Holiday filmmakers flock to Chicago’s suburbs for Christmas scenery

People keep falling in love in Long Grove.

You may have heard about the young baker who was charmed by a farmer. Or the TV reporter who was smitten with a toymaker.

How about the radio personality who was swept off her feet by a rancher?

If you’re nodding, you’ve seen Very Merry Entertainment’s three holiday films shot on location in the Lake County village: "Christmas with Felicity," "Reporting for Christmas" and "Christmas on the Ranch." The latter debuted on Hulu in November.

"Once Upon a Christmas Wish," a Long Grove production starring Mario Lopez, premieres Saturday on the Great American Family network. And two other Illinois-based movies, "Christmas at the Zoo" and "Christmas in Chicago," will be released in the future.

In recent years, Illinois has emerged as the site of a holiday movie cottage industry. While old big-screen classics like "Home Alone" and "National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation" are associated with the Chicago area, a crop of newer projects were also shot in the city and surrounding villages and suburbs. Of the Christmas movies released between 2018 and 2023, 12 were at least partially filmed in the Chicago area, including the 2021 Disney+ movie “Christmas Again,” according to the Illinois Film Office.

Holiday movies have been popular for years on cable TV networks like Lifetime and the Hallmark Channel, but demand has increased in the streaming era, according to industry insiders. And they say Illinois is an attractive destination for filmmakers due to the scenery, tax program and skilled film crews.

"The villages that surround Chicago are very bucolic, and have this period architecture and a setting that mimics the ideal that the storytelling for a Christmas film encompasses," said Louis Ferrara, assistant deputy director at the Illinois Film Office. "If you go to Libertyville or Long Grove, you'll see the Christmas decorations going up [in early November] and through the holidays. So, these villages exist in this manner every year. And I think producers and filmmakers are really now discovering that aspect of our region."

Holiday film producers often ask Ferrara the same question about the Chicago region when they contact the office: "Can you guarantee snow?"

No, he tells them, but given its position in the northern part of the state, there’s a really good chance.

The environment is comparable to Canada, where many holiday movies are filmed, but Illinois’ northern neighbor is still a tough competitor, Ferrara said.

"They have very strong tax credit programs in Canada," he said. "And they also have the advantage of a favorable currency exchange to the United States dollar. And it looks quite like the United States. It’s really got that snowy appeal, but maybe not as cute as some of the villages that we have here in Illinois."

The Illinois film tax credit is nothing to sneeze at, either, according to Ferrara. Thanks to the Illinois Film Production Tax Credit Act, benefits include a 30% tax credit for production spending and labor costs, up to $500,000 per worker within the state.

That, combined with the local infrastructure of sound stages and equipment rentals, makes the area attractive to filmmakers, Ferrara said.

"Not to mention, we have this really robust crew," he added. "So because of shows like 'Chicago Fire' that we've really been really grateful to have here in the region, so many new crew members have been trained."

Chicago-based Throughline Films co-founder John Bosher also cited the local crews, acting talent, tax credit and scenery as reasons for filming in the area. He and Chris Charles started the company in 2012 and launched the Very Merry Entertainment venture upon discovering the growing demand for American holiday movies locally and abroad.

"It's not really what we thought we would be doing when we got into filmmaking," said Bosher, who lives in Mundelein. "But after going through the process of selling other movies and just hearing about what distributors wanted, there's only so many areas of the marketplace that have an appetite for independently produced content. And one that we kept hearing over and over was family-friendly holiday romances. And if there's a horse or a young girl that's involved with the horses, that's a bonus."

Enter "Christmas on the Ranch," directed by Danny Buday, which includes a teenage girl among the cast of characters who ride horses.

In addition to Long Grove, the movie was filmed at Country Ridge Stables in Mundelein and Zia West equestrian center in Hawthorn Woods.

Bosher says Very Merry Entertainment hopes to ramp up to producing two or three holiday movies each year.

"There's a certain holiday magic on the set," he said. "And it's very lighthearted content. Comfort food in the form of a movie is how we describe it. And it's also great that our wives and mothers really love these films. So I think that's a bonus."

The movies are also popular with superfan Patricia "Patt" Krysa, who is friends with an executive producer of "Christmas on the Ranch."

The 72-year-old La Grange Park resident said she typically watches about 20 holiday movies per year. One of her favorites is the Hallmark Channel's "Three Wise Men and a Baby," due in part to the handsome leading men, she said.

"I think they're uplifting," she said of holiday films. "I think we all need that, particularly for some people who don't necessarily have family around. It reminds you what Christmas is about because, in many cases, none of these films are about getting gifts. It's usually about life and how people have different trials and family situations and how they get through them."

Krysa said she was fond of "Christmas on the Ranch" because of its focus on equine therapy and references to podcasting, which gave it a more modern feel than other movies.

She also says she enjoys when she recognizes Chicago-area locations in films.

"I love when you get those pieces that really bring it home for you," she said. "You look at something on the TV screen and you go, 'I know where that is!' There's something about that that makes it more personal."

Krysa said holiday films can be formulaic, but that’s part of their appeal.

"Ultimately, in the end, everybody's happy," she said. "Things work out. Who doesn't want that?"