A Downton Abbey Gingerbread House: VIDEO

I know many of you are Downton Abbey obsessives. But does it extend to your holiday decorations? Curtis Jensen posted a time-lapse video of his delicious creation, which would make the Crawley family proud.

Check it out, AFTER THE JUMP...

Moments That Brought Us Together in 2012: VIDEO

2012. From Hurricane Sandy to Felix Baumgartner, to this lovely couple. What a year, what a year.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Newt Gingrich Accepts 'Reality' Of Marriage Equality

Though Newt Gingrich says he and his Republican Party have to come to terms with the "reality" of marriage equality, he doesn't seem too gung-ho about the prospect.

"The momentum is clearly now in the direction in finding some way to ... accommodate and deal with reality," he told The Huffington Post. "And the reality is going to be that in a number of American states -- and it will be more after 2014 -- gay relationships will be legal, period."

As for how such a reality would look, Gingrich says the GOP would prefer a legal distinction between church and secular weddings. But the former House Speaker also said that ironing out tensions over LGBT equality "will be much more difficult than immigration for conservatism to come to grips with."

Gingrich was also asked about his role in passing the Defense of Marriage Act 1996, and told reporters Sam Stein and Jon Ward he and his colleagues back then never imagined the "wave" of support marriage equality would gather over the next sixteen years.

"I didn't think [gay marriage] was inevitable 10 or 15 years ago, when we passed the Defense of Marriage Act," he said. "It didn't seem at the time to be anything like as big a wave of change as we are now seeing."

In response to Gingrich's comment, Chad Griffin, the president of Human Rights Campaign, the organization for which Gingrich's out half-sister Candace works, told BuzzFeed, "Gingrich has proven that leaders in the Republican party understand where the country is moving on marriage but he is also brave enough to say it out loud."

Stein and Ward of course asked Gingrich about the most recent election and the failed presidential candidate claimed that he would have done better against President Obama than the GOP's ultimate choice, Mitt Romney.

"I would have probably done better," he mused. "I don't want to be arrogant and say I would have done better. I would say my impression is that, from the Obama team's standpoint, the two candidates they found the hardest to cope with were Perry and me."

Wait, wasn't this conversation about reality?

Henry Rollins Again Proves Himself An Awesome Gay Ally

In a post called "Gay Marriage is Punk Rock" at LA Weekly, former Black Flag frontman and perennial ally Henry Rollins celebrates marriage equality in Washington State and wonders when we'll finally be able to just call same-sex nuptials what they are: "marriage," no prefix, no suffix, no "othering."

From his piece:

Marriage equality is a term so ridiculous on its face that when you hear it mentioned, you would think you were in Riyadh. Years from now, perhaps we can lose the equality part, the same-sex part and call it what it is -- marriage. As much as the homophobes, an ever-thinning herd, whines and screeches, the earth is shifting underneath their feet and things are getting better all the time. This is going to be an incredible century. Didn't get off to a very good start but we are making some bold and exciting strides forward.

Rollins even predicts that there will come a day when there are no gay pride marches, writing, "One day, there will be no gay-pride parades because there simply won't be a need for them. Years from now, those who marched will be seen as heroic."

São Paulo State Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage

Big news out of Brazil, where São Paulo State just gave the green light to same-sex marriages.

From Brazilian Law Blog, via JMG:

...São Paulo State (where São Paulo city is located) has updated its registration rules in order to allow the automatic registration of same sex marriages, without the need of a previous court order.

This change has followed, with some delay, a decision from the Brazilian Supreme Court regarding same sex marriage.

Therefore, foreigners who wish to marry same sex partners in Brazil will now be allowed a marriage visa, which is much easier to obtain than the civil union visa for same sex unions, which already existed.

So, who's down for a destination wedding?

Lady Gaga's US Tour To Combat Anti-Gay Bullying

Lady Gaga's upcoming sojourn across the United States will include a "Born Brave Bus Tour" to combat anti-gay and other forms of bullying.

The AP explains:

The singer announced Thursday that the Born Brave Bus Tour will tailgate outside her upcoming U.S. concerts and provide a space for 13- to 25-year-olds to learn more about local resources on anti-bullying, suicide prevention and mental health services. Her foundation focuses on youth empowerment and self-confidence.

Organizations like The Trevor Project, Campus Pride and the National Association of School Psychologists will assist on the bus. Participants will not need a ticket to the show to partake.

The Born Brave Bus will be open a few hours before each show in the tour, which kicks off on January 14 in Tacoma, Washington.

Gaga recently returned home from Russia, where she ruffled anti-gay feathers by speaking out for inclusion and honesty in St. Petersburg, a town where "homosexual propaganda" is prohibited.