Well, it looks like we’re headed into unprecedented times—again. 

We put this issue together the week after the election, while we were somewhere between the anger and bargaining phases of the seven stages of grief. But part of that bargaining was deciding that we want nice things this winter. We want batch cocktails and potluck dinners and art galleries that make us cry. We want to give our favorite people gifts and avoid our Trump-voting family at all costs. We want to make sure our neighbors are housed and volunteer without Linda from accounting talking our ear off. 

We can’t have a president who’s not a racist, misogynistic, Christian Nationalist, but we can have other nice things. So consider this your guide to the end of 2024. 

In these stories—which we'll be rolling out online over the next week—you’ll find thoughtful, not-sponsored gift recommendations, dozens of events worth leaving your house for, and chef-recommended recipes for comforting meals you can make in just minutes.

You’ll also find our favorite places to escape reality without leaving Seattle, from bars to plant shops to some very detailed instructions on how to take a bath with the most transportive piece of cake you’ll find in Seattle. 

If you need permission to stay away from toxic or draining family, Stranger staff writer Vivian McCall offered a how-to guide for spending the holidays alone.

And to keep track of all of this, we made a 2024 Gladvent Calendar that you can pull out and hang up on your fridge to remind you that you actually want to do these things.

(If you just need to fully revert back to the safety of childhood, there’s a downloadable coloring page right here.) 

We’re proud of being Trump’s enemy, and we believe in the resistance. We hope you do, too. But remember that while we fight and organize and resist, we also deserve a little treat. Here’s yours. 

Hannah Murphy Winter

Editor-in-Chief

Click the image above (or click here) to download a printable PDF of the Gladvent Calendar!