Jen Lilley knows that, like her former Days of Our Lives character, she has a reputation. But whereas Theresa was the living embodiment of

a hot mess, Lilley’s rep has more to do with her absolute love of the holiday season. “I feel like my life is Christmas,” she admitted during

our recent chat. “I have so many Christmas trees that I had to start giving them away to charities that I love. I’m like the Oprah of Christmas trees! You get a tree, and you get a tree!”Days jen lilley on hallmark’s home & family

And yes, she has a Christmas tree in the kitchen. “What are you supposed to look at while you’re baking all the cookies?” she asked with a grin. Over the years, the multi-talented Lilley — who sings, acts, produces, writes and more — has also become known for holiday movies. But the one currently streaming across Amazon Prime, Apple TV and other services is… well, a little bit different, which is “something people kinda need to know,” she laughingly warned of Chrismystery. “It will not fill your house with holiday charm. It is quirky and weird and off-beat, which is exactly what drew me to it!”

Chrismystery finds her alter ego, Annie, serving as sheriff in a small town during the holiday season. To call Annie a curmudgeon would be putting it nicely, especially as she deals with “one crime after another that mean nothing to her. The whole town is full of off-beat characters, and she’s basically the straight man.”

Even as Lilley is chatting up the movie, she’s rolling out her first devotional, titled Wake Up Your Faith. “It’s purpose is to sort of re-center you in your faith, reframe your mind, reframe your purpose,” she explained. “My goal is that when people read it, they’ll actually feel seen, valued and loved.”

With so much on her plate, would Lilley contemplate carving out time for a return to Salem? (This is an especially valid question given the jaw-dropping way her last Days of Our Lives stint ended, with Emily O’Brien suddenly stepping into the role, all of which we spoke to Lilley about here.)

“It was super wild,” she reflected of the unexpected recast. “The whole thing was bizarre, but I don’t hold it against anybody. It was just sort of a huge concoction of miscommunication. But would I go back? Listen, I’ve always loved Theresa. She is my favorite character that I’ve ever played.”

So yes, she would “absolutely” go back. But there’s a bit of a caveat: For now, between raising four children under the age of nine and her assorted projects, any soap stint would have to be a short one. That said, “Would I go back when my kids are a little bit older? Of course!”