Get ready because Hallmark Christmas movies are in high supply this year. The network started in October with Noel Next Door and has been releasing one for everyone on your gift list since. My Southern Family Christmas is no different. Audiences that are fans of themes like reconnecting with family and small-town Christmases are in for a treat with the Jaicy Elliot and Bruce Campbell-led film.
Emily Moss Wilson directed the project, adding another Christmas movie to her resume. The director is also credited as a writer alongside Alys Murray (Christmas in Louisiana). Producers for the project include J.R. Rick Carter (Every Time a Bell Rings), Daniel Lewis (Christmas in Louisiana), and Melissa West (True Love Blooms).
Journey to Louisiana to experience a Christmas like no other as we share everything you need to know about My Southern Family Christmas.
My Southern Family Christmas: The Plot
Hallmark
Like many holiday films, My Southern Family Christmas involves someone going to a small town and learning something new about themselves. This time, journalist Campbell (Jaicy Elliot) is covering a Christmas celebration in Louisiana. While there, she just may connect with her biological father, Everett (Bruce Campbell), and the family she never knew was out there.
The synopsis gives more details on what to expect:
It wouldn’t be a Hallmark movie without romantic tension between the main character and someone else. It could be between Campbell and the town’s record keeper, who she lets in on the secret that the town Santa is her biological father.
Under the guise of a journalist, Campbell has a chance to get to know her biological father for the first time – without him ever knowing who she really is. As she spends time with him and his family, as well as with the town’s record keeper, she realizes that families are messy, wonderful things. In the end, Campbell must decide if she’s going to keep her identity a secret or reveal the truth to her father – a decision that will change their family Christmas forever.
Based on the trailer, Campbell pitches a story about the town’s Santa because she knows who he is. She seems to want a reason to go to the area and meet her father. Her job gives her the perfect alibi, meaning she can learn more about him without revealing her true identity if she doesn’t want to. Others in the trailer encourage her to tell Everett who she is, but audiences will have to watch to see if she takes their advice.
My Southern Family Christmas: The Cast
Jaicy Elliot is Campbell, the journalist who meets her biological father. Elliot is known for her work in Grey’s Anatomy as Dr. Taryn Helm. Her other credits include the movie Romance in Style and reprising her doctor role on the Grey’s Anatomy spin-off series Station 19. Bruce Campbell is Everett Bergeron, Campbell’s father and the Santa Claus for a small town in Louisiana. The actor is known for playing Ash Williams in the Evil Dead franchise, Xena: Warrior Princess, and Burn Notice. His other notable work includes Sky High, cameos in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, and Cars 2.
Other cast members include Ryan Rottman (Gigantic, The Lying Game) as Jackson, Moira Kelly (One Tree Hill, Christmas in Louisiana, The Lion King) as Jennifer, Anniston Almond (Fear the Walking Dead, Christmas in Louisiana) as Amelia Bergeron, Bri Collins (Tales, The Underground Railroad) as Mary, Gralen Bryant Banks (Tall Girl, The Thing About Pam) as Mayor Thomas, Adeleine Whittle (Where the Crawdads Sing) as Mary Margaret Bergeron, Katie Hughey (The Girl from Plainville) as Sarah Wallace, Sarah S. Fisher (Tall Girl 2, In the Shadows), and Brian McNamara (Christmas in Louisiana).
Release Date
It was initially released on November 24, 2022, but continues to air on Hallmark throughout the holiday season. You can check the Hallmark website to see when the next showing is.
Everything Else We Know
The movie takes place in Louisiana and was also filmed there. The Louisiana-based publication Gonzales Weekly Citizen reports that production took place in September in the Baton Rouge area. Viewers familiar with the area may recognize the Cajun Village & Coffee House, a popular location in Sorrento, Louisiana.
Rather than refer to Everett’s character as Santa Claus, a yard sign with the words Père Noël. Also called Papa Noël, it is the French words for Santa Claus or Father Christmas. In southern Louisiana, citizens celebrate the coming of Papa Noël. Using the original French term in the film is a great nod to the area’s culture and the French immigrants that settled in the area hundreds of years ago.
Fans of Bruce Campbell may already know that My Southern Family Christmas is not the actor’s first holiday film. Last year, he was in One December Night alongside Peter Gallagher. The film follows music managers as they put on a televised reunion special. It is also by Hallmark, so you may be able to catch it again this season.
Want to relive the old favorites in addition to the new films being released? Check out the classics that never get old.
