Exactly 13 years after Autumn Reeser made her Hallmark Channel debut in “Love at the Thanksgiving Parade,” the beloved star’s latest Hallmark movie, “We Met in December,” will premiere on Thanksgiving night — November 27, 2025.
As Reeser, 44, looks back on all that’s unfolded since that first Hallmark project, filming nearly 20 Hallmark movies while juggling life as a divorced mom of two young boys, she can clearly see how her work with the network has aligned with her life’s purpose and spiritual journey.
“The way that I see my purpose at this time on Earth is to be a leader in the ways of the heart,” she told EntertainmentNow. “And that aligns perfectly with Hallmark.”
Autumn Reeser Has Transformed Her Life & Work Since Her Divorce
Reeser first rose to fame on the final two seasons of “The O.C.” and married actor/producer Jesse Warren in 2009, according to Us Weekly. Married for five years, the couple welcomed two boys — Finneus “Finn” James, now 14, and Dashiell “Dash” Ford, almost 12.
On the “Some Kind of Mystic” podcast in 2023, Reeser opened up for the first time about the spiritual journey she’d been on since her divorce, starting with therapy that helped her find her voice and then progressively deepening her connection to “divine guidance.”
In addition to her work as an actress, Reeser now spends much of her time running her online Earth School, defined on her website as a “transformative online community for heart-centered leadership, designed to guide you on a journey of self-discovery, connection and authentic living.”
In early November, she led one of her Sacred Sisters retreats in Ireland, guiding a group of women to tap into their inner wisdom and live with greater intention.
Autumn Reeser Explains the Correlation Between Hallmark & Her Spiritual Work
HallmarkAs Reeser’s fascination with and dedication to personal growth and spiritual connection grew, she did question whether her work as an actress could fit into that life, telling EntertainmentNow, “When my own awakening experience started happening, I definitely had this moment of like, ‘Wait, how do all these things fit together? You know, I don’t understand it.’ And now it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s all perfectly designed. It does fit together.”
“It makes perfect sense that I’ve been placed on this path to be leading from the heart,” she continued. “I mean, Hallmark is the heart of TV.”
From getting to develop her 2024 movie “Junebug” to working with kindred spirit Niall Matter on “We Met in December,” Reeser said, “As far as what projects I choose (to work on), a lot of times it feels like they choose me.”
In fact, Reeser said that she felt “very much guided by the presence of Mary Magdalene” throughout the making of “We Met in December,” noting, “Those who know, will be able to see the codes of that when you watch the movie, but I knew this from the beginning of the year, that there would be a Christmas movie coming in, and it would be brought in by Mary Magdalene. And I just got to witness the unfolding of it.”
“Not everyone will see or understand that,” Reeser acknowledged, “but it made perfect sense to me, and even the entire unfolding of the movie and that alignment with what she’s been teaching and leading me (during) this year is perfectly orchestrated.”
Hallmark’s Support of Women is Another Reason Autumn Reeser Feels So Connected to the Network
Reeser also said that Hallmark’s consistent commitment to elevating and supporting women, from onscreen roles to offscreen opportunities, is another reason she’s felt so at home there for so long.
In 2024, she brought her movie “Junebug” to life after five years developing the concept, about “liberating the inner child within us all,” she wrote on social media.
“The beauty of working with Hallmark is that these are women’s stories,” Reeser told EntertainmentNow. “We’re following our journeys. I’ve always been in a leadership role there, in a heart-centric leadership role, and been given this space to breathe.”
Reeser added, “Also, their support, as a single mother, is part of why I’ve stayed working with Hallmark for so long,” she added. “Because they saw me. They saw my needs, and they were willing to meet them.”
“We Met in December” premieres on November 27 at 8 p.m. Eastern time and will be available to stream on Hallmark+ the following day.
I have been a fan of Ms. Reeser for a long time. However she completely lost me with her stated direction. I did not think “Junebug” was a great movie, fair yes but great no. Looking forward to her new movie with great anticipation.
I also have been a fan of Autumn Reeser for a long time. I loved her in the Christmas tree lot movie with Jesse Metcalf and the other Christmas movie Bramble Inn. She is so good in the movies with the children.