In Single All the Way, the latest and greatest queer Christmas flick on Netflix, protagonist Peter (Michael Urie) convinces his roommate and BFF Nick (Philemon Chambers) to pose as his boyfriend during a trip home. The fake relationship rom-com trope gets totally inverted when his family decides to choose Peter’s romantic fate (never giving Peter and Nick the opportunity to see their scheme through). Sharing any other plot detail would ruin the viewing experience, and we’re not in the business of ruining the holidays. 

That said, queer fans of holiday movies will no doubt love to see themselves reflected onscreen — why has it taken so long to get here anyhow? — but there’s actually a long history of LGBTQIA+ holiday films. Well, it’s not that long, and most queer characters are based on little more than ignorant stereotypes, but how wonderful is it that we’ve (kinda) progressed as a culture? 

In honor of Single All the Way, we decided to take a deep dive into gay holiday movie lore. So, without further ado, here’s a very abridged history of queer Christmas flicks. 

Hear that bell? Class is in session.

Female Trouble (1974)

It’s nearly impossible to pinpoint the first gay holiday movie, and believe it, we tried. The John Waters dark comedy classic Female Trouble might not qualify in the traditional sense (when has Waters ever been traditional?) but protagonist Dawn Davenport only embarks on her wild life after her parents refuse to buy her cha-cha heels for Christmas. 

Home for the Holidays (1995)

Remember how we said some of these films leave a lot to be desired? Enter Home for the Holidays. In this mid-’90s holiday flick, Robert Downey, Jr., plays Tommy Larson, the sole gay member in a family that includes his sister, Claudia (Holly Hunter). He’s treated poorly — looked down upon, cast aside as if he’s a failure. It’s not a good look.

Holiday Heart (2000)

In this queer classic, Ving Rhames of Pulp Fiction portrays the titular Holiday Heart, a beloved drag queen. Over Christmas break, she houses Wanda (Alfre Woodard), a mother suffering from an addiction to crack-cocaine and her daughter, Niki (Jesika Reynolds). It’s a real tearjerker, too dramatic for the silver screen, but how could you not love Miss Holiday Heart? 

The Family Stone (2005)

In The Family Stone, Thad Stone (Tyrone Giordano), deaf and gay, brings his Black boyfriend, Patrick Thomas (Brian White), home for the holidays. For the conservative Meredith Morton (Sarah Jessica Parker), it’s too much to deal with — which really makes you wonder how she ended up dating Everett (Dermot Mulroney), the eldest son in a progressive family, in the first place. In one glorious moment, Thad’s mom, Sybil (Diane Keaton), signs to him, “You are more normal than any asshole sitting at this table. I love you,” and you might cry. At any rate, the movie dropped one year after Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage, so consider it a baby step in the right direction. 

Make the Yuletide Gay (2009)

Finally, a queer holiday movie where the queer character is the star of the show! In this 2009 film, Olaf “Gunn” Gunnunderson (Keith Jordan) is an openly gay college student everywhere, except, you know, back home. When he visits his parents for the holidays, he does his best to appear straight. It’s not unrelatable… 

The Unattainably Perfect Gay Christmas/Red Lodge (2013)

... and another one! In Red Lodge (now mysteriously titled The Unattainably Perfect Gay Christmas online), Jordan (Joseph Lim Kim) proposes to his boyfriend Dave (Richard Pierre-Louis). He just doesn’t get a clear answer before the holiday festivities begin. 

Carol (2015)

Some people don’t consider Carol a queer holiday movie, but it occurs during the Christmas season, so, enough said. The critically-acclaimed drama from Oscar nominee Todd Haynes offers up a gorgeous ’50s love story between Carol Aird (Cate Blanchett) and Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara).

Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)

If Carol counts, so too does the ​​Christmas zombie musical Anna and the Apocalypse. Among the core cast of youths is Steph (Sarah Swire), a lesbian.

Seasons of Love (2019)

Now we’re talking! Seasons of Love follows three same-sex couples as they navigative romance during the holiday season. It’s frequently described as “the gay Love Actually.” Correct. 

Let It Snow (2019)

This modern-day classic features a budding romance between Dorrie (Liv Hewson of Santa Clarita Diet) and Kerry (Anna Akana of Jupiter’s Legacy). And guess what? Both actors are actually queer in real life: Liv is non-binary and gay and Anna is bisexual. Groundbreaking! It’s a Netflix original, and, apparently, it was popular enough to inspire other networks to produce meaningful queer holiday movies, too. (More on that, below.)

Let It Snow is streaming on Netflix… right now. 

Happiest Season (2020)

After Let It Snow, Hallmark released its first holiday feature featuring gay protagonists, The Christmas House, starring Jonathan Bennett of Mean Girls. Meanwhile Hulu released Happiest Season, a Big Deal lesbian holiday offering with Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis and Aubrey Plaza. Finally, we got a star-studded, heartfelt and festive holiday rom-com about a queer relationship, complete with a coming-out narrative.

A New York Christmas Wedding (2020)

You know what else is on Netflix? A New York Christmas Wedding! Most of the queer holiday films on this list center on white same-sex romance. Obviously, there’s a lot more diversity than that in the LGBTQIA+ community, and Netflix’s 2020 movie, A New York Christmas Wedding, totally gets that — which is why it follows two women of color as they fall in love. It’s a modern classic.

Single All the Way (2021)

What better place to end than where we began? Single All the Way isn’t only Netflix’s first original gay Christmas movie, but it also completely revolutionizes the format. Instead of leaning into an obvious coming-out narrative or the tired “unsupportive family has a change of heart about the LGBTQIA+ community” trope, Single All the Way shows us what an accepting family looks like, warts and all.

Photo credits: Female Trouble: Dreamland/ Kobal/ Shutterstock; Home for the Holidays: Bob Marshak/ Polygram/ Egg/ Kobal/ Shutterstock; The Family Stone: 20th Century Fox/ Kobal/ Shutterstock; Carol: Wilson Webb/ Killer/ The Weinstein Company/ Kobal/ Shutterstock