An Unexpected Christmas
Hallmark is not exactly reinventing the wheel with An Unexpected Christmas. A couple pretending to be together for the holidays? We have seen that before. But this one is written by Paul Campbell, and Paul Campbell doing a fake-dating Christmas comedy is not something to scroll past. Megan and Wendy dig in, and yes, we do spend some time on Tyler Hynes’ hair.
An Unexpected Christmas premiered on Friday, November 26, 2021 as part of Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas.
Subscribe to the Podcast and Never Miss an Episode
Listen to Girls Gone Hallmark’s Review of An Unexpected Christmas
Follow Us and Never Miss an Episode of Girls Gone Hallmark!
What Is An Unexpected Christmas About?
Jamie is a writer who convinces his ex-girlfriend to pose as his girlfriend over Christmas to keep his family from worrying about him. What could go wrong? Everything, as it turns out, in the best possible way. The official Hallmark synopsis: a writer convinces his ex-girlfriend to pose as a couple for Christmas.
Fun fact: Tyler Hynes appears briefly in that same season’s My Christmas Family Tree as a waiter, serving Aimee Teegarden and Andrew Walker. Blink and you will miss him. Did you catch the reverse Andrew Walker cameo in An Unexpected Christmas as well?
About An Unexpected Christmas
Written by Paul Campbell. When this movie came out in 2021, Paul had two Hallmark writing credits to his name. He has since become one of the most prolific writer-actors in the Hallmark universe. His full writing credits for the network include Christmas by Starlight (2020), An Unexpected Christmas (2021), Christmas at Castle Hart (2021), Moriah’s Lighthouse (2022), Three Wise Men and a Baby (2022), Three Wiser Men and a Boy (2024), and Three Wisest Men (2025), the last three co-written with Kimberley Sustad and Russell Hainline. The Three Wise Men franchise is now one of the most beloved in Hallmark history, and it all started with Paul and Kimberley deciding to write together. We have a whole post about Paul Campbell’s writing career that is worth a read: Hallmark Actors Who Write Hallmark Movies.
Tyler Hynes plays Jamie. Tyler has been one of Hallmark’s most dependable leading men since around 2019, and An Unexpected Christmas was his eleventh movie for the network. Since then he has continued to add to that list regularly, including Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story (2024) and Shifting Gears (2024) opposite Katherine Barrell. Most recently he starred in I’ll Be Seeing You (April 2026). He also appeared as the lead in the Finding Mr. Christmas competition series on Hallmark+. As for the hair situation: he grew it out for the 2019 movie Flip That Romance and fans spent roughly two years wondering what was happening on his head. The shorter hair in An Unexpected Christmas was a genuine moment for the internet.
Bethany Joy Lenz plays the ex-girlfriend. Bethany is best known as Haley James Scott on One Tree Hill, and she co-hosts the Drama Queens podcast with her fellow OTH cast members where they rewatch and discuss every episode of the series. Since An Unexpected Christmas she has become one of Hallmark’s most beloved actresses, starring in A Biltmore Christmas and Savoring Paris, and is currently leading the Hallmark+ prequel series Hope Valley: 1874 opposite Benjamin Ayres, which was renewed for a second season in 2026. She also published her memoir Dinner for Vampires in 2024. Worth noting: she wrote and sings the holiday song “Snow” which plays over this movie’s end credits, which is a lovely little detail.
Susan Hogan and Paul McGillion play Jamie’s parents. Regular viewers of this era of Hallmark will recognize this pair from other movies in the same 2021 season, including Christmas in Tahoe, where they also appeared together. Susan has since continued to rack up Hallmark credits including A Very Merry Mix-Up and Tipline Mysteries: Dial 1 for Murder. Spotting them twice in the same Merry Thanksgiving Weekend lineup was a fun moment.
The movie was filmed in Canada, outside of Vancouver, in August and September 2021.
Tyler Hynes’ Hair
We have talked about Tyler Hynes’ hair extensively over the years. He started growing it out for the 2019 Hallmark movie Flip That Romance, spending six months getting it to the right length. Fans spent two years wondering whether it was real. The shorter hair debut in An Unexpected Christmas was, to put it mildly, a moment. Short hair, long hair, we do not care. We are just happy to see Tyler Hynes in a Countdown to Christmas starring role.
More Paul Campbell at Girls Gone Hallmark
- Hallmark Actors Who Write Hallmark Movies
- Paul Campbell: Hallmark’s Writing and Acting Double Threat
- The Santa Stakeout
- Christmas at Castle Hart
More Tyler Hynes Reviews at Girls Gone Hallmark
Fun fact: Blink and you’ll miss him, but Tyler Hynes appeared for a matter of seconds in this year’s My Christmas Family Tree. He played a waiter who served Aimee Teegarden and Andrew Walker.
This is also a really good, behind-the-scenes video Tyler shared on his Instagram about his special appearance. Did you happen to catch the Andrew Walker cameo in An Unexpected Christmas?
We’re Your New Hallmark Besties
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!
Check out the library of Hallmark movies we’ve reviewed!
