6 Latine Christmas Movies & Shows to Watch This Season

As the holiday season approaches, Latines are getting ready to celebrate this period with traditional foods and rituals alongside our families (and/or our chosen families). But before the parranda or nochebuena at Fulana’s sala, we want to cozy up on our sofas with our ugly Christmas sweaters and warm cup of canelazo to watch new and classic holiday flicks. The problem: we rarely see ourselves, our cultures, or our languages reflected in these movies and shows — even though we know no one quite does the holidays like we do.

While there aren’t a lot of Latine holiday viewing options, each year Latine filmmakers, writers, and actors work to bring us new feel-good Christmas entertainment. Refinery29 Somos rounded up six movies and TV shows that feature Latine leads so you can spend the next few weeks snuggling in front of the TV like you deserve to be.

Mario Lopez is David Morales, an Arizona high school principal and single dad who moonlights as a delivery man to save money for his daughter’s college fund. David is a widower — a status that has caused him to lose any holiday cheer — and lives with his 14-year-old daughter Noel (Paulina Chávez) and his sister Marissa (Marycarmen Lopez). Both Noel and Marissa are determined to bring back David’s Christmas spirit, so they pounce at the opportunity to set him up with Sophie (AnnaLynne McCord), a musician who is in town for the holidays visiting her family. 

Gender & Sexuality: D

I am rating this as a rom-com, so I didn’t really expect this film to pass the Bechdel test — and indeed, it doesn’t. None of the main characters is queer, and the plot focuses on David and Sophie getting together, so it’s very heterosexual. This is, unfortunately, to be expected. 

Regional Diversity: C

There wasn’t a lot of regional diversity since the film focuses on a specific family. Unfortunately, this film blends a lot of distinct Latine traditions together, which I feel can obscure the specificity of different parts of the diaspora. However, I do appreciate that it takes place in Arizona, a state with a large Latine population that is rarely depicted in popular media.

Language: D

There aren’t many accents or switches into Spanish.  

Race: F 

This film just isn’t very racially diverse, maybe because it does focus on a particular family. Despite certain cultural and culinary traditions, the Latine family at the center of this film seems to be very well integrated into white American society. It is also a little disappointing to see David mostly dating white American women. 

Stereotypes & Tropes: B

I actually love that this film depicts the emotional struggles of a single dad who lost his wife, and how difficult it can be to bounce back into dating after losing a partner. The fact that David is a Latino man also challenges some stereotypes around Latino men being machista and emotionless. 

Was it Actually Good? B 

This is a fun Lifetime movie to watch when you want to witness a simple holiday romance. 

Noelle (Christina Milian) returns to her hometown during the holiday season to sell her late mother’s house. Noelle’s mother loved Christmas and always went all out with decorations, which she entrusted Dave (Mark Taylor) to carry out. Because of her mother’s death, Noelle doesn’t want to decorate the house this year, but Dave convinces her to continue the tradition. As Noelle gets more settled into her mother’s house and accepts the Christmas decorations, she starts to embrace the holiday celebrations in town, and falls in love with the decorator-in-chief.

Gender & Sexuality: B

I love that the main character is an Afro-Latina business woman whose heart has to be thawed by a dashing Christmas-lover. Less girlbossing, more loving, please!

Regional Diversity: D

There wasn’t a lot of regional diversity since the film focuses on a specific family.

Language: C

There aren’t many accents or switches into Spanish.  

Race: A

We need Milian to take over Hollywood. As a proud Black Cuban actor, Milian is a wonderful protagonist for this film. It’s always wonderful to see Afro-Latina women being loved on screen. 

Stereotypes & Tropes: B

I believe any piece of media that shows a Black woman being loved and catered to is pushing against stereotypes. Black women are usually the carers in film and TV —  they are rarely cared for — so I really appreciate the framing of this movie. 

Was it Actually Good? A 

This is a pretty solid holiday rom-com. Add it to your watch list.

This is actually one of my favorite TV shows: It’s inclusive, it’s thoughtful, and features some amazing Latine talent. With Love is essentially a family sit-com, and each episode is set during a different holiday where the family gets together and drama ensues, including Christmas and New Year’s Eve. The TV show starts with siblings Lily (Emeraude Toubia) and Jorge Diaz (Mark Indelicato) on a mission to find love, while their parents Beatriz (Constance Marie) and Jorge Sr. (Benito Martinez) are dealing with a potential divorce. Through holidays and special occasions, the family learns how to love each other better, how to maintain their relationships and, of course, how to experience joy together. 

Gender & Sexuality: A+ 

Two of the main characters are openly queer and proud of it. Queerness and transness are openly discussed in the show. Women are portrayed in their fullness, despite the show’s focus on love. I love how Lily’s sexuality is portrayed; from masturbation scenes to steamy sex, With Love does not pull punches when tackling women’s sexuality. 

Regional Diversity: B

With Love centers on a Mexican-American family, though there is also Afro-Cuban, Filipino, and mixed-race Latine representation. It’s refreshing. 

Language: A

Code-switching is on point. Perfect use of words like “Oye” and “Papi” that then transitions into English and don’t feel forced. 

