Hallmark Hall of Fame Presents Christmas With Holly

Sean Faris and Eloise Mumford Star in New Movie Premiering on ABC Sunday, Dec. 9

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Sean Faris (The Vampire Diaries, The Lost Valentine) and Eloise Mumford (The River, Lone Star) headline the Christmas with Holly cast; the 247th Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation premieres Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012, 9‐11 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. It is directed by Emmy Award winner Allan Arkush (The Temptations, Caddyshack II).

Faris plays Mark Nagle, the uncle and guardian of six‐year‐old Holly, whose single mother (Mark’s sister) passed away unexpectedly. Mark owns the coffee shop and roasterie in Friday Harbor, Washington State. Maggie Conway – played by Mumford – comes to Friday Harbor as a refugee of sorts from Seattle. Maggie was abandoned at the altar by her husband‐to‐be; it’s a perfect time for her to achieve her long‐held dream of opening a magical toy store in the town where she spent her summers as a girl.

Mark has help raising Holly from his two older brothers. All three uncles have their hearts in the right place. But they’re charmingly inept in their new roles – and they’re not helped by the fact that Holly hasn’t uttered a word since losing her mother. That’s where Maggie comes in. Despite the approach of the busy Christmas retail season, she gives extra attention to Holly every time the young girl comes into Maggie’s welcoming shop.

Maggie assumes Mark is “spoken for” during the whole getting‐to‐know‐you dance, because Mark is in a relationship with Shelby, played by Alex Paxton‐Beesley (Warehouse 13, The Firm). But that relationship is floundering, and Mark and Maggie keep bumping into each other, which is not surprising given the cozy size of the village of Friday Harbor.

Sean Faris, interviewed on the film’s set in Nova Scotia, Canada, says Christmas with Holly “is much more than a boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love story. This is much closer to realistic situations, which will make the audience relate to it.’”

Eloise Mumford, also interviewed on set, says Christmas with Holly is a story “about new beginnings, about embracing challenges, about letting love shine through. It’s about family, and that wonderful time of year, Thanksgiving through Christmas, and how families can come together to celebrate new beginnings. Here’s a family that came together, overcame obstacles, and grew stronger because of it.”

The teleplay for Christmas with Holly is by P’Nenah Goldstein (Hallmark Hall of Fame’s Loving Leah and November Christmas); it is based on the novel Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas. Brent Shields (Firelight, A Smile as Big as the Moon) is the executive producer; Andrew Gottlieb (Beyond the Blackboard, The Lost Valentine) is producer.