Hallmark’s Christmas on Call Filming Locations

Winnipeg, Manitoba doubled for Philadelphia in Hallmark’s “Christmas on Call,” which premiered on November 22, 2024. The 84-minute film was directed by Jeff Beesley from a script by Jennifer Barrow and Christopher Sey, and it stars Sara Canning and Ser’Darius Blain as two first responders who fall for each other during the Christmas season. One detail the pre-publication coverage largely overlooked: Donna Kelce, mother of NFL players Travis Kelce and retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, appears in the film as a cheesesteak shop owner and wore an Eagles jersey bearing Jason Kelce’s number, 62.

Where Was Christmas on Call Filmed?

Winnipeg, Manitoba served as the filming location for “Christmas on Call,” which is set in Philadelphia. The city is a well-established production hub for Hallmark’s holiday slate. Manitoba Film and Music administers a Film and Video Tax Credit, made permanent by the provincial government in January 2019, that reduces labor costs by encouraging the use of local cast and crew. Manitoba recorded CA$173 million in production revenue in 2017, with projections approaching a quarter billion by 2019.

To pass as Philadelphia on screen, the production design team layered location-specific elements over downtown Winnipeg’s exteriors.

The Exchange District

The Exchange District in Winnipeg is well-suited for doubling as the older neighborhoods of a Northeastern American city. Designated a National Historic Site in September 1997, the district holds approximately 150 heritage buildings across twenty city blocks, representing one of North America’s most intact concentrations of early 20th-century commercial architecture. Its warehouse-era facades, terracotta cladding, and brick-paved streets carry visual depth that blends credibly into Philadelphia’s street-level identity on screen.

Location scouts have drawn on the district for decades. The crew of “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (2007) used the Exchange District’s preserved streetscapes for their period setting.

The Donna Kelce Cameo

Donna Kelce, whose son Jason Kelce spent 13 seasons as the Philadelphia Eagles’ starting center before retiring in March 2024, appears in “Christmas on Call” as the owner of a cheesesteak shop in Philadelphia, which is among the city’s best-known symbols. According to Donna Kelce’s Wikipedia biographical entry, she wore an Eagles jersey bearing Jason Kelce’s number, 62, for the role. It was one of two Hallmark Channel holiday appearances she made in 2024.

The Story

The film’s tagline on the Hallmark Channel was “First Responders in the line of love.” Hannah (Sara Canning) and Wes (Ser’Darius Blain) are both in the first-responder world and meet over the Christmas period in Philadelphia. The film was photographed by Paul Suderman and scored by Christopher Guglick.

The Cast

Canning is a Canadian actress born in Newfoundland and raised in Alberta. Her best-known role is Jenna Sommers, legal guardian to Elena and Jeremy Gilbert, across the first two seasons of The CW’s “The Vampire Diaries” (2009-2011), with guest appearances through season 8. Her performance in Global’s medical drama “Remedy” as Dr. Melissa Conner (2014-2015) earned her both the UBCP/ACTRA Best Actress Award and the Leo Award for Best Lead Performance. She also appeared in the Netflix series “A Series of Unfortunate Events” and the 2017 feature “War for the Planet of the Apes.”

Blain was born in Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey. He is most widely recognized as Anthony “Fridge” Johnson in “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” (2017) and “Jumanji: The Next Level” (2019), and he was a series regular on Fox’s “The Big Leap” (2021) as Reggie Sadler. He also appeared in season 1 of The CW’s “Charmed” reboot (2018-2019) as Galvin Burdette.

Confirmed supporting cast, from verified production credits, includes Erik Athavale as Sanjay, Tamara Almeida as Julia, and Paul Essiembre as Fire Chief Anderson.

Winnipeg’s Place in the Hallmark Holiday Calendar

Winnipeg appears on the Hallmark production map year after year. “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” (2024), released the same season as “Christmas on Call,” also shot in the city, with principal photography beginning there in December 2023. The combination of intact period architecture, established local production infrastructure, experienced crews, and the provincial tax credit keeps Winnipeg competitive for US cable networks running compressed schedules.