Reel Beach: Hot Frosty and many other Christmas movies with a Canadian connection

By BERNIE FLETCHER

‘Tis the season for Christmas movies and Canada is a favourite location. We are the Great White North after all and must be home to Santa.

Elf (2003) gave us the North Pole filmed mostly in Vancouver.

Young Toronto actor Beatrice Schneider plays Imogene Herdman in the recent hit The Best Christmas Pageant Ever from the popular 1972 novel (filmed in Winterpeg).

With the best crews and fake snow, Ontario is the hot spot for holiday rom-coms from Hallmark and Netflix which are more nice than naughty.

Last month Meet Me Next Christmas hit number one on Netflix’s most-watched list. Toronto stands in for New York City.

Layla (Christina Millan) is desperate to find “the holiday’s hottest ticket” for a sold-out Christmas Eve concert and gets fleeced by a scammer at The Comrade bar at 758 Queen St. E. No, it’s not for Taylor Swift. It’s a Pentatonix concert. The drag scene for Meet Me Next Christmas was filmed at The Opera House, 735 Queen St. E.

Back on a rainy day in April 2023, Millan was spotted chasing Santa along King Street near the Royal Alex Theatre. Through the magic of movies, the scene is transformed into a winter wonderland of snow and festive lights.

Meet Me Next Christmas was soon overtaken as the most watched on Netflix by Hot Frosty about a magical snowman (Dustin Milligan of Schitt’s Creek) coming to life for Lacey Chabert, the queen of holiday films. (Hope Springs is Brockville, Ont.)

Milligan plays shirtless Jack with a six-pack (the abdominal snowman?) Born and raised in Yellowknife, he should know something about snow and ice!

Milligan and Chabert were even featured on Entertainment Tonight which poked fun at the film’s popularity rivalling It’s a Wonderful Life. In Hot Frosty, townsfolk gather money in a hat to save the hero in a scene reminiscent of the Jimmy Stewart classic.

“That is so fetch.”

Sure, the film is flakey, but there are some funny Mean Girls (2004) references in Hot Frosty. When Kathy (Chabert) sees Lindsay Lohan on television she says, “That looks like a girl I went to high school with.”

The Mean Girls sang Jingle Bell Rock at their Winter Talent Show filmed at Malvern Collegiate. Lohan’s character lived on Balsam Road.

With the recent postal strike (that ended earlier this week) Santa may not be getting as many letters this year.

So what if St. Nick gave advice from some holiday movies where Toronto has served as a backdrop? Guess the film. I double-dog dare you.

Life lessons from Santa

Dear Santa, the neighbours’ hound dogs ate our Christmas turkey. Where should we go for dinner? Signed, the old man.

Sorry, there really wasn’t a Bo Ling Chop Suey Palace at 744 Gerrard St. E. It’s now French bistro Batifole. Look for the leg lamp in one corner. (A Christmas Story, 1983, with interior scenes filmed on Pharmacy Avenue.)

Dear Santa, I burned the turkey. Where can I take my son for dinner?

Sorry, Scott, Denny’s in Scarborough is long gone. The building at 2141 Ellesmere Rd. is slated for demolition to make way for a condo. (The Santa Clause, 1994.)

Dear Santa, we are getting crank calls and the police say they are coming from inside the house.

Sorry, sorority sister, ditch that landline in the attic. The old police station on Main Street is now Centre 55. (Black Christmas, 1974.)

Dear Santa, my nine-year old son swore. Should I wash his mouth out with soap?

Sorry, no soap for you! It’s 2024, not 1940. Don’t try this at home. Someday your children are going to decide which “home” you’ll go to. The Cherry Street lift bridge where the “Ohhh… fudge” scene was filmed has now re-opened. (A Christmas Story, 1983.)

Dear Santa, Why can’t I get a Red Ryder air rifle for Christmas?

Sorry, you’ll shoot your eye out, kid! (A Christmas Story, 1983.)

Seems to me Santa must be Canadian because he sure says “sorry” a lot!

Dear Santa, I have a big, red nose. How can I become one of your reindeer?

You can lead the way for Santa’s sleigh. (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, 1964.)

How much did Santa pay for his sleigh? Nothing, it was on the house.

Why didn’t Rudolph make the honour role in school? He went down in history!

My favourite Christmas classic is still It’s a Wonderful Life (1946). For one young girl from Toronto, Carol Coombs, it’s a wonderful memory even though Jimmy Stewart yelled at her for playing the piano.

After her father lost his money in the Depression, Carol was packed off to Hollywood by her mother to become a child star. It was just like in the movies. Carol Coombs is still around and says she’s had “a wonderful life”.

Happy holidays!