Fans of Christmas romance films often know what to anticipate when they tune into the plethora of new offerings on cable and streaming platforms each holiday season. For about 90 minutes, viewers typically witness a bustling city slicker returning to her charmingly decorated small hometown for the festive season. There, a local hero is bound to capture her heart, the backdrop will be delightfully snow-covered, the soundtrack will resonate with holiday cheer, and a sweet, tender kiss will signify the couple’s joyous conclusion.
This year, however, a fresh wave of holiday films is embracing a bolder approach. Titles like Hot Frosty and The Merry Gentlemen on Netflix, as well as A Carpenter Christmas Romance on Lifetime, retain many of the classic tropes, yet they are shedding the cozy sweaters and fleeting embraces for more daring visuals. In a noticeable shift, these films acknowledge the reality that women constitute a significant portion of their audience, showcasing male leads who are often shirtless and presented as eye candy for the female characters in the story. The romantic exchanges are more passionate, and in at least one instance, the lead characters engage in explicit intimacy.
These cinematic depictions suggest that the fictional women featured in these narratives have long been missing out on romantic fulfillment during previous holiday seasons. It seems that modern viewers of Christmas movies are expressing a similar yearning for more than just the traditional holiday fluff.
According to Robert J. Thompson, the director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University, “Way back before Lifetime and Netflix, the old idea of a merry Christmas was filled with mistletoe, which invited transgressional romantic and sexual activity.” He also highlights the presence of sexual undertones in classic narratives, ranging from Dickens’s A Christmas Carol—notably a party scene where blindfolded guests identify one another by touch—to well-known songs like Santa Baby and I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.
In The Merry Gentlemen, for instance, Chad Michael Murray and Hector David Jr. are featured as part of a tantalizing male revue, adding a layer of allure to the holiday festivities. This evolution in holiday storytelling not only aims to engage audiences through nostalgia but also embraces a more vibrant portrayal of romance that reflects contemporary desires.
