Who Are These Holiday Hunks Streaming Near You?

After watching "Hot Frosty," there's little doubt that all many queer men want for Christmas is Dustin Milligan, the snowman who turns into a ripped hottie in Netflix's holiday romance. Milligan, who is best-known for playing the sweet-tempered veterinarian Ted Mullins who wooed Alexis Rose (Annie Murphy) on "Schitt's Creek," plays the aptly named Jack Snowman who with the aid of Lacey Chabert's magic scarf comes-to-life and woos her with home-made pizza, home repairs and the hottest physique of the holiday season (or any for that matter). Little wonder this holiday rom-com, which suggests Frank Capra fantasy with a Channing Tatum vibe, is quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon with good reviews (88% positive on Rotten Tomatoes), strong word-of-mouth, and a surprising number of culture pieces in major publications. At the Daily Beast, Kevin Fallon writes "'Hot Frosty' is absolutely absurd and awful, and I can't recommend it enough." And in a sweetly positive review in the New York Times, critic Amy Nicholson assesses its appeal this way: "Here are the two possible audience reactions: 'How dumb!' and 'How dumb – can't wait to watch!'"

But "Hot Frosty" and Milligan are not the only holiday hotties to find their way onto a streaming service this season. It is joined by two other films in which the male leads strip down and reveal hot torsos: "The Merry Gentlemen" (also on Netflix) and "A Carpenter Christmas Romance" (on Lifetime) use many of the familiar tropes seen in Hallmark holiday movies. But, as the New York Times pointed out recently, "they've ditched the sweaters and fleeting embraces for steamier visuals. Here, in a move seemingly born of the realization that women are a key viewing demographic of the genre, the men are often shirtless and on display to be ogled by the female townsfolk. The kisses are passionate. And, in at least one instance, the lead characters have s-e-x."

The Times seems to have mixed another key demographic likely to be watching these films – gay men.

The films are calculated to bring sexuality to the chaste genre, something that Robert J. Thompson, the director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University, has long been a subtext to holiday stories. "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 tells the Times. "He also noted the presence of sexual undertones in everything from Dickens's 'A Christmas Carol' (a party scene where blindfolded revelers identify one another by touch) to songs like 'Santa Baby' and 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.'"

Of course, don't expect the films to be too steamy, but they each contain stories that center around hunky, shirtless men, and hint at sex and naughtiness, which is something you won't see on the Hallmark Channel.

But who are the sexy men in these movies?

Dustin Milligan

When Jack Snowman (Dustin Milligan) is first seen in "Hot Frosty" he is six-foot, as buff as can be imagined snow sculpture sitting amongst his more traditional brethren in the town square of Hope Springs, NY as part of an annual holiday contest. But when widow Kathy Barrett (Lacey Chabert) stops to admire him and put a red scarf around his neck, he comes to life, streaking naked (with the scarf strategically placed) through the town before he rips off some overalls from a store window. Soon he is helping the needy Kathy with her household chores, such as fixing her roof, and charming everyone, save Kathy who is slow to warm to him.

In an interview with Decider, Milligan says he was skeptical when he first received the script with the title "Hot Frosty," but upon reading it was struck by "how much more it was than what that title makes you think it's going to be." He signed onto the project just two weeks before shooting, fortunately Milligan was in great physical shape for the role, but noted that because the role requires "being quite exposed," he wasn't always "totally comfortable."

"The physical comedy was such a joy for me, but exposing my body on camera brings up a lot of insecurities and body-image issues I have," the 39-year old actor told People Magazine. "So in order to do a character like Jack justice," he continues, "I had to let go in a way I've never done before and just be fully physically liberated in every single scene, which simultaneously challenged the discomfort that being so exposed brought and allowed the pure joy I was feeling shine through – I hope!"

Mitchell Slaggert

Lifetime's entry in the buff holiday sweepstakes is "A Carpenter's Christmas Romance," which follows last season's "A Cowboy Christmas Romance," which the network touted as the first Christmas movie to have a sex scene. In the new film, aa novelist Sarah (Sasha Pieterse) who finds herself romantically involved with Seth (Mitchell Slaggert), an old crush and a carpenter helping to rebuild her hometown after a fire. While their affair may be hot, don't expect to see it in the film, written and executive produced by "Grey's Anatomy" star Sarah Drew. According to the Times, "the sex is mostly implied and the scenes carefully cut away from sizzling embraces to the mornings after." "I think I wrote in the script 'and then they make love in a post-9 p.m.-television-friendly way,'" Drew tells the Times. "I mean, I'm a grown woman. I love romance shows. I love that stuff. All of my friends love that stuff, and they want more than a chaste kiss at the end."

The 29-year old Slaggert is relatively new to acting. His best-known role was on the second season of "The Sex Lives of College Girls," but he has been appearing before cameras for a decade now as a model, most notably in 2016 when he landed a spot in Calvin Klein underwear ads, following in the steps of Jamie Dornan, Antonio Sabáto, Jr., Travis Fimmel, and, of course, Mark Wahlberg. Profiling him at the time he got the Calvin Klein gig, Vogue described him as a "clean-cut Georgia boy who has been making waves in the modeling industry." Asked about the Calvin Klein campaign, he told Vogue: "It's an honor!" he told us via email. "Only great things can come from this. It's such an iconic brand and has launched many careers; I'm blessed to take part in something so special."

Chad Michael Murray

Another Netflix holiday movie (premiering on November 20) was described by director Peter Sullivan to scriptwriter Marla Sokoloff as "Magic Mike meets Christmas." Sokoloff's story follows a New York dancer named Ashley (Britt Robertson) who returns to home after getting fired from a gig just in time to save her family's performance venue by choreographing a male revue led by the very fit local handyman Luke (Chad Michael Murray.) But don't expect to see the Full Monty in this film, which cut back on its scantily clad costumes in pre-production. Appearing on the Today Show recently, Murray said that he felt both "absolute terror" and "excitement" upon receiving the script. "When something terrifies me I get excited," he said, also teasing that "there might be a spicier version" of the movie out there somewhere. "When you shoot a film like this you're threading the needle," said Murray, adding that while it's still a holiday film and they had to "keep it festive," the alternative version might have "some more hips."

And to promote the film, Netflix has put out a calendar that features Murray stripping down for each month of 2025. Announcing the calendar on an Instagram video, he says, "I may have the perfect white elephant gift for your holiday party. Check out my 2025 calendar." And for the month of March he is seen wearing a green bow tie and holding a basketball, which Entertainment Weekly says is a nod to "One Tree Hill," the teen drama Murray once appeared in. Check out the 12 calendar pics below: