Rachel Boston is one of those Hallmark humans who just radiates sunshine — the kind of person who pops up on your screen and instantly lifts your mood.
I told her that the second we connected on Zoom, and before I could even blink, she deflected with her signature grace, warmth, and a little insight into where that glow actually comes from.
Boston stars in The More the Merrier alongside Brendan Penny, playing Alice, a rural ER doctor who always volunteers for the overnight Christmas Eve shift.
She doesn’t do it because she has to, but because she genuinely wants to make the holiday feel warm and comforting for anyone who ends up in her care.
And when a snowstorm traps the staff, a baby boom hits the hospital, and a handsome new cardiologist arrives, Christmas Eve quickly becomes the night that changes everything.
We talked about joy, resilience, found family, and how even in a movie filled with holiday magic, the heart of the story is rooted in something much more real.
“These movies align with my spirit.”
Before we got into the film, I asked Rachel the question I’ve been dying to ask since the first time I interviewed her: Is she actually as bright and joyous in real life as she appears on screen?
“I definitely think these movies very much align with my spirit,” she said. “But I come from a long line of very strong women… my grandmother lived to be 103, and I watched her go through really challenging things and keep coming back with resilience.”
She said she’s human, of course — she’s had big challenges — but she always looks for the lesson and the silver lining. And yes, having a toddler has only deepened that.
“I learn a lot from her joy… just waking up and seeing the most simple things.”
Playing a woman who leads with heart
Alice is the kind of character who keeps giving even when nobody’s watching. She volunteers for Christmas Eve every year. She brings cookies before her shift “to make sure that every patient has something that feels like home.”
Rachel loved tapping into that.
“She is so dedicated to her work… there’s no ex-boyfriend, no ex-husband. The greatest love in her life has been her commitment to being a doctor.”
And yet, Alice is that person who makes everyone feel seen — even when she doesn’t realize she’s doing it.
“To dedicate your holiday season to caring for other people… it takes a very special person.”
Chemistry with Brendan Penny (and a Hallmark Cruise connection!)
You can’t talk about Christmas magic without talking about chemistry — and these two have such an easy, slightly prickly, totally endearing vibe.
“We actually met on the Hallmark Channel Christmas cruise the year before,” Rachel said, laughing. “We just made each other laugh a lot… I think people at Hallmark were watching us and put us in this movie together.”
Alice and Brian start off with different approaches to medicine — and to life — but that friction becomes part of the charm.
“They’re both so smart… she realizes he can keep up with her. And I think that’s something really sweet.”
A love story rooted in choosing community
Alice goes through real emotional discovery in this movie, and Rachel wanted to honor that.
“One of my favorite scenes was Alice sitting in the chapel alone, trying to process what she wants for the next chapter of her life.”
The film doesn’t pretend that family has to look traditional.
“Family isn’t always the traditional family… sometimes it’s your chosen family. It’s what you find in your adult life.”
And for Alice, on that particular Christmas Eve, family is found in the halls of a small, snowed-in rural hospital.
Hallmark’s Buffalo Era — and a meaningful cameo
With The More the Merrier, Hallmark continues its Buffalo streak — and this one carries a sincerely meaningful layer.
Damar Hamlin appears alongside real-life HeartMates members — people he’s met and supported since his public medical crisis. One storyline in the movie is even inspired by a real HeartMates patient.
“Damar Hamlin took that experience and used it to help other people,” Rachel said. “The most vulnerable thing he’s experienced, he’s used to help others. And we get to have that be part of our story.”
She saw the footage filmed at the Buffalo Bills stadium and said he couldn’t have been kinder.
“He was so lovely and so genuine with the kids… he seemed very happy to be part of our Hallmark family.”
On getting snowed in, parenting, and the magic of simple joys
I asked Rachel who she’d be if she were snowed in on Christmas Eve.
She hopes the prepared version shows up — the one with all the gifts wrapped and ready — but mostly, she’d want to be outside playing with her daughter.
“It would be magical… seeing it through a child’s eyes just opens my heart.”
And like every parent everywhere, she laughed about toddlers loving the box more than the toy.
“It makes me appreciate it in a different way.”
What Rachel hopes viewers take with them
When audiences finish the movie, she hopes they carry one message:
“The impact that we all have on each other… one life that you touch impacts so many people.”
And honestly, that’s exactly the kind of sentiment Hallmark does best — the movies that remind you how much you matter to the world around you, even in small, unexpected ways.
You can catch The More the Merrier Friday, November 28 at 8/7c on Hallmark Channel.
It’s the perfect feel-good Christmas Eve-eve story, especially if you’re ready to lean into the found family, overflowing-heart, Buffalo Bills Cameo Era of Hallmark Christmas.
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