‘Tis The Season: Authors Talk Holidays is a special seasonal feature on Pop! Goes The Reader in which some of my favourite authors help me to celebrate the spirit of the season and spread a little holiday cheer. So, pour yourself a cup of hot chocolate and snuggle in by the fireside as they answer the question: “What does the holiday season mean to you?”
About Jennifer Dugan
Jennifer Dugan is a writer, a geek and a romantic, who writes the kind of stories she wishes she’d had growing up. Her debut novel, Hot Dog Girl, was called a “great fizzy rom-com” by Entertainment Weekly and “one of the best reads of the year, hands down” by Paste Magazine. She is also the author of Verona Comics and the forthcoming graphic novel, Coven. She lives in upstate New York with her family, dog, bearded dragon, new kitten, and her evil, yet beloved, cat that is no doubt planning to take over the world.
When I first sat down to think about what I wanted to share about the holidays, I was flooded with ideas. I love Christmas, capital L-O-V-E. It’s a watch Hallmark Christmas channel 24-7, have an “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day” sign up year round and break out Jessica Simpson’s Christmas album in July, kind of love.
There were so many topics I was prepared to delve into, from the serious — family traditions in the face of grief! To come out or not to come out at family holiday dinner! Surprise engagements and you! — to the lighter fare of my favorite Hallmark holiday romance (The Mistletoe Inn, obvs) or favorite holiday horror movies (tie between Krampus and Better Watch Out.) But ultimately, I settled on sharing with you the true reason I love this time of year…
Santa.
Yes, I said it. I love Santa — particularly the very commercialized, American version.
The flair, the suit, the sparkles and snow, the ridiculous gaudiness of it all, any one of those would be reason enough to adore him. But in the spirit of this absolutely wild year, I’m going to be honest with you. The real reason I’m a huge Santa fan is the fact that he’s the one supernatural entity that you’re allowed — even expected — to invite into your house and feed snacks.
I’ll let you sit with that for a second.
Now, my friends will be the first to tell you that I’m a massive fan of the weird and creepy. If there’s a cryptid, I want to pet it. If there’s a monster, I want to wrap it in a blanket and feed it soup. It’s not an evil demon, it’s just misunderstood. And Santa? Santa is probably the closest I’ll ever get to that being socially acceptable — as long as I respect that it’s only once a year.
Most days, if you ask someone if they’re cool with a magical man sneaking into their house in the middle of the night to leave mysterious packages — and oh, did I mention he also rides glowing, flying beasts, and can not only break the time space continuum without a TARDIS, but apparently can also manipulate matter in a way that would definitely make Ant Man weep — people would say “No thanks, I’ll pass.”
But not on Christmas Eve.
On Christmas Eve, not only do some of us not take a pass on that, but we actively try to lure him in with baked goods! In fact, by some accounts, you’re kind of a jerk if you don’t. (Assuming you celebrate the holiday, of course.)
I’m literally delighted by this.
And while none of us know where my lifelong fascination with things that go bump in the night came from, my loved ones will readily admit that I come by my love of Santa honestly. In fact, I’m not the only one who feels like this in my family.
Our Santa obsession was born out of the desire to find a connection separate from the various religious connotations of the season. While we were all raised strict Catholic, many of us — including myself — have left the church or simply no longer practice. Instead of forcing things, my grandmother made a new tradition for my extended family: attendance at mass was no longer required, but we would devote an entire day to baking cookies for Santa. And if she considered Santa some kind of secret stand-in for another mythical figure, she never shared it.
What she did share was her enthusiasm and love of holiday baking. And while my grandmother is no longer with us, the tradition of baking for Santa lives on. Every year, we still line up the frosting in various colors, load up on edible glitter and dyed sugar crystals, and set out an assortment of decorating tools and brushes. We spend hours painting our hearts outs.
At the end of the day, we assemble a panel of judges. It usually consists of a few aunts and uncles who somehow seem to always manage to appear after clean up but in plenty of time to eat leftover cookies. Together, they select the super ultimate, best, most Santa-worthy cookie of the day. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that this sometimes gets heated and occasionally a gingerbread man loses his head, or a sugar cookie reindeer is devoured during the semi-finals — we are a very competitive family. But once all is said and done, the winning cookie is set aside to be left out on Christmas Eve night at my mother’s house — an honor she inherited after my grandmother’s passing.
And while, on some level, we all get that this is totally ridiculous — not really any different than my interest in Jason Voorhees or Mothman — we don’t really care. Maybe if other monsters had better PR they’d get cookies too, I don’t know. But what I do know is that for one blissful night a year, I get to pretend the world is exactly as magical as I wish it always was — with a little help from my family.
Title Some Girls Do
Author Jennifer Dugan
Intended Target Audience Young Adult
Publication Date May 18th 2021 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Find It On Goodreads ● Amazon ● Chapters ● The Book Depository ● Barnes & Noble ● IndieBound
In this YA contemporary queer romance from the author of Hot Dog Girl, an openly gay track star falls for a closeted, bisexual teen beauty queen with a penchant for fixing up old cars.
Morgan, an elite track athlete, is forced to transfer high schools late in her senior year after it turns out being queer is against her private Catholic school’s code of conduct. There, she meets Ruby, who has two hobbies: tinkering with her baby blue 1970 Ford Torino and competing in local beauty pageants, the latter to live out the dreams of her overbearing mother. The two are drawn to each other and can’t deny their growing feelings. But while Morgan – out and proud, and determined to have a fresh start – doesn’t want to have to keep their budding relationship a secret, Ruby isn’t ready to come out yet. With each girl on a different path toward living her truth, can they go the distance together?
