The Stars of 'A California Christmas' Are Married in Real Life

Will Callie be able to keep her ranch and continue spending time with her new crush, Joseph? That's the dilemma the brand-new romantic comedy on Netflix, A California Christmas, aims to explore. Written, co-produced, and starring Lauren Swickard, the movie revisits well-known tropes to provide viewers with some much-needed Christmas cheer.

But what's there to know about the stars of A California Christmas,  Lauren and Josh Swickard? 

Lauren plays Callie, a gritty ranch owner who is determined to keep hold of the family estate, regardless of her mounting debt. Meanwhile, Josh plays Joseph, a city boy who is pining for a work promotion — so much so that he is unafraid to play dirty just to get it. 

A California Christmas chronicles their unusual love story, showing how the spoiled young man travels to the ranch with the explicit purpose of convincing Callie to sign it over to his firm. However, she mistakes him for the new ranch hand — which slightly derails his profit-oriented plans. 

Worried about the potential implications of revealing his real identity, Joseph continues to help out at the ranch. Too eager to get to know more about the hard-working, down-to-earth woman, he finds himself with no choice but to keep on postponing the conversation about the sale. 

A California Christmas debuted on Netflix on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, and it turned out to be an immediate hit. 

Lauren and Josh's on-screen chemistry, the cleverly written side characters, and the neatly structured plot were just some of the things that struck a chord with the viewers. 

A California Christmas isn't the only movie Lauren and Josh embarked on together. 

According to a recent article by The Cinemaholic, they played the main characters in Roped, a romantic drama about a young cowboy, Colton Burtenshaw, and the daughter of a councilman, Tracy Peterson, who end up falling for each other. 

Directed by Shaun Paul Piccinino — who made A California Christmas as well — the movie tells the story of two people willing to make enormous sacrifices for the sake of love. 

"I believe you can clearly see the real chemistry within the performance like it almost wasn't acting. It was just them being in awe of each other," the director of Roped told Metro. 

It's understood that the stars started dating after the shooting of Roped wrapped up. 

"He eventually asked for my number underneath the famous Warner Brothers water tower in Hollywood," Lauren told Over the Moon. 

Josh popped the question during a family getaway in Colorado. He acted out the word "proposal" while playing family charades. 

"Her family has a tradition of playing charades, so I proposed during a game. After I acted it out, I said, ‘Well...this was not a charade,'" Josh told Soaps In Depth. 

Lauren and Josh got married on July 6, 2019. Their Old-Hollywood-themed wedding ceremony was held in Cincinnati, Ohio, as per Over the Moon. 

"Our first dance was very similar to the famous dance in one of our favorite films White Christmas," Lauren told the outlet. 

A California Christmas is available on Netflix now.