Quinta Brunson Said Abbott Elementary's Season 5 Christmas Episode Will Be 'A Game Changer,' And I Have A Few Wild Guesses About Why

Quinta Brunson sitting with her hands clasped together on the table in Abbott Elementary.

(Image credit: Disney/Gilles Mingasson)

School is almost back in session on the 2025 TV schedule, and we’re getting close to returning to Abbott Elementary for Season 5. That means more shenanigans from the staff and big life developments outside the classroom that impact the work inside the walls of Abbott. Now, Quinta Brunson has confirmed that this year’s Christmas episode will be “a game changer,” and that’s left me guessing about why.

What Quinta Brunson Said About Abbott Elementary’s Upcoming Christmas Episode

Abbott Elementary loves a holiday episode, that’s no secret, and Brunson confirmed that that will continue in Season 5. She also specified during an interview with EW that the Halloween and Christmas episodes will be big this year. While the October holiday will take them out of school, the Janine actress said there will be more than one reason to celebrate when Christmas comes, saying:

For the Christmas episode, we are celebrating more than one thing on Christmas. Our Christmas episode is going to be a game changer. A lot's gonna change after this Christmas episode.

Now, what could be so big that it’s considered a game-changer? Well, I have a couple of wild guesses that have to do with Gregory and Janine’s relationship, and I can’t help but wonder if I’m on to something here.

Could Janine And Gregory Get Engaged?

After sharing a kiss in Season 2, Gregory and Janine officially became an item at the end of Season 3 and were a solid and HR official couple for all of Season 4 (to recap all that, you can stream the show with a Hulu subscription). Brunson has said her and Tyler James Williams’ characters will be having big conversations this season without necessarily fighting, so that makes me think they’re endgame and leads me to my first (and wildest) guess. What if Gregory and Janine get engaged over Christmas?

Think about it, it’d make sense for it to happen when school isn’t in session, and by that point, they’ll have been together for a season and a half. It feels like they’re endgame, and Gregory (or even Janine) popping the question doesn’t feel out of the question. While it’s still kind of early in their relationship (which is why this feels a little crazy), if we need something big that changes the dynamic on the show, this could certainly do it.

To me, it’d be a welcome game-changer, and honestly, I hope it happens.

Could Janine And Gregory Move In Together?

Thinking more realistically, but still in the world of Gregory and Janine’s relationship, maybe the holiday season will mark the time they move in together. That feels more likely, and it’d be sweet to maybe see Tyler James Williams’ character gift Quinta Brunson's character a key to his home for Christmas.

It seems like a natural step in their relationship, and it’d present new challenges and highlights for the couple that would likely affect how they work, too. While it wouldn’t bear nearly as big as an engagement, it could also serve as something worth celebrating that could change Abbott Elementary going into the back half of Season 5.

Could The ‘Game Changer’ Have Nothing To Do With Them, And Have Everything To Do With The School?

Of course, I could be completely off base here, and this thing that Burnson is talking about could have nothing to do with Abbott’s power couple. We've seen plenty of game-changing and unpredictable moments on the show of both the positive and negative variety. I mean, last season, Ava got fired, and the repercussions of that caused ripples and questions for Janine, Gregory and all the other characters.

So, whatever happens at Christmas could be related to the school or one of the characters’ jobs. It could also involve another teacher’s personal life. However, we do know that whatever happens, it’ll be worth celebrating, and that makes me very happy and excited to see what they’ve cooked up for the holiday season.

However, we have a lot of school to get through before we get to that point. So, make sure to tune into Season 5 of Abbott Elementary when it premieres on ABC on Wednesday, October 1, at 8:30 p.m. ET.

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Riley Utley is the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. She has written for national publications as well as daily and alt-weekly newspapers in Spokane, Washington, Syracuse, New York and Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated with her master’s degree in arts journalism and communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Since joining the CB team she has covered numerous TV shows and movies -- including her personal favorite shows Ted Lasso and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She also has followed and consistently written about everything from Taylor Swift to Fire Country, and she's enjoyed every second of it.

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