As we all know very well, Hollywood in past years has been sorely lacking in movies with LGBTQ+ representation, let alone holiday-themed LGBTQ+ movies. However, 2020 seems to have been the exception— at least 7 new holiday movies and TV shows featuring queer leads and/or characters have premiered since mid-November.
This year, both Hallmark and Lifetime announced their first ever holiday rom-coms with gay leads, The Christmas Setup & The Christmas House. Hopefully these premieres spell progress for the future of intersectional representation in the media & beyond.
In any case, before you peruse this sudden overwhelming plethora of LGBTQ+ holiday content available at your fingertips, check out our reviews of four of our favorites from recent years. If you end up watching them, let us know what you think!
Happiest Season – Stream on HULU
Happiest Season has everything a holiday rom-com should— plenty of snow, a holiday themed drag show, and Kristen Stewart. As someone who never watched the Twilight series, I can now finally say I understand the buzz about her. In Happiest Season, Stewart plays Abby (😍), following her story as she prepares to propose to her girlfriend at her family holiday gathering but soon finds that her girlfriend has yet to come out to her family. What could possibly go wrong? This feel-good family-appropriate rom-com is full of laughs and, admittedly, tears. Though overtly light-hearted, it also touches on some heartfelt themes for LGBTQ+ audiences. If you’re not crying by the end of the movie, you’re not doing it right. And if you haven’t seen this one yet, add it to your list!
-Anna S.
Let It Snow – Stream on Netflix
On Christmas Eve in small-town Illinois, more than snow is in the air. In Let it Snow, friends and strangers come together to find love during a winter storm. The movie has all the cheese of a classic holiday flick, following a group of teens on their adolescent escapade to plan a party. It’s complete with an aspiring DJ, a stolen keg, and a budding lesbian romance. Along the way, members of the group kindle new relationships and foster old ones, learning more about themselves in the process. Tin Foil Woman (Joan Cusack), a kind stranger with a tow truck, is there to lend a hand through the main characters’ struggles and remind them of the magic that Christmas brings. This feel good rom-com provides much needed representation for the LGBTQ+ community and is the perfect movie to warm your heart this holiday season.
-Shannon C.
The Christmas Setup – Available on Lifetime
Lifetime made history by finally premiering their first LGBTQ+ movie, The Christmas Setup, this past December. The movie stars Ben Lewis, Blake Lee, and Fran Drescher. I was very pleased to find that the gay characters in the movie are not tokenized, as their character development exceeded just the detail of their sexuality. But the rest of the movie still carries all the classic festive features you would hope, and is just as sappy as they come.
The Christmas Setup tugged on certain parts of my own past, and I’m sure did the same with many LGBTQ+ viewers. Throughout the movie we see not one, but two kisses from our leading men, which is rare for a Christmas movie, and is a huge step towards normalizing same-sex intimacy on screen. If you are looking for a feel good holiday movie, you don’t want to miss this one.
-Jordan H.
The Christmas House – Available on Hallmark Channel
The Mitchells are throwing a Christmas house extravaganza and everyone in the family is called in to participate. Mike (Robert Buckley), Brandon (Jonathan Bennett), Bill (Treat Williams), Phyllis (Sharon Lawrence) and company showcase all the classic Hallmark rom-com charm, while capturing the audience’s heart with a raw and relatable family dynamic and a positive message. Not only is it authentic, but Halmark truly delivered in terms of queer representation in the film, featuring a gay couple (who by the way are #CoupleGoals) in a leading role—a first for Hallmark history. But like every family, there’s more that goes on beneath the surface. Brandon and his husband Jake (Brad Harder) are trying to adopt but haven’t told their families yet in case things fall through. The TV network Mike works for decided not to renew his show and can’t bring himself to break the news to anyone. To make matters more complicated, parents, Bill and Phyllis, decide to sell the family house and hire Mike’s crush Andi, a real estate agent, to help. If you’re looking for a refreshing holiday movie this season, put The Christmas House at the top of your list!
-Crissy L.