The gay characters in this year's crop of Christmas movies

 

After seeing a gay couple as full participants in Christmas on Cherry Lane, I'm hopeful that there will be some LGBTQ representation in the rest of this year's crop of Christmas movies.   I'm going through them on fast forward, looking for a swishy guy, or any two guys of about the same age having a conversation.  I have to give the plot, or it will be the word "Christmas" over and over, until it starts sounding weird.

"This year" means that they popped up on my streaming services this year.  They may have been produced earlier.

1. Christmas in the Vineyard.  A widow with two young sons is trying to keep her vineyard afloat, so to speak, and falls in love with soap hunk Josh Swickard.  No

2. A Biltmore Christmas. A screenwriter gets zapped back to the set of the 1947 holiday classic His Merry Wife. No

3. Fall into Winter.  A woman has to work with her "arrogant" high school nemesis to save her candy shop. At Christmas. No.

4. A Paris Christmas Waltz.  A novice dancer pairs with a professional, Matthew Morrison, left, to win a dance contest, go to Paris, and fall in love. No.

5. A Miracle in Bethlehem -- Pennsylvania, har har. A single mother with a newly adopted baby finds no rooms in the inn, so she stays with a stranger and...wait for it...falls in love.  No.

6. A Christmas Spark -- a widow directs a Christmas pageant and falls in love with the star. No

7. Christmas Island.  Not an Australian territory near Java in Indonesia.  This must be a fictional island, since it's snowing, and pilot Kate's flight from Los Angeles to Switzerland is diverted there. She falls in love with local Andrew W. Walker, left. No

8. Christmas in Paradise. Dad Kelsey Grammar has been dumped, and runs away to the Caribbean, so two adult sisters fly down to find him, and fall in love, one of them with Billy Ray Cyrus of Hannah Montana. By the way, the family is named Christmas, har har. No

9. Haul out the Holly. While staying alone in her parents' house for Christmas, a woman joins in the neighborhood festivities and falls in love. No

10. Christmas on Notting Hill. At minute 5,  a fruity guy -- William Moseley -- is having a conversation with a masculine Peter Rothwell.  His friend tells him: "You have a woman you adore."  Close, but No

11. Christmas with a Kiss: Same plot as Haul Out the Holly, above, except it's a black neighborhood, and the woman falls in love with Jaime M. Callica, left. Well, it's hard to come up with plots about big-city women falling in love with small-town men at Christmas.  No

12. Meet Me Next Christmas.  There's a femme guy at Minute 23, and a drag show at minute 100.  Probably

More men and women teaming up to save Christmas after the break

13. A Heidelberg Christmas.  They have that famous Christmas Market, where Heidi is selling hand-made ornaments, and falls in love  with a German guy. No.

14. Christmas with You. Pop star is horrified at the prospect of spending Christmas in a small town, but she....falls in love Freddie Prinze Jr., left. No

15. A Castle for Christmas. Bestselling author runs away to Scotland, moves into a castle, and falls in love with the owner, Cary Elwes. No

I'm getting tired of this, so for the next batch, it's plot synopsis only:

16. Reporting for Christmas. High-power reporter is assigned a "fluff" piece on a small-town Christmas, and falls in love with a toymaker.  Darn, I thought it meant "report to your probation officer."  No

17. Our Holiday Story.  A middle-aged woman tell the story of how she had to work with her "arrogant" nemesis, Warren Christie, left for a Christmas...um, something or other.  Who cares?  It's Christmas.  No.  

18. Scouting for Christmas.  A single Mom tries to make Christmas special for her daughter by pairing with a local baker for the Holiday Ball.  No boy scouts? No. 

19. Operation Nutcracker.  A very important antique nutcracker goes missing, so a driven event planner and an arrogant rich guy, Christopher Russell, left,  team up to track it down.  The event planner is a woman.  Surprised?  No.

20. The Christmas Charade.  A mousy librarian must pose as the girlfriend of FBI agent Corey Sevier, to prevent the theft of the St. Nicholas Ruby at the Christmas Ball.  No

One "probably" out of twenty means poor representation, but I may have missed a character who appeared for a few seconds.  And not to worry, there are lots more coming up.

Check out Confessions of a Christmas Letter.  Seven men and three women. There must be a gay couple somewhere in the photo. Hope

See also: Christmas on Cherry Lane: Three families, including a gay couple, with a plot twist you won't see coming.

Jake Satow: Saving Christmas, a Christian horse, a nonbinary internet celebrity, and the Baywatch guy