But why should Christmas feel so heteronormative?
If the best Christmas rom-coms all follow a tried-and-true formula, then shouldntanyelement fit into this formula?
The answers to those questions are good question, yes, and yes.
Friends and Family Christmas / Hallmark
The city dwellers mom is obsessed with Christmas.
The significant other is miraculously efficient at household tasks.
The fake significant other becomes a real significant other.
The queer twist:Jennifer Coolidge.
Also, the two main characters are men.
(This was Netflixs first fully gay Christmas movie.)
Netflix
Our official rating:3.5 out of 5 Jennifer Coolidges.
The heiress refuses to adapt her parents business to accommodate newfangled modern ideas, and is thus lonely.
The queer twist:The heiress is a lesbian!
Lifetime
WhenUnder the Christmas Treecame out in 2021, it was Lifetimes first-ever lesbian Christmas movie.
Our official rating:5 out of 5 Kristen Stewarts.
Secrets are revealed; old flames reappear at dive bars.
Hulu
The queer twist:The co-protagonist is played by Mackenzie Davis from that one sad lesbian episode ofBlack Mirror.
Our official rating:4 out of 5 rainbow candy canes.
While formulaic and burdened by a frustrating central character,Happiest Seasonalso reveals complex truths about the LGBTQ experience.
UPtv
The person he swaps with is also sad and single.
Both people find love in unpredictable ways.
Wait, doesnt this sound likeThe Holiday?
Hallmark
Well, yes, but…
The queer twist:Everyones gay.
Also, the presence ofReal Housewives of Beverly Hillsstar Kyle Richards.
Hallmark
Our official rating:4 out of 5 NFTs of Lisa Rinna threatening Kim Richards with a wine glass.
They f*ck.
The queer twist:Homophobia may not exist, but gay people do!
The leads are played by George Kriss and Jonathan Bennett (ofMean Girlsfame).
In fact, this was Hallmarks first gay Christmas film when it came out in 2022.
Our official rating:5 out of 5 Glen Cocos.
You go, Glen Coco!
Her parents decide to come to her instead; they then set her up with a corporate capitalist shill.
The queer twist:There ARE lesbians …
They just dont call themselves that!
Our official rating:5 out of 5 copies ofThe Feminine Mystique.
