An hour from St. Louis: All the background about Carlinville being selected the “Merriest Christmas Town” and why you should go there

By Sally Tippett Rains

Carlinville, Illinois is an hour and 10 minutes  from St. Louis and it might be worth your while to plan a trip there. The small town of about 5,500 people, 61 miles east by way of I-55 N and 255 has been all over the national news—and for a good reason.

They just beat out 24 other national finalists after a nationwide search by Hallmark as their inaugural “Merriest Christmas Town.”

“A resident of Carlinville saw the Hallmark Contest advertised, completed all the documents, created an awesome holiday video, and submitted it,” said Doug Downey, the Mayor of Carlinville.  “Little did we know that Hallmark was impressed with the submission. They especially liked the video of our community.”

After narrowing it down, there was public voting and a judging process.  Hallmark made the surprise announcement last week at the Macoupin County Courthouse with Hallmark stars Jonathan Bennett, Erin Cahill, Tamera Mowry-Housley, and Brendan Penny all there in person.

The resident who applied for the contest was local photographer Karin Doolin.

“A couple of months ago, my friend Marcy Welsh asked if I’d heard about Hallmark’s Merriest Christmas Town contest,” said Doolin.  “She thought I could put together a good entry for Carlinville with all the photos and video we have. So I made a video, narrated it, and sent it in.

“When I got the email a couple months later that we’d made the Top 25 out of more than 1,500 towns, I was so excited!”

She said when she watched her video before she sent it in, she “cringed” at her voice, but went ahead and sent it in. Once she got the news they made the Top 25, she was so happy but never dreamed they would be selected as the finalist.

After the big announcement was made that Carlinville won, Hallmark made a Facebook post about the town:

“Carlinville, IL is officially the winner of Hallmark’s Merriest Christmas Towns Contest! Hallmark is thrilled to celebrate this incredible community and even more excited for what comes next. Can’t wait to see Carlinville featured in a 2027 Countdown to Christmas movie!”

As part of the win, Carlinville will be featured as the setting for an upcoming Hallmark Christmas movie which is scheduled to film and release in 2027.

You may have seen the news on social media or the local newscasts, but there are some great stories behind it. The people from Hallmark have been to Carlinville at least twice, and that’s known because the owners of a popular restaurant served them.

“We have hosted Hallmark twice,” said Chris Behme, who along with his wife Kelly, own the popular The Route 66 Old Fashioned Restaurant and Speakeasy in Carlinville.

Actors, crew,  and other production personnel ate there several times when they were in town.

“Once before the announcement, and second the evening of the announcement,” said Behme.

The announcement that their town had won the contest turned out just like a Hallmark movie with a large gathering of the townspeople. It was similar to the “tree lighting” that is in so many of the movies. Everyone was gathered around and the big moment happened, but rather than lighting the town’s Christmas tree, they announced the news.

Most of the information about showing up for the announcement was done through word of mouth and some social media, but some residents didn’t know about it and were pleasantly surprised after hearing the news.

Leanne Ketchum is a resident of Carlinville and when she and her family saw the big crowd at the courthouse, they had not heard what was going on, but the big gathering caught their eye.

“At first, when I saw the crowd, I thought it was a protest, until we saw the Facebook post,” she said. “When I found out what it was, I was so excited, I watched the live feed.”

How did they get all those people to meet up in front of the courthouse? Well like any good movie, they came up with a “cover story.” And this cover story involved the cover of a magazine.

“The gathering was set up as a picture for a Midwest Living magazine feature article,” said Behme. “Everybody got there and then they had the big reveal of the real reason they were there.”

Once she realized what was going on, Leanne Ketchum, a former pageant queen, got excited about the possibilities for her town as she watched the livestream of the event. She has been involved in The Miss Amazing pageants—non-profit organization that provides confidence-building, pageant-inspired events and leadership opportunities for girls and women with disabilities; and before moving to Carlinville she actually won “Miss Amazing, Missouri.”

“I was so excited I always wanted a chance to be in a movie, let alone one in my hometown,” said the childhood cancer survivor who has lived in Carlinville with her family for five years. She is not the only one in town who hopes the production will include them.

The announcement happened on the steps of the Macoupin County Courthouse, which is in the town square. Most Hallmark movies have a town square, and theirs is picture-perfect.

The biggest challenge for Karin Doolin and the few people who knew they had won the contest was keeping it quiet for a month.