Race: A 

A constant critique I make of Latine TV shows and films is how the lack of Afro-Latine characters reinforces the idea that Black people cannot be Latine. This isn’t a problem in With Love: the character of Santiago — and his friends and family — blows this dichotomy up directly. I was so happy to see this representation on screen. Hopefully, other Latine-led shows can learn from With Love.

Stereotypes & Tropes: A

With Love doesn’t rely heavily on tropes and stereotypes at all. The female characters are extremely well-developed, and I feel like the passionate Latina stereotype is given the nuances and fullness Latina women deserve. 

Was it Actually Good? A 

I was obsessed with this show while watching it, and I think this will be an even better watch during the holiday season. 

Get ready to witness some holiday family drama. After a long time serving in the Marines, Jesse Rodriguez (Freddy Rodríguez) arrives at his family home in Humboldt Park, Chicago, to spend Christmas with his Puerto Rican family. This is the first time in years that the whole family gets together for the holidays. Mentally and physically scarred because he served in the Iraq War, Jesse is eager to reminisce and see his hometown and old friends again, but — as often happens in big Latine families — he’s in for a wild ride as his family members harbor secrets and grudges that will be unearthed in the days to come. 

Gender & Sexuality: C 

There isn’t diversity in terms of sexuality in this film, and most of the story focuses on the men. I liked the character of Roxanna (Vanessa Ferlito), whose story isn’t solely about how she relates to the men in her family, but deals with the real difficulties of being a struggling Latina actor in Hollywood. Otherwise, most of the women characters’ stories center on the men in the family. 

Regional Diversity: C

This film focuses on a Puerto Rican family, so it isn’t that regionally diverse. However, I do appreciate that it takes place in Humboldt Park, a neighborhood in Chicago with a long and important Puerto Rican history that isn’t often portrayed in film and TV. It’s always refreshing to see media about Latines that aren’t in New York, Miami, or Los Angeles.

Language: A

The accents and language-switching are seamless. 

Race: D

While there is a shade range across the main characters, there are no Black or Afro-Latine characters. 

Stereotypes & Tropes: C

This film is basically a holiday movie with a Puerto Rican family. I don’t think it challenges any stereotypes, but perhaps provides nuance into the Latine family life, which seems very chaotic and toxic from the outside — but in reality, everyone loves each other and everyone just needs to talk it out with each other. 

Was it Actually Good? B 

I’m such a sucker for family holiday drama, so yes, it is good.

Belinda Sawyer (Toubia) travels from Chicago to Santa Fé to acquire Casa de Milagro, a family-owned holiday ornaments and décor business inspired by Mexican Christmas traditions. Belinda has a top position in the largest greeting card and holiday décor business in Chicago, and hopes to expand the business through buying Casa de Milagro. Usually all about business and profits, Belinda starts to fall in love with the owner of Casa de Milagros, Tony (Lopez), complicating the acquisition and her own life. And the script is also written by a Latina: Mexican-American scriptwriter Cristela Alonzo.

Gender & Sexuality: C 

It’s a holiday romance, so there isn’t much dimension to Belinda’s character beyond the main narrative, but I actually think that’s okay. 

Regional Diversity: C

It isn't very regionally diverse as it focuses on a specific family. Unfortunately, this movie is more about two leads who happen to be Latine rather than a Latine-focused film.  

Language: C

Some switches from English to Spanish felt a little forced. 

Race: D

Yes, it’s a romance between two Latine people — but all the Latines are white.

Stereotypes & Tropes: D

Sometimes, it’s not about pushing back on stereotypes and tropes; it’s about being able to use them just like any other filmmaker. This is very saccharine and cheesy, but sometimes, that’s exactly what you want to see. 

Was it Actually Good? C 

It is not good, but it is certainly a holiday romance movie, if you’re looking for one. 

Sloane Spencer (Milian) is a self-centered and ambitious publicist in Los Angeles. Planning to beat her ex-boyfriend and work colleague Jason (Ryan Sypek) for a promotion, Sloane is razor-focused on planning the premiere of her client Caitlin Quinn’s (Ashley Benson) new movie “Snow Angel” on Christmas. Instead of celebrating the holidays with her family and friends, Sloane plans to spend the holiday period working to make sure Caitlin’s premiere is perfect. But when Caitlin chokes to death on the olive from a martini, Sloane is visited by her ghost, and subsequently, by the ghosts of her exes — yes, like in A Christmas Carol — who help her understand herself better. 

Gender & Sexuality: B 

I love that Milian is essentially cast as Ebenezer Scrooge, but there isn’t a lot of sexual diversity in this film. Nonetheless, having an Afro-Latina as a lead is pretty great. 

Regional Diversity: F

This isn't very regionally diverse, as Milian is the only Latina actress featured. 

Language: F

No switches to evaluate.

Race: C

Unfortunately, Milian carries the racial politics of this movie by herself. She is the only Black main character. 

Stereotypes & Tropes: C

I loved how this film modernized an old story and also centered the story of a Black woman. 

Was it Actually Good? B 

Yes! It is both saccharine enough to be a holiday movie and full of self-reflections and meditations on what actually matters in life.