019) – A youth choir director (Kristin Chenoweth) needs to write a big song for a Christmas Eve show – luckily, a boy with a golden voice, and the boy’s widowed father, come into her life.
“An Evergreen Christmas” (2014) – A young singer is torn between pursuing her career and saving her family’s Christmas tree farm after her father passes away.
Elsewhere
Asheville and New Bern each clock in with one holiday movie, allowing us to say that North Carolina is for filming from the mountains to the sea.
“A Biltmore Christmas” (2023) – A screenwriter hired to remake a 1947 holiday classic set at the Biltmore House accidentally finds herself transported back in time to 1947, where she meets the original movie’s handsome leading man. Can she make things right, or will she alter the future forever?
“Christmas at the Grey Horse Inn” (2021) – A writer flees the pressure of the big city to take over her aunt’s inn. But with tax payments looming, will she be able to save the day?
Fictional North Carolina
These films weren’t filmed here (boo!), but they were set in a fictional small town in North Carolina.
“Christmas Joy” (2018) – A young market researcher has to put her DC job on hold and rush back to Crystal Falls, NC, to help her aunt recover from surgery. While in town, she faces her former crush and a competitive cookie contest.
“Finding Christmas” (2013) – A New York City ad agent and a North Carolina musician swap homes after being unlucky in love. Both men find love in their new homes, but can it last?
And there you have it! Thirteen movies to add to your list this holiday season.
And although it’s been said many times, many ways – Merry Christmas to you and yours.