“Then came the challenge,” she said. “Keeping it a secret for WEEKS while figuring out how to throw a surprise party for the entire town. I spent the next four weeks trying to convince practically everyone I know of this elaborate lie, and to get them to show up.”

It was difficult for those few who knew about it to keep the secret, but they did.

“When Hallmark contacted me to announce that we won the Hallmark Merriest Christmas Town about two weeks before the official announcement, we created this story that Midwest Living Magazine was coming to town to do a photoshoot, and interviews because of our town being nominated for the top 25 spots in the contest,” said Downey.  “We had pushed out the narrative, that Midwest Living was going to do a story on Carlinville to include in their December publication, and we highly encouraged folks to join us for a photo op and recognition by Midwest at our town courthouse.”

On the day of the big reveal, Downey had a feeling some people had figured it out, but they were all good sports and played along with it. And as it turned out Midwest Living even played along with it and  covered the announcement and connection on its digital platforms.

“As folks started showing up, they questioned the amount of production video cameras, production personnel, and the elaborate Christmas decorations, large stage, and other Christmas themed items,” he said.  “Many pulled me to the side, and asked if we had won the Hallmark contest, and if this was the official announcement to the community.  As I was instructed by Hallmark,  I told no one.”

She didn’t even tell her son, but in a lucky turn of events he was there for the big event.

“My son happened to be home,” she said. “I can’t tell you what it meant to have him there to witness all of this. Of all the days he could have been home, he was here for this one.”

The photo, left shows her son, Curtis Ferrill, Karin in the center, and her husband Roger Doolin.

The day of the announcement was like a dream come true for Karin Doolin, with almost a thousand estimated people showing up.

“When Mayor Doug Downey said some incredibly kind things about me to the crowd and everyone started cheering, I genuinely thought I might faint,” she said. “I’ve never had that many people clap for me in my entire life. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I still don’t. I hope everyone there knows what that meant to me.”

This “Merriest Christmas Town” excitement will continue as Hallmark begins promoting it.

“We’ll get to see Carlinville celebrated on the Hallmark Channel in commercials featuring the big announcement,” she said. “And next year, a Hallmark movie will be filmed right here in our town.”

So Hallmark fans, be looking for the promos. Maybe you will see someone you know from Carlinvile. And the town will be celebrating through Christmas and beyond.

Karin Doolin is like a local hero to the people of Carlinville for going to all the trouble to enter the town in the contest and then winning. Maybe his story will continue on for her into 2027 as they start working on the production. She got to meet the Hallmark execs as well as the actors and crew. Maybe she will get a part in the movie.

Either way, the whole thing is providing so much excitement and enthusiasm among the residents.

“I wasn’t raised in Carlinville,” she said. “Maybe that’s why the specialness of it stands out to me. Getting the entire country to see what I see in this town is beyond anything I could have imagined.”

While they are just now receiving acclamation for being such a fun town to be in during the holiday season, they have been having festive Christmases for years.

“Our retailers/stores go all out at the holidays with lighting and special events,” said Downey.  “We also go all out with lighting in our downtown area.  We have a beautiful old gazebo that reminds people of a Hallmark movie.”

Who knows, maybe Jonathan Bennett or Brendan Penny will be trying to steal a kiss from Erin Cahil or Tamera Mowry-Housley under that same gazebo in the real-live Hallmark Christmas movie.

The actors who came to Carlinville are big-time stars for the Hallmark Channel. They are all involved in movies which will be showing on Hallmark this holiday season.

Penny was just in the movie, “Mr. and Mrs. Christmas” that debuted this week. He has been in nine Hallmark holiday movies.

Bennett  stars in the upcoming “Save the Date for Christmas” Hallmark movie that premiers on December 20.

Tamera Mowry-Housley, readers of a certain age will remember as one of the stars of the popular “Sister Sister” television show from 1994-99 and the  “Tia and Tamera” TV series on from 2011-2013. She is a popular Hallmark actor and has two new movies this year, one for Halloween and “Mistletoe and Mimosas” for Christmas.

Erin Cahill stars in the upcoming Christmas movie, “Christmas in Blue Dog Valley” alongside the popular Andrew Walker, premiering on November 21, 2026.

There is a buzz around town about what will be used in the Hallmark movie. Restaurants, the courthouse, the square.

With Carlinville, there will be no need for building elaborate sets to make it look like a Hallmark town. Carlinville has an active historical society.

