Alison Sweeney's Relatable Performance In This Time Each Year Cements Her Hallmark Crown

As Alison Sweeney celebrates her 30-movie milestone with Hallmark, it's safe to anoint her the queen of the network. In her latest Hallmark film, "This Time Each Year," Sweeney — credited as an executive producer — tackles serious themes that have rarely appeared in Hallmark's cheery holiday movies, including marriage separation and alcoholism. It's a reality with which she wants holiday movie viewers to know even Hallmark characters struggle.

A part of Hallmark Mystery's Miracles of Christmas, "This Time Each Year" chronicles Lauren (Sweeney) and Kevin McCall (Niall Matter) during their trial separation as they teeter on the edge of divorce. The couple has to pretend to be happily married when Lauren's mother (Laura Soltis) comes into town for Christmas. Their ruse becomes more of a reality as loving memories and new beginnings — including Kevin's yearlong sobriety — arise and give them hope to revive their marriage. The troubles that play out on screen are why Sweeney fell in love with the McCall family and is hoping it's exactly why you will, too.

The movie's difficult subject matter is something Alison Sweeney understands families witness every year during the holiday season. "This is real life! This is an issue that people battle all year long, of course, but at the holiday, things are more difficult," the "Days of Our Lives" alum told TV Shows Ace. "[Niall Matter's] character plays a guy that has been sober for about a year," she added, which is a topic that the movie hints at throughout, covering Kevin's struggle with working at a bar and having to walk everywhere after losing his license — presumably because he was driving under the influence. "The holidays add tension and stress, and the family. It's complicated." The "complicated" message comes across as soon as the credits first roll at the beginning of the movie, where Christmas cards of the McCall family slowly become less festive and more dreadful.

Yet, the magic of Christmas was not lost on the McCalls, preserving Hallmark's joyous and hopeful holiday endings. "I think the holidays can be stressful," Sweeney told Next Avenue. "At the same time, Christmas gives you that feeling that anything is possible." To Sweeney, the possibilities include forgiveness and reunion, which is something viewers see in "This Time Each Year." A complicated marriage becomes a beautiful homecoming, with a strong and sober Kevin rejoining Lauren and their son Charlie (Ezra Wilson) for Christmas. "We wanted to address it," Sweeney told TV Shows Ace of the tough topics included in the story. "But, we wanted to treat it gently in a way the Hallmark audience and Hallmark family could feel safe and brought into a world that they might identify with."