Jennifer Love Hewitt has revealed she spends every Christmas morning sobbing in the shower, despite it being her favorite time of year.
He has also jokingly hinted that his ancestry may be the key to his outlook on life.
The actress, 45, is a self-confessed “holiday addict,” taking every opportunity to celebrate a holiday, from Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day to Easter, the Fourth of July and Halloween.
And while December is “the most magical month of all,” he says it’s also the most “emotionally complicated.”
“It is pure, charming, exciting and brings both joy and sadness,” she writes in her new book. Inheriting magic‘because for every person who feels connection, another feels loss. For every couple in love, someone feels alone. For every perfect family, there is a broken one.’
The source of Hewitt’s sadness is the tragic death of his mother in 2012, after a battle with cancer.
And she recently broke her silence about the heartbreak of learning that the media had learned of the death before she did.
The actress was then traveling to Monaco to attend the 52nd Monte Carlo Television Festival and only after landing her flight did she learn that her mother, Patricia, 67, had fallen into a coma.
In his book, he writes: “I felt like a nightmare and I was begging to wake up…this couldn’t be happening.”
Hewitt says she has at least three mom crises: ‘Can I get it all done on time?’ and “a big ‘I miss my mom’ cry in the shower” every Christmas (pictured in the 9-1-1 series)
The source of Hewitt’s sadness is the tragic death of his mother in 2012, following a battle with cancer.
“I was able to get on the next flight and get home, but I never had a chance to say goodbye.”
The actress’s parents divorced when she was just six months old and she describes how her mother had used the idea of magic to cope with her own grief.
‘It was also the way she expressed her love, through special moments, thoughtful touches and a deep belief that even in difficult times magic can exist.
“My mom overcame her pain and turned it into joy, magic and explosive love for us every day.”
So when Patricia passed away, she says, she was convinced all the magic was gone.
‘Magic would be something in my past. And for the first time, magic couldn’t help me get over the incredible pain I was feeling.
‘When I cried, I thought I had lost that magic because I lost her. Instead, he left me an unforgettable gift that engraved in my heart: his magic.’
Among her family traditions is toasting with her husband’s ‘famous Christmas cocktail’ once the tree has been decorated.
Hewitt has now taken up the ‘magical mantle’ for her family: husband Brian Hallisay and children Atticus, Aidan and Autumn.
She stars alongside her husband and children in the new Lifetime movie, The Holiday Junkie.
She has now taken charge of her family: husband Brian Hallisay, 46, daughter Autumn, 10, son Atticus, nine, and son Aidan, three.
And, in honor of her mother’s favorite time of year, she goes all out for Christmas.
“I truly believe that Ancestry.com has proof that I am descended from either an elf or Claus himself,” he writes. ‘It’s my favorite time of year, and yet it still brings me at least three questions from Mom: “Can I finish everything on time?” and a big “I miss my mom” cry in the shower.
And while her children search the sky on Christmas Eve, looking for a sign that Santa is on the way, she says she’s looking for a sign that her mom is still with her.
“As a child, I remember my mother shining differently during that time of year.”
However sad she feels, she says, “The magic of December really brings me back to life.”
Her family traditions include toasting with her husband’s ‘famous Christmas cocktail’ once the tree is decorated.
“Him sitting in his chair and reading surrounded by the warm glow of the lights, and us sleeping among our decorations, fills my heart with joy and gives me such a comforting feeling.”
He also reveals his all-time favorite Christmas movies that he sits down to watch once the presents are wrapped.
‘It’s my favorite time to put on The Holiday or Love Actually and remember what we ordered everyone!’
The actress’s parents divorced when she was just six months old and she describes how her mother had used the idea of magic to cope with her own grief.
Hewitt found fame as a child actor on the 1989 television show Kids Incorporated.
He had a starring role in the horror film I Know What You Did Last Summer.
“I truly believe that Ancestry.com has proof that I am descended from either an elf or Claus himself,” he writes.
Her mother’s love of Christmas has even inspired a new film, The Holiday Junkie, which Hewitt directs and stars in alongside her husband and children.
Patricia, who worked as a speech therapist, brought her daughter from Waco, Texas, to Los Angeles in 1989 to break into show business; Hewitt began appearing on the show Kids Incorporated that year, and later began playing roles on the television show Party of Five and the film I Know What You Did Last Summer.
In a 2022 post marking the 10th anniversary of her mother’s death, she wrote: “Someone told me after losing my mother that the first year would seem impossible, the years after that would make me stronger, and then the 10-year mark It would be an open wound.” all over again, because it would be crazy to have been without her for so long. They were right.
“I will never forget not being able to say goodbye,” he added. “I’ll never forget walking into her house that day and hoping that she would somehow come back around the corner, waking up the next day after praying that it was all a bad dream.
“The countless times I accidentally called her when something good or bad happened because I forgot I couldn’t answer.”
This is the first time he has spoken in such detail about his mother and the rich legacy she left: “Honestly, I had never said much about my mother after she died, because I didn’t have the words.”
“I just didn’t know what to say, and this seemed like the right time to talk about her and say, ‘This is what she left behind.'”
Inheriting Magic: My Journey Through Grief, Joy, Celebration, and Making Every Day Magical by Jennifer Love Hewitt is published by BenBella Books