We’re about to head into the dog days of summer, and for many of us that might mean snow cones, swimming pools and fun in the sun. Over on the Hallmark Channel, however, it’s something completely different — Christmas in July. The upcoming Hallmark movies that will premiere on the 2025 TV schedule may look frosty, but several actors have spoken about how hot it gets filming holiday movies in summer months. It turns out the opposite may be actually worse.
I had the chance to speak to Alec Santos, who will star in the Hallmark original A Machu Picchu Proposal on June 28 before kicking off Christmas in July a week later in Unwrapping Christmas: Tina’s Miracle. And yes, he confirms that things got steamy while shooting the latter, saying:
We were in Ottawa, and it was 95 degrees, and I had a leather jacket on. The shop where [the Unwrapping Christmas movies are set], it was so, so hot in there. Every time they yelled cut, it would be, like, taking off clothes, there would be people fanning you, you know, ice packs behind your neck, or sometimes we would shoot with an ice pack on our back.
shooting Christmas movies in the summer is never her favorite. However, Alec Santos told CinemaBlend he much preferred that to what he experienced with A Machu Picchu Proposal. He continued:
why filming in the summer is easier. Despite his previous complaints about the heat, the Mean Girls alum said movies filmed in the summer are more efficient, because everyone moves a little slower when they’re cold.
Luckily for us, we’ll get to experience both situations alongside Alec Santos (from the hopefully climate-controlled comfort of our own homes). Be sure to watch out for that pool scene and the actor’s chattering teeth when A Machu Picchu Proposal airs at 8 p.m. ET Saturday, June 28, on Hallmark. Then tune in for Unwrapping Christmas: Tina’s Miracle at 8 p.m. ET Saturday, July 5.