With the release of the Kristen Stewart-led, queer Christmas rom-com Happiest Season just around the corner, Vogue takes a look back at the best LGBTQIA+ friendly holiday films available to stream now.

‘Happiest Season’ (2020)

In Clea DuVall’s upcoming, female-fronted take on the classic in-the-closet-out-of-the-closet yarn, a young woman, played by Kristen Stewart, spends Christmas with her girlfriend Harper’s (Mackenzie Davis) conservative parents. The clinch? Harper hasn’t come out to her parents yet. Available to stream on Hulu from 25 November 2020 and billed as the world’s first major LGBTQIA+ holiday romcom, Happiest Season puts a queer spin on a conventional tale, spreading a message of hope and acceptance during a year in which we need it most.

‘The Family Stone’ (2005)

In her next big role on the Manolo-adorned heels of Sex and the City (1998 to 2004), Sarah Jessica Parker plays uptight Meredith who spends Christmas with her boyfriend’s (Dermot Mulroney) liberal New England family. In addition to an all-star cast, which includes Diane Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Claire Danes and Luke Wilson, Parker’s queer clout and a storyline about gay son Thad (Tyrone Giordano) and his partner who are on their way to becoming adoptive parents, make this a heart-warming — and tear-jerking — holiday favourite.

‘Love the Coopers’ (2015)

A decade after The Family Stone, Diane Keaton is back as the matriarch of another illustrious make-believe family. This time, she’s joined by Timothée Chalamet, Olivia Wilde, Amanda Seyfried and John Goodman — to name a few of the A-listers in this all-star romcom. While the plot is a fairly by-the-numbers affair, it’s worth sticking around for Anthony Mackie, whose Officer Williams is confronted with facing his identity after an impromptu session with a life coach (Marisa Tomei).

‘Carol’ (2015)

Cate Blanchett plays the titular Carol in this Oscar-nominated, big-screen adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s celebrated romance novel The Price of Salt. It’s Christmas 1952 and Carol falls for younger shop assistant Therese (Rooney Mara) in a New York department store. Sumptuously shot and beautifully acted, the film chronicles the budding relationship between the two women during a time in which homosexuality was taboo.

‘The Cakemaker’ (2017)

While not strictly a Christmas film, this Israeli-German drama about German baker Thomas (Tim Kalkhof) who falls in love with a married Israeli man named Oren will give you those festive season warm-and-fuzzies. After Oren passes away, Thomas travels to Jerusalem and befriends Oren’s widow (Sarah Adler) who is unaware of Thomas’s true nature.

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