A Snow Capped Christmas, known in the United States as Falling for Christmas, is a 2016 Canadian Christmas romantic drama television film directed by Christie Will Wolf and starring Leah Renee, Niall Matter, Michael Teigen, Lisa Whelchel, and Gracyn Shinyei. It debuted on W Network in Canada on November 6, 2016, and Up Network in the United States on November 26, 2016.
Christmas movies can go in either direction. They can be well-meaning, charming, warm-hearted, and lighthearted. They can also be overly sentimental, cheesy, contrived, and bland. Many films have been classified as belonging to one of the two camps or as having elements of both. And ‘Snowcapped Christmas’ had the kind of premise that could have gone either way.
Claire Benton, who once was a famous up-and-coming figure skater, got injured during a training session and is transported to the mountains to recover and to deviate from her strict schedule. She is now concerned that she will not be ready for her next competition. When she arrives, she meets an ex-hockey player, Luke, who is also a single father, and his young daughter. Luke was forced to retire early, but he still is content and spends time raising his daughter and running a local shop. The two become closer, and both realize that something is missing from their lives.
A Snow-Capped Christmas Plot
Claire Benson is a broken figure skater on the inside and out. Her coach pushes her to the limit, forcing her to spend weeks leading up to Christmas at a sports rehabilitation center in the picturesque mountain regions of Western Canada. Claire meets Luke, a single father and former Canadian hockey player, while she is resting. Luke now spends his time raising his daughter and running the local ice fishing and tackle shop after being forced to retire from the game due to an injury.
This unlikely pair clashes, only to discover they have more in common than they realized. Luke, a true Canadian Northman, teaches Claire everything about a Canadian winter, from snowmobiling and ice fishing to cutting down a real Christmas tree for the holidays.
Claire, for one, encourages Luke, who hasn’t played a game of hockey since being forced to retire, to get back on the ice. Luke, along with his former hockey teammates, rouses the town’s Christmas spirit by participating in a truly Canadian tradition of playing hockey on the ice-covered lake on Christmas Eve. Claire returns to the mountains, learning that there is more to life than competition, and Luke and his daughter’s Christmas is complete.
A Snow-Capped Christmas Filming Locations
From February 1 to March 5, 2016, A Snow Capped Christmas was shot. The movie focuses on rehabilitation centers in the snowy mountains. Qube Films produced the film. Some filming locations involve the Okanagan wilderness at Manning Park and Maple Ridge in British Columbia, Canada.
The region’s film commissioner provided a bi-annual update to the media on Wednesday, June 29, outlining that 16 movies have been shot in the Okanagan so far in 2022, with larger budget films and television projects already slated for the second half of this year. The Okanagan is no longer just a film location; it is a film hub. Eight different shows just finished filming in February, for a total of 11 shows in Maple Ridge this year.
A Snow-Capped Christmas Cast
Leah Renee Cudmore, also known as Leah Cudmore or Leah Renee, is a Canadian actress and singer who was born on October 1, 1985. She has appeared in several television shows, including MVP, Runaway, and Blue Mountain State. She has done voice work for shows such as Franklin and Growing Up Creepie. She rose to prominence in 2011 as “Bunny Alice” in the NBC series The Playboy Club. She appeared as Maggie Bronson in the Canadian sitcom Satisfaction in 2013.
Niall Matter was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on October 20, 1980. He is an actor and producer who has worked on films such as The Predator (2018), Watchmen (2009), and Primeval: New World (2012). Since December 2016, he has been married to Sara Matter. They have two kids.
Matter chose to pursue a full-time acting career after recovering from a serious accident while working on an oil rig. In 2007, he landed his first significant role in the teen drama The Best Years. He went on to play Evan Cross in the short-lived Primeval: New World series in 2012. His career subsequently shifted away from science fiction, with him appearing in several television movies and appearing in Canadian series such as Remedy, Arctic Air, and When Calls the Heart.
