13 festive lesbian movies that’ll warm your sapphic heart this Christmas
Here are 12 festive lesbian movies for Christmas viewing. (The Hallmark Channel/Hulu/Lifetime)
As the temperature continues to drop and the Yuletide gets gayer, you should definitely get in the sapphic spirit this Christmas with these lesbian movies.
From a ranch drama to a historical romance to fake dating tropes, we have 13 Christmas titles to get you in the holiday spirit.
A Holiday I Do
Small-town single mother Jane is raising her 10-year-old daughter in the lead up to her ex-husband’s festive wedding. However, things get complicated when she agrees to be the best woman and has to work closely with wedding planner Sue.
As her feelings towards Sue grow, a blizzard arrives and Jane’s ex-husband’s new partner becomes a bridezilla.
Directors Alicia and Paul Schneider’s film charts Jane trying to navigate the Christmas chaos in a sweet portrait of chosen family as hope for a merry Christmas brings lovers together.
You can watch A Holiday I Do on Tello.
Carol
Even nine years on, Todd Haynes’ Carol has to be the best-loved sapphic Christmas movie.
Starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, this romantic drama is based on the 1952 novel The Price of Salt, by Patricia Highsmith, and charts the forbidden romance between a woman going through divorce and a younger photographer.
Their intimate relationship has a devastating impact that ripples across both women’s lives.
You can watch Carol on Netflix.
Christmas at the Ranch
Cowboys and lesbians! What more could you want?
This Hallmark-esque film follows Hayley, played by The Bionic Woman‘s Lindsay Wagner, as she returns to the family’s ranch to help save it from closure but she gets distracted by ranch hand Kate (The O.C. star Amanda Righetti) and sparks fly in the stables.
You can watch Christmas at the Ranch on Prime Video.
Christmas is Canceled
Christmas is Canceled gets off to a wild start when Emma finds out her father is dating her high school frenemy, Brandy, prompting her to declare that Christmas is, well, cancelled.
As she embarks on an outlandish mission to end the affair, Emma’s queer bestie Charlyne, played by non-binary actor Emilie Modaff, is by her side to talk her down.
You can watch Christmas is Canceled on Apple TV.
City of Trees
Writer-director Alexandra Swarens’ film is a holiday-homecoming story with a sense of nostalgia.
When twenty-something Ainsley (Swarens again) reunites with people from her past, she is made to confront the past she ran away from and the unresolved feelings she’s buried for years.
Although this was made on a small budget, the film has a lot of heart, with lesbians wrapped up in cosy jumpers and the Christmas spirit.
You can watch City of Trees on Prime Video.
Friends & Family Christmas
Director Anne Wheeler’s Hallmark original movie is a play on the classic fake dating trope as Friends & Family Christmas follows the traditional plotting with a sprinkling of lesbianism.
Photographer Dani is surprised by a visit from her parents and ropes in lawyer Amelia, who has recently broken off her engagement, to help her get through the festivities and outwit her prying parents.
As real feelings being to develop between the two women, will the line between fiction and reality be drawn before someone gets hurt?
You can watch Friends & Family Christmas on the Hallmark Channel.
Happiest Season
Love Lies Bleeding‘s Kristen Stewart, and Mackenzie Davis, best-known as Terminator: Dark Fate‘s cyborg-battling heroine give Happiest Season star quality.
Abby and Harper are approaching their anniversary but things grow complicated when they head to a family Christmas in this romcom directed by Clea Duvall, who starred in cult horror The Faculty in 1998, opposite the likes of Elijah Wood and Josh Hartnett.
In the car on the way, Harper drops the bombshell that she’s not out to her parents and the couple will have to pretend to be just friends.
Happiest Season marked a watershed moment as the first lesbian Christmas romcom produced by a major Hollywood studio, TriStar Pictures.
You can watch Happiest Season on Sky.
The Holiday Club
This dramedy focuses on the coming together of Christmas-hating Sam and festive-lover Bailey.
Set in a small Ohio town, the two women meet on Valentine’s Day and bond over their shared love of pastry.
As they skirt around each other with each passing holiday, Christmas provides the perfect opportunity to finally admit the truth about how they feel.
You can watch The Holiday Club on Tello.
I Hate New Year’s
Rising singer Layne Price has writer’s block and decides to head home to a wintery Nashville for New Year’s Eve.
Once there, she is reunited with best friend Cassie, who is planning to confess that her feelings for the singer are more than platonic. However, Layne’s attention is elsewhere when she bumps into an ex.
Christin Baker’s musical romantic comedy is the perfect palette cleanser for the holiday season.
You can watch I Hate New Year’s on Tello.
Looking for Her
When Taylor heads home for the holidays, her family is thrilled about finally getting to meet her girlfriend, Jess. There’s just one problem: Jess is no longer her girlfriend.
To avoid the embarrassment, Taylor decides to hire an actor to play the part and holds open auditions to pick the right person.
You can watch Looking for Her on Tubi.
Merry & Gay
Broadway star Becca returns to her small town for Christmas where she meets up with her high-school sweetheart, Sam.
Two meddling mums decide their kids are perfect together so begin to plot to bring them together permanently.
You can watch Merry & Gay on Prime Video.
Season of Love
Christin Baker’s 2019 romantic comedy follows the connected plot of three queer couples as they fall in love over Christmas.
Seen as a sort of Love, Actually for the LGBTQ+ community, the film was made as a response to the lack of queer representation in festive films.
You can watch Season of Love on Tello.
Under the Christmas Tree
Lisa Rose Snow’s feature directorial debut premiered on Lifetime in 2021 as part of the network’s It’s a Wonderful Lifetime holiday movie slate – their first lesbian Christmas movie.
The film follows Charlie trying to find a Christmas tree for the governor of the state of Maine, but things get complicated when she spots the perfect one in business-owner Alma’s yard.
You can watch Under the Christmas Tree on Prime Video.
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