Hynes was one of a number of Hallmark stars who took part in Hallmark Channel’s 25th Birthday: A Quarter Century of Feel-Good Television panel on Tuesday, Aug. 4

NEED TO KNOW

• Tyler Hynes described the process of creating his Hallmark Christmas ornament as both “disturbing” and “lovely”
• The ornament features Hynes’ face with festive details like a candy cane and golden charms
• Hynes collaborated closely with Hallmark artists and executives to perfect the design after multiple attempts

Creating a Hallmark Christmas ornament was quite the experience for Tyler Hynes.

The I’ll Be Seeing You star, 40, recounted the grueling process of creating his own ornament — a symbol of his status as one of the network’s signature holiday stars — at Hallmark Channel’s 25th Birthday panel hosted by PEOPLE’s Breanne L. Heldman and held at the 92nd Street Y in New York City on Tuesday, Aug. 4.

“I never had to look at myself so much. It was a disturbing experience,” the actor joked, before adding, “It was lovely.” 

Hynes noted that through the process of creating the ornament, he spoke with Hallmark Media President Darren Abbott and had “gotten to know” some of the artists who work on creating the fan-favorite ornaments. 

“And it was a really lovely, seamless process of figuring out how their process works and how I can be of service, and find something that might be interesting and maybe useful,” he explained. “And then we began dissecting my face, which was a horror movie.”

The ornament, which is already up for pre-sale on Hallmark’s official website, features a close-up of the Holiday Touchdown star’s head, with his signature brown hair and goatee on display. A candy cane behind one of his ears adds a festive touch, along with the tiny brass charms to represent his beloved dog Rusty James and his annual Boot Shot Tradition.

Hynes revealed during Hallmark Channel’s 25th Birthday panel that it took a few attempts before they finally landed on the final product. 

“I have three versions of the ornament on my phone. If you guys were to see these…,” he began, to which actress Nikki DeLoach, 46, jokingly chimed in, “I’m going to need to see these.”

“Yeah. One, I looked like Andrew Walker‘s jaw. Way more chiseled than I could ever achieve,” Hynes explained. “And then the other swung the other direction.” 

“But, yeah, somehow… It’s a process. It’s really, really a hard thing to do. And I think, I don’t know if they’ve done something quite like that,” he added.

The actor went on to say that he had a “discussion” with Hallmark about whether to do a “full body thing” — similar to Lacey Chabert‘s Hallmark ornament released last year — or to just do a “face.”

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Fellow Hallmark star Walker, 47, playfully praised Hynes’ hands-on approach to the ornament’s production and distribution.

“This guy’s working behind the scenes here. He’s at the manufacturing warehouse kissing and boxing and sending and [packing]… So, just be sure to buy that Tyler Hynes Christmas ornament, everybody,” he quipped.

In addition to his ornament, Hynes is also gearing up for the release of his 2026 Countdown to Christmas movie The Nights Before Christmas, which was inspired in part by the actor’s love of Groundhog Day and the Back to the Future trilogy.

He shared, “I’m a big fan of Andie MacDowell, and she made a movie called Groundhog Day. Yes. Also, a big fan of Michael J. Fox, Back to the Future. And, yeah, I thought I hadn’t seen a movie quite like that, and I thought it was a lovely opportunity.”

Viewers can catch up on many of Hynes’ Hallmark movies streaming on Hallmark+ ahead of The Nights Before Christmas‘ premiere later this year.

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