Hello, butter cookie tins, and welcome to this week’s Friday Open Thread! As you’re well aware by now, this is our weekly sacred space to chill with one another all weekend long after surviving a week in the harsh, cold world. (And also to share photos of our pets, cute updates about our relationships, and, in my wildest dreams, our favorite recipes.) I’m hoping that this week, it’s a space filled with even more joy, cheer, and goodwill toward ‘straddlers than ever — ’cause this is the first Friday Open Thread of the no-holds-barred, tinsel-and-garland-filled, nonstop-hot-cocoa, dog days of the HOLIGAY SEASON!
We’ve been rolling out a whole mess of holigay content for you since November, including some epic gift guides and DIY ideas to simplify your shopping for the season. And some of y’all are even making a guest list and checking it twice because you’re hosting holigay meet-ups! (Which, I mean, GOOD ON YOU, y’all. KEEP IT UP.)
As for me, a small human on this vast planet who uses the Santa emoticon liberally and rocks around Christmas trees whenever possible, I’m proud to announce that this is the year — the year I sent my holigay cards right after Thanksgiving, snagged a bunch of gifts before I even had time to buy reindeer wrapping paper, hung the stockings by December 3, and designed four foam mini-wreaths to hang around my house in the first few days of the season. It’s a new city, a new life, and a new chance to show a bunch of people I’ve never been able to hang out with in December how obsessed I am with the season, after all! I’m even wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with Santa’s face on it as we speak.
I think it goes without saying, or I guess without saying anything more than what I just said, that I’m a holigay type. A self-described festive machine hellbent on bringing joy to others through forcible consumption of yuletide joy. A person who spends the entirety of December acting like a Who who just escaped from Whoville. A woman in a Santa sweatshirt. A woman walking a dog who is wearing a Santa hat and beard.
And thus, I wanted to host this week’s thread and talk to all of you about the holigays. What holigay are you gearing up for as I write? How jazzed are you for that holigay party happening later this week? What’s the gift you’re most excited to give this year? Do you have a favorite holigay tradition to pass down to us all? And also, do you want me to send you a holigay card? DON’T HOLD BACK ON YOUR HOLIGAY FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS. THIS IS WHAT I LIVE FOR.
You’re welcome in this space to also be a little bit of a grinch and bah humbug about the whole season, because I’ll still love you. Or, you can come right on in, take a seat, and talk to me about something that doesn’t even have to do with the holigay season! I’m still obviously super excited to hear about what toppings you put on your pizza this week, what crafty stuff you’ve been working on in your garage, and that cute girl you just asked out in the library.
On ‘straddlers, on lurkers, on readers and tweeters! Get in here and comment about all of your feelings. (You know you want to.)
How To Post A Photo In The Comments:
1. Find a photo! This is the easy part. Find a photo on the web, right click (on a Mac, control+click), hit “Copy Image URL” and then…
2. Code it in to your comment! Use the following code, and use a DIRECT LINK to the image. Your image link should end in .JPG or .GIF or .PNG or .CallMeWhateverYouWant even. I don’t care, but it should be an image suffix! KINDA LIKE THIS:
If you need to upload the photo you love from your computer, try using imgur. To learn more about posting photos, check out Ali’s step-by-step guide.
How To Post A Video In The Comments, Too:
1. Find a video on YouTube or Vimeo or WHATEVER and click “embed.” Copy that code, but first make sure it’s for 640 px wide or less. If your player is too large, it will not display properly.
2. Copy the code and paste it directly into your comment.
3. Go forth and jam.