The Carlinville Town Square, which sits on historic Route 66 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

It’s about time somebody took  notice of this gem of a small town on the national level, as the residents have been such good stewards of original buildings. Many original buildings from the 1880s have been revived to showcase their classic beauty.

There are so many quaint and beautiful places that could be used in the movie, especially the Macoupin County Historical Society’s  (MHS) Anderson Mansion.

This house is every bit as beautiful as the Pemberley mansion in the blockbuster Hallmark movie, “Christmas at Pemberley Manor.”

Just look at it in the photo taken in the snow. And of course every Hallmark Christmas movie has snow.

Located at 920 W. Breckenridge Street, the John C. Anderson home is one of the best-known structures in Carlinville. The house contains three stories and thirteen rooms, combining Italianate, Queen Anne, and Stick Style architecture.

Among the period outbuildings is a summer kitchen/wash house that was built around the same time as the main residence.  Many buildings, including a one-room schoolhouse, have been added to the site, adding to the historic feel of the grounds.

“We’re optimistic our home will be used in the production,” said Patty Ambrose a board member of the historical society. “I mean, why wouldn’t they? Right? It’s a beautiful home and decorated for Christmas it just glows.”

The John C. Anderson House (Anderson Mansion Museum) was constructed in three pieces. In 1883, the home began as a one-story, L-shaped residence.  The second floor, attic, and tower were added in 1892. And now it has three stories.

Another place to see in Carlinville is the Print Shop.

Dave Ambrose and his son Wade Ambrose run the shop. Dave has a home-based freelance business where he  is Writer/Editor/Designer at Intouch Graphics, Design & Photography.  Wade is a photographer for LifeTouch, and their  background has given them an interest in old-time printing.

“It’s really interesting to see all the old printing equipment and the hand-printed Christmas cards,” said proud wife and mother of the two, Patty Ambrose. “The Santa card, one of this year’s cards, was done by Wade and it took him months to get it ready to print, and then 9 runs on the press. It’s pretty special.”

“Dave writes the stories about each card which is printed on the back so you get a little history lesson, too,” said Patty.

In the year 2026, when the Mother Road, Route 66 is celebrating it’s 100^th Birthday, it is fitting that Carlinville wins the Merriest Christmas contest.

Carlinville’s zip code is 62626 and they were able to celebrate the Route 66 celebration on June 26th of this year–6-26-26.

Carlinville is known for its historic Route 66 charm, the town square, which, as mentioned lends itself to Hallmark Movies and the annual “Christmas in Carlinville” Celebration which will be taking place Dec. 4-6.

“For the last 36 years, the first weekend in December is our annual Christmas Market,” said the Mayor. “During this Friday- Sunday event, there are artisans, vendors, food, entertainment, tours, trolley rides, carriage rides, shopping and  kids activities at this event.”

As with all the “Christmas Festivals” in the Hallmark movies, the people of the town all turn out for their holiday event.

“Carlinville Christmas time is a lot of fun,” said Leanne Ketchum. “There are beautiful decorations, local shopping, and they help low-income families.”

Christmas in Carlinville supports low-income families through their non-profit civic organization Carlinville Christmas Market Foundation that supports community resources in Macoupin County. During the festival weekend, the Chamber of Commerce office is open specifically to serve as a hub for families needing assistance.

The festival often holds holiday toy drives to ensure children from low-income households  receive Christmas gifts.

While they normally do their big Christmas event the first weekend of December,  for this special year they will have activities every weekend in December. So if you make the trip to Carlinville during the holidays you will be helping them help others.

“For this year we have planned special events and activities for every weekend in December,” said Downey. “They  include ice skating, a Christmas drone show, a “Festival of Trees,”  holiday drive, and Christmas lighting.”

Visitors can come to Carlinville any time during the holidays, not just the Ded. 4 weekend. The Festival of Trees which takes place Nov. 20-22 at the Macoupin County Fairgrounds Bates Building features tree displays and a silent auction.

“We’re going  all out and light up the downtown in holiday lighting and decorations,” said Mayor Downey.

The more you learn about Carlinville, the more you wonder why you didn’t know much about it in the first place.  You’ve probably heard of other period destinations such as New Salem, Illinois, the historic 19th-century village and state historic site located about 20 miles northwest of Springfield in Petersburg.  And St. Charles, Missouri always has a nice old fashioned holiday celebration. No you can add Carlinville to your list, and all of the various places that tourists can visit, Carlinville is more than just a Christmas destination.

It’s full of history, and the people have been having festivals and events to celebrate it for quite some time. In fact, if you look on their Facebook page they seem to be having a party all the time.

