Entertainment

'Facts of Life' cast reunites for Lifetime holiday movie

The girls from Eastland boarding school are back together for a Lifetime holiday movie.

Kim Fields, who is the executive producer of "You Light Up My Christmas" has brought together Lisa Whelchel, Mindy Cohn and Nancy McKeon -- her former castmates from the 80s show -- to star in the made-for-TV movie.

The film is part of Lifetime's "It's a Wonderful Lifetime," and will be shown on Dec. 1.

Fields, who played Dorothy Ramsey, better known as Tootie, on "Facts of Life," calls the other women her sisters. The show started as a spin-off of "Diff'rent Strokes" and ran from 1979 to 1989, CNN reported.

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While they may not be reprising the roles of Tootie, Blair, Natalie and Jo, the women did work with Fields and her production company to come up with the names of the characters in their latest project and even worked on the characters' wardrobes, Fields told People magazine.

Charlotte Rae, who played housemother Edna Garrett on both shows, died last year, but she will still be part of the new movie.

"I also had the production name the ice-skating rink in the movie after our dear friend, Charlotte Rae, who passed away last year," Field told People magazine.

"You Light Up My Christmas" is inspired by a real-life event of a woman who returns to her hometown that usually glistens with the holiday spirit, but has gone dark two weeks before Christmas. She brings back the holiday lights and reconnects with a former boyfriend just in time for the holiday, People magazine reported.

Lifetime begins "It's a Wonderful Lifetime" programming on Friday and runs through Dec. 25.