It’s December 21, AKA the day of one of the worst lesbian dates in cinematic history: the one where Carol asked Therese to come to her house in New Jersey for some gentle physical contact and Christmas music, only for them to be interrupted by Carol’s husband Harge. Honestly, the date is going pretty well before Harge gets there! But then everyone including Harge is having a Very Bad Time, and Therese cries on the train the whole way back to Manhattan. But this is Therese’s induction into lesbianism: from an all-day date at someone’s house who you just met to crying on a train at the end, these are all quintessentially gay experiences.
So, how does one celebrate Carol day? You could simply rewatch the film, nothing wrong with that approach! Or you could revisit Erin Sullivan’s 30 Days of Carol, a slice of queer history right here on Autostraddle. There’s even a special look into Therese’s planner where she pens her December 21 date with Carol. But if you’re looking for some creative ways to celebrate Carol Day, perhaps by channeling Carol herself, here are some ideas for what you can get up to togay.
1. Tell a random woman you like her hat.
Preferably a shopgirl at a department store who is wearing a Santa hat, but it can be any woman with any hat.2. Order creamed spinach with a poached egg and a dry martini with an olive for lunch.
I’m not exactly sure what restaurant would serve you creamed spinach AND a martini, so you might have to settle for making this at home. It must specifically be eaten for lunch though and preferably with a woman you just met — the hat woman perhaps!3. Invite a woman you just met to your house to play the piano while you kick off your shoes and sit on the floor.
If you have an ex husband, see if he’ll dramatically barge in to really make it an authentic experience.4. Leave your gloves behind at a store.
You never know who will return them to you! Could be a woman who upends your life and whose life you upend right back!5. Have drinks with an ex.
Figure out who your Abby is and celebrate this gay holiday with them! It’s what Carol would do!6. Recite the “We’re not ugly people, Harge” monologue to anyone who will listen.
This sounds like a fun holiday party trick if you ask me!7. Go on a random Midwest road trip.
You MUST stop in Waterloo, and you MUST bring a woman you recently met, and it MUST end early and dramatically.8. Run out of cigarettes and feel deep despair about it.
Just when you think it can’t get any worse, you run out of cigarettes.
9. Wear a really nice flannel robe.
I think about Carol’s Robe in Carol a lot. And not just because it plays an integral role in the sex scene. It’s a very good winter robe!10. Wear a fur coat.
Okay, fine, it can be faux fur for financial and ethical reasons.11. Invite a past flame to the Oak Room for dinner at 9, unsure but hopeful she’ll show, and when she does, smile at her across the room because you know you’ve gotten her back.
This will prove a bit difficult, as the Oak Room hasn’t operated in the Plaza Hotel since 2011.
