Hey everyone, I had such a fun day yesterday! I went up to Canada to the city of Maple Ridge, which is a very popular filming area. I’ve only been there once before, and I wrote about Shane’s house from SSD here and Harper’s house from The Art of Us here. This time, my friend Janelle offered to personally show me around town, which was awesome since she lived there for 24 years! Janelle loves film locations too so we had a great time seeing so many favorites. Some of the highlights from our day include the Along Came A Nanny house/neighborhood, the church from Yes, I Do, the florist from The Art of Us, and the gazebo at Memorial Park, which we saw featured at the end of Eat, Play, Love. I will be writing about these locations (and so many more!!!) in the coming months so be sure and stay tuned to the blog. My sincere thanks to Janelle for giving me such a grand tour of Maple Ridge!!! 🙂
Today, I’m back with another Christmas in July location for you! This one comes from what I like to call an “oldie but goodie” and if social media is any indicator, this 2008 movie is still as popular with fans today as it was when it first aired ten years ago! I’m talking about Jennifer’s house from The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. This is another one directed by Michael M. Scott. From Hallmark:
“Jennifer Cullen (Brooke Burns) is a single, working mom who has become somewhat of a Scrooge when it comes to the Holiday season. Even her six-year-old son Brian is having trouble believing in Santa Claus. When Jen’s Uncle Ralph (Henry Winkler), a retired police officer, comes to visit for Christmas, he brings along a new friend, a nomad and Jack-of-all-trades named Morgan Derby (Warren Christie). The two met on a flight, and Morgan’s plans to continue on to Denver are cancelled when he finds out the city is completely snowed in. Jen is wary of the stranger, but at Ralph’s request, agrees to let him stay the night. She warms up to Morgan, especially when she sees how he interacts with Brian. Uncle Ralph approves of Morgan, too, but Jen’s boyfriend Richard isn’t nearly as receptive. Meanwhile, Morgan has started to really like Jen, but if she can’t manage to make Christmas about anything more than business, Morgan will be on his way to Denver, and she’ll have missed the opportunity that was right in front of her. Uncle Ralph has done what he can to keep Morgan around, but it’s going to take something more than that to get him penciled into Jen’s long-term plans. Jen just needs to learn “how to do Christmas,” and it turns out Morgan is the perfect one to teach her”.
I thought this storyline was cute and I really loved the casting! I grew up watching Henry Winkler (Arthur Fonzarelli, AKA The Fonz), and he was extremely entertaining as Uncle Ralph in this one. I liked Brooke Burns and Warren Christie together and thought their scenes together were comedic. A nice little surprise was seeing actor Serge Houde, who I recognized from so many of his appearances in Hallmark movies over the years. He is a very busy actor and always a pleasure to watch!!! (and I cannot help but wonder…..will he be back to reprise his role as Alice’s love interest in AOMH3?)
In real life, the little cul-de-sac where Jennifer lives is in Langley, B.C. My friend Anita recently came with me to Canada so I could snap photos for this post and I immediately wondered (aloud) how this location was scouted. It is way off the beaten path and we literally drove through a maze of neighborhoods, eventually landing on the cul-de-sac. I am still wondering if this house was registered for filming or if it belonged to a crew member? I can tell you that it’s highly unlikely location scouts randomly spotted it as they were driving by. It’s a great street, tucked away, but I am still very distracted when I think of all the movie making equipment required to make this film and wondered how long it took to cart it all in.
As you can see in my photos, it looks exactly as it did ten years ago when the movie shot, which is always a thrill to see. I did notice that in the promo pics for this movie, an entirely different front door was used in the photos verses the filming, which is kinda odd. (nice door though!)
Movie Promo – Photo Source: GOOGLE
The next-door neighbor’s house that was scene in this movie is currently undergoing some reno and as you can see, has a large pod parked on the driveway. But for now, it appears to look the same. I love being able to take this look back ten years after the shoot and it is all still so recognizable!!! Can you imagine being able to say, “yeah, I grew up in The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year cul-de-sac”! So cool!!!
