The Christmas House

The Christmas House is a made-for-television film produced for the Hallmark Channel. A Christmas-themed comedy-drama, it was directed by Michael Grossman. It features an ensemble cast, including Sharon Lawrence and Treat Williams as a wife and husband who invite their two adult sons (played by Robert Buckley and Jonathan Bennett) to come back home for Christmas and recreate a past family tradition. It premiered on November 22, 2020.

The Christmas House
Three couples depicted in Christmas tree ornaments
Written by
Directed byMichael Grossman
Starring
Music byMikel Hurwitz
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerCharles Cooper
CinematographyWilliam McKnight
EditorSaeed Vahidi
Release
Original releaseNovember 22, 2020 (2020-11-22)

The Christmas House was the first Hallmark movie to prominently feature a same-sex couple.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Plot

Bill (Treat Williams) and Phylis (Sharon Lawrence) have been married for many years. They invite their two adult sons, Mike (Robert Buckley) and Brandon (Jonathan Bennett) to stay with them for the two weeks leading up to Christmas, to revisit an old family tradition. They will transform the family house into "the Christmas house", with the entire home, inside and out, extensively decorated for Christmas.[7] Mike is an actor who stars in the television series Handsome Justice. Brandon is a baker, married to Jake (Brad Harder) who also comes to visit. Meanwhile, Mike's high school friend and former neighbor Andi (Ana Ayora) has moved back to town with her son Noah (Mattia Castrillo) following a divorce.

The family members each have issues that they are dealing with, that initially they do not tell each other about. Bill and Phylis have decided to sell the family house. Mike's TV show has not been renewed by the network. Brandon and Jake want to adopt a child, but their efforts have been unsuccessful. Despite these problems, the family members work together to revive their former holiday tradition.

Cast
  • Robert Buckley as Mike, an actor, Bill and Phylis's son and Brandon's brother
  • Ana Ayora as Andi, Mike's friend and neighbor from their high school days
  • Treat Williams as Bill, Phylis's husband and Mike and Brandon's father
  • Sharon Lawrence as Phylis, Bill's wife and Mike and Brandon's mother
  • Jonathan Bennett as Brandon, a baker, Bill and Phylis's son and Mike's brother
  • Brad Harder as Jake, Brandon's husband
  • Mattia Castrillo as Noah, Andi's son
  • Gabriela Reynoso as Elena, Andi's mother
  • Michelle Harrison as Kathleen, the showrunner of Handsome Justice
  • Chris Gauthier as Marvelous Jim, the owner of the magic store

Social context

The Christmas House was the first Hallmark Channel film to prominently feature a same-sex couple. In the movie, Brandon and Jake's relationship is fully accepted by their relatives and friends. The fact that they are gay is not discussed in the film, and they are shown as part of the extended family. In one scene, after a private discussion about their efforts to adopt a child, the two men share a romantic kiss.[4][5][6]

Wedding Every Weekend was the first Hallmark Channel movie to include a same-sex couple, though they were not part of the main story line. In that film – a romantic comedy that premiered on August 15, 2020, three months before The Christmas House – a man and a woman go to four weddings in four weeks. One of the weddings they attend is a marriage of two women.[8][9]

In December 2019, some months prior to the broadcast of these films, the Hallmark Channel aired some commercials for Zola, a wedding services company. Some of the ads showed two brides kissing at their same-sex wedding. After complaints from One Million Moms, an organization that is part of the American Family Association, Hallmark stopped showing the commercials, only to face a backlash from supporters of LGBTQ rights.[10] Hallmark reversed its decision and issued an apology, saying that the company was "committed to diversity and inclusion – both in our workplace as well as the products and experiences we create."[11]

Sequel

A sequel titled The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls premiered on December 18, 2021.[12][13][14][15]

Awards

The Christmas House was nominated for the 2021 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Movie.[16] The sequel The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls was likewise nominated for the 2022 GLAAD awards in the same category

References
  1. Lee, Ashley (November 22, 2020). "Finally, Hallmark's Holiday Fare Makes a Gay Couple 'Part of the Family'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  2. Stevens, Heidi (November 24, 2020). "Finally, a Gay Couple in a Hallmark Christmas Movie. and the Bigots Never Seemed Less Relevant". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  3. Jensen, Erin (September 23, 2020). "Hallmark Christmas Movie Features LGBTQ Storyline Starring Jonathan Bennett". USA Today. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  4. FitzPatrick, Hayley (November 20, 2020). "Jonathan Bennett Talks LGBTQ Representation in New Hallmark Movie, 'The Christmas House'". Good Morning America. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  5. White, Brett (November 22, 2020). "Stream It or Skip It: 'The Christmas House' on Hallmark Is the Best Hallmark Holiday Movie of the Year". Decider. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  6. Kelleher, Patrick (November 23, 2020). "'Intimate' Same-Sex Kiss in Hallmark's First Gay Christmas Movie Was Designed to 'Push Limits'". Pink News. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  7. Garber, Megan (December 17, 2021). "The Holiday-Rom-Com Fantasy Has Nothing to Do With Romance". The Atlantic. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  8. VanHoose, Benjamin (August 15, 2020). "Hallmark Channel's First Same-Sex Wedding to Air in New Original Movie Wedding Every Weekend". People. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  9. Henderson, Cydney (August 12, 2020). "Hallmark Channel Will Feature First Same-Sex Wedding in Upcoming Film Following Controversy". USA Today. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  10. Bruney, Gabrielle (December 15, 2019). "People Are Boycotting the Hallmark Channel After It Pulled Ads Featuring a Lesbian Couple". Esquire. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  11. Ortiz, Aimee (December 15, 2019). "Hallmark Channel Apologizes for Pulling Ads with Brides Kissing". The New York Times. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  12. Rude, Mey (September 24, 2021). "Christmas House 2 Is Making the Yuletide Gay Again for Hallmark". Out. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  13. Baer, Rebecca Angel (December 17, 2021). "Hallmark's Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls Is Laugh Out Loud Funny". Southern Living. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  14. White, Brett (December 18, 2021). "Stream It or Skip It: 'The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls' on Hallmark Doubles the Feels and the Fun". Decider. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  15. Cooper, Alex (December 17, 2021). "Jonathan Bennett and the Holiday Queerness of Hallmark's Christmas House 2". The Advocate. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  16. Oliver, David (January 28, 2021). "Ryan Murphy, Netflix Lead GLAAD Award Nominations – Plus, Hallmark Scores First Nod". USA Today. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
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