Queens of Christmas, now streaming on BET+, promises to be a thrilling and entertaining sleigh ride as Nancy, Julia, and Doris engage in a hilarious competition for the title of the Queen of Christmas. This film will also provide a unique perspective on the dynamics of rivalries within friendships.
This must-see BET+ original film boasts a stellar cast that includes Essence Atkins, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Terri J. Vaughn, Aasha Davis, Carl Gilliard, Gary Budoff, Rodney ‘Bear’ Jackson, and Hannah & Tyler Whitley. Their performances are bound to captivate and entertain viewers.
The movie project is also a cool experience for viewers to see real-life friends Calloway, Vaughn, and Atkins square up – taking extreme measures in decorating for the holiday.
Film Overview
Written by Chad Quinn and Kenny Young, who also directed the film, Doris (played by Vaughn) and Julia (played by Calloway) are lifelong friends and feuding neighbors who engage in a hilarious Queen of Christmas competition.
Atkins, who portrays Nancy, Doris’s obnoxious neighbor, is the champion of Christmas competitions. She consistently challenges them whenever she has the chance. Julia and Doris, however, are determined to get in on the Christmas decorating competition when an opportunity is presented to them to be on a reality TV show to showcase their “Tis the Season” decorating talent.
Viewers will witness the unfolding events as all the ladies fervently believe they embody the authentic essence of Christmas and are willing to go to any lengths to secure victory.
The Festive Frenzy of Christmas Decorating
The Exclusive Press (EP) interviewed some cast members to learn more about their enthusiasm for Christmas decorating and whether they take it to the extreme, like the three main characters.
Atkins shared that her son’s birthday falls on Christmas, and she keeps the decorations festive but not overboard.
“I just wanted it to feel festive. I want him to feel that I made the effort that the holiday is here…that the home is warm, [her son] feels represented, and Christ is represented as well,” the Deliver Us from Eva actress told The EP.
Although she’s not competitive like her character, she shared that some girlfriends are “Queens of Christmas” when it comes to decorating.
“They do things that I didn’t even think of,” Atkins said, amazed by her friends’ holiday decorating talent.
“I put forth the effort because I feel that it’s important to acknowledge what it is as a believer, and it’s a time, universally, we celebrate the birth of the savior and get ourselves in the mindset of what it is to be a service and reconcile, because that’s what Christ came to do,” she added.
On the other hand, Vanessa Calloway told the EP she likes to give her home a glow to bring that holiday warmth but doesn’t go overboard with it.
“I no longer put up a tree because my kids live down the street. I used to put up a tree, and they [two adult children] didn’t even pay attention to it.” Calloway said, “They were like, Where’s the tree?” Calloway quotes her children, “Because nobody [wanted] to help me put it up and take it down,” in response to her children inquiring about the Christmas tree.
“So, it’s just me and my husband; I told them [her children] when I start getting grandbabies, I start putting up the tree again,” she added.
Hannah Whitley, who plays Julia Mason’s daughter, Angela Mason, shared with the EP that she only gets overboard when playing Christmas games with her family. The fun trash-talking usually starts around Thanksgiving, Whitley said, as her family gets in competitive mode just in time for Christmas spirit.
Real-Life Queens of Christmas
The movie will make viewers ask themselves if they act like the Queen or King of Christmas or if they know of somebody like this. See what some of the cast members had to say:
The mother-in-law of Calloway’s daughter reigns herself as the queen of Christmas, according to the former All of My Children actress, while she proudly claims the title of queen of Thanksgiving. Calloway stated that the essence of being the “Queen of Christmas” lies in your love and dedication to the holiday that brings joy to yourself and your loved ones.
Vaughn doesn’t consider herself the queen of any holidays. “I am definitely not the queen of Christmas. I’m just a queen,” said the Steve Harvey Show actress.
Asha Davis, who plays Lilly McNight in the film—the personal assistant to the “Godfather of Black Cinema,” Patrick St. Thomas—views herself as an expert in holiday preparations. However, due to her hectic schedule, she struggles with putting up decorations early.
Meanwhile, some of the male cast members mentioned that their wives are the queens of Christmas. Gary Budoff, who portrays Patrick Saint Thomas, expresses his wife’s love for the holidays and her extravagant celebrations while he takes on the role of the king of cleanup. Bear Jackson, who plays Julia Mason’s husband, experiences the Queen of Christmas on and off screen. He humorously claimed to be the Christmas elf, helping his wife gather last-minute holiday items from the store and positioning the tree.
The Real Epitome of Christmas
As the three main characters become engrossed in their hilarious and over-the-top competition, they lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas. However, they rediscover the holiday spirit throughout the film, leading to a heartwarming and inspiring journey that will resonate with viewers.
“You’re going to have some disagreements [with family and friends], but it should always be the love that brings you back,” Calloway said.
“Only with your friends and sister [do you] fight and come back because you can be honest with [each other] because you love them and coming from a place of love,” she added.
Atkins added that she was drawn to the movie because of its message of sisterhood, which she says is crucial to remembering what matters, especially during the holidays.
With peers in the film industry, she said competing for the same jobs is competitive. Atkins said she doesn’t consider it competition when she doesn’t get the role. For instance, the “Are We There Yet?” actress shared that she had auditioned for the role of Yvette in the 2001 John Singleton film Baby Boy and didn’t get the role. Instead, she saw it as not being meant to be but a paramount opportunity coming her way.
“It’s the love and the championing of one another, and this movie does that in spades, and that’s part of the reason we said yes to the film project,” Atkins said of her friends, Vaughn and Calloway and herself working on the project.