How Those Hallmark Christmas Movie Crossover Cameos Came to Be

Hunky leading men, assemble!

Forget Marvel, we are more interested in the cinematic universe Hallmark has steadily been putting together over the last several years, culminating in three major crossover cameos in 2021’s Countdown to Christmas movies. (Should we call them hot cocoa bombs instead of Easter eggs?)

First, Tyler Hynes briefly appeared in My Family Christmas Tree as a waiter who serves Andrew Walker, much to the delight of the network’s fans. Then, Walker returned the favor, popping up as a bar patron Hynes’ character bumps into in An Unexpected Christmas.

Oh, and then Paul Campbell, the actor who wrote An Unexpected Christmas and starred in The Santa Stakeout, made a cameo as a firefighter in his frequent co-star Kimberley Sustad‘s The Nine Kittens of Christmas. 

The MCU is shaking! Okay, not really, but it has been an unexpected delight to see the Hallmark talent have some fun and appear in each other’s movies, which is why we had to get the scoop on how the crossover cameos came to be. Spoiler alert: It is because the stars really are friends and even related in some instances. (ICYMI: Walker is married to Hynes’ cousin, Cassandra Troy.)