• Log in
    PoliticsBusinessA&ETransgenderBisexualityReligionFamiliesVoicesVideo
    OUTPrideOut TravelerPLUSADVOCATE CHANNEL
    SubscribeSubscriber ServicesEmail Newsletter Signup
    CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
    © 2023 Pride Publishing Inc.
    All Rights reserved
    Advocate.comAdvocate.com
    Scroll To Top

    By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.

    Accept

    21 Movies That Queered Christmas

    Tracy E. Gilchrist and Daniel Reynolds
    | 12/23/22

    21 Movies That Queered Christmas

    21 Movies That Queered Christmas

    21 Movies That Queered Christmas

    From Clea DuVall's Happiest Season to Hallmark's The Christmas House, we've seen an explosion of gay Christmas films in recent years, a major change to a genre that has historically excluded LGBTQ+ people.

    But that rule has not been true across the board. From its pageantry to its camp to its carols, Christmas has always been queer -- and films, implicitly and explicitly, have nodded at that for decades.

    Below, take a sleigh ride to the productions that made the Yuletide gay.

    Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

    Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

    The classic animated Christmas special features several stories of mocked outsiders who find strength in their differences, including Rudolph and Hermey, an elf who would rather be a dentist than make toys. While Hermey was clearly not an out character, he was the closest thing to queer for a children's production in this era. (See also: every toy on the Island of Misfit Toys.)

    Female Trouble (1974)

    Female Trouble (1974)

    Nothing says the holidays quite like Divine's Dawn Davenport stomping on a Christmas tree and all of the gifts beneath it because her parents failed to gift her with the only thing she wanted -- cha-cha heels. With a drag queen Godzilla smashing consumerism and the American suburbia in her fuzzy slippers while screaming, "Fuck you, I hate you," at her parents, John Waters's classic Female Trouble isn't quite a Christmas movie, but that first iconic scene stays with a viewer forever.

    Mixed Nuts (1994)

    Mixed Nuts (1994)

    Nora Ephron followed her hit rom-com Sleepless in Seattle with Mixed Nuts, a critically panned holiday ensemble flick led by Steve Martin as the head of a suicide-prevention hotline service. The film is notable for being the first movie appearance of Liev Schreiber, who portrays a transgender woman named Chris. The comedy does not hold up well in present day, but the character is memorable for a sweet romance she develops with a ukelele player named Louie (Adam Sandler).

    Serendipity (2001)

    Serendipity (2001)

    Kate Beckinsale is Sara and John Cusack is Jonathan, who meet and begin a sweet courtship at Christmas before parting ways only to be reunited a few years later. Molly Shannon plays Sara's lesbian best friend, Eve, who attends a bachelorette party in New York City where the main couple has a serendipitous encounter. Eve is not part of the central couple, but she's integral to the plot.

    Too Cool for Christmas (2004)

    Too Cool for Christmas (2004)

    Last year, a 2004 holiday film called Too Cool for Christmas went viral after it was discovered that there was an alternate version, A Very Cool Christmas, which featured straight instead of gay parents. Director Sam Irvin said it was a common practice to shoot different versions of films for different markets with varying levels of acceptance toward LGBTQ+ issues -- which, actually, still happens today.

    The Family Stone (2005)

    The Family Stone (2005)

    In the star-studded The Family Stone, everyone hates the uptight Meredith (Sarah Jessica Parker) when Everett (Dermot Mulroney) brings her home to meet his family for a surprise proposal. But everyone loves Thad and Patrick, a gay couple trying to adopt their first child. In a family of straight messes, it was refreshing (in 2005) to see the gays keeping it together for the holidays.

    Holiday in Handcuffs (2007)

    Holiday in Handcuffs (2007)

    The queen of Christmas movies, Melissa Joan Hart, stars in Holday in Handcuffs as a dumped waitress who has a nervous breakdown and kidnaps a customer, played by Mario Diaz, to bring home to her family as a boyfriend. If that doesn't sound gay enough, the film also features a coming-out scene for her brother Jake (Kyle Howard).

