Front Page Holiday News

Today was my only day off this week...and the only reason I had it off was for this month's counseling session. Scott and I mostly discussed my plans for the holidays. My love of Christmas (and my relief over almost being finished with my decorating) showed. He said I looked like I was in a much better mood...and I am. He mostly just wants me to work on trying to calm down at work and getting to know my co-workers better.

I wasn't hungry, so I just had a large Blueberry Muffin and a Passionfruit Pear Iced Tea at Grooveground, then stopped at the Thrift Shop to say "hi" to Erica and tell her I'd love to help her out at the store the next time I'm able to. I bought some really pretty Christmas themed quilted placemats (poinsettias on a green background) and a video copy of the Fred Astaire TV film The Man In the Santa Claus Suit, which I haven't seen in years.

I had more luck with Christmas videos when I stopped at the Dollar General Plus store next to the Westmont Acme on my way to the Haddon Township Library. While most of the DVDs I saw the last time I was there were gone, they still had stacks and stacks of videos. I ended up with How the Toys Saved Christmas (which I took out of the Oaklyn Library last year) and Recess Christmas: Miracle on 3rd Street. I also bought paper snowflakes for my windows, small jingle bells to put in the large, empty Ferrer Rocher bell I got from my cousins last year, four plastic Christmas hangings with Looney Tunes and Disney characters (I kept Donald and Daffy for my bathroom window - Taz and Goofy and Pluto will be Christmas presents), and a CD as a Christmas present for a friend.

I was in and out of the library fairly quickly. It was getting late by then, and the sky, which was sunny when I went out to Collingswood late this morning, was growing more and more cloudy by the second. I organized the Children's DVDs and put the adult DVDs away, then took out two Backyardigans DVDs I hadn't seen and a Walt Disney Christmas comic book.

I ran The Backyardigans while finishing the last of my Christmas decorating. I put up the displays on the baker's rack in the living room, the tiny tree that goes with the Sailor Moon and Care Bears dolls, and the Santa Claus display on top of the large book shelf next to my bed, then hung all the paper cut-outs and the print of carolers cut from a college choir poster.

News was the theme of much of The Backyardigans this evening. Three of the eight episodes on the two DVDs dealt with news, news shows, newspapers, and reporters. I took out the Into the Deep and Escape From Fairytale Villiage DVDs, and my favorite episodes all ended up being on the latter. Tasha spoofs Superman and Spiderman as a reporter with a secret superhero identity after a big front-page photo in "Front Page News." Austin got a rare chance to be in the spotlight in two of the better episodes, "Le Master of Disguise" (playing a Poirot-like detective in a spoof of Murder on the Orient Express), and "Pirate Camp," where he's the dashing head of camp for hopeful young buccaneers. Brave Uniqua is game, but Pablo the Penguin is chicken...until both have to save Austin from the ghost of Captain (Tasha) Redboot the Pirate, who tickles you until you become a ghost!