Five Diverse Holiday Movies To Check Out This Season

Feminista loves Christmas films, especially those starring Kelly Rowland!

It’s that time of year when families, friends, and lovers gather together to enjoy the holiday season. So many events take place in December that nearly everyone can find something to celebrate, even if you’re just welcoming in the new year. The biggest holiday of all, Christmas, is recognized by billions of people across the globe, so it makes sense that the film industry focuses a lot of energy and resources on producing Christmas films for all to enjoy.

I am not Christian, so I don’t celebrate any Christian holidays, including Christmas. I get that even non-religious folks commemorate the spirit of Christmas and love the gifts and such, but it doesn’t resonate with me the same way. However, I love Christmas films! Every year, I watch a different holiday film for each day in December. Trust me, there’s no shortage of films about the girl-next-door who leaves her small hometown to find herself in the big city, only to return, help solve a major crisis, and rekindle love with the guy she left behind. That plot is, no kidding, 84.7% of Christmas films streaming on Lifetime. BET+, and/or The Hallmark Channel.

This year, I decided to do a round-up of my favorite Christmas films focusing on those that feature diverse casts (the leads are not white, cisgender, heterosexual twenty-somethings). I’ve seen at least 100 Christmas movies in my lifetime, so narrowing them down to five was a difficult task. I hope you’re able to catch a few of these this week and, if you’ve seen any of them already, please sound off in the comments.

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020)

Jingle Jangle is a musical/ fantasy film that tells the story of Jeronicus Jangle (played by Forest Whitaker in one of his better roles), a brilliant but troubled inventor and toymaker. After he is betrayed by his apprentice, Gustafson (played by the hilarious Keegan-Michael Key), Jeronicus loses his magic and joy. Fast forward to the present and his granddaughter Journey (played by star-in-the-making Madalen Mills) arrives to reconnect with him and reignite his creative spark. Together, they work to both recover Jeronicus's invention that was stolen by Gustafson, and restore the magic of his work and their family bond.

The film, which also stars Anika Noni Rose, Phylicia Rashad, and Ricky Martin (yes, that Ricky Martin) serves up heartfelt storytelling with stunning visuals, pretty awesome original songs, and a strong positive message of the power of family love and belief in yourself against all odds. You can watch it streaming on Netflix.

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Almost Christmas (2016)

Many holiday films starring African American ensemble casts are centered around a huge family gathering that brings together siblings, aunts, and cousins with clashing personalities and lots of laughs. Of all the most popular ones to watch, I keep coming back to Almost Christmas, a comedy-drama about the Meyers family, who come together for their first Christmas after the death of their matriarch. Walter Meyers (played by Danny Glover), the surviving patriarch, hopes for a peaceful holiday reunion. Unfortunately, his four adult children bring their messiness and drama with them. There are all kinds of sibling rivalries, romantic tensions, and generational clashes. Despite the chaos, the family learns to navigate their differences, rekindle their bonds, and honor their late mother’s memory. This film is hilarious because it brings together some of the funniest people around like Mo’Nique (Precious) and Romany Malco (40 Year-Old Virgin), and they have great chemistry. The film celebrates the importance of family, forgiveness, and unity during the holiday season, and if your yearly family gatherings are equally chaotic, you’ll find it hilariously relatable. Catch it streaming on Hulu.

The Christmas Setup (2020)

Lifetime’s first LGBTQ+ holiday rom-com film, The Christmas Setup, does not disappoint. Hugo Spencer (played by Ben Lewis), a successful New York City lawyer, returns to his hometown (see? SEE?) for Christmas with his best friend Madelyn (played by Ellen Wong). Hugo’s mother, Kate (played by Fran Drescher of The Nanny fame), manages to set up a chance meeting between Hugo and his high school crush, Patrick Ryan (played by Blake Lee), who has also recently moved back to town. (You can’t go wrong casting Drescher as a meddling, maternal match-maker.) The two hit it off and begin to fall in love, but Hugo faces a tough decision when a major promotion requires him to relocate to London.

While this does feature two white cisgender men it was a pretty big deal for Lifetime, the network that owns a huge corner of the “wholesome” Christmas film market, to feature a film with two gay men. These two men also happen to be married in real life, hence the strong chemistry between them on screen. Watch it on Lifetime Network and enjoy a queer and cute twist on the typical small-town Christmas love story.