Sometimes a movie just sticks. You know the feeling—it’s a random Tuesday in November, the air gets that specific bite, and suddenly you’re thinking about a specific living room or a certain character’s coat. For a lot of us, that movie is Christmas with Holly. Based on Lisa Kleypas’s novel Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor, it isn't your standard "big city girl wears high heels in the snow" trope. It’s heavier. It’s sweeter. Honestly, the Christmas with Holly cast is exactly why this 2012 Hallmark Hall of Fame production feels less like a snack and more like a meal.
The Trio That Made It Work
Let’s talk about the brothers. You’ve got the Conway family, living in Friday Harbor, Washington. Sean Faris plays Mark Conway. You probably remember him from Never Back Down or Pretty Little Liars, but here, he’s stripped of the teen heartthrob energy. He’s playing a guy who is drowning. He’s a bachelor suddenly raising his six-year-old niece, Holly, after his sister dies in a car accident. It’s heavy stuff for Hallmark.
Faris brings a sort of weary, blue-collar desperation to the role that feels real. He isn't a perfect dad; he’s a guy trying to figure out how to talk to a kid who has stopped speaking entirely due to trauma.
Then there are the brothers, Scott and Alex.
- Oliver Hudson plays Scott. If the name sounds familiar, yeah, he’s Goldie Hawn’s son and Kate Hudson’s brother. He brings that effortless, slightly rugged charm he’s known for in Nashville and Scream Queens. He’s the grounding force.
- Josh Hopkins as Alex is the third pillar. Hopkins has been in everything from Cougar Town to Quantico. In this film, the chemistry between these three men feels lived-in. They bicker like people who grew up sharing a single bathroom.
Finding the Right Holly
The movie hinges on a child who doesn't speak for 90% of the runtime. That’s a massive gamble. If the kid isn't likable or if they feel like they’re "acting," the whole emotional house of cards collapses. Lucy and Josie Gallina shared the role of Holly. Using twins is a common industry standard for young roles—think Mary-Kate and Ashley in the Full House days—to comply with labor laws and keep the energy up.
They were perfect.
Holly’s silence isn't a gimmick; it’s a character. Watching her interact with Eloise Mumford’s character, Maggie, is where the movie finds its heartbeat. Mumford plays the newcomer who opens a toy store called "Fairytale Toys." No electronics. Just wooden toys and imagination. It’s a bit idealistic, sure, but Mumford makes you believe she’d actually move to a small island to sell hand-carved tops.
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Why the Setting Matters as Much as the Actors
Friday Harbor isn't just a backdrop. It’s a vibe. While the movie was actually filmed in Nova Scotia (Halifax and Windsor, to be specific), it captures that Pacific Northwest mood. Gray skies. Deep blue water. Lots of flannel.
The production design for the Conway house—this unfinished, sprawling construction project—mirrors the family. It’s a work in progress. It’s messy. There are tools everywhere. It’s the antithesis of the perfectly curated, plastic-looking sets we see in modern holiday films.
The Supporting Characters You Forgot
We focus on the leads, but the Christmas with Holly cast includes some great character actors who fill out the edges.
- Alex Paxton-Beesley plays Shelby. She adds that necessary friction.
- Donegean Wiginton and Vanessa Matsui pop up in roles that make the town feel populated rather than empty.
Maggie's best friend/sister figure, played by Catherine Bérubé, provides the "real talk" that prevents the movie from drifting too far into fantasy. Every time Maggie gets too caught up in her own head about the failing toy store or the hot guy with the traumatized niece, there’s someone there to ground the scene.
Real Talk: Why Does This Movie Rank So High?
If you look at IMDb or Letterboxd during December, this movie consistently stays in the top tier of holiday dramas. Why?
It’s the grief.
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Most Christmas movies treat "sadness" like a temporary cold that can be cured by a gingerbread latte. Christmas with Holly treats it like a limb that’s been lost. The Conway brothers are grieving their sister. Holly is grieving her mother. Maggie is grieving her old life and a failed relationship.
The cast doesn't play the "Christmas" part; they play the "human" part. When Mark loses his temper or when Holly finally makes a sound, it feels earned. It doesn't feel like a script point.
The Lisa Kleypas Connection
You can't talk about the cast without mentioning the source material. Lisa Kleypas is a titan in the romance novel world. Her Friday Harbor series is beloved because she writes men who are actually complicated. The transition from page to screen usually loses that nuance, but director Allan Arkush (who did Rock 'n' Roll High School, believe it or not) kept the focus on the internal lives of the characters.
Where is the cast now?
It’s been over a decade.
Eloise Mumford went on to have a massive role in the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise as Kate Kavanagh. It’s a jarring jump if you just watched her selling wooden boats to a six-year-old, but it shows her range.
Sean Faris has stayed active in the indie circuit and television movies. He’s become a bit of a staple in the genre, but many fans still point to Christmas with Holly as his best "grown-up" performance.
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Oliver Hudson is a household name now, thanks to his podcasting work with his sister and his long run on The Cleaning Lady. He’s matured into that "cool dad" archetype that he was just beginning to explore in 2012.
Misconceptions About the Movie
People often get this confused with The Christmas Cottage or other maritime holiday films. The big differentiator is the lack of a "magical" element. There are no angels. No Santa in disguise. The "magic" is just a bunch of broken people deciding to be a family.
Also, a lot of people think it was filmed in Washington state. Nope. Nova Scotia gets the credit for those stunning pier shots.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Rewatch
If you’re planning to dive back into this one this season, keep a few things in mind to get the most out of the experience:
- Look at the background detail in Fairytale Toys. The props were largely sourced from actual boutique toy makers. It’s a masterclass in set dressing.
- Pay attention to the color palette. Notice how the colors shift from cold blues and grays at the start to warmer ambers and reds as Holly begins to open up. It’s subtle, but it’s there.
- Check out the book. If you liked the movie, the book Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor goes way deeper into the brothers' backstories and why they are the way they are.
- Watch for the chemistry. Watch the scenes where the three brothers are just sitting around the table. Most of that wasn't strictly choreographed; the actors were encouraged to just "be brothers."
The Christmas with Holly cast succeeded because they didn't treat a Hallmark movie like "just a Hallmark movie." They treated it like a family drama that happened to take place in December. That’s why we’re still talking about it. That’s why it still works.