Notice production didn’t string lights on parts of the houses in the neighborhood? Or perhaps they just forgot to turn them on for this scene.
Another location I’d like to share is that of the toy store. Unfortunately, it has closed down since filming took place, but back when The Most Wonderful Time of the Year was lensed, it was known as The Fort Toy Box.
Located at 9199 Glover Road, the storefront still looks very much as it did on screen, minus the missing sign and boarded up windows. I have heard from several people that a guy who owns a lot of commercial real estate in the fort has been boarding up his properties along Glover. I do not know the specifics of course, but my understanding is he and the Township of Langley do not see eye to eye on some issues. This has been going on for awhile now and every time I’m in Fort Langley, I see more boarded up windows. I certainly hope the two can find some resolution soon.
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What I’m Watching This Weekend:
Christmas in July movies will continue to play through July 28, 2018. My DVR has been recording around the clock!!! This Saturday evening, July 21, The Hallmark Channel will air Christmas: A First Look Preview Special, hosted by the one and only Lacey Chabert! And on Sunday evening, July 22, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries will premiere the new Morning Show Mystery: Murder on the Menu. Check your local listings for times.
Thank you:
Over the last several months, I have been hot on the prowl for a few Hallmark houses but I’m not having much luck, which gives me #Locationfrustration. Sometimes, it’s just that way. On the up side, I have tracked down many, many great locations and will feature some fantastic homes and businesses in the coming months. As always, I appreciate your support of this website. Thank you so much for stopping by today!!! I will be back next week with an all new Hallmark Christmas location.
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Was this house also used for the exterior shots of James’ house in “A Cookie Cutter Christmas”? They look to be the same house.
Hi Kathleen, thx for your comment! No, although it looks VERY similar to the Cookie Cutter Christmas house, it is not. I only know for sure because I have been to both and have photos. They are at two different ends of a very large city….LOL. I will be featuring the Cookie Cutter Christmas house during the upcoming holiday season. Hope you’ll subscribe to my blog and stay tuned!!! Thx for your support. 🙂
Thank you so much for your reply! I’m not surprised they aren’t the same house, though, as you stated, they are very similar. So many times the same developer builds housing tracts in different parts of cities/towns with 4 or 5 different models within the tract. So, pockets of the same exact house models end up in different parts of the city. Too funny.
I love your blog and I am a subscriber. Loving the Christmas in July and looking forward the upcoming holiday season (and everything in between!). Thank you so much for sharing your location adventures!
You are right….they are VERY similar!!! I was surprised how much, when I compared the photos!!! Thank you so much for your kind words and support….I appreciate it so much! I’m hot on the prowl for a couple Hallmark holiday houses so hopefully I will find them before Christmas…..LOL! Thanks again for coming along with me. 🙂
This movie, you are so right, is an oldie but goodie! In spite of the fact that I know the lines by heart, I’m always drawn in each time it’s on! I love that you found this sweet neighborhood and that HOUSE where the fun story takes place. I don’t know how you do it, but that’s awesome!
I bet you could hear the song playing in your mind as you drove by… “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year…..”
Merry Christmas in July!!! Blessings, Net
Thx Net! I would have loved to have seen this neighborhood all dressed up with snow and Christmas lights!!! This one has stood the test of time……I watch every year and still love it! 🙂
Wow, the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, our old time fave but I can’t believe it’s bee 10 years! You are right, the picture of the house/ neighborhood look much like in the movie. The only thing missing from the movie’s picture are the trees. The trees might have grown for the past 10 yrs. 🙂
This one is such a great movie and it never gets old, def a fan fave!!! I will take you to this location on your tour, since you love this movie. The house is looking really great in person, hasnt aged a bit, only the trees have! 😉
Wow – we must have been in Fort Langley on the same day! My wife and I were there to see Gasoline Alley and track down some locations in the movie for my daughter. We found the barber shop as well (where the toy store owner was getting his hair cut after he closed), but the grocery store where Brooke drives in and you see the line of shopping carts outside has all been torn down and rebuilt. We did figure out that the scene where they bought the Christmas tree was Gasoline Alley, just redressed with a bunch of trees for that scene. When you see down Gasoline Alley in the other shots, the trees are then gone. One thing we forgot to do is run across the street from the Toy Store and hide in the “alley” on the metal stairs. That would have been neat to sit there and get our own photo in the same spot. We did go to the Boutique store (2 doors down from the alley, and seen in the movie) and bought my daughter a small handbag. But you have the icing on the cake – finding the house. That was one thing we didn’t track down.
