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Queer Christmas Films To Look Out For!

6 min read

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It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! (Yes… I KNOW it’s only November… but the first film/series premieres tonight!)

While this year hasn’t given us too much look forward to, there’s something special about the Christmas holidays. I will freely admit that since moving to New Zealand, I truly miss the cold weather, the snow, and everything else that you think of to bring you into that special holiday spirit. But the one element that will ALWAYS get me in the mood are Christmas movies! Last year, I kicked off Queer Film Reviews with my Top 5 Queer Christmas Films of all time. (Go check it out – I’ll wait!)

The trouble is that while there are a ton of Christmas and Holiday films, there are not many with a Queer focus. We had rumours we were FINALLY getting a queer holiday film from the Hallmark channel last year, but then it fell through. Instead, we got a different kind of drama after One Million Moms protested a same-sex wedding ad that Hallmark aired, that they then pulled off air – and ended up with an even worse PR nightmare! But even though Hallmark quieted the masses by promising an LGBT film in their 2020 holiday lineup, when they released the initial lineup back in summer…. guess what was missing?

Thankfully, the LGBTQ community pushed back and Hallmark finally is giving us what we wanted. Check out which of these five Queer Christmas films will be debuting on Hallmark this Christmas season, along with four other Queer films!

5 Queer Christmas Films To Look Out For!

“Working through some difficult decisions, Mitchell family matriarch Phylis (Sharon Lawrence) and patriarch Bill (Treat Williams), have summoned their two grown sons — Mike (Robert Buckley) and Brandon (Jonathan Bennett) — home for the holidays,” the film’s official description reads. “It is their hope that bringing the family together to recreate the Christmas house will help them find resolution and make a memorable holiday for the entire family and community. As Brandon and his husband, Jake (Brad Harder), make the trip home, they are anxiously awaiting a call about the adoption of their first child. Meanwhile, Mike reconnects with Andi (Ana Ayora), his high school sweetheart.”

Hallmark is FINALLY giving LGBT viewers an LGBT storyline in one of their Countdown to Christmas lineup. Starring out actor, Jonathan Bennett of Mean Girls fame, Hallmark is proudly claiming “The Christmas House” is the first to centre a LGBTQ+ storyline. But given that we barely can catch a glimpse of Bennett’s character in ANY of Hallmark’s promo material, I question how “central” the gay storyline will pan out. It screams “gay best friend/sidekick/brother” sideline story instead. I’m still excited though – if only because Hallmark was pressured into being ALL inclusive this holiday season!

Watch “The Christmas House” on Amazon, Prime Video, and Hallmark.

The Christmas Setup follows the story of New York lawyer Hugo (Ben Lewis) who heads to Milwaukee with his best friend Madelyn (Ellen Wong) to spend the holidays with his mom Kate (Fran Drescher), who is also in charge of the local Christmas celebrations. Ever the matchmaker, Kate arranges for Hugo to run into Patrick (Blake Lee), Hugo’s high school friend and secret crush, who has recently returned after a successful stint in Silicon Valley. As they enjoy the local holiday festivities together, Hugo and Patrick’s attraction to each other is undeniable and it looks as though Kate’s Santa-style matchmaking is a success. But as Hugo receives word of a big promotion requiring a move to London, he must decide what is most important to him.”

After the Hallmark debacle last year, Lifetime TV stepped in and quickly promised an LGBTQ film for the 2020 Holiday Season. There’s even a special bit of “extra” queerness – the two male leads are being played by real-life, married couple Ben Lewis (Arrow, The Handmaid’s Tale) and Blake Lee (Fam, Parks and Recreation)! I’m also ecstatic about another key point of “The Christmas Setup” – it’s crystal clear that our two gay characters are the leads! It’ll be interesting how this compares to Hallmark’s film.

Watch “The Christmas Setup” on Amazon, Prime Video, and Lifetime.

“Meeting your girlfriend’s family for the first time can be tough. Planning to propose at her family’s annual Christmas dinner — until you realize that they don’t even know she’s gay — is even harder. When Abby (Kristen Stewart) learns that Harper (Mackenzie Davis) has kept their relationship a secret from her family, she begins to question the girlfriend she thought she knew. Happiest Season is a holiday romantic comedy that hilariously captures the range of emotions tied to wanting your family’s acceptance, being true to yourself, and trying not to ruin Christmas.”

Initially planned to be released in theatres, Clea DuVall‘s film “Happiest Season” brings a refreshing queer representation to Christmas movies. Co-writing the script with Mary Holland, DuVall also adds a personal connection to the story. “I’ve spent Christmases with partners whose parents didn’t know.… I’ve been ‘the friend’ at the family function.” “I’m a huge fan of Christmas movies, but I had never seen my story represented.” Even Kristen Stewart is excited to bring her character to life!

Watch “Happiest Season” on Amazon and Hulu.

The official synopsis for this eight-part series from Netflix doesn’t give us much: “A whirlwind holiday romance builds as cynical Dash (Austin Abrams) and optimistic Lily (Midori Francis) trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations all across New York City.”

Based on the book series of the same name by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, it appears the Netflix series will follow the events of the first book: “Lily, an unlucky in love 16-year-old, listens to the advice of her lucky-in-love brother and leaves her red notebook on her favourite bookshop shelf. The book, filled with a dare, has Lily waiting for the right guy to come along and accept her challenge. Dash just so happens to come across her notebook, curious by her challenge, and looking for the perfect distraction takes Lily’s Book of Dares. As Dash and Lily begin to send each other on a scavenger hunt all across Manhattan, the pair are falling in love with the on-page selves. Discovering if the pair have the same chemistry in person could be their biggest dare yet.”

While neither of the leads fall within the LGBTQ spectrum, it’s Lily’s brother Langston (Troy Iwata) that places this series on my 2020 Christmas Films list. I’m sure we will all want to cozy up and binge what is sure to be a cute young romance!

Watch “Dash & Lily” on Netflix.

“Experiencing writer’s block, rising music star Layne Price (Dia Frampton), at her Los Angeles manager’s insistence, reluctantly visits mysterious fortune teller Zelena (Candis Cayne), whose flamboyant advice she misconstrues. Heading home to Nashville for New Year’s Eve, a holiday she hates, Layne hits the town with BFF Cassie Holmes (Ashley Argota). While Cassie plans to finally confess that her feelings have evolved into more than friendship, Layne is too focused on “bumping into” her elusive ex to notice. But sometimes you find inspiration and love — with a little mystical intervention — where you least expect it.”

From Trello Films, the same studio that brought us the Lesbian Christmas film “Season of Love”, this new holiday film focus on a lesbian plot. But rather than focusing on Christmas (like most Holiday films!), it hinges around that “other” special holiday of the season – New Year’s Eve. While it sounds like this rom-com might have a bit of a darker edge, I’m expecting that romantic first kiss to happen at midnight!

Watch “I Hate New Year’s” on Tello Films and Prime Video.

So what do you think of these five films? Do you agree with my choices and my quick thoughts about each film – or maybe you disagree? Or perhaps I left out a film you think I should’ve included… Leave me a comment below and let me know!

So what did you think – do you agree with these five NEW Queer Christmas Films? Have you seen all of them yet? If so, let me know which one was your favourite. And if you haven’t watched them all yet, I highly encourage you to add these Queer Christmas Films to your watch list ASAP!