It’s currently 25 October, which means there are only 61 days until Christmas (as augured by the recent release of a brand new Cher album), and as a Christmas-tree Jew who dines out on schlocky made-for-TV holiday content every single year, I’m delighted to witness what I can only refer to as the Hallmarkification of one Ms Taylor Swift. Yes, she’s always looked the part (and she does literally sing about growing up on a Christmas tree farm), but ever since Swift started dating NFL star Travis Kelce, she’s been wearing red sweaters to football games and glowing even more than usual – much like someone who just found out the true meaning of Christmas.
Because I certainly wouldn’t enjoy anyone making a list of my exes, I won’t dwell on Swift’s, but I do think it’s fair to say that her most recent (rumoured) beau Matty Healy was not what you might call, um, “wholesome”. (That said, I, too, once felt extremely drawn to nicotine-addled men in tiny pants who were mean to me, and I don’t think either of us is unique for that experience.) Seeing Swift cheer on the team with Kelce’s mum, though, is new territory; she’s arguably never given America’s sweetheart harder than she is right now.
A small part of me may still have a soft spot for tiny-pants-wearing hipsters, but, like Taylor, I’ve come to find that building a relationship with someone who’s actually nice is actually better than chasing mean boys (or mean girls, or mean nonbinary individuals). After all, one of Swift’s first videos – “You Belong With Me”, which was somehow released 15 years ago – depicted her as the glasses-wearing, longing-filled nerd who couldn’t successfully land the all-American boy. Isn’t it time for her to meet a genuinely nice, hunky guy under the mistletoe?
Personally, I think she deserves it – and I think we all deserve to eventually see her direct and star in an (actually good) Christmas movie. Hey, the Eras Tour film proves she has the range!
