The news for “When Calls the Heart” faithful gets better by the minute, it seems. The feeling of Christmas in July came over Hearties at the beginning of this month, with word that production for Season 8 of the Hallmark Channel’s most cherished series ever would begin rolling in July in Vancouver. Now, there's another reason to be jolly in the summer swelter.

Yesterday, July 20, was actually reported to be the start date for shooting the new season, but the “When Calls the Heart” leading lady Erin Krakow, isn't revealing any private details from the set.

When asked about the dates floating around on social media, the spirited star replied with a “Nope. But…” regarding the calendar date, along with the playful GIF image, captioned “very soon” in her July 20 response.

ShowbizCheatSheet gave faithful fans more reason to break out into a Christmas song chorus on July 20. The 2020 holiday season not only has a bigger lineup than ever of Yuletide films between “Countdown to Christmas” on the Hallmark Channel and “Miracles of Christmas” on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries but includes the traditional treat of the “When Calls the Heart” Christmas movie feature, the sixth for the drama.

A safe, well, and a working cast is the best gift for ‘When Calls the Heart’

As wonderful as it was for fans to see Erin Krakow wearing her mask with a yellow sticky smile as she set off to start work on the new season, the actress made it very clear that safety was the primary concern for everyone involved with “When Calls the Heart.”

She detailed some of the new precautions to protect the crew and cast members, including being separated into “pods” with very little cross-interaction between scenes.

She also mentioned that seems would be completed outdoors whenever possible.

The Hallmark Channel knows how to create the most purely perfect Christmas setting. The network is known to ship in tons of snow, if necessary, to evoke chilly holiday cheer. Erin and her co-stars were anxious to take advantage of Vancouver's temperate summer climate, but no one would object to wearing coats and scarves under the sun for just a few pivotal scenes.

At the 2018 “When Calls the Heart” annual fan gathering, Kavan Smith, who portrays Leland Coulter, was credited as being the most convincing in carrying off a winter performance, even in the middle of summer.

“When Calls the Heart” has a superlative cast, but for Season 8, they are proving to be among the bravest as they begin this unique season. “We are not yet out of the woods,” Erin cautioned fans on COVID-19, so protocols and social-distancing have to coincide with the courtly manners of the era in the Northwest Territory community. Hopefully, everything will appear seamless to viewers on the screen, with nothing hinting of the pandemic.

During self-isolation, the “When Calls the Heart” cast stayed connected to fans and each other by virtual chats about hobbies and home life.

Erin urged fans not to let their loyalty for either of her leading men turn in a rude direction. Throngs of Hearties are simply overjoyed that love and happiness are on the horizon for Elizabeth Thornton. TV Shows with devotees like this are treasures. Hope Valley has room for everyone at the table, as the community demonstrated in last Christmas’ community feast, and finding love is a possibility for anyone.

Favorite cast members return to 2020’s ‘When Calls the Heart’ Christmas offering

Of Course, no plot twists, storyline details, or sneak peeks are yet available for the upcoming “When Calls the Heart” Christmas offering. Those secrets will remain closely guarded until the countdown to Christmas begins, but favorite cast members are already included in the call roster.

Besides Erin Krakow and her on-screen suitors, Chris McNally and Kevin McGarry, Pascale Hutton, Kavan Smith, Paul Greene, Jack Wagner, Andrea Brooks, and Martin Cummins are all part of the Christmas welcome to the season. No date has been announced, but the tradition of the Christmas Day premiere has been the pattern for the last four years. Countless viewers count on the date as a perfect first gift of the “When Calls the Heart” season and a soothing close to the sacred day.

Christmas always comes early for ‘When Calls the Heart’ and Hallmark

The Christmas feature is such a hallmark of the holiday season that the “When Calls the Heart” writers make it a primary focus in their work. Every good actor knows that a great performance always stems from great writing, and storytelling is something that the drama’s co-creator and executive producer, Brian Bird, never sells short.

He constantly praises his team in interviews and on social media.

Hallmark fans have been filled with merriment for almost the whole month with the network's annual “Christmas in July” run between the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. The folks famous for doing warm and cozy films better than anyone have been reserving Thursday nights for their Christmas classics over the past several months. Home-dwellers have welcomed the escape from daily headlines and homework.

The Hallmark Christmas season officially starts on October 23 across its channels, and this year, regular viewers will see the attention to themes of diversity and inclusion. Longtime stars in the Hallmark stable of talent like Candace Cameron Bure and Lacey Chabert will star in new films and Tamera Mowry-Housley will head the cast of “Christmas Carnival.” Rochelle Aytes and Mark Taylor co-star in the new “A Christmas Tree Grows in Brooklyn.”

The vice president of network program publicity for Crown Media Family Network, George Zaralidis, pledged that diversity and inclusion are top priorities in programming and that “exciting announcements” regarding projects featuring LGBTQ storylines, characters, and actors would be made.

The network faced criticism for pulling an ad featuring a same-sex couple in 2019 and began a concerted effort to represent diversity in front of and behind the camera.

Ryan Rosery’s endearing and resilient portrayal as Walter in Season 7’s “Home for Christmas” was one of the most memorable characters in the “When Calls the Heart” Christmas collection. No viewer would mind if the intrepid salesman dropped in on Hope Valley again.

Speaking of inclusion, while Elizabeth may be contemplating who will ultimately take her heart, Lee and Rosemary (Kavan Smith and Pascale Hutton) have declared in more ways than one that they are ready to include a child in their future and their family. The fulfillment of that dream, no matter how it unfolds, will be another reason to celebrate Season 8 of “When Calls the Heart.” Gratitude is a central theme of the drama, and in 2020, safety and wellness are truly gifts of grace.
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