For this list, all feature films that heavily feature Christmas and LGBTQIA+ characters are fair game. Here are the best queer Christmas films of all time.
Best Gay/LGBTQIA+ Christmas Movies of All Time
Single All the Way (2021)
Michael Urie, Philemon Chambers, Hocus Pocus’ Kathy Najimy and LGBTQ icon Jennifer Coolidge (fresh off her best performance ever, in The White Lotus) star in Netflix’s exclusive high-profile rom-com about gay best friends who discover feelings over the holiday season, as one poses as the other’s boyfriend. It’s hardly a familiar plot, but with a cast this great, Single All the Way delivers everything you want. This is Netflix’s first-ever queer holiday rom-com. Netflix How to watch it: Stream Single All the Way on Netflix.
Happiest Season (2020)
Kristen Stewart delivers her strongest comic turn to date in Clea DuVall’s winning charmer opposite Mackenzie Davis, as a young woman who pretends to be her girlfriend’s straight roommate at Christmas to appease a conservative family. The all-star cast includes Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Victor Garber, Dan Levy and Mary Steenburgen. Hulu How to watch it: Happiest Season is streaming exclusively on Hulu.
The Christmas House (2020)
Jonathan Bennett, Sharon Lawrence, Treat Williams and Robert Buckley star in a Hallmark original about a long-married couple who invite their two grown sons to fulfill a holiday tradition at home. It’s an ensemble film, but The Christmas House is notable for being the first Hallmark movie to focus, at least in part, on a same-sex couple. It was followed by a 2021 sequel, The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls. How to watch it: Stream The Christmas House on fuboTV and Philo.
The Bitch Who Stole Christmas (2021)
Given the astonishing, prolonged success of Drag Race, it was only a matter of time before RuPaul gifted fans with a Christmas film—and The Bitch Who Stole Christmas is a campy delight. With a vast ensemble including Drag Race contestants and other queer celebs, the made-for-TV comedy is about a workaholic writer who discovers the true meaning of Christmas in small-town America. VH1
Christmas at the Ranch (2021)
Directed and co-written by Christin Baker, starring Lindsey Wagner, Laur Allen and Amanda Righetti, Christmas at the Ranch is about a woman who falls for a female ranch hand upon returning home in an attempt to save the family property from foreclosure. Christmas at the Ranch received a warm response from audiences as well as critics. How to watch it: Stream Christmas the Ranch on Peacock and Tubi.
Carol (2015)
Based on the 1952 novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith, the most assured film of Todd Haynes‘ illustrious career to date tells the story of forbidden love between a young photographer (Rooney Mara) and an older woman (Cate Blanchett) going through a rough divorce. This is an utterly riveting, even exhausting watch, as the lovers must overcome disheartening, dehumanizing adversity. The hopeful ending is hard-won and deeply gratifying. Blanchett and Mara.both received Oscar nods for the wintery masterpiece, nominated for six Academy Awards in total. TWC
Dashing in December (2020)
Andie MacDowell, Peter Porte and Juan Pablo Di Pace star in a Paramount Network original about a man who falls for the family ranch hand as the future of their Colorado property is up in the air. Dashing in December was shot across Utah, and the Western scenery is often breathtaking. How to watch it: Stream Dashing in December on fuboTV and Philo.
The Christmas Setup (2020)
Ben Lewis, Blake Lee and gay icon Fran Drescher star in the Lifetime original movie The Christmas Setup, about a New York attorney who collides with his high school crush on a holiday visit back home. This is Lifetime’s first-ever queer holiday movie, and it’s a charmer. How to watch it: Stream The Christmas Setup on Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Club and Philo.
Let It Snow (2019)
A blizzard affects the personal lives of a group of small-town high schoolers. Featuring Spider-Man: Homecoming’s Jacob Batalon and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’s Kiernan Shipka and based on John Green’s novel, Liv Hewson and Anna Akana sparkle in a sweet romantic plot thread. How to watch it: Stream Let It Snow on Netflix.
Tangerine (2015)
Sean Baker’s debut feature is a breakneck, uproariously funny comedy about two transgender prostitutes—and best friends—who rip across Los Angeles on Christmas Eve to get even with a double-crossing pimp. An early example of Baker’s singular ability to look at people on the fringes with sympathy rather than pity, artistry rather than faux grit, Tangerine is one of the best, most outrageously hilarious movies so far this century. Duplass Brothers Productions How to watch it: Stream Tangerine on fuboTV, Paramount+, Showtime and Showtime Anytime. Next, check out 30 alternative Christmas movies everyone should see.
