The Hallmark Channel continues to diversify its holiday content this year with the new sapphic film The Christmas Baby. This refreshing romantic drama is just the second Hallmark holiday movie to feature queer women as the main couple, and hopefully will encourage even more to follow in its footsteps. The Christmas Baby stars Ali Liebert and Katherine Barrell as a happily married couple whose lives are suddenly turned upside down when a baby is unexpectedly dropped into their lives with only an anonymous note to explain the situation. As the women give the baby a temporary home, their search for the birth mother leads them to reconsider their feelings and stances on family, love, and the future.
The Gist: Erin (Ali Liebert) and Kelly (Katherine Barrell) have been happily married for the last five years, settling into their lives and respective routines at their Albany home. In between fielding noise complaints from their grumpy neighbor, Mr. Seltzer (Robert Wisden), and navigating their jobs’ demands, the women must quickly prepare their home to host both of their large families for Christmas. Even just thinking about the overwhelming size and energy of their families makes Kelly grimace at the idea of kids, whereas Erin seems to quietly yearn for a child of their own. But between Erin’s busy gift-wrapping business and Kelly’s demanding, loud, and messy work as an artist, a kid doesn’t seem in the cards for them anyway.
However, that suddenly changes when a baby is dropped off at Erin’s shop after closing, with only an anonymous note written to Erin and Kelly saying that the newborn’s name is Nicholas, and the assurance that they’ll take good care of him. Erin rushes with baby Nicky to see Kelly accept a special award for her art at a local gala, and afterwards sits down with Kelly and their best friends, Travis (Andrew Hampton), Jennifer (Katrina Reynolds), and Andrew (Lukas Pfob) to discuss the situation. Together, the group attempts to track down Nicky’s mysterious birth mother, all while Erin and Kelly watch over the baby with the help of their mothers, Joyce (Rebecca Staab) and Angie (Caitriona Murphy). Erin has already grown attached to little Nicky, but Kelly still seems reluctant to get too close and calls in Department of Youth and Families employee, Betty Mitchell (Barbara Niven), to help find the baby a more permanent home.
But the more time that passes, the more that Erin and Kelly are forced to rethink their views of family, life, and love, leading Erin to seriously consider adoption, while Kelly has her own crisis of conscience. Will this loving couple ultimately decide to take the difficult yet rewarding path towards officially adopting, or will they decide to maintain their comfortably child-free lifestyle for the foreseeable future? You’re going to have to watch this sweet story to find out!
What Movies Will It Remind You Of? You might be reminded of Hallmark’s other holiday movie featuring a lesbian central couple, the 2023 rom-com Friends & Family Christmas. And we can’t forget to mention Happiest Season, Kristen Stewart’s trailblazing entry in the lesbian Christmas canon from 20202.
Performance Worth Watching: Both Ali Liebert and Katherine Barrell are so wonderful in leading this movie together that it’s impossible to choose just one of them. They imbue so much genuine warmth, love, and vulnerability into Erin and Kelly that you can’t help but be entranced and affected by them every time they’re onscreen.
Memorable Dialogue: There were plenty of fun lines to choose from, but I especially enjoyed this amusing little back-and-forth between Travis, Andrew, and Jennifer:
“Twenty bucks she’s in that seat before Kelly accepts that award.”
“I will so take that bet. Andrew, you want in?”
“I direct children’s theater. Do you think I can spare an extra $20?”
“He’s right, he’s broke.”
A Holiday Tradition: Erin and Kelly both come from large families that combine to celebrate big, delightfully rowdy Christmases together. This is the first year that the wives will host the gathering at their own house, and hopefully it’s the start of a whole new tradition!
Does The Title Make Any Sense? The movie is about a baby delivered to a couple around Christmastime, so The Christmas Baby is perfectly apt.
Our Take: I have found myself thoroughly charmed by The Christmas Baby. From Topher Payne’s tight, humorous, and thoughtful writing to Eva Tavares’s skilled directing, to the entire cast’s great performances across the board, there’s a lot to love about this movie. Sometimes, Hallmark characters can feel like half-baked caricatures of actual people you could meet in real life, but that isn’t the case with The Christmas Baby, which is full of likable characters (even that seeming-curmudgeon Mr. Selzter!) and compelling plotlines.
This story is well-crafted and adeptly acted enough to feel authentic and deeply human, making it engaging and affecting from start to finish. And perhaps best of all is the wholesome and sincere LGBTQ+ representation that we don’t always see a lot of on the Hallmark Channel. Over the past few years, though, we’ve definitely seen the platform attempt to depict a wider, more diverse array of stories and experiences. Hopefully, the success that is The Christmas Baby means that there will be many more of these inclusive and creative Hallmark tales to come!
Our Call: Bolstered by strong writing and performances as well as queer talent both in front of and behind the camera, The Christmas Baby is a heart-warming and entertaining movie you won’t want to miss this holiday season. STREAM IT!
How To Watch The Christmas Baby
The only way to watch Hallmark Channel live without cable is by using a live TV streaming service. We recommend DIRECTV, which comes with a five-day free trial before payment begins.
DIRECTV offers a number of flexible subscription options, including Genre Packs, so you can best choose which streaming plans fit your needs and budget. Plans start at $49.99/month.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! (At least, that’s what Andy Williams promised.) The holidays are a time to celebrate with family, friends, food, and, let’s not forget, fun things to watch. Whether you’re huddled up with the whole family in your living room or cozying up under the covers with your tablet, let Decider be your guide to all things festive this holiday season.
Maddy Casale is a Chicago-based writer and comedian who covers everything from animated series to Hallmark movies. Follow her on Duolingo @MCasale.