Give the Gift of Mildly Inflammatory Historical Accuracy
Every year around this time, someone in your family starts a sentence with, “I’m not political, but—” and suddenly you’re hearing a TED Talk about how “things were better in the 1950s.”
And every year, you sit there, clutching your festive beverage, mentally scrolling through your internal archive of Supreme Court decisions, labor history, and contraceptive timelines like, “Actually, Carol, I can cite at least fourteen reasons why that’s nonsense.”
So this year, I’d like to offer you a wholesome, heartwarming holiday solution:
🎁 Buy them a gift subscription to Bitchy History.
Think of it as sponsoring a tiny, targeted liberal arts education for the most annoying people at your holiday table.
Why Bitchy History is the perfect petty-but-principled gift
Maybe you have:
An uncle who sends you Fox News links under the subject line “Food for thought”
A grandma who swears feminism ruined “good manners”
A cousin who thinks the Pilgrims invented both freedom and corn
A parent who insists “no one talked about politics this much back in my day” (incorrect! deeply incorrect!)
“All these gay/autistic/non-binary people weren’t a thing in my day!” (Also deeply incorrect.)
A gift subscription to Bitchy History says:
“I love you. I want better for you. Also, you’re wrong about basically everything, and I brought receipts.”
They get access to deep dives on:
Why 1950s nostalgia is fake news in a circle skirt
How the culture wars keep recycling the same tired scripts about women, queer folks, and “the children”
The long, messy history of things they think just… appeared one day fully formed (birth control, public education, ‘family values,’ etc.)
You get the satisfaction of knowing that, at any moment, they could open their inbox and be lovingly assaulted by context, nuance, and footnotes.
Will they unsubscribe in a huff the first time I drag their favorite president?
Possibly.
Will you still have supported my work and sent a beautifully unhinged message through the medium of digital stocking stuffer?
Absolutely.
For the relatives who “don’t do email newsletters”
That’s fine. You can also just buy a gift subscription for the actual history nerds in your life:
The friend who rage-texts you screenshots of bad TikTok “history”
The sibling quietly radicalizing via Tumblr and lesbian period dramas
The coworker who whispers “oh my God, same” when you complain about textbook whitewashing
Or, plot twist:
You can buy a gift subscription for yourself and simply pretend it’s for them.
“Oops, must’ve typed my email in by mistake. Tragic. Anyway, here’s a link to the free posts if you ever want to read them…”
“Okay, but I’m broke and living in late-stage capitalism.”
Mood.
As we approach the holiday season, I know not everyone can afford a recurring monthly subscription to support my work. So if you would like to support Bitchy History in a more one-time way, here’s an option!
You can toss a one-time tip in the jar over on Buy Me a Coffee.
That support helps cover:
Research time.
My grocery bill (a growling stomach is not an ideal background sound for podcast recordings).
Books, articles, and other supporting documents.
Hosting costs and tech nonsense
And, yes, caffeine. So much caffeine.
If a gift subscription is like sponsoring a season of feminist rage and historical context, a one-time coffee is like saying:
“I see the work you’re doing, I’ve learned something, and here’s five bucks so you can keep yelling about the 1950s professionally.”
Both options genuinely help.
How to weaponize your holiday cheer (step-by-step)
Decide your level of chaos.
Low chaos: Buy a gift subscription for a fellow nerd.
Medium chaos: Buy one for your group chat.
Max chaos: Gift it to the relative who says “woke” like it’s a slur.
Add a note.
Suggested messages:
“Since you love talking about history, here’s some of it with actual citations.”
“For the next time you say ‘people were just happier back then.’”
“Because arguing with you is exhausting and I’ve outsourced it.”
Enjoy the season.
You’ve done your part for civic education and petty justice. Go eat something shaped like a tree and covered in powdered sugar.
Holiday FAQ (Frequently Asked Quarrels)
Q: Won’t this start a fight at Christmas?
A: Only if they read it. And if they do, then honestly? That’s growth.
Q: What if they hate it?
A: Then they have joined a long and proud tradition of people being mad at historians and hating their holiday gifts. I’ll cope.
Q: What if I love it but feel guilty spending money on myself?
A: Consider it “continuing education in how not to lose your mind in this political hellscape.”
So: if you want to support Bitchy History and gently (or aggressively) nudge your loved ones away from weaponized nostalgia and into actual history, you’ve got options:
🎁 Gift subscriptions for the messy family dynamics.
☕ Buy Me a Coffee for the one-time, “I’m tapped out but I love what you’re doing” support.
Whichever route you pick, you’re helping me keep doing what I do best:
Digging through the archives, connecting the dots, and yelling (with love, and citations) about how we got here—and how we absolutely do not have to stay here.