    A Christmas Tale (Un Conte de Noël, 2008)

    A Christmas Tale (Un Conte de No\u00ebl, 2008)

    Catherine Deneuve is a matriarch with leukemia in A Christmas Tale, which shows how a holiday coming-together significantly alters the dynamics between members of the Vuillard family.

    Make the Yuletide Gay (2009)

    Make the Yuletide Gay (2009)

    Happiest Season stands on the shoulders of Make the Yuletide Gay, a 2009 romantic comedy from Rob Williams in which Gunn (Keith Jordan), who is out at college, goes back into the closet for the holidays to appease his parents. Then his "roommate," Nathan (Adamo Ruggiero), shows up and the Yuletide, inevitably, is made gay.

    Scrooge & Marley (2012)

    Scrooge & Marley (2012)

    Charles Dickens's holiday classic A Christmas Carol gets a gay makeover in Scrooge & Marley. In this version of the oft-told story, Ebenezer (Ben) Scrooge is the owner of a piano bar, where he hates Christmas and underpays and terrorizes his employees. That is until he's visited by one ghost who takes him to his past in a gay disco in the 1970s, to the present where his lesbian niece and her partner hold a heartwarming Christmas Eve party, and to the future where everyone essentially dances on his grave. Eventually, he sees the light and ends up donating money to the local LGBTQ+ center before spending Christmas with his niece.

    Carol (2015)

    Carol (2015)

    Carol, about a soon-to-be-divorced New Jersey socialite and a mother who falls for Therese, the shopgirl who is, as Carol notes, "flung out of space," earned six Oscar nominations, even if it was snubbed in the Best Picture category. Still, it was the first Oscar-worthy love story about a female couple in which a man does not steal focus and that doesn't end in disaster or death for the women. In fact, the hopeful ending of both the film and the novel it's based on offer a possible happily-ever-after for Carol (Cate Blanchett) and Therese (Rooney Mara).

    Carol begins during the days before Christmas and includes Carol and Therese consummating their desire during a road trip on New Year's Eve. There's a Santa hat, Christmas tree shopping, booze, family turmoil, and the glow of Christmas lights reflecting off of snowy surfaces. Watching Carol for Christmas has become a bit of a holiday tradition, especially among queer women.

    Love the Coopers (2015)

    Love the Coopers (2015)

    Dysfunction abounds at Christmas in Love the Coopers, which stars Diane Keaton as the matriarch of the family that comes together for one last holiday season before she announces that she and her husband (played by John Goodman) are splitting. Olivia Wilde, Marisa Tomei, Alan Arkin, and Amanda Seyfried play generations in the Cooper family. Anthony Mackie is a gay police officer struggling with coming out until he gets a boost from one of the Cooper family members.

    Anna and the Apocalypse (2018)

    Anna and the Apocalypse (2018)

    A zombie Christmas musical with queer characters sounds too good to exist, but it does in Anna and the Apocalypse.Dickinson's Ella Hunt stars as Anna, a Scottish teen who wakes up to find herself in the middle of a zombie outbreak that is taking out everyone in her town. She, her friend Jonathan, and their badass lesbian choreographer Steph (Sarah Swire) set out to save their friends who are trapped at school, battling the undead and belting musical numbers all with the backdrop of holiday decorations.

    Ghosting: The Spirit of Christmas

    Ghosting: The Spirit of Christmas

    In Ghosting: The Spirit of Christmas from Freeform, Kimiko Glenn (Orange Is the New Black) and Aisha Dee (The Bold Type) play classic holiday rom-com best friends with an unexpected holiday rom-com problem: Dee's character dies unexpectedly and returns as a ghost. Glenn's Kara is a tea enthusiast who begins to fall for graduate student Mae (Jazz Raycole). As the plot unfolds, their queer romance blossoms and fits seamlessly into the story.

    Let It Snow (2019)

    Let It Snow (2019)

    Netflix's Let It Snow depicts several sweet stories of love and friendship unfolding on a particularly snowy Christmas Eve in a sleepy town, one of which is a love story between teen girls that's sure to warm hearts. Nonbinary actor Liv Hewson (Santa Clarita Diet, Bombshell) stars as Dorrie, a Waffle Town waitress and a Harry Potter stan who once shared the night of her life meeting and hanging out with Anna Akana's popular girl Kerry. When Kerry and her friends show up at the Waffle Town on Christmas Eve, Dorrie debates how best to rekindle the magic they shared. But first she'll need to determine how best to melt Kerry's icy veneer around her friends.

