🎄 Breaking Christmas rules

Were you forwarded this email? Sign up here to get the next edition.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year folks! Or, so they say. 

And of course, in many ways, it is. But for queer folks, Christmas can sometimes feel a bit like a pressure cooker that's dressed up in tinsel. Everyone’s expected to show up cheerful and without a care in the world. But for our community, it's been a pretty challenging year, so it wouldn't be a huge shock if our performances on Christmas Day have a few cracks in them.

But, this week’s stories are about choosing what actually matters. Giving mindfully, and without spectacle. Gathering without obligation. Finding joy in whatever the day brings, even if plans change and we don't get the Christmas we expect. Remembering holidays aren't meaningful because of carols, tinsel, or money spent — but being with who matters to us, showing compassion for loved ones and strangers alike, and being true to ourselves in the safest way we can. 

Of course, some of us still need an escape hatch from the seriousness of the day, so for those who want their festive viewing served with sequins: Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders will be back on screen together in a BBC Christmas special. A reminder that camp, excess, and a bit of Absolutely Fabulous nonsense is a form of therapy, sweetie dahling!

Regardless, wherever you find yourself this holiday season, please know that you’re part of our chosen family 💖🌈 We're very thankful to have such a fabulous readership, and we wish you all the joy this time of year has to offer. Please don your gay apparel, and may your end of year celebrations be merry, bright and queer!

TOP STORY

Christmas gifting can start to feel a little bit automatic, right? Lists. Receipts. A vague sense that meaningful gifts are all about the amount of cash we drop. When the fuzzy feelings don't follow, it’s tempting to assume you’re doing it wrong.

Dr George nudges us in a different direction, away from buying thoughtlessly and expensively then hoping meaning shows up later. His story of meaningful Christmas gifting lingers on the gap between objects and intention, and focuses on what happens when you stop confusing the two. It's not about spectacle or some kind of bragging rights — just a repeatable, intentional choice that redirects money and attention toward hope and possibilities.

It’s not asking you to opt out of piles of pressies entirely, it simply presses pause on our usual annual gift-buying habits, long enough to question what actually lasts once the packaging’s been ripped apart and shoved into the bin bags.

Read more

by Dr George Forgan-Smith

2026 FESTIVAL EDITION

The official Melbourne Pride Guide is here! Your go-to companion for the 2026 Pride season across Melbourne and regional Victoria. With so much on offer for party fiends, quiet queers, community connection and everything in between, let Star Observer be your north star — finding must-see LGBTQIA+ events perfect for you and your chosen family.

Read now

OPINION

Not every Christmas announces itself as meaningful — the meaning in the festive seasons we experience can sometimes creep up later. 

Like the Christmas that felt like a theme park I couldn’t escape — drowned in neon, music, and merchandise. Or the Christmas where nothing was open and I experienced true loneliness. Or the one that wasn’t intended to be anything special, but refused to stay small. People told stories they wouldn’t usually, and the outside world dimmed for a few hours as I found community with strangers. Sometimes exciting plans fall through, whereas sometimes extra chairs and last-minute presents become needed. 

The lesson? My best Christmases don’t look like the version you’re meant to remember — which explains why I still do…

Read more

by Peter Benn

ENTERTAINMENT

Just when you need it most, some camp Christmas chaos rides in wearing designer threads, SWEETIE DAHLINGS.

This isn't an Ab Fab reboot, but Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders are appearing together in the BBC’s Amandaland Christmas special. Saunders plays Joan, Felicity’s sister (Lumley), and they’re dropping into Amanda’s world in “SoHa” (South Harlesden), the posh nickname she insists on for a neighbourhood that’s anything but.

Think festive telly with an injection of legacy camp and a side of “Slay bells!” from Lucy Punch. It’s silly, fabulous, indulgent, and a reminder that sometimes survival looks like wine, one-liners, and refusing seriousness entirely.

Read more

by Michael James

THANK YOU, AUSTRALIA

After the Bondi mass shooting earlier this month, we all saw queues stretching around the block from donation centres and mobile donation units all across the country, with Aussies waiting to donate blood & plasma to help. In those darkest hours, Australia chose compassion and unity. Australians chose life.

Now, the CEO of Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, Stephen Cornelissen AM, has sent the country a message offering his deepest thanks.

Read now