Jonathan Bennett Reflects on 2024 Being ‘the Best Year of My Life’ and Details What He Wants to Accomplish in 2025 (Exclusive)

“I got to do so many things that I’ve always wanted to do,” the actor tells PEOPLE

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 03: Jonathan Bennett attends the People and Hallmark Media Countdown to People's Sexiest Man Alive event with The Cast of The Groomsmen and Finding Mr. Christmas on October 03, 2024 in New York City.
Jonathan Bennett in October 2024. Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty

Jonathan Bennett had a major 2024!

“It was probably the best year of my life,” the actor, 43, who rang in the New Year with Snapchat, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview.

“I got to do so many things that I’ve always wanted to do. I got to launch my new Hallmark show, Finding Mr. Christmas, I got to make my Broadway debut, I got to be in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade,” he continues.

“There were so many bucket list moments,” adds the Mean Girls alum.

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Jonathan Bennett
Jonathan Bennett in July 2024.Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

According to Bennett, he wants to go even bigger in his career in the new year.

“For 2025, I am going to work hard to try to find ways to match 2024 — or even beat it and make it better,” he explains.

One passion project he has his eyes set on is to step away from being in front of the camera and go behind it to “direct something,”

“That would be my next thing that I’d like to add to my bucket list,” he says, adding, “I’d love to direct a Christmas movie or romantic comedy.”

Jaymes Vaughan and Jonathan Bennett attend The 33rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards on April 02, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California.
Jaymes Vaughan and Jonathan Bennett in April 2022.Randy Shropshire/Getty

As for 2025 resolutions that involve his husband, Jaymes Vaughan, Bennett tells PEOPLE they want to find more ways to collaborate professionally.

“We got to do something super special [in 2024], which is, in my Hallmark Christmas movie that came out, Season’s Greetings from Cherry Lane, we actually got to use my husband’s Christmas song as the song of the movie,” he says.

“There was that moment when you are watching your Hallmark movie that you’re starring in, and then your husband’s voice comes in as the soundtrack,” Bennett, who married Vaughan in March 2022, continues. “I just thought it was such a neat moment, and it made me want to have more moments like that where we kind of intertwine our art together.”

He adds, “There’s literally no more perfect Hallmark moment than your husband’s song playing during the emotional part of your Hallmark movie.”