20 Best LGBTQ Christmas Movies of All Time
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In the past, the LGBTQ community often found themselves relegated to the sidelines in Christmas movies, with secondary characters providing mere glimpses of diversity behind the main plot.
However, the landscape is changing, and with the growing emphasis on representation in the film industry, we now have a wealth of LGBTQ Christmas movies. Today, we will take a look at the best of these films, showcasing their uniqueness.
Unlike many traditional Christmas movies that focus on heteronormative relationships, LGBTQ Christmas films stand out with vibrant main characters and diverse perspectives, making them not only appealing to the LGBTQ community but also to anyone seeking a refreshing and enjoyable Christmas movie experience.
1. ‘Single All the Way’ (2021)
‘Single All the Way’ follows a familiar plot but with a delightful gay twist perfect for the Christmas season.
Peter, accompanied by his best friend, returns home to New Hampshire to feign a relationship and appease his nagging mother about his single status.
However, his mother’s attempt at an early Christmas gift takes an unexpected turn when Peter and his best friend find themselves developing genuine feelings for each other, challenging the initial pretense of their relationship.
2. ‘Under the Christmas Tree’ (2021)
While plenty of different LGBTQ Christmas movies focus on gay relationships between men, ‘Under the Christmas Tree’ is a beautiful love story centered on a lesbian couple, as Lifetime’s first attempt at a lesbian Christmas movie is actually a pretty good film you might want to catch.
Alma and Charlie cross paths with each other, when Charlie finds the perfect tree for the Maine Governor’s Holiday Celebration right in Alma’s back yard.
3. ‘Happiest Season’ (2020)
‘Happiest Season’ stars ‘Twilight’ star Kristen Stewart in a movie that was billed as a romantic comedy film but actually isn’t. It has a plot or genre that is quite unique to it, but that doesn’t take away the fact that this film is actually something you want to try to catch if you want to enjoy a good LGBTQ film this Christmas.
The good thing about ‘Happiest Season’ is that it comes with a heartwarming plot that goes well with an amazing cast, Aubrey Plaza and Mackenzie Davis, who are just as attractive as Kristen Stewart.
With standout performances from Kristen Stewart, Aubrey Plaza, and Mackenzie Davis, the film offers a heartfelt and engaging story.
4. ‘Christmas at the Ranch’ (2021)
‘Christmas at the Ranch’ presents a familiar plot with an LGBT twist, featuring a corporate woman who returns to her small hometown for the holidays, following the classic small-town girl-turned-city-girl cliché.
In a deviation from the traditional formula, the protagonist finds herself falling in love with the family ranch hand, creating a heartwarming romantic dynamic between two women. Despite the predictable plot and accompanying cheesiness, the film maintains its charm, making it a delightful watch for the holiday season.
5. ‘Imagine Me and You’ (2005)
While not strictly a Christmas movie, ‘Imagine Me & You’ was a trailblazer in mainstream LGBTQ romantic storytelling during a less diverse era in Hollywood. During her wedding, Rachel is drawn to Luce and becomes close friends with her.
She eventually learns that Luce is actually a lesbian, which intrigues Rachel even though she is happily married. This forces her to question her own sexual orientation, as she is falling for Luce.
6. ‘Season of Love’
‘Season of Love’ isn’t just a good song but is actually a good rom-com movie that explores lesbian relationships during the time of Christmas.
Essentially speaking, we can say that ‘Season of Love’ is kind of like the lesbian version of ‘Love Actually’ because of how it explores more than one focus couple.
7. ‘The Christmas Setup’ (2020)
Lifetime entered the LGBT Christmas movie scene with ‘The Christmas Setup.’ The movie explores the love story between two handsome and fit men who are actually husbands in real life. And while there might be a few moments of cliché in this film, we promise that this film has its merits.
‘The Christmas Setup’ follows Hugo, who has to go home to Milwaukee with his best friend so that they can enjoy Christmas together with his mom. He then runs into Patrick, who was once his teenage crush and is now a tech billionaire. Thanks to his pushy mom, Hugo was able to form a romantic relationship with Patrick.
8. ‘The Bitch Who Stole Christmas’ (2021)
Yes, this is a RuPaul movie. This is actually RuPaul’s first-ever Christmas movie, and we see her acting as the gay version of the Grinch. RuPaul plays the role of a fashion editor who sends a journalist to a small town that cannot get enough of Christmas.
However, instead of discovering a Christmas-loving town, she realizes that the town is actually more than she bargained for.
9. ‘City of Trees’ (2019)
‘City of Trees’ is actually a coming-of-age movie that follows Ainsley, who is in her 20s, as she heads home to enjoy the holidays with her family.
It’s been several years since she went home, but she realizes that she has to face the unresolved teenage feelings that she left behind when she left her hometown years ago.
In that regard, the movie focuses almost solely on Ainsley as she tries to make sense of the past that she left behind, all while reuniting with Sophie, who has become quite a different character over the years of her absence. This gives you an indie feel because it seems so simple yet sincere at the same time.
10. ‘Dashing in December’ (2020)
‘Dashing in December’ is another movie set on a ranch. This time, however, it focuses on gay men, as we see Wyatt arriving home in his small town to find out that his mother is planning to sell their ranch.
Wyatt begins to shed the corporate attire and goes straight to his old cowboy pants to help out with the ranch. Through helping out with the ranch, Wyatt met Heath in what quickly became a cowboy love affair between the two.
