Last year we put out a list of 15 LGBTQ+ films and where to find them, and it’s been one of our most popular posts ever. That’s why we’re bringing you 10 more holiday films featuring LGBTQ+ characters and storylines and where you can watch them right now.
The Holiday Club
Written, directed, and starring Alexandra Swarens, this film is not exclusively a Christmas film, but it does have key chapters in all the major holidays. Bailey (Swarens) is a small-town Ohio bakery owner who develops a friendship with next-door neighbor Sam (Mak Shealy). Over the course of a year, the two spend holidays together, developing a deep friendship. Girlfriends come and go, but the bond between Sam and Bailey deepens. Are they willing to risk their friendship for something romantic?
The Holiday Club is available to rent and buy through Tello Films.
I Hate New Years
The second holiday film by Tello Films finds pop star Layne (Dia Frampton) returning home to Nashville to crack her debilitating writer’s block. A session with a fortune teller inspires Layne to seek out her ex to reconnect. Her best friend Cassie (Ashley Argota Torres), who is secretly in love with Layne, joins her on a madcap New Year’s night to try and find Layne’s ex and reignite her creative spark. Naturally, things don’t go quite according to plan.
I Hate New Years is available to rent and buy through Tello Films.
The Holiday Exchange
Fans of the 2006 film The Holiday will want to check out The Holiday Exchange. LA-based Wilde (Taylor Marie Frey) finds himself unexpectedly single over the holidays and agrees to swap homes with Oliver (Rick Cosnett), who lives in the English countryside. Both men end up sparking up new romances in their holiday settings. The film also stars Real Housewives of Beverly Hills favorite Kyle Richards.
The Holiday Exchange is available to stream on Peacock.
Let It Snow
This 2019 Netflix holiday film stars a large ensemble of young actors, including Liv Hewson (Yellowjackets) and Kiernan Shipka (The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina). When a heavy snowstorm brings a town to a halt, teenage hijinks and romances ensue, including one between Waffle Town server Dorrie (Hewson) and closeted cheerleader Kerry (Anna Akana).
Let It Snow is available to stream on Netflix.
Lez Bomb
Jenna Laurenzo’s Lez Bomb is a bit of a pioneer when it comes to queer holiday films. Set at Thanksgiving in a New Jersey suburb, Laurenzo stars as Lauren, a closeted queer woman who brings her girlfriend home for the holidays. When her longtime best friend and roommate is mistaken for her boyfriend, misunderstandings abound with Lauren’s overbearing family. The film features an impressive lineup of supporting actors, including Cloris Leachman, Kevin Pollak, and Bruce Dern.
Lez Bomb is available to stream on Peacock and Tubi.
Happiest Season
This star-studded holiday film, directed by Clea DuVall, features Kristen Stewart, Aubrey Plaza, Mackenzie Davis, and Dan Levy, to name a few. Girlfriends Abby (Stewart) and Harper (Davis) head to Harper’s hometown for the holidays, but along the way, Harper confesses that she isn’t out to her family. Abby has to play BFF instead of GF, which leads to her meeting up with Harper’s ex (Plaza) and calling in reinforcements from her best friend (Levy). A raucous soundtrack featuring LGBTQ+ artists like Shea Diamond and Tegan and Sara rounds out the film.
Happiest Season is available to stream on Hulu.
Ghosting: The Spirit of Christmas
This Freeform film stars Aisha Dee (The Bold Type) and Kimiko Glenn (Orange Is the New Black) as best friends who have to face an unexpected roadblock: life after death. During the holidays, Jess (Dee) is texting and driving after an amazing first date when she crashes her car and dies. Waking up as a ghost, Jess will need to employ her queer best friend Kara (Glenn) to help her with unfinished business so she can move on to the afterlife.
Ghosting: The Spirit of Christmas is available to stream on Disney+.
Friendsgiving
Malin Åkerman, Kat Dennings, Aisha Tyler, Jane Seymour, and Wanda Sykes are a few of the big names featured in Nicol Paone’s Friendsgiving. Best friends Molly (Åkerman) and late-in-life lesbian Abby (Dennings) plan for a quiet Thanksgiving at home, but their friends and family have other plans. Exes, estranged parents, a slew of eligible queer bachelorettes, and even some fairy gaymothers show up to spice up the holiday.
Friendsgiving is available to stream on Starz.
Anna and the Apocalypse
Who says horror doesn’t have a place at the holidays? Horror musical Anna and the Apocalypse takes place in a small town in Scotland where a group of teens is just trying to survive high school…literally. A zombie infection spreads quickly, and the teens must take a stand or become part of the undead army. One of the teens, Stef (Sarah Swire), is a queer transfer student and activist, trying to find her way in a new school and facing an unprecedented event.
Anna and the Apocalypse is available to stream on Tubi.
Every Time a Bell Rings
After the passing of their father, three sisters return to their hometown of Natchez, Mississippi, to take part in one last annual scavenger hunt to find the family’s Christmas bell. Erin Cahill, Brittany Ishibashi, and Ali Liebert star as the three sisters. Liebert plays Nora, the lesbian sister who finds a bit of sweet romance along the way.
Every Time a Bell Rings is available to stream on Hallmark+.