Carol (2015)

Starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, set against the glamourous backdrop of 1950s New York, Carol is an achingly beautiful depiction of love against the odds. From the author of The Talented Mr. Ripley and acclaimed director Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven, I’m Not There, Mildred Pierce) ‘Carol’ is a powerful drama about a married woman who risks everything when she embarks on a forbidden affair with an aspiring female photographer (Rooney Mara).

The Bitch Who Stole Christmas (2021) 

Starring RuPaul, the “draggiest Christmas movie ever made” follows a tightly-wound fashion journalist as she’s sent on assignment to cover a notorious Winter Ball competition.

A Very Salem Christmas (2021)

Will has a holiday movie to write and a Christmas Eve deadline to make, so with the help of his husband, Sonny, they come up with some rather colorful stories. Pop fact: Will and Sonny had the first-ever same-sex wedding between men in U.S. daytime drama history.

The Christmas House (2020)

Hallmark’s first-ever gay Christmas film follows Brandon (Jonathan Bennett of Mean Girls fame) and his husband Jake (Brad Harder) as they visit Jake’s parents for the holidays, where they anxiously await a call about the adoption of their first child. Bill (Treat Williams) and Phylis (Sharon Lawrence), their parents, 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.” 

The Christmas Setup (2020)

Ben Lewis (William Clayton in’ Arrow’ fame) plays an NYC-based lawyer called Hugo who returns to his small hometown in Milwaukee to spend Christmas with his best friend Madelyn (Ellen Wong) and mother Kate (Fran Drescher). To his surprise, Madelyn has arranged for Hugo to run into his former high school crush Patrick (played by Lewis’ real-life husband Blake Lee), who has returned from a stint in Silicon Valley. After being offered a work promotion, which would see him relocate to London, Hugo is forced to reconsider his life. The Christmas Setup bagged a nomination for the 2021 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Movie. 

The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls (2021)

In this sequel movie, the Mitchell brothers unexpectedly get recruited for a Christmas house decorating reality TV show where they must compete against each other, adding some extra drama to the holidays.

Dashing in December (2020)

Pete Porte (Young and the Restless) stars as Wyatt Burwall, a prim and proper city man who returns to his rural hometown for the holidays. Along the way, he encounters a new ranch hand, the impossibly handsome Heath Ramos (Juan Pablo Di Pace) and a romance unexpectedly blossoms. Heath makes it his mission to awaken the spirit of Christmas in Wyatt. Also starring Andie MacDowell as Wyatt’s mother Deb, this Christmas flick is the perfect gay festive hurrah. 

Under the Christmas Tree (2021)

Under the Christmas Tree tells the story of two women whose paths unexpectedly cross after Charlie, a “tree whisperer,” finds the perfect Christmas tree for the Maine governor’s holiday celebration in marketing exec Alma’s backyard. Welcome to sequel season! In this movie, the Mitchell brothers unexpectedly get recruited for a Christmas house decorating reality TV show where they must compete against each other, adding some extra ~drama~ to the holidays.

Let It Snow (2019)

When a snowstorm hits a small town on Christmas Eve, a group of high school seniors finds their friendships and love lives unexpectedly colliding.

A New York Christmas Wedding (2020)

As a woman’s Christmas wedding approaches, she is given the chance to experience her dream life and must decide which life she truly wants to live. Starring Nia Fairweather, Cooper Koch, Adriana DeMeo and Otoja Abit.

Rent (2005)

The first live-action adaptation of the iconic Broadway musical Rent, which depicts the lives of several impoverished New York City artists during the holiday season as they struggle with sexuality, drugs and paying their rent, all while under the shadow of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In the years since its release, the movie has earned cult classic status among some fans. 

Single All The Way (2021)

Netflix’s debut original gay Christmas movie follows a perpetually single man who convinces his friend to pretend to be his boyfriend for the holidays. Unexpectedly, his meddling mom had already made plans to set him up on a blind date with someone else.

Tangerine (2015)

Working girl Sin-Dee (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) tears through Tinseltown on Christmas Eve searching for the pimp who broke her heart. Filmed using three iPhone 5S smartphones, Tangerine is a hilarious and heartwarming comedy that helped set a precedent for casting trans actors in trans roles. 

Happiest Season (2020)

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. In an all star line-up, Happiest Season also stars icons Aubrey Plaza AND Dan Levy.

A Jenkins Family Christmas (2021)

In this BET+ original, a family struggling to hold it together for the holidays following a death gets a new surprise when one of the Jenkins siblings, Kenny, brings his boyfriend home for Christmas.

The Holiday Sitter (2022)

This holiday flick stars Jonathan Bennett (aka Aaron Samuels from Mean Girls), who ends up babysitting his niece and nephew around the holidays and enlists the help of their hottie neighbor, Jason. It’s a festive hoot, with added eye candy.

The Family Stone (2005)

An uptight, conservative businesswoman accompanies her boyfriend to his eccentric and outgoing family’s annual Christmas celebration and finds that she’s a fish out of water in their free-spirited way of life.