The Hallmark Channel will feature two movies this Christmas season with lead LGBT characters, marking the second straight year that its holiday film lineup has included gay or lesbian characters as the focus of the plot.

Christmas on Cherry Lane, which premiers Dec. 9, will tell the story of three couples, one of them gay. A Hallmark plot summary reads: "A young couple preparing to welcome their first child (John Brotherton, Erin Cahill); an empty-nester (Catherine Bell) and her fiancé (James Denton) ready to start a new chapter; and a couple (Jonathan Bennett, Vincent Rodriguez III) who unexpectedly have the chance to expand their family on Christmas Eve celebrate the holiday as they navigate these turning points in their lives."

Friends & Family Christmas, which premiers Dec. 17, will star Humberly Gonzalez and All Liebert and follow the story of a lesbian couple. The plot summary reads: "Daniella (Gonzalez) 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 (Liebert) 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 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."

The Hallmark Channel broke new ground in 2022 with its first Christmas movie, The Holiday Sitter, with LGBT characters in the lead.

Hallmark's strategy has differed from that of rival Great American Family, which has pledged to stick to more traditional plots with its films.

Asked in 2022 by The Wall Street Journal if Great American Family will include LGBT couples in its plots, Bure said it would not.

"I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core," Bure said.

This season, Great American Family's "Great American Christmas" lineup includes a record 20 films -- two more than last season. Great American Media CEO Bill Abbott told Christian Headlines that the growing network wants to champion faith-based content.

"The way [faith is] positioned in the mainstream media, being a person of faith isn't always a flattering portrayal," he said. "And in our case, we really want to reinforce the elements of faith."

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