It has become a sweet ritual between James Van Der Beek and his TV mother Dawson’s CreekMaria-Margaret Humes.

On Friday, March 8, as James celebrated his 47th birthday, the married father of six spent part of his day waiting for a special package from the actress, who played his on-screen mother Gail Leery during the six seasons of the show (1998-1998). 2203).

“It’s my birthday and I just got a package from Fed Ex, it just arrived today from Mary-Margaret Humes, who played my mother on Dawson’s Creek,” Van Der Beek shared in an Instagram post, before revealing that she sent him a new package. baked cookies on his birthday in recent years.

In the caption of the post, he went on to talk about the inspiration behind Hume’s generosity.

‘Since my mother passed away, my TV mother has baked me cookies every year on my birthday. It doesn’t matter that I’m now older than she was when we first worked together, or that I moved to Texas,” he wrote.

“She bakes them, finds me, and does it from the bottom of her heart – and it always warms mine.”

Dressed in a black T-shirt and a black and white baseball cap over his shorter blonde locks, Van Der Beek has a big smile on his face as he looks straight into the camera to tell this heartwarming story.

“Of all the boys who have ever been on television, I definitely had the best TV mom,” the actor continued on camera. “Mary Margaret, thank you very much. I love you.’

Then, out of nowhere, Van Der Beek’s wife of thirteen years, Kimberly, jumps into the camera’s frame and shouts, “I love you too” to her husband’s TV mom.

“To all the sweet, wonderful, loving women on #internationalwomensday who – mother or not – show the kind of love that lights up the lives of those around them,” the Cheshire, Connecticut native added in the post. ‘@thereal_marymargarethumes #dawsonscreek #cookies #moms #kindness’

It appears this was the fourth time she sent her TV son a plate of homemade cookies, as his real-life mother, Melinda Van Der Beek, passed away in July 2020 at the age of 70.

Van Der Beek, who played Dawson Leery, first met Humes when they were preparing for the first season of Dawson Creek when he was twenty years old.

The teen series, which followed the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, would become a big hit with viewers.

Van Der Beek starred alongside Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, Joshua Jackson, John Wesley Shipp, Mary Beth Peil, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, Meredith Monroe, Busy Philipps and of course Hume.

In a heartfelt tribute on social media following the death of his mother, the actor opened up about the loss as he shared a series of photos of his mother, who was a professional dancer and gym teacher.

‘My mother crossed over last week. Even though we knew this was coming – and actually thought we were at the end almost a year and a half ago – I’m still in shock,” he shared his words with clear emotion.

‘I’m grateful that she’s no longer in pain, I’m sad, I’m angry, I’m relieved…all at the same time and at different times. I just try to hold space and make everything possible,” he said of his grief.

He went on to describe her as “Miss Melinda” to her gymnastics students, a woman with a “big heart and creative mind” who lived by the mantra, “There’s no such thing as can’t!”

The grateful son credited his mother with giving him life and pushing him to his first auditions no matter what.

“She believed in me based on nothing more than her own intuition, and she passed on a craziness that was crucial not only to my success, but to my own personal happiness,” he admitted.

He would end the heartbreaking post by sending a message about how his mother will forever watch over his children and her students.

“All I know is that when my children – or one of her students – want to dress up, or be on stage, or dance, or even think about her… they need a little extra love from the other will get side. they support.”

By Ashleigh Gray for Dailymail.Com

Published: 10:59 PM EST, December 18, 2023 | Updated: 01:12 EST, December 19, 2023