16 lesbian holiday movies that'll make your yuletide hella gay (and where to stream them)

Some of these really tug the heart strings...

For decades, queer people have flipped through channels only to be greeted with an endless stream of heteronormative humbuggery at the holidays. And sure, push comes to shove, we can enjoy things made for straight people. But haven't we suffered enough?

Same-sex couples have only recently begun making their way to the forefront of those cheesy Christmas films that get us through the dark winter nights, but it's happening. Give us your tired cliches, your formulaic romcoms, your low-budget lesbians! We're not looking for cinematic masterpieces here; as long as we get to watch ladies falling in love amidst a holiday backdrop, that's a Christmas miracle we're not taking for granted anytime soon.

So without further ado, may we present 16 sapphic gems to keep your yuletide properly gay.

1. Under the Christmas Tree

Lifetime's first lesbian Christmas movie calls upon one of the many familiar tropes upon which holiday movies are built. Charlie (Tattiawna Jones) is sent to a small town in Maine to find the perfect Christmas tree for the state capital. It just so happens that the best tree she finds is sitting on the property of Alma (Carmilla's Elise Bauman) and her parents — and Alma isn't so willing to let it go.

Where to watch: Hulu or Lifetime Movie Club

2. Happiest Season

Abby (Kristen Stewart) finally accompanies her longtime girlfriend, Harper (Mackenzie Davis), home for the holidays, where she meets her high strung family — and learns the hard way that Harper has yet to come out to any of them.

If you're looking for a cute and breezy Christmas movie, Happiest Season might not be your cup of tea. But if you prefer something that hits a little closer to home for the holidays, Clea DuVall's take on wintertime woes delivers on both the laughs and the angst. Plus, you'll be able to join in on the continued debate as to whether Abby should have ended up with Harper or Aubrey Plaza's Riley.

Where to watch: Hulu

3. Looking for Her

When her family insists on finally meeting her girlfriend over Christmas, Taylor (Olivia Buckle) finds herself in a bind. Rather than just come clean and admit they broke up, she decides to hold auditions for someone to play the part, ultimately casting Olive (Alexandra Swarens, who also wrote and directed the film) for her foray into the fan favorite fake dating trope. What could possibly go wrong?

Where to watch: Prime Video or Tubi

4. The Christmas Clapback

The Christmas Clapback centers around three competitive sisters who have to come together to try to win their town's annual cook-off while celebrating their first Christmas without their mother. A few curveballs get thrown their way, including the appearance of social media influencer Aaliyah (Kara Royster), who proves to be a challenge when it comes to both the competition and Tisha's (Porscha Coleman) love life.

Where to stream: BET+ or Pluto

5. A Holiday I Do

A Holiday I Do imagines a world where the type of idyllic small town viewers love to step into for Christmas cinema doesn't bat an eye at queer love. Instead, the conflict here comes in the form of Jane (Lindsay Hicks) unexpectedly falling in love with a wedding planner named Sue (Rivkah Reyes). The catch? The wedding Sue is planning is that of Jane's ex-husband.

Where to watch: Tello

6. Carol

We would be remiss not to include what is undoubtedly the highest profile of all sapphic Christmas films, even if there's very little chance this one hasn't already been crossed off your viewing list at least once.

Cate Blanchett stars as Carol, a self-assured lesbian living in 1950s New York City who embarks upon an affair with a younger woman (Rooney Mara) despite being married to a man. Todd Haynes and Phyllis Nagy's adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's classic novel The Price of Salt is a rare queer film to break into the mainstream, and it will always have a place amidst iconic holiday films.

Where to watch: Netflix

​7. It's A Wonderful Knife

Tired of formulaic Christmas TV romcoms? There's a slasher for that!

A year after a masked killer murders her best friend, a depressed Winnie (Jane Widdop) wishes she had never been born — and finds herself stuck in a timeline where her wish coming true also means that the killer was never stopped. While trying to put an end to the murderous mayhem plaguing a town that doesn't even remember she exists, Winnie enlists the help of outcast Bernie (Jess McLeod). And if she happens to develop feelings for her new friend along the way, well...

Where to watch: Hulu or Shudder

8. A New York Christmas Wedding

It's a Wonderful Knife isn't the only LGBTQ+ Christmas movie with a time traveling "what could have been" twist. In A New York Christmas Wedding, Jennifer (Nia Fairweather) gets the chance to see how her life could have turned out if she hadn't denied her true feelings for her childhood friend, Gabrielle (Adriana DeMeo).

Where to watch: Prime Video or Tubi

9. Friends & Family Christmas

It took Hallmark until 2023 to release a Christmas movie that actually centered on a sapphic romance, but we were thrilled when Friends & Family Christmas finally graced our screens. We've got another fake dating trope with this one, after Amelia (Ali Liebert) and Dani (Humberly González) pretend their parents' attempt to set them up with one another actually led to a real relationship just in time to keep everyone happy for the holidays. Could playing pretend lead to something more? I think we all know the answer to that one.

Where to watch: Hallmark+

10. Christmas at the Ranch

Is it really Christmas if somebody somewhere isn't trying to save the family ranch? Here we've got another queer take on a familiar trope ('tis the season!) as Haley (Laur Allen) returns home and winds up getting to know Kate (Amanda Righetti), the ranch hand at her family's struggling property. (Don't get this one mixed up with Christmas on the Ranch, where you will not find the lesbians you're looking for.)

Lez Bomb

While the rest of the films on this list are focused on Christmas, Lez Bomb is a great reminder that being a big ol’ lez on Thanksgiving can be awkward and hilarious, too. Here, Lauren (played by Jenna Laurenzo—who also wrote and directed the film) is a closeted lesbian finally ready to introduce her family to her girlfriend Hailey (Caitlin Mehner) by bringing her home for the holidays. But of course, things immediately spiral into a farce of misunderstandings when Lauren’s male roommate Austin (Brandon Micheal Hall) also shows up.

Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video

City Of Trees (2019)

Looking for a lesbian holiday movie with an actual love scene? Here it is! In this film, Ainsley (Alexandra Swarens) is a lesbian who returns home after nearly a decade away. There, she reconnects with Sophie (Olivia Buckle), a girl she knew in high school who is now passionately devoted to preserving the town’s trees. Sparks fly between them — along with painful memories and unresolved traumas.

Where to watch: Prime Video

Last ExMas (2024)

As you can likely guess, this film focuses on exes reunited by the holidays. In it, Maggie (Elena Milo) and Julianne (Shaeane Jimenez) are former girlfriends who haven’t spoken in a decade since their bitter breakup. However, when they run into one another in their hometown, a spark rekindles.

Where to watch: Tubi

The Holiday Club

Looking for a slower-burn sapphic romance, but still with that holiday flavor? Then The Holiday Club is for you. It follows Bailey (Alexandra Swarens), a baker who lives for the holidays, and Sam (Makaela Shealy), who absolutely doesn’t. After an accidental meeting, the two strike up a friendship that slowly grows into something more over the course of a year’s worth of holidays.

Love, Classified

This holiday film is about as cute as they come. Melora Hardin stars as Emilia, a romance novelist who returns to her hometown in an effort to reconnect with her two adult children — one of whom is her daughter Taylor (Katherine McNamara), who is busy matching and falling for Franki (The L Word: Generation Q’s Arienne Mandi).

Merry & Gay

The plot of this one is hardly shocking—because it’s classic and charming. A Broadway star returns home and reconnects with the ex-girlfriend she left behind to pursue her dreams. Old sparks reignite as the two begin working together on a holiday variety show—with a little help from their meddling moms.

Where to watch: Tubi