    Season of Love (2019)

    Season of Love (2019)

    From Tello Films, the romantic comedy Season of Love follows several female couples from Christmas to the new year "who discover love truly is the best gift of all," according to the logline. Tello founder Christin Baker directs the film from Kathryn Tramell's script. Wynonna Earp's Dominique Provost-Chalkley, True Blood and A Perfect Ending's Jessica Clark, Emily Goss, Laur Allen, Sandra Mae Frank, and Janelle Marie costar in the movie that follows a cross section of friendships and love stories during the holiday season.

    A New York Christmas Wedding (2020)

    A New York Christmas Wedding (2020)

    Netflix's latest LGBTQ+ holiday movie, A New York Christmas Wedding, which features a bisexual lead character, delves into the world of do-overs and second chances when Jennifer (Nia Fairweather) second-guesses her imminent wedding to her fiance, David (Otoja Abit).

    As is the stuff of Christmas flicks, a twist of fate brings Jennifer, who's reeling from the recent loss of her father and the long-ago loss of her best friend, Gabrielle (Adriana DeMeo), together with her guardian angel, Azrael (Cooper Koch). He conjures an alternate world in which Gabrielle and Jennifer's father are still alive and Jennifer gets a second shot at love with Gabrielle.

    The Christmas Setup (2020)

    The Christmas Setup (2020)

    On the network known for its made-for-TV movies, Lifetime's The Christmas Setup stars real-life husbands Blake Lee and Ben Lewis, who fall in love all over again on-screen. Lewis plays Hugo, a New York City lawyer who goes to Milwaukee with his best friend, Madelyn (GLOW's Ellen Wong), to spend Christmas with his mom, played by The Nanny's Fran Drescher. A meddling matchmaker who also runs the local holiday festivities, Hugo's mom, Kate, arranges for him to run into his old crush Patrick (Lee), who's home from his high-powered job in Silicon Valley. The hitch? Hugo is offered a job in London just as things begin to get good.

    Dashing in December (2020)

    Dashing in December (2020)

    What's better than gay cowboys? Gay cowboys at Christmas! And that's exactly what Dashing in December delivers when Wyatt (Peter Porte), a New York City financier, connects with his roots and a handsome ranch hand on his mom's ranch/Winter Wonderland attraction when he returns home for the holidays to try to convince her to sell the place. While visiting his mother, Deb, played by Andie MacDowell, Wyatt meets Heath (Juan Pablo Di Pace) and the attraction is palpable. Cue the Brokeback Mountain, God's Own Country gay ranch vibe, albeit with a decidedly happier ending for all.

    The Christmas House (2020)

    The Christmas House (2020)

    Hallmark got into the gay Christmas movie game this year with The Christmas House, starring Jonathan Bennett (Mean Girls) as Brandon and Brad Harder as Jake, a gay couple returning home for the holidays while also anxiously awaiting a call from an agency about adopting their first child. Treat Williams and Sharon Lawrence star as Brandon's parents in this sure-to-be heartwarming movie from the network renowned for its wholesome fare.

    Happiest Season (2020)

    Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis

    The first LGBTQ+-focused holiday rom-com backed by a major studio, Happiest Season is directed by Clea DuVall and written by her and her writing partner Mary Holland. It tells the story of Harper (Davis) and Abby (Stewart), who run into problems when, as they are headed home for the holidays to visit Harper's overachieving family, Harper reveals some crucial information. The movie costars Holland, Dan Levy, Victor Garber, Mary Steenburgen, Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, and Ana Gasteyer. It's a full-on same-sex romantic comedy with all of the holiday fixings. And it also features a soundtrack of all LGBTQ+ musicians that is the icing on the gingerbread people cookies.

    Happiest Season is now available on Hulu.

