11 Must-Watch Christmas Lesbian Movies for Your Holiday List

Curling up with a great movie, especially sentimental Christmas lesbian films, is the best thing as temps drop and holiday lights glitter. Although conventional Christmas couples abound on television every December, it’s quite poignant to see lesbian love stories placed against the backdrop of holiday splendour.

Love takes many hues and forms, much as the seasons do. Every lesbian Christmas movie brings still more vivid colour to the holiday movie palette, therefore promoting a more inclusive celebration of romance. Showing LGBTQ+ audiences that their love stories deserve to be presented with the same warmth and excitement as any other holiday narrative, these stories also act as a protective barrier.

My hope for Christmas is To watch more lesbian Christmas films filling our TVs in the next years. Ultimately, what could be more joyful than honouring love in all its exquisite variety?

So why not grab your preferred blanket and curl up with a lovely lesbian holiday film this Christmas?

Last ExMas (2024)

Our Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨ (3.7/5)

Release Date: 2024

Director:  Sarah Rotella

Cast: Shaeane Jimenez/Elena Milo

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video

Review: Former high school sweetheart Maggie and Julianne unexpectedly meet during the holidays when both go back to their hometown for Christmas.

Maggie’s homecoming challenges her to face not only the changes in her hometown but also her own development and unresolved feelings connected to past relationships. Her exchanges with Julianne progressively move from tense and misinterpreted moments to close relationship and emotional honesty.

Maggie struggles to balance personal problems with professional demands, but Julianne steps in to be a steadying presence, guiding her straight forwardly.

Both women have to examine their emotions closely as they negotiate the murmurs of a small-town community and the residual shadows of past heartbreaks to determine whether a fresh chapter together is feasible.

Unquestionably, the two have chemistry, and the plot presents a nice variation on the “second-chance romance” formula. Though hardly revolutionary, this cosy, feel-good Christmas movie is very pleasant.

Keep those coming from the Gay Women Channel! More happy lesbian Christmas films like this one are much needed.

The Holiday Club (2024)

Our Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.8/5)

Release Date: 2024

Director:  Alexandra Swarens

Cast: Makaela Shealy/Alexandra Swarens

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video

Review: With her 2024 Christmas release, Alexandra Swarens offers still another lesbian holiday romance. Bailey loves the holidays; Sam finds them intolerable. Their paths cross over doughnuts in a little Ohio town on Valentine’s Day when one is lonely and sparks flare. Every holiday draws them closer; nevertheless, love is anything but simple.

This movie is a real charmer—warm, friendly, and quite cosy! Though the pace is a little slow, this helps to accentuate the realism of the developing relationship between the two characters. Perfect for Christmas viewing is this narrative of calm sensitivity and pure affection. One particularly memorable event occurs at a record store, with a setting evocative of Before Sunset 1995 that seems like a gentle homage.

Swarens’s annual delivery of one of these films really inspires me. She makes the holiday season joyful and guarantees that every Christmas we will have a wonderful, poignant urban lesbian love story to savour.

Love Classified (2022)

Our Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.1/5)

Release Date: 2022

Director:  Stacey N. Harding

Cast: Melora Hardin/Arienne Mandi/Katherine McNamara

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Tubi (free with ads)

Review: This moving family drama excels in its realistic view of love. As Franki and Taylor, Arienne Mandi (known from “The L Word: Generation Q”) and Katherine McNamara produce lovely chemistry. While the familial dynamics give richness to this holiday romance, the beach scene aptly captures those butterfly moments of new love. Seeing LGBTQ+ love tales spun so organically into a family story is energising.

Looking for Her (2022)

Our Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.0/5)

Release Date: 2022

Director:  Alexandra Swarens

Cast: Olivia Buckle/Alexandra Swarens

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video

Review: Director Alexandra Swarens presents a delightful holiday feast ideal for winter evenings consumed with cocoa. The movie deftly employs the mistletoe custom (“Meet me under the mistletoe”) to give its account of family acceptance and love’s tenacity emotional appeal. It deals with separation and dishonesty, but it stays warm throughout to result in a fulfilling reunion.

