From Staff Reports 

The Hallmark Channel’s “A Biltmore Christmas” — and nine other seasonal films — were added to the lineup of the Netflix streaming service, beginning Nov. 1, the Asheville Citizen Times reported on Nov. 26.

Indeed, Netflix cheerfully urged on Nov. 12 in a promotion, “Grab the cocoa and settle in for ‘A Biltmore Christmas,’ a standout from the 2023 holiday season starring Bethany Joy Lenz and Kristoffer Polaha.”

Lenz and Polaha played star-crossed lovers in a love story set at Biltmore House at the historic Biltmore Estate, which was once the Asheville home of George and Edith Vanderbilt — and their daughter Cornelia.

“A Biltmore Christmas” — released in November 2023 — was filmed at the Biltmore Estate, including in the library in Biltmore House.

In the film, Lucy Hardgrove (Lenz) is a struggling writer searching for inspiration to adapt a beloved holiday classic for modern-day audiences. When she accidentally time travels to 1947, she finds herself on the set of the original film where she meets the debonair movie star, Jack Huston (Polaha).

“A Biltmore Christmas” began filming at Biltmore Estate and the Asheville area in January 2023.

“On Oct. 30, Polaha returned to Biltmore House for the estate’s annual tree-raising ceremony, lending a hand to position the star topper on the 28-feet-tall Fraser fir before it was erected in the Banquet Hall as a part of the estate’s “Christmas at Biltmore” seasonal program,” the ACT noted. 

Chase Pickering, vice president of Biltmore House Guest Experience and Operations and great-great-grandson of George and Edith Vanderbilt, told the ACT  that the actor was filming a special “A Biltmore Christmas” feature for Hallmark+ that includes behind-the-scenes footage, showcases the tree-raising and tells the story of the estate’s revival after Tropical Storm Helene.

“Helene caused mass devastation across Western North Carolina, including on the estate and in the historic Biltmore Village that sits at the estate’s entrance,” the ACT story noted.