    Latest Stories

    Nico Tortorella, Janelle Monáe, and Brandon Urie
    Pansexual
    Badge
    gallery

    12 Pan Icons to Celebrate Pansexual Visibility Day

    May 24 2023 7:17 PM
    'Red, White, and Royal Blue,' the Gay R-Rated Rom-Com, Debuts Key Art
    film
    Badge
    gallery

    'Red, White, and Royal Blue,' the Gay R-Rated Rom-Com, Debuts Key Art

    May 24 2023 11:06 AM
    Jake Daniels
    People
    Badge
    gallery

    Gay Soccer Star Jake Daniels, 18, Shares About His Partner, 46

    May 22 2023 1:35 PM
    5 Victims of Club Q Shooting Remembered
    Crime
    Badge
    gallery

    5 Victims of Club Q Shooting Remembered

    May 19 2023 10:03 PM
    30+ Images Celebrating Out Magazine's Kim Petras Pride Cover Drop
    Slideshow
    Badge
    gallery

    30+ Images Celebrating Out Magazine's Kim Petras Pride Cover Drop

    May 19 2023 4:45 PM
    Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
    Activism
    Badge
    gallery

    Meet the L.A. Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

    May 19 2023 4:30 PM
    Honorees at the GLAAD Media Awards in NYC
    Media
    Badge
    gallery

    69 Photos Celebrating the Star-Studded GLAAD Media Awards in NYC

    May 18 2023 11:19 AM
    Selfies at the Little Gay Pub in DC and the bar’s owners Dusty Martinez, Benjamin Gander and Dito Sevilla
    Business
    Badge
    gallery

    51 Steamy Selfies from The Little Gay Pub, D.C.'s Hottest New LGBTQ+ Spot

    May 16 2023 5:00 PM
    Gio Benitez and the hosts of GMA weekends
    People
    Badge
    gallery

    23 Pics to Help You Get to Know Gio Benitez, the New Gay Co-Anchor of ‘GMA’ Weekends

    May 16 2023 4:01 PM
    Colton Underwood and Jordan C. Brown
    People
    Badge
    gallery

    Gay 'Bachelor' Star Colton Underwood Marries Jordan C. Brown

    May 15 2023 12:55 PM
    mothers
    Families
    Badge
    gallery

    More Than 50 of Our Favorite LGBTQ+ Moms

    May 14 2023 10:27 AM
    15 Sensual and Intimate Paintings of Male Relationships by Dani Torrent
    Art
    Badge
    gallery

    15 Sensual and Intimate Paintings of Male Relationships by Dani Torrent

    May 11 2023 4:16 PM
    Stranger Things and Yellowjackets
    television
    Badge
    gallery

    Here Are 9 LGBTQ+ Shows Shut Down By the Writers Strike

    May 10 2023 6:00 PM
    Images from the WeHo Drag March
    Drag
    Badge
    gallery

    ​19 Spectacular Photos of the Inaugural L.A. Drag March

    May 10 2023 4:11 PM
    Drag isn’t dangerous participant queens
    Drag
    Badge
    gallery

    41 Photos of Drag Isn’t Dangerous Fundraiser That Raised the Big Bucks for LGBTQ+ Rights

    May 09 2023 10:00 AM
    Cast of Drag Me to Dinner
    television
    Badge
    gallery

    Neil Patrick Harris and David Burka Serve Up New Series 'Drag Me to Dinner'

    May 08 2023 7:00 PM
    LGBTQ+ shows to watch in May: The Other Two, RuPaul's Drag Race, and The Ultimatum.
    Arts & Entertainment
    Badge
    gallery

    16 LGBTQ+ TV Shows and Movies to Watch in May

    May 08 2023 4:00 PM
    Aubrey Plaza, Bella Ramsey, Keke Palmer, Pedro Pascal
    Arts & Entertainment
    Badge
    gallery

    Here Are the LGBTQ+ Nominees at MTV's Movie and TV Awards

    May 05 2023 5:00 PM
    Harvey Guillén in Christian Siriano
    People
    Badge
    gallery

    Photos: Harvey Guillén on Bringing His Queer, Fat POC Self to the Met Gala

    May 02 2023 8:15 PM
    Karine Jean-Pierre, Tina Kotek, Tammy Baldwin, and Sharice Davids
    Politics
    Badge
    gallery

    12 Lesbians Who've Made U.S. Political History

    April 28 2023 1:00 PM