Tyler Hynes celebrates the boot shot tradition with his fans

Tonight was the annual boot shot, a tradition that Tyler Hynes has started with his fans for the past two years. The idea is simple: Tyler is live on Facebook, he chats and answers questions and sometimes takes a shot as a sign of his appreciation. Those watching and participating from home are invited to do so with him. For over an hour, the beloved Hallmark Channel actor interacted with about 1,200 people on his official Facebook group from his brother’s basement and had 9 shots. With Christmas less than 48 hours away, his fans were all very happy and grateful that Tyler was making time for them. Or maybe it was the other way around!

An enhanced experience thanks to the box created by Tyler

For more than a month, it has been possible to purchase The Holiday Boot Shot Tradition box designed and developed by Tyler himself to perpetuate and grow this tradition. For $110, the lucky buyer receives five shot glasses in the shape of a Santa boot engraved with Tyler’s signature. One for him/her and four others to gift to loved ones. The four glasses come in a lovely gift box that can be personalized with a tag and ribbon. The tradition is to hang the Santa Boot on the Christmas tree once received and unwrapped. Then to take a selfie with it and send it to the other four people as soon as it is used, as a sign of special consideration. The main purpose of this action is to say thank you to someone you love and to share a moment with him/her during the holidays. I have witnessed the wave of affection that has swept through the “Hynies” since the box went on sale. Girls were mailing the boots to thank each other for their friendship, as if to officially seal their virtual bond. Others would give a boot to a Facebook group member or a fan at a convention, all connected by their shared love of Ty. The idea, which to me seemed abstract at first, made sense as the weeks went by. I think what it has created is wonderful. Since then everyone has been looking forward to this day to drink simultaneously from their boot shot with Tyler. The box itself is also a beautiful item that can proudly stand in a library or on a shelf. It represents a red book with golden touches and many elegant details carefully thought out.

An hour of one-on-one time on Facebook with 1,200 people

Around 5:10 pm, Tyler logs in. He’s a little late because he had help from his brother and sister-in-law to get set up. He is wearing his brown cardigan that I saw him wearing the last two weekends and which seems to be his favorite. I learn that he has it since the shooting of his movie “An Unexpected Christmas” (hello Paul!). He is also wearing a beanie on his head and slippers on his feet both in turkey shape. This seems to be the official uniform for the event for the past two years. His sister-in-law has placed a ring-light that brings out the color of his eyes and gives him a nice complexion. By the way, let’s talk about his eyes for a second. What color are they? Green or blue, sometimes brown, I’ve been wondering for weeks.

Tyler shares his feelings

He is organized: he has his phone for the live and his computer to follow the comments. He has taken notes of topics to be discussed so as not to forget them. Fans talk about his mom in the comments from the beginning. They seem to appreciate her and would have liked her to be present with him for the livestream. She gets a lot of compliments for raising her son so well and teaching him great values. I should be used to Tyler’s popularity by now having seen it in person. But I’m still stunned as I was on day one. As a recent demonstration of his fans’ dedication, Tyler was named Favorite Hallmark Channel Star of 2022 with 267,696 votes. Tyler then takes the time to recall the symbolism of the boot shot while thanking his fans for their presence, their affection, their support and their creativity. He talks afterwards about the ever-increasing number of gifts he receives at physical events or conventions. What is important and meaningful to him is the moment spent and the encounter itself. In his personal lifestyle, he is very minimalist and now suggests donating gifts to charity in his name so that the presents are used and have even more meaning. He also insists on being cautious with all the scam accounts out there, pretending to be him and taking advantage of some fans’ naivety. Tyler would never DM to ask for help, money or make an appointment with a fan.

Then it’s time for the first shot of the night. Tyler makes a long speech before that pushes some fans to type the safe word 🍍for him to cut it short. That’s just the way Tyler is, he gets caught up in his emotions. He wants to make sure he doesn’t forget anyone, that he’s expressed his gratitude and appreciation in every way possible. By popular demand, he then goes upstairs to get Rusty James, his dog. The appearance is only of short duration, the Pomeranian quickly runs away not interested in the activity. Tyler then invites Donna Jo, the administrator of the Facebook group, to join the live. I am pleasantly surprised to hear them talk about mental health and the importance of keeping a good-natured and friendly atmosphere. I guess there must have been some drama on the group in the past and I’m not surprised.

Fans join the party

After that, Tyler invites six random women to share the live to exchange a few words and have a drink. All of them have the boot shot, I wonder how many Tyler sold. Question to be saved for later. The whiskey dose is getting smaller and smaller on his end to remain (more or less) sober at the evening dinner with his family. His mother and uncle are watching the live, as well as many of his relatives and friends. For his final and ninth shot, Tyler reminds the audience to take a picture of himself as they drink to create collages. Between two thanks and endless demonstrations of gratitude, he encourages everyone to appropriate this tradition, adapt it and make it grow. He ends with the following sentence “Signing off for 2022. It was our tradition and I hope it continues throughout the holidays for you guys.“

It was a nice moment, I took the time to read all the comments. There were a lot of states but also a lot of countries represented. Tyler always has the right words and tone, I could listen to him speak for hours. His voice is soothing, a true ASMR on his own. His humility is no longer up for debate, although it still amazes me. Good ol’ Tyler, can’t wait to see what you have in store for us in 2023.