Celebrating the holidays gay style

These festivities and traditions entail considerable pre-planning and, in turn, generate a lot of questions— especially when friends, family, and significant others are involved. Disputes about the holidays are common among couples. First of all, who says couples have to be together every holiday? Others play the game of trading off: Hanukkah or Christmas this year with her family and next year with your friends. How about finding something you both want to do? Stay home?

And this weekend of lavish costumed theatricality will attract everyone, but especially lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer LGBTQ revelers. And the parades the night of Halloween did and still do draw straights and gay spectators out to watch. Gay cultural influence on Halloween has become such an unstoppable phenomenon here and abroad that anthropologist Jerry Kugelmass of University of Florida published a book in on the new trend, titled Masked Culture , describing Halloween as an emerging gay "high holiday. It's not just a party. It's an ideal of personal emancipation, self-expression and self-fulfillment -- an ideal that loses none of its power when it takes the form of a sexy nurse's outfit," CNN contributor David Frum wrote last year in " Halloween craze started in gay culture. Nicholas Rogers, author of Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night , points out that while Halloween is enjoyed by everyone, "it has been the Gay community that has most flamboyantly exploited Halloween's potential as a transgressive festival, as one that operates outside or on the margins of orthodox time, space, and hierarchy.

As the fullness fades and the wine glow wears off, one thing is certain: The holiday season is here. For the next few weeks, events of all shapes, sizes, and festivities are taking over town so we suggest you take that soynog to go but don't drink and drive. This week, Queerbomb kicks off their fundraising early with an art auction bang see Saturday — they've got pieces from our fave local artists including Drew Riley and Marcus Cruz Sanchez. The fest might be a couple of months away, but this kickoff will surely tide your queer, art-loving heart over.

By Rick Clemons for YourTango. Instead, might I suggest: "Gay bells ring, are you listening? OK maybe that's not quite the holiday spirit you were expecting, but hello! Starting with Thanksgiving, and continuing straight on through New Years you're about to go where you've never gone before: family gatherings, office parties, and hopefully a multitude of holiday socials don't forget to bring a gift for the host, or your gay card will get revoked , as your newly out gay self. You'll notice I didn't say "out and proud" because for some, that proud pill is still being swallowed.