It is officially the holiday season! ‘Tis the time to relish the eggnogs, ginger breads, and that extra cookie with milk! Christmas is at its heels illuminating the houses from suburbs to cities and bringing the families under one roof. Now, the traditional customs are amalgamating with some new traditions. After a long day of adorning the Christmas tree with lights and decorations, one wants to spend their time at leisure with their family or partners switching on Netflix or the local cable streaming the classics like James Stewart’s ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ or ‘Miracle on 34th Street’, where Santa is presented in a court to prove his real identity.
All the Hallmark or the classic holiday films have had one thing in common, under representation! To cater the conservative audience due to religiosity of the festival, filmmakers tread carefully around the sexualities and genders of the characters. These films have ghastly no representation of any LGBTQIA+ characters. But, over the years, filmmakers and actors have taken that step to bring the queer characters from the sidelines to center stage in these Christmas films. Here are some of the best holiday LGBTQIA+ films.
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10) City Of Trees
This 2019 film is a worthy watch. A city girl, Ainsley Sadler, from Los Angeles comes back to her hometown for the holiday respite. In her town, since she left, Ainsley has kept contact with very few townspeople. She has not been able to shake off the popular cheerleader from her school, Sophie. The two cross paths, and Ainsley has to face her past yet again in this reunion Christmas romance.
9) Christmas At The Ranch
Amanda Righetti and Lindsay Wagner feature in this lesbian, countryside tale. This 2021 film chronicles the story of Haley, a city dweller and a successful finance woman who comes back to her village when the bank threatens to take over their family ranch. It is there she finds Kate, the helper at the ranch and a connection sparks between the two beautiful ladies.
8) The Christmas House
It has been more than a century since Hallmark has come into existence. The holiday postcard favorite became a household name with its TV network, too. It has released several Christmas films over the years including Mariah Carey’s ‘A Christmas Melody’, ‘Looks Like Christmas’, ‘Christmas Under Wraps’, and others. But, one element that has lacked in its films is, same-sex couples.
But, in 2020, they released their first gay holiday film ‘The Christmas House’. It is a story of a couple, Brandon and Jake, who visit Brandon’s parents for Christmas. But, they are awaiting news from the adoption agency they have applied to. It is the lovely parents who encourage them to take in the spirit of festivity and make the holiday scintillating for the family.
7) Dashing In December
The title ‘Dashing in December’, rather a catchy one, encapsulates the spirit of the film and the holidays too. Another overtly used homecoming trope, Wyatt Burwall is a New York man, who comes to Colorado for Christmas and to convince his mother to sell the family ranch. Here, he meets Heath Ramos, a handsome ranch hand who ignites love for the festival and him. It stars Andie MacDowell, Juan Pablo Di Pace, and Peter Porte.
6) Tangerine
It may not be the mainstream trope for a Christmas film, but a fundamental leap in representation in these overtly cis-gendered films. On Christmas Eve, Sin-Dee, a transgender sex worker and former prison inmate comes to know that her boyfriend/pimp is cheating on her. And the biggest conflict here is that he is cheating on her with a cis-woman. She takes help of her fellow buddy Alexandra to navigate the streets of LA to find the love birds. An endearing tale of friendship and empathy amidst the bustling and gray LA life.
5) Single All The Way
The first Netflix original LGBTQIA+ Christmas film, ‘Single All The Way’ is a valiant attempt to turn the best friend-turned-boyfriend plot into a gay comedy. The 2020 film follows the story of a perpetual single Peter, who finally gets into a relationship, but his beau is someone else’s husband. The two break up during the holiday season, so Peter takes his best friend, Nick, to his family for Christmas. What follows is the family shenanigans to get the pair together irl!
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4) The Bitch Who Stole Christmas
Mama Ru (RuPaul) extended his ever expanding Drag universe with this latest Drag-mas special, ‘The B***h Who Stole Christmas’. It stars Michelle Visage, Mama Ru, and some of the most iconic contestants from the Drag Queen Universe. This story-within-a story is about Krysta Rodriguez, a fashion journalist, who arrives in a small town for a story. But, she gets entangled in the midst of erratic housewives and townspeople hindering a Winter Ball from happening.
3) Carol
In this seductive tale inspired from the Patricia Highsmith novel ‘The Prince of Salt’, ‘Carol’ is a story of a budding photographer and a divorcée Carol. The film is not a festive film, but the narrative progresses during Christmas. Cate Blanchett is effervescent, and so is Rooney Mara as Therese. Carol’s recent past and troubled marriage resurfaces in this slick lesbian drama.
2) The Family Stone
In 2022, there was unfortunately a drop in the LGBTQIA+ characters in the theatrical releases. One may say that we are heading back in time, but we have to focus on where we have been since we began! ‘The Family Stone’ , while encapsulating the spirit of holidays, also engulfs this fact. This Sarah-Jessica Parker starrer had the representation of a homosexual and disabled character. Though the film focuses on Everett and his to-be bride, who is too difficult to fit in the family and too rigid. It is Everett’s brother Thad and partner Patrick, where the conflict began when they announced adoption.
1) The Holiday Sitter
Hallmark is late with its representation of the LGBTQIA+ characters, but are taking the right efforts to represent the stories from this end of the spectrum. ‘The Holiday Sitter’ is a story about Sam, who is entrusted with the duty of taking care of his niece and nephew. The parents of the kids have to urgently leave for the early arrival of their to-be adopted kid. Sam’s plan to go to Hawaii gets canceled and he comes to be a good guncle. There he meets Jason, a single man, who is also in the process to adopt. Together, Jason and Sam navigate the way around kids and learn some valuable insights.
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