Look, I get it. Christmas is flashy. It’s got all the decorations and pretty lights and cute songs. Romance novel protagonists can kiss under the mistletoe or flirt while gift shopping or argue over which Christmas tree to bring home from the farm. This year, we’re even getting a good number of queer holiday romances, including Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun and You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky, among others. Historically, holiday romances have been overwhelmingly written by white authors, but that’s starting to change too with books like The Christmas Clash by Suzanne Park. But I’ve got to get something off my chest: I’m a Grinch. I hate Christmas. It’s the worst holiday, okay? It’s overly commercialized, it’s stressful, freezing weather sucks, Santa is creepy, and everyone seems to forget that it’s not a secular holiday but actually associated with a colonialist religion that’s harmed a lot of people. “But the stockings! And the reindeer!” I hear you saying. Yes, I know I’m a party pooper. I’m the character in the novel who needs a hot lesbian in a Santa suit to show her the true meaning of Christmas. I won’t try to pry anyone’s beloved Christmas romance novels out of their cold, mittenless hands. I’m just here to argue that we can spread a little love to the other seasonal holidays, right? And let’s start with Thanksgiving. It’s not a perfect holiday by any means. It’s also colonialist and it erases Indigenous history. That’s something I’d love to see recognized in a Thanksgiving romance, or explored in a romance by an Indigenous author. In fact, let’s normalize holiday romances that point out the problematic nature of the holiday at its center! Here are the reasons I think this holiday deserves just a little of the romance novel treatment Christmas has received. There are a handful of Thanksgiving romances out there — you know you can count on self-published authors to deliver the content traditional publishers are lacking — and the ones I’ve read largely revolve around family drama. Jackie Lau’s novella A Match Made for Thanksgiving is part of the Holidays with the Wongs series where each sibling gets a chance at love during a different holiday. In the first, the Wong parents set up each of their adult children with a surprise date for Thanksgiving (Canadian Thanksgiving, which totally counts). But Nick just had an unforgettable one-night stand with Lily, the date his parents invited for his brother Greg. Confusion, jealousy, and secret flirting obviously ensue. 12 Diverse Holiday Romance Books to Enjoy the Winter Season 8 Magical New Year’s Eve Romances No Tricks, Just Treats: Fun Halloween Books for Adults
