Benjamin Hollingsworth is trading movie sets for real-life holiday magic this year. Fresh off filming Virgin River Season 7 and promoting his new movie The Christmas Ring, the actor is preparing for a big family Christmas with his wife Nila and their three kids — plus his siblings and all their little ones — in a rented holiday house packed with festive chaos.
Hollingsworth says his own childhood Christmases were equally memorable, especially the family’s ambitious fondue nights. One year, a flaming fondue pot and a rogue placemat nearly burned the house down — an incident he jokingly admits was “probably” his fault.
Now, as a dad to Hemingway, Gatsby, and Juniper, the holidays have a new meaning. With kids still enchanted by Santa, he says the season brings back long-forgotten memories and plenty of joyful noise. From chaotic cookie-baking to hunting for their own Christmas tree (complete with a tarp and tree-dragging harness), the Hollingsworth household is basically a holiday movie in motion.
His kids even appeared in the background of The Christmas Ring, where the set’s gingerbread-decorating day made for a perfect first peek into Dad’s world.
The family recently wrapped a dreamy Hawaiian vacation in Kaua’i — snorkeling, canoe sailing, surfing, and spotting plenty of Virgin River fans along the way.
A real-life festive adventure, complete with big family energy, homemade traditions, and just enough mishaps to keep it fun — exactly the kind of Christmas Hollingsworth would star in on screen.