Under the Christmas Tree (2021)

Our Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨ (3.7/5)

Release Date: 2021

Director:  Lisa Rose Snow

Cast: Elise Bauman/Tattiawna Jones/Wendy Crewson

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Lifetime app

Review: At last, a pure comfort vacation romance for lesbians, straight cuisine! Although the storyline might be straightforward, its utopian vision of acceptance just what we need around the holidays. Just two people falling in love with their parents’ subdued matchmaking in the backdrop—no coming out drama, no family disapproval. Particularly during Christmas, we sometimes need these simple, lovely tales.

Christmas At The Ranch (2021)

Our Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨ (3.8/5)

Release Date: 2021

Director: Christin Baker

Cast: Amanda Righetti/Lindsay Wagner

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Tubi (free with ads)

Review: This little holiday romance has real appeal even if it doesn’t innovate anything. Having Van Pelt from “The Mentalist in a lesbian romance gives star power; Laur Allen gives her character as urban power broker Haley subtle refinement. For those looking for holiday season comfort viewing, it is the ideal light entertainment.

Happiest Season (2020)

Our Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.0/5)

Release Date: 2020

Director:  Clea DuVall

Cast: Kristen Stewart/Mackenzie Davis

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu

Review: At last, a mainstream Christmas romance film with perfect timing! Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis give performances bursting with real chemistry. Their on-screen relationship seems really close-knit, something that many LGBTQ+ holiday films lacking. Having seen many lesbian films, I can boldly claim that this Canadian treasure speaks to younger LGBT viewers because it provides dependability and representation.

Season of Love (2019)

Our Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.0/5)

Release Date: 2019

Director:  Christin Baker

Cast: Jessica Clark/Sandra Mae Frank

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Tubi (free with ads)

Review: Consider “Love Actually” with a sapphic turn-about. Beginning a wedding gone awry, this wonderful Christmas ensemble work blossoms into three linked lesbian love stories. Seeing Dominique Provost-Chalkley (our dear Waverly) in a different gay character is an extra holiday delight for those of fans of “Wynonna Earp.”

This movie is unique because of its unabashed lesbian universe, where coming out results in joy instead of strife. Although some would find the all-lesbian ensemble implausible, isn’t just what our holiday entertainment needs? Pure, happy escape with lots of queer representation.

Moonlit Winter (2019)

Our Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ (4.4/5)

Release Date: 2019

Director:  Dae Hyung Lim

Cast: Kim Hee-ae/Yûko Nakamura/Kim Sohye

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Viki

Review: This Korean winter romance shows how subtly yet powerfully lesbian stories may be told. Following four women’s linked lives between Japan and Korea, the film employs Otaru’s snow-covered terrain to create a stunning picture. Kim Hee-ae gives especially remarkable performance, giving every scene complexity. The film is ideal for careful holiday viewing because of its subdued attitude to loneliness and connection.

Related:

40 Best Korean Lesbian Films to Watch

City of Trees (2019)

Our Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨ (3.9/5)

Release Date: 2019

Director:  Alexandra Swarens

Cast: Alexandra Swarens/Olivia Buckle/Kate McIntyre

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video

Review: Having seen many lesbian films, I am always thrilled to find a jewel that defies the necessity for shouting its messages from the rooftops. That sort of treasure is exactly “City of Trees”.

Writing, directing, and starring in this wonderfully nuanced picture, Alexandra Swarens shows herself to be a triple threat here. Following her hit with “Looking for Her,” Swarens keeps proving her ability to gently capture real lesbian stories.

Carol (2015)

Our Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ (4.6/5)

Release Date: 2015

Director:  Todd Haynes

Cast: Cate Blanchett/Rooney Mara

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, available for rent on Apple TV, Google Play

Review: Against the lovely setting of 1950s Christmas, “Carol” is a masterwork in subdued lesbian narrative. Blanchett and Mara have an electrifying connection shown by subtle gestures and long looks. The way the movie examines feminine mentoring growing into love intrigues me most; Carol wakes Herse to her own potential rather than merely catching her heart. The emotional trip of the characters and the social differences of the era are wonderfully captured in the costume design and photography.

We hope to see more beautifully crafted and heartwarming lesbian films during the Christmas season. For those interested in exploring diverse LGBTQ+ storytelling year-round, check out our guides to Must-Watch Korean LGBT Films and Best Thai GL Series of 2024. From snowy holiday romances to compelling year-round stories, there’s always something new to discover in queer cinema. We’ll be sure to keep the updates coming!