It is that time of year to devour all the film and TV that will get you into the feels. The holiday season is synonymous with emotion because with family and love being the centrepiece for this time of year, it is hard not to get emotional.

One of the most common practices for the holiday season is to watch the films that reflect all that we love this season – the love, the family, the chaos, the laughs, the tears, and the holiday spirit. We all have our go to favourites from The Family Stone, Love Actually, Home Alone, and plenty more (starring white people). So, here is a list of a holiday themed films starring people of colour that require your immediate attention and will hopefully be some of your new favourites for holidays to come.

Happy Holidays!

Boxing Day

Aml Ameen’s directorial debut Boxing Day is the first all-Black ensemble film in the UK. ‘Tis the season to be jolly and stressed out by family, and Ameen’s debut gives all of that energy and so much more. You can stream it now on Amazon Prime Video!

Single All The Way (2021)

Single All The Way is Philemon Chamber’s debut film. He is an absolute delight in Netflix’s first gay romantic-comedy. A friends-to-lovers holiday rom-com is just what we need this holiday season.

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey

A whimsical Christmas musical starring an all-Black ensemble? Yes, please. Now, where is the sequel, Netflix? Jingle Jangle is a delight with so much beauty and magic stuffed into every frame.

A Sugar & Spice Holiday

Lifetime was rightly accused of being overly white and bland, so in recent years they gave been shaking it up with diverse casting which has helped make their brand a bit more inclusive. A Sugar & Spice Holiday is Lifetime’s first Christmas movie with an Asian-American leading cast.

The Best Man Holiday

Best Man is a staple in Black cinema. The ensemble film has left its mark in many Black households with a growing fanbase with each generation. So, the sequel was met with very HIGH expectations…and it DELIVERS. An instant classic, again.

How to Ruin Christmas: The Wedding

This special hails from South Africa and it is an absolute joy to watch. A family rebel reunites with her dysfunctional family for the first Christmas in years, and there is a wedding? Oh, the drama.

This Christmas & Almost Christmas

Ensemble films are great, but nothing can quite compare to the caliber of talent that This Christmas and Almost Christmas has.

The Holiday Calendar (2018)

Netflix has been getting into the holiday rom-com game, so Hallmark and Lifetime need to watch their backs. While there are no royals to speak of, The Holiday Calendar is one that is magical.

A Very Harold & Kumar 3-D Christmas (2011)

Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle is one of the first mainstream comedies to star two Asian actors in the lead roles, which makes the trilogy what culminated with A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas the only comedic trilogy in Hollywood to star Asian leads. Yes, let that sink in for a moment.

Last Holiday

Queen Latifah is a must watch no matter what the movie or TV show is about, so there was no way this list would skip Last Holiday.

A Diva’s Christmas Carol

Soul Food is a favourite amongst many Black people, and while it isn’t explicitly a holiday movie it does tap into the very same themes and narrative tropes that make holiday films so attractive to audiences. One of the main attractions in Soul Food is Vanessa Williams and she happens to have starred in reinterpretation of A Christmas Carol that is a must watch. Thankfully, Vimeo has the full movie available to watch.

Nothing Like The Holidays

Nothing Like The Holidays is one of the very few Hollywood holiday ensemble films to feature a Latinx/Hispanic cast. A home-for-Christmas story that happens to star a working-class Puerto Rican family. It has all the trappings for a fun watch for a family movie-night.

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