"It was the time of my life," Parris said. "It was so much fun. I'm a sucker for Christmas movies ever since I was a kid. It felt like a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows by the fireplace in pajamas, and everything was good."
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Parris came to his adopted home of Chicago to study acting at DePaul University, where he now teaches. He's appeared on major stages all over the city.
"This is where I cut my teeth, became a better actor, learned how to act, had my days when I sucked, learned from that, got better," he said.
Parris plays Uncle Bruce in "Christmas Again."
"He's so jovial and exciting and hopeful. He believes in the partnership he's in, his marriage to a beautiful man, which is how he married into the family. And he loves the family," Parris said. "He also is, like, trained in judo. He loves judo. He's an extension of who I want to be more of."
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Bruce's love of his family, Parris said, is a huge part of the real message of the movie.
"Family is a word that we fill in as people. It doesn't even matter if you're blood related, I've got so many people in my life that are family that are not blood related, that have been there for more me sometimes than the ones who are blood related," he said. "Stop trying to put it in that perfect little box, let it get messy because that's who we are as humans: beautiful messes."
And Parris had a message for the people of Chicago, too.
"The folks of Chicago, you know who you are, thank you for loving me, being there and being cool for me. Thank you, thank you, and thank you," he said.