‘Happiest Season’ Fans Would Love This Holiday Rom-Com

Lesbians and Christmas movies are like water and oil; they just don’t seem to mix. Besides Happiest Season and a handful of recent efforts by the Hallmark Channel, the list of movies about the holidays featuring lesbian couples stops there — unless you’re one of the ride-or-dies adamant that Carol should be considered an iconic gay Christmas movie, too. Still, the lack of LGBTQ+ representation in Christmas movies should be studied, especially because it is so sorely lacking when compared to other genres.

This year alone, the queer community has gotten Agatha All Along, Arcane, No Good Deed, Baby Reindeer, Hacks, Somebody Somewhere… and that’s just scratching the surface. Perhaps it’s the religious connotation of the holidays, but the big streamers are just not greenlighting WLW love stories that take place during this time of year. Netflix will drop 14 different straight Vanessa Hudgens or Lindsay Lohan Christmas movies annually, but a single film where two women kiss under the mistletoe is nowhere to be found. I guess we just don’t exist unless it’s June or October (Halloween is arguably gay Christmas).

The Problem With ‘Happiest Season’

Happiest Season is a fun and important, albeit imperfect, piece of representation. For those who need a refresher, the film is about a couple — Abby (Kristen Stewart) and Harper (Mackenzie Davis) — who plan to meet Harper’s family for the first time over the holidays. On the way there, Harper springs on Abby that she not only lied about telling them about her, but she isn’t out to them at all. She then convinces Abby to still come celebrate with them, just as her platonic roommate.

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They arrive, and Abby, being an absolute mensch, not only lies about their relationship status but about her own orientation in order to keep up appearances. Then, hilarity ensues in the form of eccentric family members and their dynamics, emergency phone-a-friends to John (Dan Levy), and a revolving door of Harper’s exes. One of Harper’s exes, Riley (Aubrey Plaza), actually ends up having Abby’s back after clocking her as Harper’s closeted girlfriend. Because for all the hilarity, some of the situations that Harper puts Abby through are absolutely brutal.

For instance, during a trip to the mall, Harper’s niece and nephew set Abby up to look like she had robbed some store. After the whole affair, Harper un-invites Abby from their family dinner (supposedly to just let the situation cool down). Not long after this, Harper brings Abby to hang out with some of her childhood friends but ignores her the entire time. The continued inability to prioritize her, as well as excluding and hiding her from everyone, all ring heartbreakingly true to sapphics watching.

That’s why, when Riley comes around and takes Abby out for some sympathy drinks, the audience is immediately on board. Riley tells Abby that Harper kept their relationship in the closet, too, and when they finally had the opportunity to tell everyone about it, Harper chose to “out” Riley instead. For the rest of the film, whenever Riley is around, it’s a respite from the toxicity of Harper’s behavior. And whenever Harper is around, it becomes increasingly clear that she hasn’t changed all that much since she dated Riley. Hence, the majority of fans root for Abby to ditch Harper for Riley instead.

The Solution (to Your Abby/Riley Woes)

Someone heard our demands for a “friends who are better suited to each other than their respective partners…but make it Christmas” love story, and actually made it come true! Tello Films, in their own words, is “the longest-running LGBTQ+ Streaming platform.” They focus on lesbian/sapphic content and host a lot of lesbian/sapphic content oriented around the holidays, in particular. You can subscribe, and you can rent or buy certain titles. The Tello film that fits this heartwarming friends-to-lovers description is The Holiday Club, directed by (and starring) Alexandra Swarens.

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The Holiday Club is about two sapphics who meet in their small town and bond over a love for sweet treats and women. Despite the initial chemistry, timing never seems to be their forte. Still, they become close friends. With each passing year, the risk and reward of starting a romance grows greater. (Though, given the title and direction of this article, you could probably surmise that there’s a happy ending, so maybe it was never that risky…) The acting is strong, the writing is decidedly queer, and the whole thing just feels as cozy and tender as a good holiday movie ought to. Here’s a really lovely line of dialogue from the final act of the film (avoid if you don’t want spoilers):

“You’re that person I look for across the room. And I don’t have to be talking to you or touching you to feel you. It’s like this little world we share. And in that world I don’t just want to be your friend…”

You can buy or rent The Holiday Club on Tello Films or stream Happiest Season on Hulu.