In honor of the Illinois Traction System (ITS) which was an electric interurban railroad and streetcar line that ran downtown, they often have a “trolley” during the Christmas festival. 

Those in search of the perfect Christmas town can even spend the night as they have several Bed and Breakfasts as well as Air B & Bs, and there are several hotels within a 15-minute drive.  Staying into the night will insure you see the town all lit up for the holidays.

The only problem with this is that it is such a big deal that rooms are scarce. Festival goers may need to look in nearby towns for find lodging if spending the night, or just plan to drive home.

There is an AmTrak train that goes from St. Louis to Carlinville to add another piece of Americana to your trip. To check out the routes, CLICK HERE.

According to the Carlinville Library, construction of the new upgraded station was completed in the fall of 2017. An exterior wall features an 8’ x 17’ mural commissioned by the city and completed by Carlinville native David Bellm. It depicts Abraham Lincoln tipping his hat to modern-day visitors from the back of a train.

For more information on Carlinville Christmas 2026 : https://www.christmasincarlinville.com/

There is a lot to do if you plan a trip to Carlinville, including many nice restaurants in Carlinville.

“We have many restaurants around the downtown square,” said Downey. “I love the Old Fashioned.”

The Route 66 Old Fashioned is located at 366 S Side Sq. Carlinville, IL 62626 and was designed as a speakeasy-inspired cocktail bar and restaurant with a vintage ambiance, dim lighting, and cozy seating.

The food menu features appetizers– including an Al Capone family walnut sauce and meatball recipe, cheeses, burgers, and paninis

“We are a scratch kitchen and bar so we hope for people to come have an experience and experience as much local flavor and hospitality as possible,” said Chris Behme.

A scratch kitchen is a restaurant where chefs prepare nearly all the food in-house from raw, fresh ingredients rather than relying on pre-made, frozen, or heavily processed products.

The people of Carlinville are like characters in Hallmark movies. They are about each other. In fact, this is what Kelly Behme posted on the one year anniversary of the restaurant: “Old Fashioned is Chris’ love letter to Carlinville. Chris has traveled the world, experienced incredible food, drinks and places and wanted to bring a little piece of that home. His vision was a place where simple but elegant food could be served alongside a thoughtfully curated drink selection. A place with character. A place he would genuinely want to spend time in.

“Hallmark had reserved one of our restaurants in town to feed the stars and production personnel after the announcement and invited me and some staff to eat with them,” said Mayor Downey.  “It was a great time getting to know them.  They were all very down to earth and enjoyed their time in Carlinville.”

Downey said he recognized some of the actors who came from seeing them in Hallmark movies.

The Old Fashioned is one of several restaurants in Carlinville where people gather, just as the Hallmark movies often have restaurants as centerpoints in their stories. When Hallmark does movies in real towns, they have been known to use the local businesses.

“We would love that as part of this amazing community,” said The Old Fashioned Restaurant owner, Behme.

For a small town, there are a good number of nice restaurants including The Wood Duck Bar and Grill, The Carlinville Plaza Café, Potrillo’s Mexican Restaurant, Taylor’s Mexican Chili Parlor, 33 Daley- The Uptown Tavern, Reno’s Pizzeria, and more.

“As far as other tourist attractions, we also are home to the largest collection of Sears Homes in one spot,” said Mayor Downey.

The Sears Homes were actually prefabricated homes bought through the Sears Catalog between 1908 and 1942.  Homeowners could build the house themselves using the step-by-step blueprints or hire a local carpenter.

While Elgin, IL boasts of having the highest overall number of Sears homes in the country, with more than 210, Carlinville has the most homes clustered together in one area with about 152 to 156. They have all those original Sears Modern Homes packed tightly together in a 12-block neighborhood known as the Standard Addition. Standard in this case is referring to Standard Oil.

According to the Carlinville Chamber of Commerce, in 1917, Carlinville saw its population grow by one-third when Standard Oil of Indiana opened two new coal mines.  The oil company bought Carlinville Coal Company, and an influx of young European immigrants coming to work the mines caused the town’s population to swell from 4,000 to 6,000, creating a severe housing shortage.

Standard Oil officials found a solution to this crisis in an unlikely place; Sears and Roebuck. The Sears Catalog was early America’s version of Ebay. Before the computer, people would look forward to getting the catalogs: Sears, Penneys, Montgomery Ward were popular ones. They would open it up and begin shopping for items that would be shipped to them.

