Mystic Christmas ⁞⁞ Christmas 2023

The Hallmark original Mystic Christmas tells the story of Juniper Jones, a veterinarian specializing in marine animals. She gets a call from her best friend Candice who is in need of someone to manage her aquarium's rescue center where an ill seal is being kept. The jet-setting Juniper takes the temporary position with the seal set to be returned to the wild by Christmas, allowing her a pit stop before she heads off to South Africa. The trip to the small village of Mystic forces her to cross paths with her one-time fling Sawyer (played by Chandler Massey), Candice's brother. Despite her initial hesitation, Juniper becomes entwined in the lives of the locals, including a trio of interns at the aquarium, Peter, Eric & Theresa and local baker Nick (played by Nick Jordan). While failing to avoid sparks with Sawyer, Juniper plays match-maker after learning that Eric (played by Ralph Adriel Johnson) and Nick are crushing on each other. The two guys bond over their knowledge of sweets and ultimately become a couple after Eric takes her advice. Eric supports Juniper's efforts to get the seal Peppermint healthy enough to return to the ocean throughout the film, as he and Nick bond at various town festivities, alongside Sawyer & Juniper. While they do not portray gay characters here, Chandler Massey & Eric Freeman, who plays Peter, have both portrayed queer characters on television before with Chandler starring on the soap opera Days of Our Lives and Freeman playing the love interest of drag performer Jorge on the short-lived CW series Katy Keane.