''The Christmas House'' is a

made-for-television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

produced for the

Hallmark Channel The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies and ...

. A Christmas-themed

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

, it was directed by

Michael Grossman Michael N. Grossman is an American film and television director. He has directed a number of episodes from dozens of different television series, including ''Grey's Anatomy'' and the backdoor pilot ("The Other Side of This Life") of its spin- ...

. It features an ensemble cast, including

Sharon Lawrence Sharon Elizabeth Lawrence (born June 29, 1961) is an American actress who played Sylvia Costas Sipowicz in the ABC drama series ''NYPD Blue''. The role garnered her three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a ...

and

Treat Williams Richard Treat Williams (born December 1, 1951) is an American actor, writer and aviator who has appeared on film, stage and television in over 120 credits. He first became well known for his starring role in the 1979 musical film '' Hair'', and la ...

as a wife and husband who invite their two adult sons (played by

Robert Buckley Robert Earl Buckley (born May 2, 1981) is an American actor, known for his roles as Major Lillywhite on The CW's comedy-drama series '' iZombie'' from 2015 until 2019, Kirby Atwood on NBC's comedy-drama series '' Lipstick Jungle'' and Clay Evans ...

and Jonathan Bennett) to come back home for Christmas and recreate a past family tradition. It premiered on November 22, 2020. ''The Christmas House'' was the first Hallmark movie to prominently feature a

same-sex couple A same-sex relationship is a romantic or sexual relationship between people of the same sex. ''Same-sex marriage'' refers to the institutionalized recognition of such relationships in the form of a marriage; civil unions may exist in countries ...

Plot

Bill (

) and Phylis (

) have been married for many years. They invite their two adult sons, Mike (

) 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. 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 Ana C. Ayora (born July 8, 1983) is an American actress best known for her role as Nuria Soto in the 2013 film ''The Big Wedding'' and as Deputy Nina Cruz in the Cinemax original series ''Banshee''. She also appeared in the 2019 film '' Captain Ma ...

) 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

as Mike, an actor, Bill and Phylis's son and Brandon's brother *

as Andi, Mike's friend and neighbor from their high school days *

as Bill, Phylis's husband and Mike and Brandon's father *

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 Christopher Gauthier (born 27 January 1976) is an English-born Canadian actor best known for his work in '' Need for Speed: Carbon''. He had a recurring role on the SyFy Channel series ''Eureka'', as Café Diem owner Vincent. While filming the fi ...

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. ''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. In December 2019, some months prior to the broadcast of these films, the Hallmark Channel aired some commercials for

Zola Zola may refer to: People * Zola (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * Zola (musician) (born 1977), South African entertainer * Zola (rapper), French rapper * Émile Zola, a major nineteenth-century French writer Plac ...

, a wedding services company. Some of the ads showed two brides kissing at their

same-sex wedding Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

. After complaints from One Million Moms, an organization that is part of the

American Family Association The American Family Association (AFA) is a Christian fundamentalist 501(c)(3) organization based in the United States.

, Hallmark stopped showing the commercials, only to face a backlash from supporters of

LGBTQ rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, Bisexuality, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the Capital punishment for homosexualit ...

. 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."

Sequel

A sequel titled ''The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls'' premiered on December 18, 2021.

Awards

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

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Christmas House, The 2020 films 2020 LGBT-related films 2020 television films American LGBT-related television films Christmas television films Gay-related films Hallmark Channel original films 2020s American films