(Photo from Visit Natchez)
- Mississippi already knows how to do Christmas. Now, more and more, the cameras do too, fake snow and all!
There’s something about Mississippi at Christmas that feels ready-made for the movies. Courthouse squares glow. Downtown storefronts sparkle. Brick streets look like they’ve been waiting all year for twinkle lights and wreaths. And lately, that familiar holiday feeling comes with film crews, cameras, and fake snow blowing down Main Street.
“I have this dream,” Nina Parikh shared with me recently, “for Mississippi to be the capital for Christmas movies.”
Parikh is the Director of Film Mississippi, and she’s spent nearly three decades helping productions find a home in the Magnolia State. A University of Southern Mississippi film graduate, this is her 28th year working in Mississippi’s film industry. When she talks about the future of film here, she does it with the confidence of someone who’s watched it grow.
“So many towns in our state dress themselves up for the holidays,” she said. “Producers are slowly realizing that Mississippi is a great place to film.”
And they already are.
Natchez has become the most recognizable Christmas movie backdrop in the state, earning its nickname as the Christmas movie capital of the South. Hallmark’s Every Time a Bell Rings was filmed entirely in Natchez, featuring local landmarks and businesses so prominently that the city even created a self-guided tour of filming locations. Natchez also doubled as New Orleans for Lifetime’s A New Orleans Noel, starring Patti LaBelle, with its historic architecture effortlessly standing in for the Crescent City.
Along the Gulf Coast, Christmas in Mississippi showcased Gulfport and the surrounding areas, including the Harbor Lights Winter Festival at Jones Park and scenes in Fishbone Alley. Instead of pretending to be somewhere else, the Coast was allowed to shine as itself—a gift to both viewers and locals who recognized the places on screen.
Oxford joined the holiday movie lineup with On the 12th Date of Christmas. Although the story is set in Chicago, a short scene was filmed around the historic Square, once again proving that Mississippi can convincingly play just about any role while still keeping its Southern soul.
Laurel also stepped into the Christmas spotlight with A Christmas Open House, starring hometown favorites Ben and Erin Napier. The film leaned into Laurel’s charm, with the Napiers playing home restoration experts—an easy fit for a town already beloved for its craftsmanship and character.
And most recently, Clinton has been buzzing with holiday excitement as The 12 Dates of Christmas films are shown in Olde Towne. Local businesses have been transformed into movie settings, giving residents a front-row seat to the magic and another reminder that everyday Mississippi places can become something special on screen.
So why Mississippi? Why here?
Part of the answer is practical. Mississippi offers a competitive cash rebate incentive—25 to 35 percent back on what productions actually spend in the state —making it an attractive and cost-effective option for filmmakers.
But Parikh says the bigger picture matters just as much.
“Once we get a film here, we’d like to hire local professionals,” she explained. “We have several training programs at universities and community colleges in film, animation, and other relevant areas throughout the entire state. If we have the work for them, they can stay here. They don’t have to leave for Los Angeles or New York.”
That investment in people is what makes the industry sustainable. And Parikh believes the demand is only growing.
“There’s never a time—on our phones, televisions, tablets, any screen—where we don’t need content,” she said. “And there’s a lot of wonderful content to be made here in Mississippi.”
Now, Film Mississippi is inviting everyday Mississippians to help shape what comes next. Residents across the state are encouraged to upload photos of their Christmas-decorated towns—downtown streets, historic homes, storefronts, neighborhoods, and hidden gems—to help recruit future holiday films.
The link to upload photos is here.
While the page mentions owning or managing a location, Parikh says it’s open to anyone. Images will be vetted before being made public, and the goal is simple: show filmmakers what Mississippi really looks like at Christmas.
“We should be the Christmas movie capital,” Parikh exclaimed.
When you look at the lights, the architecture, the pride Mississippians take in their towns—and the growing list of holiday films already made here—it doesn’t feel like a stretch. It feels like momentum.
Mississippi already knows how to do Christmas. Now, more and more, the cameras do too, fake snow and all!
