I’ll Be Home for Christmas (film) Jake Wilkinson, a self-absorbed prep school student, finds himself, just days before Christmas, stranded in the middle of the California desert, wearing a Santa suit and a white beard glued to his face. Put there by the football team who thinks he double-crossed them by not providing the correct answers on a finals test, Jake has to find a way to get to New York by 6:00 P.M. on Christmas eve, or risk forfeiting the vintage Porsche his father promised if his son comes home for the holidays. Hitchhiking his way east, Jake finds people looking to Santa for help and advice. Directed by Arlene Sanford. Released on November 13, 1998. Stars Jonathan Taylor Thomas (Jake Wilkinson), Jessica Biel (Allie), Adam La Vorgna (Eddie), Gary Cole (Harry Wilkinson), Sean O’Bryan (Max), Eve Gordon (Carolyn), Andy Lauer (Nolan Briggs). 86 min. Principal photography took place in Canmore, Alberta, Canada, and at locations around Vancouver, B.C., which doubled for several American towns Jake visits on his cross-country trek. Artificial snow had to be utilized to create a winter landscape in the spring. Additional photography took place at various locations in California, including Red Rock Canyon State Park, the desert east of Lancaster, and the campus of Mount St. Mary’s College in Brentwood. Released on video in 1999.
