Christmas Magic: How Hallmark and Home Alone Are Being Used to Brings Festive Cheer to Fans 

Christmas offers a great opportunity for destinations to reach out to audiences who want to do something different and festive over the holidays.Carson City in Nevada, got creative and produced a Hallmark-inspired video, whilst in New York and London, Home Alone theme holiday packages are being used to offer something different with the much loved early 90s classic. So here’s how festive storytelling is shaping a few tourism campaigns for Christmas 2024.

Carson City’s Hallmark Holiday Winter Campaign

Located in Nevada, Carson City has tapped into the cosy nostalgia of Hallmark Christmas films with a 14-minute parody, Let It Snow, Somewhere Else. This film follows a travel journalist sent to Carson City, who, despite initial scepticism, discovers the magic of the town through its historical sites, local businesses, and snow-capped scenery. It’s both a love letter to the Hallmark genre – movies which are known for their feel-good messages, charming small-town settings, and heartwarming romance – and a chance of course to showcase Carson City’s site. 

Places in Carson featured in the advert which is available on their website, include the Nevada State Railroad Museum, the Nevada State Museum, the Nashville Social Club and Fox Brewery & Pub — plus some action shots from the ski resorts out of town. Why has Carson City decided to do this? Often the city/ busy season is during the summer and this campaign is a new venture into targeting winter tourists who may be skiing and snowboarding and encouraging overnight stays. 

Visit Carson City’s Lydia Beck speaking to the Reno Gazette Journal:  “We’ve never really solely focused on the winter season with its own campaign before. And what’s beautiful about Carson City is that if you’re not a skier, our trails are pretty clear throughout the winter; you can still mountain bike while you’re here.”

Hallmark’s Broader Reach: NFL Collaboration

Hallmark

As for Hallmark, they have been promoting their NFL partnership since the summer, with yes, a Christmas theme movie. This is now a well established tradition in the US for the channel, as part of its  “Countdown to Christmas!,” a period of programming now in its 15th year that begins in October and continues to the end of December.

Hallmark Channel premiered the movie, Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story at the end of November 30. This co-production with the NFL, looks at a romance between a superfan of Kansas City Chiefs and the team’s director of fan engagement. Rumour has it that this is inspired by the real life romance which has been making headlines, between popstar Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, the latter who plays for the Kansas City Chiefs, the same club in the film. 

As part of its promotion during the 2024 NFL season opener, Hallmark activated branded zones at tailgate events and stadiums, including themed photo booths, ornament giveaways, and co-branded holiday merchandise. These activations blended sports culture with holiday nostalgia, broadening Hallmark’s appeal beyond its traditional audience. They also hosted a free red-carpet event at the end of November for Hallmark and Kansas Chiefs fans. At this premiere, were casts for the film and special guests including the Kansas City Chiefs including KC Wolf and the Chiefs Cheerleaders, and other Hallmark stars. Afterwards they could then go check out the Hallmark Christmas Experience

Hallmark Even for Superfan

Over in Kansas City, right outside of their headquarters, the brand has created the first-ever Hallmark Christmas Experience – a free, open-to-the-public, immersive event designed to offer all the charm of a Hallmark movie town square.  This special ticketed event offers a range of exclusive activities, including a chance to get access to Hallmark stars and artists, many of whom have a huge following. 

So much so that according to a report in The Kansas City Star, the Hallmark Christmas Experience is also acting as a convention for Hallmark superfans, of which there are many, showing the power of the Hallmark movie brand. Movie fans have been coming from all 50 states in the US and from as far away as Indonesia, for the chance to meet their favorite stars at panels and autograph signings, and to buy exclusive Hallmark ornaments and merchandise on sale. 

Over the four weekends of the event in the run up to Christmas, there are Hallmark movie marathons, workshops for creating your own holiday décor and panels with network stars talking about their projects.

Speaking to USA Today, Lindsey Roy, senior vice president of branded experiences, said, “The Hallmark Christmas Experience is really a way for us to immerse our fans in a Hallmark world. Bringing the charm of a movie square to life, bringing the talent right to the doorstep, if you will. It’s been something that we’ve dreamed of and are so happy to make our fans happy because we love them.”

Ratings Success

Let’s look at a big driver for this big Hallmark audience in North America and further afield.  When they first started in 2009, Hallmark put out nine movies that year. Since then more than 300 Christmas movies along with some Hanukkah films have been broadcast on their channels since. In 2024, Hallmark is scheduled to release a total of 40 new movies over the season, of which 31 are part of the Hallmark Channel’s “Countdown to Christmas”. There are a further nine as part of Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’  and”Miracles of Christmas” lineup. Ratings wise according to Nielsen in 2021 more than 80 million people view at least a few minutes of a Hallmark movie each Christmas season.

