MOVE Editor Ava McCluer shares her picks for December
As the originator of the MOVE section’s monthly recommendation stories back in August, it’s only natural that I should close out the semester.
December has been a month of procrastinated assignments, and those lost hours were spent indulging in media of all kinds. Here’s what I’ve been up to.
Watch
While snacking in my bed as my cat watched the first snow of the season outside my window, I was bingeing early seasons of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
Don’t judge me, but I think I’m the last queer person on the planet who hadn’t seen Drag Race until now. I thought that instead of jumping into the newest season, I should see where the iconic series came from. I started with season nine, which aired in 2017 and included some of the fiercest queens (Sasha Velour, Cynthia Lee Fontaine and Peppermint).
I’m especially obsessed with Velour’s witty and artsy drag style – my favorite look of the season was her first. Category is: Hometown. Velour, from New York City, referenced Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Andy Warhol.
For any queer person in the middle of a Republican-leaning state wanting to reconnect with their culture, you can find that in Drag Race. Find your inner charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent this holiday season.
And, of course, support your local performers at Nclusion Plus, who have pop-up drag shows all around Missouri!
Listen
The undisputed best day of the year is Spotify Wrapped day.
My top artists this year were Charli xcx (of course), Adrianne Lenker, Kendrick Lamar, Big Thief and The Cranberries. Three of the five persisted as my most listened to artists for their second year in a row.
Ever since seeing my year in review, I have been relistening to Kendrick Lamar’s no-skip album, “GNX,” having deemed “Luther” featuring SZA as my favorite. Including a Marvin Gaye sample, this love ballad took a break from an incredibly playful and boastful album. While it seemed like “GNX” didn’t take any risks, I still appreciate the consistent listenability of every song.
After all, Lamar’s worst is what most artists could create at their best.
To contemplate on my favorite albums released in 2024, I visited Rolling Stone’s list. I would like to take a moment and give well-deserved flowers to Adrianne Lenker’s “Bright Future” — which didn’t even make the top 50 — and Faye Webster’s “Underdressed At The Symphony — who placed at 34. But I do strongly agree with “Brat” placed at No. 1, because let’s be honest, it was never really just a summer; it was a brat year.
Read
I miraculously found small moments in between editing countless MOVE pieces to pick up a new book: Camus’ “The Myth of Sisyphus.”
“The Myth of Sisyphus” includes a contemplation on absurdism, God, the meaning of life and the philosophy of suicide. I’ll be honest, a lot of it goes over my head, but I needed a break from the smutty ACOTAR series. I’ve been in the middle of it for half a year and yearned to read something academic.
The first half dragged a bit for me, but once I grasped the existentialist concepts being set up for me, the rest was a breeze. The first 80 pages took me a few days, while the final 80 were blown through in a night.
With one of my New Years’ resolutions being to read books primarily from queer and female authors, I have started a bit early.
What will be my final read of the year is James Baldwin’s “Giovanni’s Room,” a novel about a man’s gay affair in Paris. I’ve only just begun it, but I am already in love with Baldwin’s writing — his novels are really just extended poems.
My to-read list for 2025 includes: Kristin Kobes Du Mez’s “Jesus and John Wayne,” Joan Didion’s “Slouching Towards Bethlehem,” Laura Bates’ “Men Who Hate Women” and — quite literally — everything Virginia Woolf has ever written.
Do
Via Pinterest, I have fallen in love with sustainable, DIY Christmas decor and gifts.
I have been using eco-friendly wrapping paper and recycled bags from The Peace Nook, gift-shopping locally and decorating my apartment with 3D paper stars.
Proudly, every item I am gifting this year is sustainably wrapped and either locally bought or handmade. I crocheted pillows and plushies, hand-sewed patches on shirts and baked treats from scratch for all of my family and friends. Subsequently, all of my gifts this year feel extra sentimental. It’s perhaps my best work as a self-proclaimed great gift giver — yet, I spent the least amount of money this Christmas I ever have.
So, this December and in the New Year, follow a knitting pattern, pick up hand-sewing, doodle in a notebook — create!
As we wrap up the semester in the company of our loved ones, it’s clear the holiday season is the time for self-expression and reflection. Reconnect with your roots, embrace creativity and indulge in things that bring you joy in the final days of the year.
Edited by Alyssa Royston | aroyston@themaneater.com
Copyedited by Emma Short | eshort@themaneater.com
Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com