Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to one and all! I wish I had an old one of these to show you, as this is something my family once did every year. And that includes about five years after the point that it became embarrassing. But here is the modern version...happy holidays!

This video makes me laugh SO MUCH. I have watched it at least 3 times. Any fan of Harry Potter, Coolio, or Michelle Pfeiffer will appreciate it. For sure.

Snow!

The way I choose what to worry about and what not to worry about is inexplicable. For example, things I am worried about: Vacations, the Future, Birds. Things I am not worried about: disease, driving, weather. It is that last one that got me into trouble this weekend.

Apparently, snow is a big deal around here. Yesterday I spent the day with my sister, brother, cousins, and my sister's international friends showing them the sights of NYC. This is among my favorite things to do, especially at Christmas time, so it was awesome to go to the library, see the tree at Rockerfeller plaza, go to St. Pats, and have our picture taken with Santa Clause. But then we had to go home. This took forevs. A trip that usually takes one hour took almost three, with one hour of that being outdoors in the snow. We got stuck in Jamaica, and spent a lot of time fretting about how we were going to get home. By the time we did get home, I had to spend the night at my Aunt's house (about 5 miles from mine) because the weather was so treacherous. I felt very cranky as a result of all this, and began to regret my lack of worry over weather.

Then, I woke up and turned on the news. The train that we came pretty close to getting on had been stuck between two stations from 2 AM to 8 AM. That is SIX hours. Talk about Christmas miracles!

Moral of the story? Add snow to my list of things to worry about.

I know I previously addressed some of the ridiculousness that can be the NY Times, but this morning, I opened up the arts section to one particularly hysterical paragraph. Justin Bieber (teen pop sensation, age 14) performed last night at Z100's (local NY radio station) Jingle Ball, and THIS is what they had to say about it. (The link is there if you are inclined to read the whole article).

"Destruction, thy name is Bieber. Not frailty of voice nor cast on leg nor uncomfortably tall duet partners could keep Justin Bieber, the pint-size, swoosh-haired 15-year-old pop moppet from Stratford, Ontario — that’s Canada, people — from his appointed duty at Madison Square Garden on Friday night: decimating the larynxes of thousands of tween girls."

For a "serious" newspaper, its nice to see something not so serious. But how else are you supposed to cover a star whose manager was arrested for failure to tweet?

Made by Elves

This Target commercial perfectly addresses one of my childhood issues with Santa Claus. I was always told that Santa made the toys in his workshop, but when they arrived on Christmas, they were in the same form and the same packaging as I had seen in Toys-R-Us, or the Macy's catalog. So, how could Santa possibly have made these toys? As a child who was much too logical, I decided that would not believe in Santa unless he brought me something that was made in his workshop. Then I would know that he was real, and that he had made something special for me. I also decided that I would know it was from Santa's shop if it was made of wood.

In hind sight, I realize that this must have been extremely irratating for my parents. Now, if they wanted to keep the dream alive, they had to find a present that was made of wood, which is really a ridiculous request. Never the less, when I woke up on Christmas, and found a checkers set, made of wood, with small teddy bear and heart shaped pieces, I KNEW that Santa was for real. And I treasured it. Now you may think, oh what a silly child, to want something made of wood for Christmas, this must have just been a phase...but no. This went on for years. At least three, as I recall.

Lately, I have been feeling a serious resurgence of love for 808's and Heartbreak. So raw. So emotional. Specifically, "Welcome to Heartbreak" feat. Kid Cudi.


The video for this song is BEYOND great (partially because of Ye's sweater) as you can see from the still above, and it is definitely worth a view.

Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat!


WARNING: It is extremely likely that all posts from here till Christmas, will be about Christmas.

I would like to take a few minutes to talk about the plethora of Christmas movies that are out there. New movies get made every year, and those movie makers are always putting new spins on the classics, leading to some ridiculous films. Here are some fun synopses:


The Angel of Pennsylvania Avenue: Three depression era kids ask President Hoover to release their unjustly jailed father for Christmas.

A Smoky Mountain Christmas: A country-music star finds herself stranded in the Tennessee backwoods with seven orphaned children and a mountaineer.

The Note: After a tragic plane crash, a local journalist discovers a note that she believes was written by one of the passengers. She seeks the note's intended receiver, but the journey is more revealing of her own past.

I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas: All Jack wants this holiday season is a hippopotamus, and when his wish is finally granted, laugh-out-loud hilarity ensues as his family learns to deal with the struggles of owning this unusual pet.

Holiday in Handcuffs: A story about a modern young woman who has a breakdown at Christmas and desperately kidnaps a handsome young guy to take home to her parents.

The Note II: Taking a Chance on Love: An advice columnist finds that dispensing words of wisdom and accepting them are two very different things.

The Night They Saved Christmas: A family tries to save Santa and his North Pole toy factory from dynamiting oil prospectors.

Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus: Nick's plan to let fate bring his wife to him must be changed as he must marry before taking over for his father as Santa Claus on December 26th.

Silent Night: An injured American platoon find themselves in a small German cabin sharing the spirit of the Christmas with their presumed enemies.

Unaccompanied Minors: After a Christmas Eve blizzard shuts down the airport, stranded youths create holiday pandemonium for an uptight airport official and his assistant.

First Ever Reader Challenge: Guess which one of these is not an actual holiday film. (No Googling. Pure Guesses)

UPDATE: Want the answer? I have buried it in my blog archive. Look in the October posts, at the bottom of my Jake and Amir post. All will be revealed to you!