2016 has felt like a bad joke. At this point I’m no longer surprised to wake up to bad news — in fact, I’ve started to brace myself before opening my eyes in the morning. It’s more shocking when the internet doesn’t bring me some fresh hell with my breakfast. So I’ve been kind of caught off guard by the holiday season so far. I love this time of year and thank God we’re close to flipping that last calendar page once and for all, but I haven’t been able to make the yuletide quite as gay in such a heavy world.

Same true for you? Well guess what: Everyone is Gay is here to save your solstice with their all new e-care package, Where the Love Light Gleams. It’s like cookies and cocoa with your coolest queer friend, but free and available for download right now.

via Everyone is Gay

Everyone is Gay CEO (and A-Camp Director!) Kristin Russo put Where the Love Light Gleams together to help young queer folks take care of themselves over the holidays. “While this is always a complicated time for LGBTQIA people, I knew that after the election the holiday season would be even more fraught,” she said. “This seemed like the absolute best way to get as many resources to as many people as possible.” Russo assembled a knockout team of “dear and queer friends” to get the job done, and everybody brought their A game. Where the Love Light Gleams includes:

• Advice on staying safe and surviving the holidays with unsupportive family (including essays from right here on Autostraddle)
• A reading list for when you need to curl up with a great queer book
• Jenny Owen Youngs’ holiday playlist (which, yes, I am currently listening to)
• A coloring page, journaling page, and comic by Brittney Williams
• Cover art by Kate Leth
• And a queer history/pop culture/holiday crossword puzzle by yours truly

It’s the perfect blend of resources to keep you strong and fun activities to get you through your layover. “Self-care is a central element in a lot of the work that we do at Everyone is Gay, so the tools in this package are all geared toward that,” Russo explained.

You can sign up for your free copy of Where the Love Light Gleams here. It’s available on an ongoing basis, so spread the word to all your friends who need a boost this time of year — and to your local queer organizations while you’re at it.

Russo hopes that the care package “gives people the space to find their breath, find their center, and find some peace — whether that be in the context of a generally busy holiday season or a home environment that isn’t welcoming. I want these elements to come together and to serve as the love and light for so many people out there who need to be wrapped up and held tight.” So get signed up, friends — and let’s give this year a better queer sendoff than it ever deserved.

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