13 More Taurus-Approved Holiday Gifts for Queers
13 More Taurus-Approved Holiday Gifts for Queers
For the kinky, crunchy, astrological, luxurious, and mutual aid-minded!
Babes,
Awards season combined with the holiday streaming wars has created quite a watchlist backlog. Here’s some more Blitzkrieg takes on what I’ve consumed this week because we’ve got another gift guide coming!
Encanto Though I was warned, Rose and I did sob through the last 20 minutes. The story follows a mystical Colombian family and their only magic-less daughter, Mirabel, who tries to save their family’s enchantment from expiring. The world/characters are so rich and biutiful, it is easily a fave of 2021. That said, the music was below average — an algorithm-generated Lin Manuel Miranda — and the vocal ability across the board was very lackluster). Despite that, I would’ve gladly watched another hour.
Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Mary continually reveals herself to be an incoherent, manipulative, infantile, fat-shaming racist sell-out FLOP of a cult leader. On a tier with Ramona, tbh! And just as bad as Jen. I hope she gets her reckoning.
The Power of the Dog Eh, I was pretty engaged in this Western family drama (with a surprise queer element) despite that I’m often allergic to whites-only Oscar bait. Though the film invokes an unnecessary amount of stress with its thriller-y soundtrack, Kiki Dunst, as well as the ending, make it a fairly satiating watch. To me, the film’s profundity comes from what they were able to accomplish with very little dialogue. If someone spoke no English, they could still watch and feel the story’s effect. A bit of a sleeper, if I’m being honest, but “masterful” performances, direction, etc.
Sort Of I saw many people recommend this HBOmax show and tbh all of them were cis, so I was prepared to not like it. Most media on nonbinary people fits into this icky template of triumph porn, and coming from the industry I am so burnt out on media about pronouns and gender-based violence. This show was none of that! In fact, the main character’s pronouns are almost never used, and the word “nonbinary” I think is only uttered once or twice. If I could describe it, the story follows a trans Pakistani Daria-esque character named Sabi who reckons with a pivotal moment in their romantic, work, and family life that all converges with slapsticky cringe comedy. A must-watch!
Project Runway Damn, as an og Runway fan, I might have to drop off. The contestants are so-so and without Tim & Heidi (hell, I’d even take Karlie back at this point), there is nothing anchoring the show. imo both the copycats Next in Fashion and Making the Cut were better than the current seasons — what do y’all think?
La Casa de Papel No spoilers, but I can’t believe this show is over. If you haven’t heard of LCDP, or Money Heist, the show is absolutely huge — like, Stranger Things huge — in every country except the US. Americans don’t watch because they’re too lazy/phone-addicted to read subtitles, but it’s one of my favorite series I’ve ever binged and I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys ridiculously high-stakes, farfetched Mission Impossible/Ocean’s 11-style thrills. Can we get a Sierra spin-off tho?
Onto the real binch who stole Christmas: capitalism! Also, got an inquiry last week about whether these gift guides were sponsored. The answer is NO! I will always disclose affiliate links if used — I just genuinely love the sinewy materialism of the holidays, plus gift guides are good for traffic, lmao!
Which reminds me, give the gift of a paid subscription to my newsletter which supports my work and helps me offset living expenses as someone in the gig economy! This link will email the subscription to your loved one, and you can even make it anonymous or schedule it to be delivered later, like on Christmas!
Xx Fran
P.S. Peep part one of this gay gift series if you missed it!
some things that brought me joy this week
1. I used to be a Dr. Teals girl, but I’ve fully migrated to Everyday Shea when supplying the bubbles for my famed baths. I like the lavender, but there are a few varieties to pick from for big, juicy bubbles that ~ moisturize ~ leaving you soft and glowy.
2. I adore queer historic collectibles and fell in love with Camp Books earlier this year at Brooklyn’s online zine festival. They have a collection of archival political posters and rare counter-cultural books that could make a sublime x-mas gift! These ship from the UK though, so make moves!
3. My friend Fariha helped concept these astrology shirts, one designed for each sign, so you gift to a fellow witch! These will ship after x-mas though, so would be an IOU-TK gift!
4. For another route on astro-oriented gifts, Sonya — who, if you ask me, is the true queen of Christmas — has her elves working hard at her annual holiday shop filled with sun-sign gifts and mutual-aid oriented collections. If you’ve never heard of Freefrom, I recommend this interview with Sonya talking about her work investing in survivors of domestic violence — and all the profit from this store goes right back to those survivors.
5. As a stocking stuffer, my friend Zach recommended these joint candles and I have to say I need them for every gathering? What better way to say “Happy Birthday” than lighting up and passing around.
6. As I continue to stump for Boy Smells as my fave brand in the candle space, I’ll def say De Nimes is a good go-to for this time of year with a crowd-pleasing scent profile — not to mention that color will look gorgeous anywhere.
7. Carne Bollente is a go-to for tasteful ho gifts (if they’re too food for an “anal” ring) and these dominatrix socks are a true winner. But if you’re looking for something above stocking stuffer size, there are some very cute embroidered clothes with horny little illustrations.
8. I have no shame in saying Dakota johnson’s bougie lube is my personal fave, but the release of their Kinfolk-ready buttplug might spark a gift idea for that one aesthetically-oriented sex friend.
9. One more sexy gift idea, this queer-owned leather company has some stunning saddle collars that come in a few other colors too. Nice gift to get for that fashionably kinky friend who’s size you don’t know.
10. I think a tarot deck is a great gift for queers, but make sure to pair it with Jessica Dore’s book. This is one of my fave reads of 2021 and it makes a great gift for anyone looking to practice tarot, especially if that person is polarized by the “witchyness” of it all. Tarot or not, there are some beautiful life lessons in this book for any budding reader.
11. Reesa Beesa has a lot of cute things in her shop, but these earrings are a standout, and you get to support an independent queer artist in the process!
12. One of my most prized possessions is my AMC Stubs A-List membership. For a monthly fee, you can see up to 3 movies PER WEEK as well as tax/fee-free purchases + bonus snack rewards. Stubinista though I am, I think A-List is a top-tier gift for a movie-going boo if they’re near an AMC.
13. Not sure I’ve ever been more proud of a gift than that one time I bought my entire family Crocs for Christmas. If you know someone who is as queer and stupid as you, and RESPECTS a comfortable errand shoe, I cannot recommend the bae shape enough
this week’s action
If you’re not already familiar, Trans Santa, this mutual aid initiative provides people an opportunity to send gifts anonymously to trans kids and teens by way of their truly adorable and tear-jerking handwritten letters. The process is easy (explained further in their Instagram highlights) but simply click the link in bio and click through letters that speak to you to grab something on their wishlist. Presents go FAST though as Santas practically competing to take part in mutual aid! Love to see it!