Lifetime’s heartwarming Christmas movie “The 12 Days of Christmas Eve” brings family front and center.
Kelsey’s real-life daughter Spencer Grammer stars in the film as his daughter Michelle.
She was excited about the opportunity to work together on this film.
She also opened up about some of her favorite Grammer family holiday traditions.
How her father influenced her acting career
You starred in this film along with your father.
What was it like for you two to act together?
It was such a pleasure.
I had an incredible time working with him.
I have grown up watching him work.
It was a joy to actually be able to act with him.
I’ve always wanted to.
Had you two ever acted together before that?
I had done a little part in “Cheers,” but I was an extra.
I didn’t have any lines when I was 5, so I don’t think that counts.
So this was our first time really acting together, and I think I impressed my dad.
I think he was impressed.
I can’t say anything more positive about it.
That might be why we worked so well together.
Truly, he has always been an inspiration and influence on me.
Do you feel like that made it easier or helped drive the message home?
We have our own sort of banter.
I love my dad very much.
He was the person who raised me.
Will you be watching it together this season?
That’s the plan.
That’s the plan.
But crazy stuff happens with traveling.
Why real life can be harder than acting
Were there any challenges working with family?
I know people always talk about how working with family is impossible.
I found that to be quite the opposite.
All the work is easy.
The family stuff is a lot harder.
I think it takes a certain kind of person to be a performer and to live in a fantasy.
Part of my job is living in this fantasy world.
Sometimes, real life is harder.
It’s hard in general for everybody.
It’s “The 12 Days of Christmas Eve,” so he gets 12 chances at Christmas Eve.
It’s like “Groundhog Day.”
There were some scenes where I was like, “Yeah, normal Wednesday.
Your dad’s potentially dying.
Everyone does this, right?”
But it was really fun.
It was really fun.
It was incredibly less stressful than directing and producing a movie.
I was having a blast.
I [was] crying or laughing or running around getting hair and makeup done.
It was so much fun.
You have to prioritize, and it is hard to schedule those things.
[As] a parent, you get it wrong sometimes.
[Parenting] definitely is something you wish you could do better, always.
I think I could always be a better daughter.
I have a mentor who always talks about acting as a healing art form.
It heals parts of yourself when you’re not even expecting it.
I hope this movie does the same thing for people when they watch it.
Grammer family holiday traditions
What are the big takeaways you hope the audiences get from this film?
Live life every day like it’s your last.
That’s what I hope.
That doesn’t mean it’s easy to do.
I just mean [you should] try.
Just do your best, even if it’s just for a minute.
Just do one second, one minute of it.
Do you have any holiday traditions that are important to you?
This is a big question I get a lot.
I always watch “Elf,” and I always watch “Christmas Vacation.”
There are a few others.
I do always love to look at the window decorations, the window displays.
Those are some of the things that I love.
Ice skating in Central Park.
And in LA, the Rose Bowl [and] Rose Parade.
I’ve been in New York for the last five years.
I actually started playing guitar recently, so I did learn “Last Christmas” by Wham!
It’s quite easy, and it’s very fun to play.
I might bring that one to Christmas this year a live acoustic version at the holiday party.
Then we’ll watch “The 12 Days of Christmas Eve” again.
Clearly, that’s also part of our new tradition.
That’s the main struggle, especially when your kids are really young.
It’s my thesis.
It happens when you have to work, but you have to work.
But mostly, I’ve been around a lot.
Somebody said this to me recently.
I sort of live that way.
You do have to prioritize yourself at times.
You have to take care of yourself.
It’s hard, but I love being a mom.
It’s taught me how to love my parents even more, too.
It sucks when I can’t be there all the time, but it’s okay.
We’ll go to therapy later.
We’ll talk about it.
It’s kind of the same advice I got for parenting.
It’s a constant commitment to being creative.
You have to be willing to always strive for more.
If you’re struggling with getting on-camera work, you have to re-evaluate.
You have to keep pushing yourself and keep finding that place.
There’s enough space for everybody to be acting, but maybe not all at the same time.
It’s a life commitment, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
I truly love what I do.
I’m now going into directing and writing.
I think that’s a natural progression [of] storytelling.
It’s important to have more women in film, more women producing and directing.
Lifetime [offers] a great opportunity for that.
I think at least 50% of the directors of these holiday movies are women.
It’s really special.
What’s it like for you as an actor doing voice acting versus [being] on camera?
I love voice acting a lot.
But voice acting is …
I love making sounds of things.
I love imagining that there are aliens coming and I’m fighting people off.
You don’t get to make as many noises when you’re on-camera acting.
And I love that I get to be in a booth.
It is a joy.
I do love voice acting.
I did a narration job this summer for Google as well, which was also really fun.
I’ve been really [enjoying it].
I also love on-camera acting, but it’s a little more stressful for me.
You have hair and makeup.
You’re always on set, and you’re always with a lot of people.
So there’s something really freeing about being alone in your own little world that I love.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