Hi Brent! Thanks so much for your comment. You never know, we could have been there on the same day……LOL! I love that we both went to the fort in search of these film locations!!!! This is such a fun movie and never gets old. I love that you were able to locate so many places. Next week when I’m in the fort, I will try and remember to stop by the metal stairs and see about getting a photo, provided the place hasn’t been remodeled. That would be a great photo-op! I wish so bad the grocery store was still standing…..I’d have loved to have scene it! Let me know if you get back to the fort for a stairs photo. Thanks again for stopping by. 🙂
Great post!
The kitchen and great room look like the movie.
Hi Beverly….thanks so much for your comment!! So glad you enjoyed this one….it is such a great house! I had to edit your comment and take out the link to the photos because it includes the homeowners address. I am sorry but I never publish a homeowners address and always try to protect their privacy. I hope you understand. 🙂
In the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, which my wife and I have watched many times over the years, I just now noticed that the two scenes where police cars appear are Naperville Police. We live in Naperville, Illinois! Not sure how that could be if the house is in reality in Canada. Any explainations?
Hi Rick! Thanks for your question. Although the movie was filmed in Canada, it was set in Illinois. The production company used props on the police cars, showing the Naperville police logo. They do this in all movies so keep an eye out when watching. Thanks again and Merry Christmas! 🙂
Being you can’t give out the address of the house location, can you give out the street name or subdivision it resides in? I’d love to find the builder of this house. Fell in love with the overall layout. I fully understand if you can’t give any information on the location. Really enjoyed reading your post either way!
Cory, thanks for your comment. And I am so glad that you enjoyed reading my post! Please email me at kerry@ivesceneitonhallmark.com Thanks! 🙂
Cory, I recently watched the movie (again) and have always felt the same way…I love the layout of the house, pretty much exactly what I’ve been looking for, as far as I can tell. Did you have any luck in finding the builder or, perhaps a longshot, the layout/blueprints/design?
Hi Derek, thanks for your comment. Because there has been so much interest in the floor plan of this home and the info on the builder, I decided to contact the homeowners. Each time, they have not been at home. I will be heading up to BC in a week or two and will try again. Wish me luck! 🙂
Hi! Any luck with the floorplan?
Angela, not yet. 🙂
I’m watching the movie now and recognized the police car from a town near me – police car had Naperville On it, Which is a suburb outside Chicago. I got curious wondering if filmed in Naperville- found your site which cleared that up. Thanks
Hi Donna! I am so glad you found me!!! I LOVE that you noticed the sign on the car in the movie. Yes, filming took place in B.C. as you read. I do hope you will drop by again….I’ve got many more Christmas locations coming up. 🙂
Hello and thanks for sharing!
Hey, in the first ten minutes of The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, as Jen is pulling up to the toy store a song is playing and is sung by a female artist. The lyrics are “I miss my Christmas baby all the way down from his head to his mistletoe”; do you know this song title and artist?
Love this movie!
Thanks!
Hi Allison, thanks so much for your comment! I will have to pull up the movie and check out that scene……hopefully I will be able to hear the song well enough to find out who it is and what the title is. I will report back to you here. Thanks again!!! 🙂
Hi Allison, I tried to find out what song it is but came up with nothing. 🙁 I use a sound app called Sound Hound and it has worked really well for me in the past. But it failed me twice tonight. 🙁 I’m sorry.
I would love the builders or blueprints of this home. Have you had any luck reaching the homeowners?
Lori, no I have not. I mentioned that in a recent post I did here. The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year: The Mystery Of The Front Door Should anything change, I will do another update on the blog. 😎