More Hallmark Magic

The Hallmark Christmas movie phenomenon has inspired destinations across the U.S. to get in on the “Hallmark-esque” Christmas experience, knowing that fans of the brand want to experience that Hallmark look in real life. Media outlets have widely covered how to enjoy these magical escapes, driving interest in nostalgic, family-oriented travel. Pennsylvania media, for example, highlight quaint towns with festive charm, such as Jim Thorpe and Lititz, which they say could serve as the backdrop for a Hallmark movie. Meanwhile, House Beautiful looked at places in the US and Canada to see real life locations for Hallmark Christmas movies.  

And there is more – Hallmark Cruise Dates Announced for 2025

When you think of Hallmark and Christmas you don’t naturally think of cruises in warm Caribbean waters but if 2024 is anything to go by with their inaugural The Hallmark Channel’s Christmas Cruise in November 2024, there is a big appetite among the legion of fans the channel has. This venture into the open seas provides valuable insights for the tourism industry on looking at new ways of capitalising on screen tourism. The 2024 cruise which departed from Miami aboard the Norwegian Gem, added a second cruise, after the first one sold out in less than a day. Both of them departed in November, and amassed an waitlist of 60,000 fans.  

For the lucky Hallmark fans who were able to get tickets, they were treated to being travelling with 11 celebrity guests, when it departed on Nov. 5.  The event featured a range of immersive activities, including holiday crafts, cookie decorating, “Carol-oke” sing-alongs, and an exclusive movie premiere, alongside meet-and-greets with Hallmark stars. By tapping into the emotional resonance of Hallmark’s Christmas films, the cruise combined nostalgia, storytelling, and interactive tourism. They know what their audience wants and they do it well, helping people get into the festive spirit. 

Looking ahead to 2025, Hallmark has already announced its return with a larger ship, the Norwegian Joy, to meet the hudge demand. Departing from Miami to Cozumel, the expanded itinerary will once again immerse fans in the heart of the Hallmark holiday universe. For tourism stakeholders, this initiative underscores the potential of screen tourism during the festive season, when they have the right brand or partnership, to create high-demand, high-value offerings. 

Hallmark’s brand and marketing teams have worked hard on offering a range of in person experiences around its powerful Christmas movie brand and for a chance for legions of fans to meet other die hard fans of escapist festival movies.  

Finally; Home Alone

Released in 1990, Home Alone tells the story of Kevin McCallister, an 8-year-old left behind by his family during Christmas, who defends his home from bumbling burglars using ingenious traps. The film remains a holiday classic, still inspiring themed tourism decades later. 

New York: The Plaza Hotel 

First up in the big apple, The Plaza Hotel is offering a Home Alone 2: Lost in New York package, including luxury stays, themed welcome gifts, and an exclusive “Cheese Pizza in Bed” experience—an homage to Kevin’s solo antics in the sequel.

London: McCallister House from Disney+

London fans of Home Alone were also in for a treat at the end of November, with a replica of the McCallister mansion which popped up for one day only in Covent Garden, central London. Disney+ brought the movie famous house to the capital to celebrate the Christmas classic which is now available on their streaming platform, ahead of the holiday season. Visitors got to explore the home’s hallway, living room and Kevin’s bedroom, and feel like they were on the set of the original film, complete with lots of photo opportunities and other interactive elements.

Lessons for Christmas 2025

Lessons for Christmas 2025
For those looking ahead to 2025 for inspiration, these examples offer some key takeaways:

• Storytelling Sells: Narratives rooted in beloved films or cultural touchstones evoke powerful emotional responses, particularly for superfans.
• Association with Beloved Genres: Carson City’s creation of a mini feature story inspired by Hallmark-style films shows how destinations can weave their charm into beloved genres with universal appeal, offering a slice of festive, feel-good spirit that resonates with fans while boosting local engagement. Also this was a chance to reach out to different audiences and at a different season to what they traditionally focus marketing on. 
• Nostalgia is Powerful: Using a much-loved Christmas film like Home Alone from the early ’90s remains a major draw, especially during the holidays. Revisiting classics like Home Alone continues to connect with audiences of all ages.
• Immersion for Fans: Offering tangible, interactive experiences—such as Carson City’s Hallmark Square or the McCallister house—gives fans a place to gather, celebrate their love for these stories, and create shareable content.

Christmas Ideas Outside the Box: While Hallmark is known for its festive films (with over 300 to date), activations don’t need to rely solely on traditional locations or venues. Hallmark’s Christmas Cruise proved a huge success, showing that combining travel with themed experiences lets fans “get away” while immersing themselves in heartwarming films full of romance and holiday cheer.