Let's Start the New Year Right

I was awoken early by a Mummers' group practicing in the VFW parking lot. It was probably the same ones who rehearse there every year. I really wish they'd find a parking lot to rehearse in that isn't in a residential neighborhood. Some people actually want to sleep on a holiday.

I curled under my flannel sheet and blankets and dozed off for an hour. Finally rolled out of bed around quarter of 9. When I got up, I watched An Ice Age Christmas Special and had some Acme blueberry scones as an appetizer.

Ice Age Christmas Special is one of the several half-hour holiday shorts that have debuted for popular recent characters following the success of Shrek the Halls. Everyone's favorite kooky herd is preparing for the holidays. Peaches, the baby mammoth born in Dawn of the Dinosaurs, is now a cute kid who loves Christmas and truly believes in Santa. When Manny gets angry at Sid for breaking his special "Christmas stone," he claims Sid will be on Santa's naughty list, then tells his daughter that he doesn't believe in Santa. Peaches leads Sid, Eddie, and Crash up to the North Pole to convince her father that flying reindeer and jolly fat men do exist, even in the Ice Age.

If you can get around some obvious details (like this is set millions of years before Christ's or St. Nicholas' births), this is really kind of cute...but see Dawn of the Dinosaurs and the other movies first to find out more about Peaches and the herd.

I finally opted for my New Year's breakfast at the Pop Shop, since that went really well last year. I got in around 10:30. It wasn't nearly as busy as it was last New Year's, though it wasn't empty, either. I ended up at the counter again. The wacky retro Christmas decorations they had up last year had been replaced by more elegant holographic stars and giant pink and turquoise ornaments and "lights" hanging from the ceiling, along with several "Happy New Year!" balloons.

Ordered a Belgian Waffle, bacon, and black tea. It was all delicious...and unlike last year's Gingerbread Pancakes, the waffle wasn't the size of the plate. It was just right. Tasty as it was, it was also something that could be bought anywhere, for far less than what the fancy Pop Shop charges. I think I might try the Legacy Diner or something similar next New Year's for a cheaper - and equally scrumptious - alternative.

Spent the rest of the morning at my apartment. Julie's Cooking Studio has a recipe for Pistachio Cake that's pretty much just cake mix, pistachio pudding mix, oil, eggs, and club soda. Not only did I not have any pistachio pudding on me, but I'm not a fan of pistachios to begin with. I replaced the pistachio pudding mix with the yummy limited edition Jello pumpkin pudding mix and the club soda with buttermilk and the last of the sparkling pear juice from last night.

Ran Holiday Inn while the cake was in the oven. Best known as the movie that introduced "White Christmas," that's only one of several great Irving Berlin songs in this low-key but enjoyable wartime musical. Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire are partners and pals feuding over the dancer they work with (Virginia Dale). Crosby finally retires to a farm in Connecticut  which he turns into an inn that's only open on select holidays. A pretty dancer (Marjorie Reynolds) catches Crosby's eye in the city and ultimately becomes his star performer at the inn...and in his life, too. Meanwhile, Astaire's partner has walked out, and he's looking for a new act...and when he sees Reynolds and falls for her, the feud between him and Crosby starts all over again.

I actually like this one better than the slicker White Christmas. The romantic comedy shenanigans have a real grain of truth to them here, and the black-and-white, wartime make-do production gives it a feel of intimacy that White Christmas' shiny widescreen photography lacks. (PC warning - while most of the songs are still fun, the "Abraham" blackface number won't come off well with many people now. There's a reason this was done as an instrumental dance routine in White Christmas.) Other than that, if you're a fan of Crosby, Astaire, Berlin, like your musicals smaller, or want to see the movie that spawned one of the most beloved Christmas tunes of all time, this is a favorite of mine and recommended.

Work was steady for most of the night, not as busy as yesterday, but not empty, either. It also wasn't pleasant. If we weren't getting beginning-of-the-month people who received their money early, we were swamped with shoppers who will be returning to work tomorrow and have kids going back to school. I was very glad when I finally got out of there after the store closed at 6PM.

Before I went to work, I put together another Julie recipe. This one was for Crock Pot Ham and Potatoes - ham sliced and layered with sliced onion and potatoes, grated cheese, paprika, and cream of mushroom soup. (Actually, they called for Cream of Celery, but I didn't have any.) It was ready and waiting when I got home. Julie's mom knows her Crock Pot dishes. It was fabulous, creamy and salty and delicious. I threw in a Caesar Salad, also from Julie's cookbook, for vegetables.

Put on the Faeirie Tale Theatre episode "The Princess Who Never Laughed" as I ate dinner. The princess in question is Princess Henrietta (Ellen Barkin), better known to her father as "Hank." Hank has been treated like a "serious-minded young woman" all her life. For her, being a princess is nothing but an endless parade of lessons in decorum, history, language, and protocol. Her father banned laughter or merriment in the kingdom after his wife died...but now he doesn't know how to raise a spirited young lady who just wants to learn how to have fun. He finally holds a "laugh off" to see who can make his unhappy daughter crack a smile. Meanwhile, Wienerhead Waldo (Howie Mandel) is a pig farmer who has the gift of being able to make anyone laugh. His serious scholar brother thinks he's nuts, but his little sister believes in him and insists he join the Laugh-Off.

One of my favorite Faeirie Tale Theatre stories is actually a blending of several folk tales with similar themes from across cultures. As cute as Mandel is as the pig farmer who understands comedy better than any of the royal folk, Barkin comes off best as the royal lass who, for the first time in her life, learns that "fun" is more than a word in a dusty dictionary.

I hope all of you have a 2013 that's equally filled with laughter! : )