In that sense, it is much like ‘Brokeback Mountain’ but is a bit more optimistic. Of course, we also see a Christmas miracle that allows the central characters to have their cake and eat it, too, so to speak.
11. ‘Carol’ (2015)
‘Carol’ is simply one of the most popular lesbian Christmas movies of all time, thanks to the fantastic performances of Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, who were simply amazing in this film. This film is based on the lesbian pulp novel ‘The Price of Salt.’
The film is set in the 50s, as Carol tells the love story between Blanchett and Mara, who are both struggling with their own life.
During Christmas, Carol explores the development of the love story between the two characters, who met by chance when Blancett left her winter gloves on the toy counter where Mara works. This leads Mara to try to return the gloves to their owner, and the rest is history.
12. ‘The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls’ (2021)
‘The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls’ is actually a sequel film to the original ‘The Christmas House,’ which is actually one of the first queer Christmas films of the modern-day.
We are only talking about this film first because it seems like the better of the two. While ‘The Christmas House 2’ doesn’t necessarily focus too much on an LGBT couple, it still is great because of how it focuses more on the family.
The major theme of this film is family competition, as the husbands, Brandon and Jake, are up against Mike in a competition about who has the better house in terms of decoration.
13. ‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas’ (2021)
‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas’ is actually a spin-off film that continues the hit NBC series ‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.’ In that sense, it would be better if you watched the series first before you watched the film. However, while the movie may be connected to the series, you can still enjoy the movie without watching all of the episodes. And it might be a good way for you to get into the series.
‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas’ picks up where the series left off, as Zoey is now looking to celebrate and prepare for Christmas without her father. She is then reunited with her gay sidekick, who helps her with the preparations, as you are in for plenty of fan service despite the cancellation of this amazing musical series.
14. ‘The Jenkins Family Christmas’ (2021)
Following the death of their father, sisters Baneatta and Beverly are in the midst of trying to keep their Christmas traditions alive even though they do have resentments and problems with one another.
Then came an unknown half-sister, who was seemingly set to ruin the entire holiday celebrations. Baneatta’s gay son Kenny is actually the LGBTQ representation in this film, as he brings along his boyfriend Logan to their home for the holidays.
However, the problem is that Kenny and Logan pretty much got a negative reception from the family as we explore the themes of acceptance in this Christmas movie.
15. ‘With Love’ (2021)
‘With Love’ is actually Amazon’s Prime first-ever LGBTQ holiday movie. The film is not actually a film but is actually a five-part miniseries that follows a different holiday of the year in every episode.
Of course, you will be watching the Christmas episode here. While the main star isn’t the queer one in this film (as she is actually struggling in a love triangle that involves two male lovers), the LGBTQ side of things comes in the form of Lily’s brother, Jorge, who went home for Christmas. And we also see trans model Isis King playing the role of the family’s cousin named Sol.
16. ‘Anna and the Apocalypse’ (2017)
Yes, we are very aware that you are not expecting a zombie musical to appear on a list full of festive LGBTQ Christmas movies. But trust us when we say that ‘Anna and the Apocalypse’ is a very surprising film that you should actually try watching for the entertainment factor of the entire movie’s plot.
‘Anna and the Apocalypse’ focuses on a zombie apocalypse that happens in the middle of Christmas in a small town in Scotland. The LGBTQ representation can be seen in Anna’s lesbian best friend, who helps her fight off a horde of flesh-eating zombies.
17. ‘Let it Snow’ (2019)
‘Let it Snow’ is a film that primarily targets Gen Z people because of how it was written to target younger adults. The film is actually based on a three-part anthology written by different authors such as John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle.
The film’s story revolves around a group of teens living in a town that was snowed in by a blizzard that doesn’t seem to show any signs of stopping any time soon. Meanwhile, the queer part of the movie makes itself apparent in the character Dorrie, who has a crush on a closeted cheerleader.
18. ‘Moonlit Winter’ (2019)
We are going to temporarily depart from the usual English-oriented LGBTQ movies to bring you an Asian LGBT Christmas movie that is all about love.
While the movie isn’t all about Christmas but happens in winter, ‘Moonlit Winter’ explores a divorced mother and her teenage daughter, who venture from South Korea to Hokkaido in Japan.
The reason for doing so is that the mother actually wants to try to let out her repressed feelings after receiving a letter from a woman she fell in love with years ago. She retraces her footsteps back to her younger self as she rediscovers love in a snowy yet gorgeous backdrop.
19. ‘A New York Christmas Wedding’ (2020)
‘A New York Christmas Wedding’ is all about another hometown Christmas story that allows you to relive your childhood memories in a way that is similar to how the main character relives her repressed feelings for a childhood best friend that she had always had feelings for.
In the movie, we see Jenny questioning her upcoming marriage with her soon-to-be husband when seeing her childhood best friend brings up her feelings once again. However, a guardian angel transports her to an alternate reality where she gets to live out her alternative life as the lover of her childhood best friend for 24 hours.
20. ‘The Holiday Club (2024)
Sam hates the holidays. Bailey loves the holidays. On a lonely Valentine’s Day the two meet-cute, quickly bond, and become friends. With every passing holiday Sam and Bailey spend together, they fall further in love with each other.
The growing presence of LGBTQ Christmas films not only enriches the holiday genre but also ensures that everyone sees themselves represented in stories of love, family, and joy. Whether you’re looking for heartfelt romance, family drama, or festive fun, these movies offer something for everyone to enjoy this holiday season.
Have a movie to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below!
