Celebrating the Holidays With Hallmark Sweetheart Alison Sweeney
She reflects on her series, family, her time on ‘Days of our Lives' and the recent death of a beloved cast member
With the holidays around the corner, celebrations are top of mind for actress, producer and Hallmark Channel star Alison Sweeney.
"This Time Each Year," her latest Hallmark Mystery movie, part of the Miracles of Christmas programming, is also around the corner, evoking the holiday spirit for the multi-award-winning star.
All of this is quite the accomplishment for the actress who is best known for her 21+ years as Samantha "Sami" Brady in the 59-year-old popular daytime soap, "Days of our Lives." This long-lasting TV relationship began in 1993 and continues with her returning periodically as a guest star, including an appearance in 2025.
"Making all of these movies has been a true labor of love."
Her latest movie, which she also executive produced, is Sweeney's 30th movie for Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Mystery; part of her long acting journey.
"It's been an incredible ride, and of course, it feels like no time has passed," Sweeney recently told Next Avenue. "I couldn't believe it when they told me this was my 30th movie. I have had such a great experience and everyone has been so wonderful," the 48-year-old actress adds. "Making all of these movies has been a true labor of love."
Discovering the Mysteries of Life
Sweeney is the leading lady of Hallmark Mystery's Hannah Swensen series, also starring two of her favorite co-stars, Hallmark leading man (and former "Days of our Lives" co-star) Victor Webster ("The Wedding Veil Legacy") and Hallmark favorite Barbara Niven ("Chesapeake Shores"). The mystery series is based on the novels of Joanne Fluke, which feature Hannah (Sweeney) as a baker-turned-sleuth. The most recent installment is "A Sprinkle of Deceit: A Hannah Swensen Mystery" and Sweeney was the movie's executive producer through Looking Glass Productions.
So, what is her recipe for success in this genre? "I love making murder mysteries because they are so much fun and exciting and I get to play a bit of danger and perform some stunts," says Sweeney. "I also love Hannah's quirky personality, the world she lives in, and of course the bakery and her baked goods. It is a blast playing this role."
Cozy Hallmark Christmas Movies
Family is at the heart of everything Sweeney pursues. With Christmas and all of its preparations around the corner, Sweeney is excited about "This Time Each Year," an emotional movie about love, loss, forgiveness, taking a risk and second chances. She developed the script for over three years with writer Juliana Wimbles.
Sweeney said what she appreciated the most about the story was the family at its center. A year after their separation, Lauren (Sweeney) and Kevin (Niall Matter of Hallmark's "Holiday Hotline") McCall focus on raising their young son Charlie (Ezra Wilson) together. However, Kevin harbors a desire to make them a whole family again … but is it too late for this previously formidable love match to repair itself?
"I love this beautiful, big, loud, funny McCall family that just captures your heart from the beginning," Sweeney says. "With this movie, I wanted to communicate to the audience how special this family is. I loved telling a story about people who've been married for 10 years, have had troubles and now are finding their way back to each other. I felt like that was a great message."
Family Holiday Traditions
Sweeney appreciates time-honored holiday traditions but recognizes the season can be extremely chaotic.
"Everything that brings my family together during this time of celebration is lovely."
"I think the holidays can be stressful. You feel like that's the time the whole family gets together and you want to put your best foot forward."
She adds, "At the same time, Christmas gives you that feeling that anything is possible. That magic can happen, and that there's forgiveness and love in the air that allows you to take a chance, to reunite, to forgive, to move past something. I believe that Christmas and the spirit of Christmas brings out the best in people."
At her house, a highlight of the holidays is decorating the tree, and she and her family like to do it as early as possible. If the tree can go up before Thanksgiving, that would be her preference. "The more time I have with the tree in my house the better. I love the lights and the beautiful personal and ornate decorations. It evokes such strong feelings."
Baking cookies (chocolate chip oatmeal is their signature treat) with her daughter and making a turkey dinner or other Christmas dinner for David, her husband of 24 years, and their extended family members is a favorite memory. "Everything that brings my family together during this time of celebration is lovely," she says.
Loyal Fans from 'Days of our Lives'
Sweeney also has a huge fan base from "Days of our Lives," and is appreciative of their fierce loyalty and long-time interest.
Sweeney started as "Sami Brady" on the soap opera at age 16, and was such an instant success that she garnered four Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Daytime Emmy Award voted by the fans. "When I return to visit, it's like a family reunion, and I love to do it whenever I get the chance," she explains.
"I meet people all the time who talk about how they watched "Days of our Lives" with their beloved grandma, their aunts and their family," she says. "It's what they have in common with their moms. I just hear those stories often and I feel very lucky and enriched to have this in my life."
Recently, Sweeney made a heartfelt Instagram post about the passing of her "Days of our Lives" co-star and close friend, Drake Hogestyn, who died in September of pancreatic cancer.
She wrote: "Drake felt like a father to me. He was such a kind and wonderful man, and one of the best people I know. It was such a heartbreaking loss."
She was surprised that one of the ways that helped her deal with her grief and heal was "to share my thoughts about Drake and hear other people feeling the same way. The first people I reached out to were the other actors who played his kids, Eric Martsolf and Martha Madison, and [it helped] just hearing from them about playing his kids, and how we felt connected to him."
Hearing from all the fans also helped her mourn and celebrate his life. "Everyone felt the same way I did; we all had the opportunity to experience that and what a wonderful human he was. To hear other people share their stories really made me feel better. It was extremely touching."
Life Lessons for Her Children
Sweeney has long been involved in Stand Up 2 Cancer and currently serves as the nonprofit's Ambassador, staying involved in events and initiatives in person and via her social media platform. This is an important cause for her since she has close friends who have lost mothers to cancer. She herself also had Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) the most common form of cancer that affects more than 3 million people in the U.S. each year
Sweeney's favorite role is being the hands-on mom of two; daughter, Megan, 15, a high schooler, and son, Ben, 19, who is in college. She is on the cusp of empty nesting, something she is a bit apprehensive about.
"Sometimes the thing you least expect is going to move you forward."
"I am putting off thinking about that. It's so hard to wrap my head around, so to be honest, I have tried not to think about it," she says. "I'm proud of who my son is as a man and that he's ready to take on the world. I feel like we've done our part. I'm sad for me, but excited for him to move forward and to see what he can do now."
For those who want to follow her career path, or pursue any difficult undertaking, she says it's great to have goals and really important to know where you want to go.
"But be prepared for it not to be a direct line. It's not always the obvious path that gets you where you want to be in the end. Sometimes the thing you least expect is going to move you forward."
Summing up her approach to work and home life, and what legacy she wants to pass on to her children, she says her philosophy is "to show up on time, work hard and always try your best." She adds, "You can't do something halfway. If you're going to do it, do it the best you can."
Editor’s note: "This Time Each Year," premieres on Hallmark Mysteries and Movies on Thursday, October 24, at 8/7c. "A Sprinkle of Deceit: A Hannah Swensen Mystery" premiered on Hallmark Mysteries and Movies on Friday, October 4, and re-airs on the channel.
