Check out these Christmas movies shot in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario!

2K

This time of year, Netflix, Crave, the W Network and other streaming services and channels are packed with Christmas movies shot in Ottawa and surrounding communities. These holiday movies filmed in Eastern Ontario—usually standing in for Anytown U.S.A.—usually feature some combination of a stressed-out urbanite, a fetching small-town entrepreneur, a couple of cute tots and a wise senior with a heart of gold. But if you’re like me, you’ll spend half the movie squinting at the screen and muttering, “That looks like Mill Street in Almonte” or “I’m sure that’s Courthouse Square in Brockville” instead of following the plot.

To save you the trouble of pausing your Christmas rom-com every five minutes to check IMDB, I’ve compiled this handy list of Christmas movies shot in Ottawa and/or Eastern Ontario.

If you want to find out where you can watch them, go to JustWatch and type the title of the movie into the search box in the top right-hand corner.

In some cases, the movie was mainly shot elsewhere, but a local landmark or two will appear briefly—so don’t have too much eggnog or you’ll miss it!

I’ve done my best to make the list comprehensive, but if you know of any other Christmas movies shot in Ottawa and nearby that I’ve missed, please let me know in the comments.

Happy holiday movie viewing!

P.S.: The cover photo is an AI-generated image from ChatGPT.

Christmas movies shot in Ottawa

All I Didn’t Want for Christmas (Ottawa): Emily writes a drunken letter to Santa. To her surprise (and chagrin), some of her Christmas wishes start coming true.

Candy Cane Christmas (Ottawa): Phoebe is crushed that her neighbourhood isn’t building a Candy Cane Lane this year, but she soon realizes that people are more important than traditions when it comes to Christmas.

Candy Cane Candidate (Kemptville): Failed city council candidate Julia hides out in her hometown at Christmas.

A Chance for Christmas (Ottawa, Almonte): A social media influencer escapes the rat race and learns what’s really important in life.

A Cheerful Christmas (Carleton Place, Almonte, Pakenham): Business bigwig James is too busy planning a big acquisition to plan Christmas with Lauren … or is he?

Christmas Around the Corner (Ottawa, Carleton Place, Almonte): Big-city venture capitalist Claire clashes with small-town Vermont bookstore owner Andrew.

A Christmas for the Books (Ottawa): A lifestyle guru trapped in a love triangle must prove she’s a romance expert while hosting a high-profile holiday party.

A Christmas Carousel (Ottawa): The royal family of Ancadia hires Lila to restore a carousel as a surprise present for the prince’s niece. As she works with the prince to finish the project by Christmas, they both learn they have more in common than they thought. As one does.

Christmas by Design (Almonte): A clothing designer preparing for a big competition has to go home to her parents after a water leak damages her premises.

The Christmas Detective (Ottawa): Kate tries to revive a neighbourhood’s Christmas spirit by tracking down a stolen painting with some help from her detective ex.

Christmas Festival of Ice (Almonte, Pakenham): Emma hopes to save her town’s ice-sculpting festival by convincing reluctant artisan Nick to compete. Wait for the immortal line, “Ice sculpting has always been a part of who I am.”

A Christmas Fumble (Ottawa): Hotshot crisis management Nicole has to help football star turned commentator Jordan avoid being cancelled due to an old college mistake. The only problem is that he’s her ex.

Christmas Jars (Ottawa): Journalist Hope tries to find out why jars of money are being left anonymously on the doorsteps of families in need.

Christmas at Maple Creek (Ottawa, Dunvegan): A blacksmith and a romance novelist collaborate to save a lovely pioneer village (hello, Glengarry Pioneer Museum!).

Christmas Scavenger Hunt (Almonte, Pakenham): Back in her hometown for Christmas, Belinda has to team up with her ex in the annual scavenger hunt.

The Christmas Setup (Almonte, Smiths Falls): Can Hugo and Patrick’s new romance survive Hugo’s possible job transfer to London?

A Christmas Stray (Almonte, Smiths Falls): After a man swerves to avoid a stray dog, he falls in love with the local veterinarian.

Christmas Unwrapped (Ottawa): A cynical reporter doubts a man who claims all of his charity’s Christmas gifts come directly from Santa Claus.

Christmas on Wheels (Ottawa, Arnprior): When Ashley’s uncle sells her mom’s vintage convertible—a car she associates with many Christmas memories—she asks her uncle’s lawyer Duncan to help her get it back. (You can’t help but spot the Arnprior and District Museum’s clock tower at the beginning of the trailer.)

Designing Christmas (Almonte): The co-hosts of a home renovation show realize they may have more in common than the love of a good kitchen demolition.

Double Holiday (Ottawa): While working with her work rival Chris to plan the office Christmas party, Rebecca starts to see him in a new light.