For the first time, people could order home kits in a variety of models through the Sears mail-order catalog.

Each kit included roughly 30,000 parts, including pre-cut and labeled lumber, hardware, drywall/plaster alternatives, paint, roofing, doors, windows, and detailed instruction books (though local masonry like brick or concrete foundations were usually bought separately)

Other pieces of history in this small town include the Historic Courthouse (when it was built, it was the largest one outside of New York), the Cannonball Jail, and Historic Anderson Mansion/museum.

“Christmas at the Macoupin County Historical Society is magical, said Patty Ambrose, Macoupin County Historical Society Board Member, “All 13 rooms of our beautiful Queen Anne home are decorated for the holiday.

Christmas at the Mansion, taking place December 4–6, with the theme “Joy to the World.” The John C. Anderson Home Museum will welcome visitors for tours, including candlelight tours on Friday and Saturday evenings. Museum tours are $5.

“We are continuing to hold candlelight tours, we have hearty soups, delicious desserts, a working print shop demonstrating antique letterpress equipment and featuring hand-printed Christmas cards, and a working blacksmith shop,” she said.

They  have their Old Red Barn where they serve the food and seat diners. There is also a pavilion with seating but it’s not used if it’s too cold.

Museum and historic shop hours

Candlelight tours: Friday and Saturday evenings.

Holiday shopping and demonstrations

There will be demonstrations around the town with the Print Shop featuring letterpress Christmas cards and antique printing press demonstrations. The General Store will offer sorghum molasses, candy, Christmas jams and jellies, butters, pickled goods and gift items.

Red Barn menu

• Cinnamon rolls and beef stew.
• Baked potato soup or Italian wedding soup, each served with a choice of biscuit or bread bowl.
• Homemade bread pudding with warm vanilla sauce.
• German apple cake or gingerbread cake with a dollop of whipped cream.
• Coffee, water and soft drinks, plus a hot chocolate bar and spiced apple cider.

“Reservations for the tours are not needed, but tickets are required,” said Patty Ambrose, “I will have a booth downtown at the Christmas Market where people can purchase tour tickets and take the trolley out to the Society; however, they can drive out themselves if they want and just walk in to tour. There will be someone at the front door selling the tours. Tickets are $5 for 13 & up, $1 for 5-12, and under 5 are free.”

On any given day in Carlinville there is a lot of planning going on. Everyone is at work getting ready to host their Christmas event.

“We’re expecting to have a great weekend,” she said. “We’ve been working hard to increase awareness of our (Historical) Society and all the good things we do. The current news is only going to help. We anticipate having carolers during the weekend.”

The Chamber is working alongside the Christmas in Carlinville Christmas Market organizers, City of Carlinville, local businesses, organizations, and many volunteers  to bring even more holiday activities and experiences to town this year.

The Chamber says, “December 4–6 will be a big, magical weekend, but there will be plenty of reasons to visit before and after.”

The Chamber is setting up a temporary “Discover Carlinville” Welcome Center in the former Michelle’s Pharmacy downtown. They will have maps, calendars, visitor information, and Carlinville merchandise, including items they have received Hallmark’s permission to produce.

What is next for Carlinville – the Merriest Christmas Town in America—as far as the future Hallmark production?

“Hallmark did tell us that they plan on being back in Carlinville to do what they call B roll footage,” said Downey. “I assume that’s just getting a bunch of video/shots for potential use) several times in December.

B-Roll is the background footage used in a video production,  and it wouldn’t be a stretch to think there might be a camera or two at the Carlinville Christmas, so you might want to wear your Christmas clothes if you attend.

“Then about February, they plan on coming back to discuss storyline, sites to shoot at, etc., “ said Downey. “At this time I don’t know which of the stars who were here will be in the movie. I think they will start filming in April 2027.”

People keep asking the Chamber of Commerce if they can be an extra in the movie, so they said, “Casting is handled by Hallmark and its production team, not the Chamber or the City. When they’re ready to share information about casting opportunities, we’ll help get the word out.”

And what about the woman who got it all started with her submission to the contest? She will never forget seeing all her friends and her town when they got the big news that Carllinville, Illinois is indeed the Merriest Christmas Town in America in 2026.

“I keep thinking about how someday, when I’m old and looking back on my life, there will be a handful of moments that stand out above all the others,” said Karin Doolin. “This will be one of them.”

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For more information on the entire month of Christmas in Carlinville: www.carlinville.com/christmas