Christmas Island
Are you ready for some holiday cheer? Girls Gone Hallmark is back with a brand new Hallmark movie review, and this time Megan and Wendy are chatting about “Christmas Island” starring Andrew Walker and Rachel Skarsten.
So grab some hot cocoa (or call downstairs for a coffee) and settle in for a hilarious and heartwarming discussion of “Christmas Island” on Girls Gone Hallmark.
Listen to Girls Gone Hallmark’s Review of Christmas Island
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About “Christmas Island”
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Andrew Walker (Oliver MacLeod) — Andrew is one of Hallmark’s most reliable leading men, and he has stayed incredibly busy since Christmas Island. He completed five Hallmark movies in 2025 alone, including Three Wisest Men — the third installment in the beloved trio franchise with Tyler Hynes and Paul Campbell — and She’s Making a List opposite Lacey Chabert. His most recent Hallmark movie is Kentucky Roses (May 2026), costarring Odette Annable. He also continues to appear in the Curious Caterer mystery franchise alongside Nikki DeLoach.
Rachel Skarsten (Kate Gabriel) — Rachel has continued building her Hallmark presence since Christmas Island and The Royal Nanny. In 2024 she starred in two more Hallmark productions: Jazz Ramsey: A K-9 Mystery, where she plays a veterinarian turned amateur sleuth who teams up with a police dog, and The Christmas Charade, where she plays a librarian who goes undercover with an FBI agent to stop a holiday heist. We want to see more of her.
Kate Drummond (Helen Sharpe) — Kate’s credits tend toward grittier fare than your typical Hallmark fare. She had a role in Five Days at Memorial, the acclaimed miniseries about a New Orleans hospital during Hurricane Katrina, and has also appeared in My Mom Made Me Do It, Pretty Cheaters, and Deadly Lies.
Jefferson Brown (Thomas Sharpe) — Jefferson is best known to Hallmark fans as Colton Landry on The Way Home, which wrapped its run in 2026 after four seasons. He also appeared as Joe Moody in When Hope Calls and Ben in The Good Witch. We stand by our campaign for Brown to star in a leading Hallmark role.
Peter MacNeill (Jim MacLeod) — Peter has an enormous list of credits and we recently saw him as the grandfather in Flipping for Christmas. He also appeared throughout all seven seasons of The Good Witch series.
Lauren Hammersley (Maggie Hughes) — Lauren may not have a long list of credits, but she makes a real impression on screen. Virgin River fans will know her well as Charmaine, the character you love to hate.
Britt Loder (Cali Sharpe) — Loder had a small role here but made an impression.
Lincoln MacNeil (Finn Sharpe) — An up-and-comer with just a few credits to his name at the time of filming.
Directed by David Weaver — David is an experienced Hallmark director whose credits include Sweeter than Chocolate and Lights, Camera, Christmas! He also directed several episodes of Holidazed, Hallmark’s first-ever limited holiday series, which premiered on Hallmark+ in November 2024 and made its Hallmark Channel broadcast debut during Christmas in July 2025.
Written by Samantha Herman — Samantha has a solid list of Hallmark writing credits including Our Italian Christmas Memories, Game of Love, Mingle All the Way, A Fabled Holiday, and Angel Falls: A Novel Holiday — a dark horse Jen Lilley movie that deserves more attention.
Filmed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in August. Christmas Island is a real place about 3.5 hours away from Halifax, but no filming was done there.
Did you know: Adorned with colourful buoys, twinkling lights and evergreen boughs, towering Christmas trees fashioned out of carefully stacked lobster traps are becoming regular fixtures in fishing communities across Nova Scotia. The traps are festooned with over 180 wooden and plastic buoys, each painted in a unique pattern pertaining to a local fishing boat and most inscribed with the names of fishermen lost at sea.
Our Thoughts on “Christmas Island”
This is a synopsis of the ideas we discuss in greater detail on “Girls Gone Hallmark,” and we invite you to become a listener of the show!
What We Liked
We truly enjoyed watching “Christmas Island” for several reasons. Firstly, it’s refreshing to see a strong, capable female protagonist like Kate. She doesn’t need anyone to hold her hand or bail her out of trouble. The only thing standing in her way is the weather, which both we and a lot of internet users had mixed feelings about given its portrayal. Rachel Skarsten, who plays Kate, was phenomenal.
We remember her from “The Royal Nanny,” and quite frankly, we want to see her in more movies. Her pairing with Andrew Walker, who plays Oliver MacLeod, was delightful. Andrew brought a goofy, silly, and fun energy to the character, and we especially loved his homage to Tyler Hynes with the candy cane.
Additionally, the supporting characters made the movie even more enjoyable. From Jefferson Brown as Thomas Sharp (seriously, why isn’t he a Hallmark leading man?) to Peter McNeil as Jim McCloud, everyone played their roles wonderfully. Even Finn, played by Lincoln McNeil, was adorable, especially in his exchange with Kate while making candy.
We were pleasantly surprised by the Stars Hollow-style town meeting at the beginning and the touching revelation about the real lobster trap Christmas trees in Nova Scotia. It was such a sweet way to weave local traditions into the storyline.
What We Wished For
We had high hopes for a young adult romance between Callie and Oliver’s nephew, but unfortunately, it didn’t go far enough. It felt like a missed opportunity to add more depth to the character arcs.
There were also moments when we felt the movie could handle certain plot points more delicately. The Santa conversation, for example, could’ve been approached differently, given that these are family movies likely watched with small children. Also, Kate’s co-pilot was unnecessarily rude to her at first, which didn’t seem to add much to the plot.
The portrayal of the weather was another sticking point. Despite numerous references to the storm, the scenes outside were often sunny. Given that weather was a major plot point, a bit more realism would’ve been appreciated.
Did You See That?
Throughout “Christmas Island,” there were moments that stood out to us. For instance, would you ever stay in someone’s home and call downstairs to ask for coffee? Kate’s co-pilot being left alone in the airport for days also struck us as odd. And then there was Oliver’s flip phone – a blast from the past!
Another funny continuity error was the luggage. The Sharps had tons of matching luggage when boarding the plane but left Christmas Island with mismatched carry-ons. Additionally, Kate serving hot cocoa on a transatlantic flight felt unrealistic, as such flights typically have a flight crew to handle those tasks.
Our Rating
While Wendy rated it a 4.75, Megan gave it 3 stars – highlighting that different aspects resonate with different viewers.
Thanks for reading! For more in-depth discussions and reviews, be sure to listen to our podcast “Girls Gone Hallmark.” We love hearing from you, so don’t hesitate to drop us a five-star rating and review. You can share your favorite Hallmark actor or your favorite movie of the season. See you next time!
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Hey there! We’re Girls Gone Hallmark! Megan’s a longtime Hallmark movie fan, while Wendy – well, she used to be a Hallmark hater. Now, we’ve teamed up to share our (often very different!) takes on these films. Get ready for some lively, fun-filled conversations!
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