Christmas rom-coms: you either love them, or you hate ’em. Even if you love them, a good one is hard to find. The same can be said of queer cinema. Combine the two, and holy moly, is it difficult to find anything worth viewing.
The eight movies we’ve featured below are far from cinematic masterpieces. But they are fun to watch and will get you in the Christmas spirit. Also to note, many of them feature queer actors!
There are spoilers below, but then again, being Christmas movies and all, they spoil themselves.
Make the Yuletide Gay
Make the Yuletide Gay (2009) is cheesy in the best way possible. Directed by Rob Williams, the movie follows Gunn (Keith Jordan) as he brings his boyfriend Nathan (Adamo Ruggiero) home to meet his family. Trouble is Gunn wants to keep it all in the closet. While still having his cake. It’s a typical LGBTQ+ romantic comedy with a sprinkle of Christmas flair. Plus, if you’re a Degrassi fan like me, seeing Ruggiero is a treat.
Rated: Not rated (content warnings)
Streaming: dekkoo; rent: AppleTV & Amazon
RELATED: 7 Cozy Books to Read During the Christmas Season
Ghosting: The Spirit of Christmas
Ghosting: The Spirit of Christmas (2019) epitomizes holiday silliness. While not front-and-center gay, Kimiko Glenn plays queer sidekick to ghostly protagonist Jess (Aisha Dee). This bonkers fantasy-comedy is a whacky, out-there twist that spins A Christmas Carol and Freeform-vibes into something truly awful in the best way possible. I mean, there is a tea shoppe. Even better, this film isn’t as much of a “white” Christmas as most holiday fare, featuring many actors of color.
Rated: TV-14 (content warnings)
Streaming: Prime, Fubo, FreeForm
The Holiday Sitter
The Holiday Sitter (2022) was Hallmark’s first holiday (read: Christmas) rom-com led by a gay couple. The movie stars Mean Girls‘ Jonathan Bennett as Sam Dalton, the wealthy perennial bachelor from The City. He has to give up his annual holiday to Hawaii when his sister needs an emergency babysitter. Turns out, he’s a pretty good guncle when the hot dude (George Krissa) next door lends a hand. Maybe he won’t leave after all… Bennett is genuinely funny in this film, making it worth a watch.
Rated: TV-G
Streaming: DIRECTV
RELATED: The Origin of Tropes: Holiday Movies
Dashing in December
Directed by Jake Helgren, Dashing in December (2020) throws Wyatt (Peter Porte), a big-shot New York dude, back to his family’s ranch for some Christmas shenanigans. Enter Heath (Juan Pablo di Pace), the ranch hand with serious charm, and throw Andie Macdowell as Wyatt’s mom, and you’ve got your classic holiday “Hallmark” romance.
The big question is, will Wyatt save the ranch in time to salvage his burgeoning relationship with Heath? (Spoiler: Yes, of course, yes; it’s a Christmas movie)
Rated: TV-14
Buy: Amazon
Merry & Gay
Merry & Gay (2020), also known as Christmas With Love, has all the familiar plot threads of a holiday rom-com: childhood best friends kindle a romance when the New York big shot returns home to the small town. But in this case, the small-town grumpster, Sam (Andi René Christensen), is nonbinary! This leads us to my only real issue with the film (I mean, it’s a pretty innocuous holiday rom-com): Why are these characters called gay/lesbian if one of them is nonbinary? In any case, the leads have great chemistry.
Rated: 13+
Streaming: Prime, Peacock, Tubi, Xumo
RELATED: 10 Short Books To Help You Reach Your Annual Reading Goals, Part 2
Scrooge & Marley
This film, lol. Scrooge & Marley (2012) should not be mistaken for a cinematic masterpiece, but if you like offbeat gems, add it to your watchlist. Another play on A Christmas Carol, this film follows Scrooge ( David Pevsner), a grumpy bar owner, being led through his gay life as he comes to realize what a jerk he’s been. And when I say offbeat, I mean offbeat. Think: Bruce Vilanch plays Fezziwig.
Rated: Not rated (content warnings)
Streaming: Tubi, FreeVee, HereTV
Tangerine
Tangerine is only nominally a Christmas movie, as the film takes place over Christmas Eve. It’s also only nominally the “rom” part of “com.” Directed by Sean Baker, Tangerine is the height of indie filmmaking, shot on iPhones in the grungy streets of Hollywood for that extra touch of sophistication.
The movie follows Sin-Dee (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) and Alexandra (Mya Taylor), two trans sex workers, as they get into what can only be described as shenanigans. However, they’re some pretty serious shenanigans (getting out of jail, smoking crystal meth and having sex with your pimp). Tangerine might have rough production values, but the story is compelling.
Rated: R (content warnings)
Streaming: Fubo, Paramount, Showtime, Hoopla, Kanopy, DIRECTV, Magnolia Selects
RELATED: 4 Hanukkah Movies You Need to Watch
The Christmas Setup
The most interesting, fun and recommend-worthy part of The Christmas Setup (2020) is that its two leads are played by a real-life couple, Ben Lewis and Blake Lee. They have good chemistry and all that, but this is another film about, you guessed it, a big city guy going back home for Christmas. Hugo (Lewis), a New York lawyer, returns home to Milwaukee (ohmigosh! It’s not a tiny town), where his mom (“secretly”) sets him up with Patrick (Lee). They fall in love as they try to save the local train station from being torn down. Also, Fran Drescher is in the film.
Rated: TV-PG
Streaming: Hoopla; rent: Amazon
And there you are, eight queer Christmas rom-coms that don’t totally suck. Which on the list is your favorite? What’s your go-to Christmas rom-com? Tell us in the comments below!
https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/queer-romance-books-if-you-love-hallmark-holiday-movies/
- Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week: PRINCESS ZELDA - August 13, 2024
- Book Review: KEY LIME SKY - August 11, 2024
- Millennial Misremembers: BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY - August 6, 2024
