Mystic — Diners at Jealous Monk stared out the window as Melissa Joan Hart entered the shot of bundled-up carolers singing "O Christmas Tree." Poinsettias and wreaths adorned the exterior of The Plant Boutique in the background, and off to the side, a slab of synthetic ice formed the edge of a skating rink.

After several takes — with a call of "Rolling, quiet on set, please!" preceding each — some of the 30-plus crew members rolled up the snow and scuttled over to the gazebo to film another scene.

It's been a very festive week at Olde Mistick Village for the filming of "A Very Nutty Christmas," and a very special time for a location that had never before served as a set for a movie.

The film stars Melissa Joan Hart as Kate, a baker who must fill an order of 12,000 cookies before Christmas. She falls in love with a nutcracker who comes to life, played by Barry Watson.

The film is scheduled to come out in November. Contrary to local rumors, it's not slated for Hallmark or Lifetime; Hartbreak Films hasn't yet sold the film, which has a script by Juliet and Keith Giglio.

Hartbreak Films is the production company Hart owns with her mother, Paula Hart. As they've done for Christmas movies in the past, they brought on the production company Synthetic Cinema.

The owner of Synthetic Cinema is Gales Ferry resident Andrew Gernhard, a Norwich native who has shot all but one of his company's 30-plus films in Connecticut.

"This place is amazing," he said of Olde Mistick Village. "On camera, it looks really awesome with the different colors and textures." He added that it's nice to film in a place with plenty of immediate options for food — and coffee.

Filming for "A Very Nutty Christmas" began April 30 at Savour Café and Bakery in Centerbrook. The crew will be filming at Olde Mistick Village until Thursday or Friday, and they will also be doing filming at the Garde Arts Center and at a private home in Old Saybrook, Gernhard said.

Filmmakers are still looking for local extras, who can sign up at sci-casting.bubbleapps.io.

Locations Manager Greg Nutcher said his favorite part of shooting in the village is that "it's all condensed. We have six days of literally staying in one location."

Getting a kick out of the filming is Olde Mistick Village property manager Chris Regan. He's also had his moments of confusion, like when he wondered why cars were veering at a crosswalk, only to find out they were supposed to be doing that. (Then again, the cars did have New Jersey license plates.)

Regan noted that for one scene, a pop-up tent was set up to resemble an outdoor Christmas market, with participation from real-life village stores Sticky Situations, Angel Haven and Sofia's Mystical Christmas.

Filming has also been done in Lee & Co, Fun & Easy Clothing and Accessories, and Jealous Monk.

In a scene shot between Bleu Squid and Pop On The Block, members of the community help Kate by passing boxes of cookies into a shipping truck.

One of the extras in that scene was 9-year-old Mackinzie Donahue, a Niantic resident who said she got to chase Santa Claus in another scene. She was previously a background actor in "A Very Merry Toy Store," a Lifetime movie from Hartbreak Films and Synthetic Cinema.

Her mother, Julie Donahue, joined in the fun for this film as one of the carolers.

Mackinzie wants to continue acting throughout life. One of her goals? "Basically I just want paparazzi to chase after me."

e.moser@theday.com