Haul Out the Holly (2022): Age Rating UK & Verdict

Name: Haul Out the Holly
Released: 2022
Duration: 85 min
Cast: Lacey Chabert, Wes Brown, Stephen Tobolowsky, Melissa Peterman, Ellen Travolta

The CineClaus Christmas score

Festive Factor

Christmas all the way through.

Two paper elves inspect a three-house miniature, one holding a magnifier and the other a light strand. The dark central porch contrasts with brightly decorated neighbours. — A little magic in the making.

Five ingredients make the Festive Factor.
Open an ingredient to find out more.

Christmas in the storyChristmas drives it, firmly.25/30

What we ask: Take Christmas out. Does the plot survive? Worth up to 30 of the 100 points.

A world dressed for ChristmasVisibly Christmas for effectively all of it.20/20

What we ask: How much of the running time is visibly Christmas? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

The little seasonal details7 of the 10 kinds of Christmas icon we count turn up on screen.11/15

What we ask: How many kinds of Christmas icon turn up on screen: trees, lights, snow, carols and the rest? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

A Christmas heartHow far the ending rests on goodwill, family and belief: substantially.15/20

What we ask: Does the ending depend on what Christmas means: goodwill, family, redemption, belief? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

A returning traditionNiche at Christmas (under 25,000).3/15

What we ask: Is it actually watched at Christmas in the UK? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

90/100

Cosiness Rating Rating

Warm in tone. Nothing bad can really happen. A happy ending.

How we score →

What do these scores mean?

Festive Factor measures how Christmassy a film is. Five ingredients add up to 100: story (30), setting (20), seasonal details (15), emotional heart (20) and returning tradition (15).

Cosiness is a separate score for warmth of tone, sense of safety, visual comfort, a reassuring ending and how easily you can settle into it.

How the Festive Factor works →

Your next film night

Where to watch

United KingdomChecked 29 Sept 2026

Hallmark TV (Prime Video Channels)

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The story

About Haul Out the Holly

Fresh from a break-up, a woman goes home for Christmas to find her parents are off to Florida and she has their house, and their street, to herself. The residents' association runs the season like a military operation, with decorating rules, contests and a schedule of compulsory fun, and its president next door is determined she will join in. Lacey Chabert and Wes Brown lead, with Stephen Tobolowsky, Melissa Peterman and Ellen Travolta as the neighbours.

The CineClaus verdict

The Hallmark film for anyone who has ever had a stern note from a residents' association.

Lacey Chabert goes home for Christmas to an empty house on a street that treats the season as a competitive sport, with rules, contests and the association's president next door keeping score. It is broad and cheerfully daft, Melissa Peterman's cookie-contest obsessive is the neighbour reviewers remember, and it knows exactly how silly it is.

Consider this one for the night you want to laugh more than swoon.

The family desk

Can the kids watch?

U

Our take: rated U by the BBFC, which flags language. Nothing scary, and silly enough for primary-age children, though the romance is aimed at the grown-ups.

Content advice & accessibility

Our age guidance: Editorial, separate from the official U certificate, and never looser than it.

The series

The Haul Out the Holly films

2 films, in release order

2022
You’re here
Haul Out the Holly
2022
You’re on this film’s page
2023
The film after
Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up
2023
The 2023 sequel was also shot in Utah.
Not in our catalogue yet

The people behind the film

Cast and crew

The faces in front of the camera, and the people who brought the story to life.

Main cast

In billing order

Smiling woman with long dark hair pulled back, in a black sleeveless top with a draped neckline, looking to one side.

Lacey Chabertas Emily

Wes Brownas Jared

Close photograph of a balding man in black-framed glasses and a dark zip jacket over a white shirt, with a faint smile.

Stephen Tobolowskyas Ned

Woman with wavy blonde hair and fringe speaking into a microphone, wearing a dark blazer over a checked shirt.

Melissa Petermanas Pamela

Ellen Travoltaas Mary Louise

Behind the camera

Directed by

Maclain Nelson

Step into the story

Filming locations

The real places behind Haul Out the Holly. Choose one to explore.

Find it on the mapCottonwood Heights, Utah

Map shows the selected place. Drag to explore; use + and − to zoom.

Filming location

Cottonwood Heights, Utah

US

The Utah Film Commission lists the film as shot around this suburb of Salt Lake County, where an ordinary residential neighbourhood stood in for the film's street.

Open in OpenStreetMap ↗ (opens in a new tab)Scene source ↗ (Utah Film Commission, opens in a new tab)

A little more Haul Out the Holly

Film facts &
behind the scenes

For the fans who stay after the credits.

Movie magic

A Christmas street built in the summer heat

The film was shot between July and September 2022, so the crew covered yards and trees in artificial snow and dressed the real houses with large Christmas displays.

Read the story

Source: Find That Location ↗ (opens in a new tab)

On set

Filmed on a real residential street in Utah

Most scenes were shot in the suburb of Cottonwood Heights in Salt Lake County, on a real residential street with private homes. The Wasatch Mountains rise behind it.

Read the story

Source: Utah Film Commission ↗ (opens in a new tab) · Find That Location ↗ (opens in a new tab)