After a snowstorm prevents all the presents from being delivered to base, two rival marines must team up for a special mission…to save Christmas. Photo: Parker Young, Janel Parrish
Credit: ©2025 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Fred Hayes
If you’ve been looking for a new movie containing a military/holiday mashup, Hallmark has just the ticket.
In Christmas on Duty, Blair and Josh have been bitter rivals ever since they trained together at The Basic School in Quantico, where they were both at the top of the class, competing to be number one.
Three years later, their paths cross unexpectedly and they both assigned to Christmas Duty, where they’ll work through the Yuletide together…for 24 hours straight.
Janel Parrish (Pretty Little Liars) and Parker Young (Enlisted) star as Blair and Josh.
Young admits that he’s is a little conflicted about portraying someone in uniform, revealing, “I’ve done this a few times — playing someone in the military — and it feels very akin to stolen valor. You’re putting on a uniform and pretending to be someone in the military. I mean, it almost rubs me the wrong way.”
But, this is why he says that he goes to ‘great lengths to try and make sure that I earn that privilege of doing so.’
Living near a military facility in Coronado, California, Young has some firsthand knowledge to tap into. “I feel so fortunate to have been able to surround myself with members of the military. Coronado is where Navy SEALs go through training, so a lot of my best friends are part of the SEAL teams. And, man, I just hope that I can, through osmosis, attain a piece of the humility and sacrifice that these guys exhibit, and so, yeah, it’s a huge responsibility and a huge honor, and we don’t take it lightly, even when we’re doing a fun romantic movie.”
Parrish also has a personal connection to pull from, as she explains, “My sister is in the army. She’s a been in the military for a very long time, and so obviously I want to do her proud.”
For the film, the duo had to ‘battle’ a bit, they say, particularly in an obstacle course, but they both agree that it was all worth it.
“We just had the best time. I mean, truly, just laughing every day on set. It was so great,” says Young.
“It was, really, like the holidays are, a joy,” says Parrish.
Then she brings it back to her family, and the real meaning of Christmas, as she says, “My sister just loved that I played a member of the military. She said, ‘thank you for representing the military and military families and how difficult it can sometimes be around the holidays,’ and that really meant a lot to me.”
She adds, “Our goal was to not only represent service members authentically, but to make this film a love letter to our military, and I truly think we’ve done that.”
‘Christmas on Duty’ airs Saturday, November 1st at 8/7c on the Hallmark Channel, and is available for streaming on the Hallmark+ app.