
Join us as we take a closer look at Hallmark’s first Christmas Romance with lesbian lead characters, Friends & Family Christmas.

The faux turned true romance story stars Humberly Gonzalez and Ali Liebert.
Synopsis
“Daniella has recently moved to New York to pursue an art career and decides to stay in town to share the holidays with her circle of artist friends, instead of going home to see her sweet, if overbearing parents. Amelia is a talented entertainment lawyer trying to stay focused on her work after a broken engagement. When Daniella and Amelia are set up by their parents, they agree to pretend that they are dating. In order to appease them for the holidays. However, as they spend time in each other’s worlds, they soon build a connection that is deeper than either of them could have hoped for.”
Cast
You may recognise Gonzalez from the CW’s In The Dark or Netflix hit show Ginny and Georgia. Humberly couldn’t hide her pride at being involved in the project and it means for the improving the relationship between Hallmark and the Queer community.
Here is what she said in one of her social media posts about the film:
“Leading an LGBTQ+ Hallmark Christmas Movie was not in my bingo cards ya’ll‼️👩🏼❤️💋👩🏽🎄🏳️🌈This feels like a full circle moment and the representation I always wanted to see,” she wrote. “A celebration of love. Queer love! Not just that but sharing the screen with a fellow queer actor who I adored from day one, my charming co-star @aliliebert💫 We had LGBTQ+ folk infront and behind the camera and it was one of the most glorious sets with the best vibes to step foot on…”
Liebert plays Amelia, she is a Canadian actress, producer and director with over two decades in the industry. She is best known for her role as Betty McRae in Bomb Girls for which she won a Leo Award.
The Bomb Girl star has been vocal in her desire to see more diverse roles for Hallmark titles. She touches on this in an interview with Newsisout.com
The cast includes Gabriela Reynoso, Christopher Shyer, Samantha Cole, Barclay Hope, Jeremy Hoffman, Kyle Toy, Belinda Metz, Sunita Prasad, and Patti Allan.
Location Location Location
Friends & Family Christmas filmed from September 11 until September 29 in Vancouver. In the Christmas romance the city plays New York.
Vancouver based director Anne Wheeler directed the project and Gary Goldstein and Tracy Andreen wrote. Liebert also served as one of the executive producers.
Friends & Family Christmas is available to stream on Peacock in the US.
SOURCE: Heavy.com