Hannah Swensen (2024)

Biography[]

She is the daughter of Delores Swensen, and sister of Michelle and Andrea. She shares ownership of The Cookie Jar bakery with Lisa Herman located in Lake Eden, Minnesota. Hannah shares her apartment with her beloved (once stray) orange and white, 23-pound, half-blind cat Moishe. She was born in July and is 29 at the start of the series.

Early Years[]

Growing up as the oldest girl she helped her mother with her two younger sisters and developed a love of baking and creating her own recipes.

She’d worked summers in her father’s hardware store. Lake Eden Hardware, owned by her father and his father before him. It was sold after her father died.

Hannah's father died when she was away at college, she comes home to help settle his affairs. She stayed to help her mother and sister's cope, even though she was close to getting her doctorate with an English major.

Hannah doesn't have much experience with men. Other than Bradford Ramsey she had two dates while in college, both first dates only. In HS she had no dates, her father bribed a boy to take her to the Prom. All of that has led to a lack of confidence concerning every aspect of dating and her appearance. She has always been easy prey for a certain type.

The only date she’d had in high school was one her father had arranged for her. She’d been very excited when Cliff Schuman had asked her to be his date for the senior prom until she’d learned that her father had promised Cliff a summer job...^[1]

Personality[]

Outgoing and friendly, Hannah is wise but has a sarcastic, dry sense of humor and a lack of tact. She attempts to restrain herself from saying the wrong things to others- even if it means laying it on thick to get answers or if she's speaking to someone she dislikes, but she has a tendency to put her foot in her mouth anyway. She has a fiery temper and will speak her mind, being impulsive when it comes to snap decisions. But when it comes to romance she is conservative and takes her time to avoid being hurt like in the past. She can also be tricky and persuasive when necessary.

When an acquaintance might need a little advice, Hannah's always available. She has a logical mind and is well versed in certain subjects that surprise the listener. As always, she invites the person to share the problem and first offers a relaxing cup of fresh hot coffee with a side of cookies. To Hannah, these are essential ingredients for a serious conversation.

Appearance[]

Hannah is an adult woman in her late twenties-early thirties. She is described as having frizzy, hard to manage red hair that she hardly puts much effort into maintaining unless necessary. She is tall and struggles with an extra 10 to 20 lbs and usually wears comfortable clothing like sweats and T-shirts with food-based phrases and pair them with pants and a pair of boots or sneakers. She isn't into name brand labels and wears things past their average life-span until forced to get rid of them or when her mother intervenes and buys something for her.

She has become friends with her business neighbor, Claire Rodgers who owns Beau Monde Fashions. Claire picks out all of Hannah's good occasion clothes and gives her a "Good Neighbor" discount.

Trivia[]

• In the Hallmark Movies she is portrayed by Alison Sweeney.
• Hannah has a vanity license plate that reads COOKIES.
• Hannah has been in a handful of relationships during college:
  • Bradford Ramsey, an assistant professor in her poetry seminar who she gave her virginity to. But after finding out he had a fiancée she dumped him.
  • An Astronomy major.
• When she was younger she wanted to become a ballerina.
• Ross called Hannah “Cupcake”, an old college nickname that he resurrected in Double Fudge Brownie Murder. After they became engaged, he started calling her “Cookie”, beginning in Wedding Cake Murder, but the same reason was given, that he started calling her that in their college days.

References[]