''A Snow Capped Christmas'' (broadcast as ''Falling for Christmas'' in the United States) is a 2016 Canadian

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

romantic drama Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

directed by

Christie Will Wolf Christie Will Wolf is a Canadian film and television writer, director and producer. She is best known for writing and directing a number of films, including ''Over The Moon'', ''Her Infidelity'', ''Eat, Play, Love'', ''Boy Toy'', ''Forever Christ ...

and starring Leah Renee,

Niall Matter Niall Matter ( ; born October 20, 1980) is a Canadian-American actor. Following recovery from a serious accident sustained while working on an oil rig, Matter chose to pursue a full-time acting career. He received his first significant break in ...

, Michael Teigen,

Lisa Whelchel Lisa Diane Whelchel (born May 29, 1963) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, author, and life coach. She is known for her appearances as a Mouseketeer on ''The New Mickey Mouse Club'' and her nine-year role as the preppy and wealthy Bla ...

and Gracyn Shinyei. It premiered in Canada on

W Network W Network (often shortened to W) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel primarily broadcasts general entertainment programming oriented towards a female audience. W Network was established in ...

on November 6, 2016, and in the United States on Up Network on November 26, 2016.

Plot

Claire Benson is a figure skater who is broken on the inside and out. Driven to the brink by her coach, she is forced to spend the weeks leading up to Christmas in the picturesque mountain regions of Western Canada at a sports rehabilitation center. While resting, Claire meets Luke, a single father and former Canadian hockey player. Forced to retire early from the game due to an injury, Luke now spends his time raising his daughter while running the local ice fishing and tackle shop. This unlikely duo locks horns only to discover they have more in common than they thought. A true man of the Canadian north, Luke teaches Claire all the activities that personify a Canadian winter—from snowmobiling and ice fishing to chopping down a real Christmas tree for the holidays. On her part, Claire encourages Luke—who has not played a game of hockey since being forced to retire—back onto the ice. Together with his former hockey teammates, Luke rouses the town's Christmas spirit when, on Christmas Eve, they engage in a truly Canadian tradition of playing a game of hockey on the ice covered lake. Luke and his daughter's Christmas is complete when Claire returns to the mountains having learned that there is more to life than competition.

Cast

* Leah Renee as Claire Benson *

as Luke * Michael Teigen as Jullian, Claire's coach * Gracyn Shinyei as Chamonix *

as Dale, Claire's mother *

Lochlyn Munro Lochlyn Munro (born February 12, 1966) is a Canadian actor. His most notable film roles include ''A Night at the Roxbury'' (1998), ''Scary Movie'' (2000), ''Freddy vs. Jason'' (2003), ''White Chicks'' (2004), '' The Predator'' (2018) and ''Cosm ...

as Lou * Blaine Anderson as Greg, Claire's father * Kathryn Kirkpatrick as Dr. Schmidt

Production

''A Snow Capped Christmas'' was filmed from February 1 to March 5, 2016, in the

Okanagan The Okanagan ( ), also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is part ...

wilderness at

Manning Park E.C. Manning Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It is usually referred to as Manning Park, although that nomenclature is also used to refer to the resort and ski area at the park's core. The park covers 83,671 hecta ...

and Maple Ridge in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada. The film was produced by Qube films.

Reception

Westword ''Westword'' is a free digital and print media publication based in Denver, Colorado. ''Westword'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue cir ...

'' calls the film a "cinematic meditation on sports psychology, career-ending injuries and, of course, the Christmas spirit." ''

Country Living ''Country Living'' is an American lifestyle and home magazine published by the Hearst Corporation since 1978. The monthly magazine focuses on food, home renovation, home decor, DIY and lifestyle. The magazine hosts four Country Living Fairs a ye ...

'' included it in its list of "30 Best Christmas Movies" in 2021.

References

External links