What in the World Is Hank Getting Into This Christmas?

Hank’s Christmas Wish 5 Returns to Buckhannon for JCFilms Studios’ Most Celebrated Holiday Weekend of the Year

BUCKHANNON, WEST VIRGINIA — Every December, something special happens in Buckhannon. Christmas lights go up, cameras begin rolling, families arrive from across the country, and JCFilms Studios brings another chapter of Hank’s Christmas Wish to life.

What began as a small Christmas movie has grown into an annual tradition built around faith, family, community and a whole lot of Christmas fun. Previous Hank productions and premieres have become community celebrations in Buckhannon, and this year JCFilms is preparing for what it hopes will be the biggest Hank weekend yet.

The script for Hank’s Christmas Wish 5 is officially finished, and one question keeps coming from fans: What in the world is Hank getting into this Christmas? The answer involves a giant data center, an ambitious corporate executive, a long-lost twin brother, a garden gnome, peppermint schnapps and enough confusion to make even Hank wonder what is going on.

This year’s story finds Hank enjoying another Christmas in Buckhannon when the town is approached about placing a massive data center on city-owned property. The project could provide significant revenue and opportunities for the community, but it could also change the character of the small town Hank has grown to love. Corporate executive Nicole Williams arrives determined to convince the community that the project is good for Buckhannon, only to discover that the person she really needs to convince isn’t necessarily the mayor, it’s Hank.

When Hank talks, people listen. The problem is that Hank doesn’t completely oppose the project; he simply believes nobody should rush such an important decision before Christmas. After all, as Hank explains, the North Pole learned a long time ago that major decisions and Christmas eggnog rarely mix.

Then things get considerably stranger. Hank’s long-lost identical twin brother, Fronk, suddenly arrives in Buckhannon after spending years magically trapped as a garden gnome. Fronk looks exactly like Hank, but that is about where the similarities end. He has a German accent, a very different personality, a long-standing grudge against his brother and absolutely no appreciation for Hank’s obsession with peppermint. When Nicole realizes that Fronk could easily pass for the one man the town trusts, she comes up with a plan involving mistaken identities, an important town meeting and a bottle of peppermint schnapps. What follows is classic Hank: Christmas chaos, misunderstandings, laughter and, ultimately, a reunion between two brothers who have lost far too many Christmases together. The finished story expands on JCFilms’ announced premise for the fifth installment, which introduces Fronk and throws Buckhannon into holiday chaos.

Underneath all the comedy, however, is the heart that has made Hank’s Christmas Wish an annual tradition. The story asks whether progress always has to come at the expense of tradition, what truly makes a community worth protecting, and whether two brothers separated for years can put the past behind them. In the end, Hank discovers that the biggest thing worth saving this Christmas isn’t a building, a Christmas tree or even the town, it’s family.

“Every year we ask ourselves, ‘What can Hank possibly get into next?’ and somehow we keep finding something crazier,” said JCFilms Studios President and filmmaker Jason Campbell. “But what I love about Hank’s Christmas Wish 5 is that underneath the garden gnome, the data center, the peppermint schnapps and all the comedy is a really sweet story about two brothers getting another chance at being a family.”

More Than a Movie — It’s Hank’s Christmas Weekend

The production is part of what has become JCFilms Studios’ most celebrated holiday event of the year, bringing filmmaking and Christmas celebration together for one unforgettable weekend. This year’s festivities are planned for December 4–7, 2026, with participants not simply watching from the sidelines, but becoming part of the Hank’s Christmas Wish tradition.

The weekend kicks off with the World Premiere of Hank’s Christmas Wish 4: The Lost Letter, giving guests the opportunity to walk the red carpet and celebrate the previous chapter with members of the Hank family. Then the cameras roll as participants join the production of Hank’s Christmas Wish 5 and experience firsthand what it is like to make a real Christmas movie. The celebration continues with the annual JCFilms Studios Christmas Party, bringing together actors, filmmakers, families, supporters and friends for one of the studio’s favorite gatherings of the year.

The tradition has grown year after year. Previous Buckhannon Hank events have combined premieres, community participation and holiday festivities, while the series itself has featured returning cast members including Michael Sigler as Hank, Dean Cain as Mayor Dean and Jessica Adams as Charlie.

For families and movie lovers who have ever wondered what it would be like to step inside a Christmas movie, this is the weekend to do it. Come to Buckhannon, experience the lights and Christmas atmosphere, meet the cast, help make the newest Hank adventure and become part of a tradition that continues to grow every year.

The script is finished. Hank is ready. Fronk is free. And Christmas in Buckhannon is about to get very interesting.

December 4–7, 2026 — Buckhannon, West Virginia.

Learn more about JCFilms Studios and its upcoming productions at JCFilms Studios.