Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas Kicks Off With a Mini The Wonder Years Reunion

Hallmark kicks off the holiday season October 22, earlier than ever before. From tonight and all the way through December, brand-new holiday themed movies will air Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings on both networks. And not to worry, we have the full schedule for both Countdown to Christmas on Hallmark Channel and Miracles of Christmas on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries right here.

The festivities begin with a bang and a few familiar faces. Danica McKellar will usher in the spirit of the season with her new film, You, Me, and the Christmas Trees, starring opposite Benjamin Ayres. But not only does she have the top honor of being the first movie this year, she's getting to have an on-screen reunion with one of her oldest friends. For anyone who grew up in the 80s and 90s, you'll spot another recognizable face in the cast. In addition to Ayres, Jason Hervey will join McKellar in this Christmas tale. Hervey memorably portrayed Wayne Arnold, older brother to Fred Savage's Kevin Arnold in the iconic television show, The Wonder Years. Yes, we will once again see Wayne Arnold and Winnie Cooper in the same frame.

Southern Living recently spoke with McKellar about this special project, and she shared that she's remained close with her former costar. "Jason Hervey. He and his family have been family friends of ours forever… we'd been around each other but to be on set together was surreal," she said. "We hadn't actually worked together since The Wonder Years. So, it was an amazing reunion." McKellar noted that Hervey doesn't find himself in front of the camera much these days. "He actually hadn't acted in a really long time. He's a producer. He's been super busy, super successful as a producer but hadn't been in front of the camera in a little while. And I certainly hadn't worked with him since we were kids. So that was really special."

After The Wonder Years, McKellar left acting to attend UCLA and she earned a degree in mathematics. She then returned to working in television and film, but has also dedicated much of her time to putting her degree and her platform to good use by writing books to help not only teach math, but to foster an enthusiasm for science, technology, and mathematics in children of all ages.

She's thrilled to get to tap into those real-life passions in her role as a scientist in You, Me, and The Christmas Trees. "I am an evergreen expert. Some people call me the Christmas tree whisperer, which by the way, super fun playing a scientist because I had never played a scientist before on Hallmark and it was great to {utilize} my love of math and science to use that to really research all the math and science behind what was going on."

McKellar's character Olivia is, as she said, an evergreen expert that is called to help Christmas tree farmer Jack, played by Ayres, to help solve the mystery of what illness is causing the trees on his farm to die out. The plagued trees are ruining his business, which has been his family's legacy for 100 years. McKellar truly dug into preparing for this role. She spoke with a real evergreen expert and a soil expert to learn all about their vocations. "This is like me actually in the field working as a scientist. It was a lot of fun. And just so you know, everything we did was completely legit. They don't show a lot of it that we shot, which I understand why because it's not the most interesting thing to watch. A tree scientist working with fir samples, but everything we did was legit and worked out. And so even though we're only seeing glimpses of it, just know it was all researched. It's all correct," she said.

Hervey comes in as the owner of a rival Christmas tree farm named Dwayne, which yes, you aren't imagining that. "He played Wayne on The Wonder Years, he plays Dwayne in this movie, which yes, we renamed the character when he was cast," McKelllar divulged with a laugh. This story has it all—rivalries, comedy, love, science, and of course, Christmas cheer.

McKellar wants you to tweet along with her while you watch the premiere of You, Me, and the Christmas Trees on Friday, October 22 at 8PM EST. It's time to get merry y'all!