Christmas is right around the corner and no one seems more excited for the holidays than Alison Sweeney! But, the actress isn’t just gearing up for family festivities — she’s also starring in her first-ever Hallmark Christmas movie, Christmas at Holly Lodge, and we can’t wait to see the new flick!

“I’m so thrilled about this movie! It was so fun to develop because from day one we knew we had some great characters to fall in love with and fun entertaining Christmas fun. I think the cast is fantastic and we embraced the idea of holiday magic,” Alison exclusively told Closer Weekly in a new interview.

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(Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ricardo Hubbs)

In the film — which premieres on Hallmark Channel on Sunday, Dec. 3 at 8/7c — Alison portrays Sophie Bennett, a woman who begins a new holiday tradition by spending every Christmas at the Evergreen Inn and Ski Lodge, which she inherited from her parents. “I love the role of Sophie. I think she’s a fun character, in fact, she sort of reminds me of [my Days of Our Lives character] Sami… If Sami were in a Hallmark Channel movie, this would be her,” Alison told us. “It struck a chord with me from the beginning, this idea that the Holly Lodge brings people together who don’t have family to be with during the holidays. They make their own Christmas traditions which is such a lovely idea and I was excited to bring it to life.”

“This is my first Christmas movie with Hallmark Channel. So many fans talk about how Hallmark movies are a huge part of their Christmas traditions and I felt responsible to honor that importance in making this movie,” she added.

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Just like her Christmas at Holly Lodge character, Alison and her husband, David Sanov, have a few special holiday rituals they share with their two children, son Benjamin, 12, and daughter Megan, 8. “We have lots of family traditions. Opening the presents on Christmas morning, the stockings… we bake cookies for Santa and leave carrots for the reindeer on Christmas Eve,” Alison gushed to Closer.

So, now that Alison has added a Hallmark Christmas movie to her impressive resume, can we expect to see her on the popular network again soon? “Of course! I have some exciting plans for a new mystery story for next year. I loved doing the Murder She Baked series, so I’m looking forward to returning to the mystery channel with a new character,” Alison exclusively told us. We can’t wait to see Alison’s next project!