Fatman (Carleton Place, Ottawa, Almonte, Pakenham): Warning: a cozy romantic comedy this is not! This R-rated black comedy features a disgruntled 12-year-old who hires a hit man to kill a very rowdy Santa Claus.

The Great Holiday Bake War (Ottawa): One-time pastry school rivals Julian and Brianna find themselves competing head-to-head again on a TV reality show.

Holiday Heritage (Ottawa): Ella comes back home to reconcile with her fractious family and encourage them to celebrate Christmas and Kwanzaa. Luckily, her ex-boyfriend Griffin is on hand to help.

Hot Frosty (Brockville, Ottawa, Almonte): A lonely young widow finds love when a snowman comes to life. (Find out more about Hot Frosty’s filming locations.)

Hotel for the Holidays (Ottawa): The manager of a New York hotel (which looks suspiciously like the Fairmont Chateau Laurier) has to choose between a charming chef and a suave ex-prince.

An Ice Palace Romance (Ottawa, Smiths Falls): A journalist returns to her hometown ice rink to cover a story, but ends up examining her whole life with help from the rink owner and his little girl.

Laughing All the Way (Ottawa, Carleton Place): While organizing a Christmas variety show, aspiring comedian Aubri falls for famous Hollywood comedian Mike, who’s in town to revisit the comedy club where he started. The trailer is packed with recognizable Ottawa locales!

Let’s Get Merried (Ottawa): A hard-partying, Christmas-loathing woman decides to marry a stranger at a Christmas-themed adventure park. Again, as one does.

Love on a Limb (Almonte): Aimie tries to save a small town’s beloved oak tree from a handsome landscaper.

Maps and Mistletoe (Almonte): A small-town geography buff gets the chance to collaborate on a project with a famous photographer.

Midnight at the Magnolia (Ottawa): OK, technically this is a New Year’s movie, but close enough. Radio co-hosts Maggie and Jack pretend to be a couple so they can land a syndication deal.

Mistletoe Time Machine (Ottawa): Over a decade ago, three high school friends crashed and burned during a holiday talent show. Forced back together at a reunion, they drink a magic cocktail that shoots them back to their senior year.

The Most Colorful Time of the Year (Ottawa): Optometrist Michelle helps colour-blind elementary school teacher Ryan see the world in a new way.

A New Diva’s Christmas Carol (Ottawa): Grumpy TV talent show judge Aphrodite becomes a mentor to star contestant Brianna, but her guidance consists mainly of telling Brianna to avoid singing sappy love songs at all costs. Cue the spirits of Christmases past, present and future, who try to get Aphrodite to see the (love) light.

Noel Next Door (Ottawa): A single mom accuses the guy next door of ruining Christmas. Dontcha just hate when that happens?

A Novel Noel (Almonte): A Manhattan book editor heads to small-town Maine in December to run a bookshop.

One Delicious Christmas (Ottawa): When Abby inherits an inn, she needs help from hotshot chef Preston to shake up the inn’s restaurant menu.

Record-Breaking Christmas (Ottawa): Leah arrives in a small town to assess its attempts to break multiple world records, only to learn that she may be the key to the town’s success.

Reindeer Games Homecoming (Ottawa, Arnprior): While running a holiday fundraiser, MacKenzie locks horns with her high school crush Chase.

Rock and Roll Christmas (Ottawa): An estranged mother/daughter singing duo reunite after 10 years apart to make a Christmas album.

The Rooftop Christmas Tree (Carleton Place, Almonte, Pakenham): When Dale lands in court for putting a Christmas tree on his roof, lawyer Sarah steps to his defence. The trailer has some beautiful drone shots!

A Storybook Christmas (Ottawa): Event planner Celeste falls for the man working as her niece’s nanny.

The Truth About Christmas (Ottawa): Spin doctor Jillian is on her way to meet her boyfriend’s family, but she also has to learn a lesson from Santa about not lying to children.

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (Ottawa): An actress takes charge of a small-town production of a play delving into the origins of the poem “A Visit from Saint Nicholas.”

Under the Christmas Tree (Ottawa, Almonte): Charlie meets Alma while searching for the perfect Christmas tree for the Maine governor.

Unlocking Christmas (Ottawa, Almonte): Kate and Kevin have to solve a holiday riddle involving a mysterious key.

Well Suited for Christmas (Ottawa): Fashion designer Rachel falls for eligible bachelor Brett while designing a tuxedo for him.

Winter Castle (Ottawa): Californian Jenny is thrilled that her sister is having a destination wedding in an ice hotel—and even more thrilled to meet the best man. (Trivia tidbit: The ice hotel scenes were filmed at the Hôtel de Glace near Quebec City.)

Have you seen any of these Christmas movies shot in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario? Let me know in the comments!

Looking for more tips on things to see and do in and around Ottawa? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or order a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100-km Getaway Guide.

As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.