It was just showering and gloomy when I got up and had breakfast. Ran A Pink Christmas while I ate. In this tale based after the O. Henry story The Cop and the Anthem, a homeless Pink can't catch a break in Victorian New York. He tries to be a department store Santa, but a child isn't happy when he gets hungry and eats her donut and he's chased out. He tries to shovel snow, but he gets into trouble with a boy and his snowman's carrot. He even tries to get in jail, but he inadvertently helps a cop catch a robber instead. When he finally finds food, a dog wants half. Not only does he learn that giving is its own reward, but he and his new puppy friend get a nice surprise.
After breakfast, I made the Pumpkin Mousse Pie. I didn't realize I was almost out of milk. I added the Cool Whip to the pumpkin and mousse mix, instead of right on top. I doubt it tastes any worse. I didn't try it. I won't until tomorrow, when I bring it to Dad and Jodie's Christmas Eve party.
I pretty much spent the rest of the morning writing. The gypsies take the entire group back to Toyland. Floretta and Lisa have a talk about make-believe and Lisa not feeling like a child. They drop them off at the toy factory, but that probably wasn't a smart move. Turns out Barnaby has captured C.J and Mr. Eldridge and taken over the factory, with help from the hairy, nasty trolls from the Forest of No Return. Though they do get the other adults, Mr. Eldridge and the children are able to escape, Mr. Eldridge by simply disappearing.
Put on Miracle on 34th Street while I ate chicken-vegetable soup and cranberry flummery for lunch. A kindly old man recruited by Doris Walker, a harried single mom (Maureen O'Hara), to be in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and play Macy's Santa insists that he's the real Santa Claus. This frightens and upsets Doris. She has raised her daughter Susie (Natalie Wood) to not believe in fairy tales of any kind after her own divorce. Santa gets help from the good-natured lawyer across the hall (John Payne) to change their minds. When Santa is put on trial for lunacy, the lawyer has to prove to jaded New Yorkers - and Susie and Doris - that there's a little magic in everyone's hearts at Christmas.
One of three beloved holiday movies that came out in 1946-1947, and the most successful at the time. Edmund Gwen won an Oscar as Santa, and I believe it received an adapted screenplay nod as well. There were three remakes, two for TV in the 50's and 70's, one released theatrically in 1994, that I haven't seen. Really, most people should be fine with the original.
It wasn't raining hard when I left for work, but it picked up on my way...and of course, stopped as soon as I arrived. It didn't help that I left later than planned, too. I was almost late. Not a good thing. We were very busy for most of the afternoon, with long lines. People were starting to come out of the malls and start making Christmas dinner and baking cookies.
There was a very scary incident around 5 PM when an older woman just suddenly collapsed. She hadn't slipped on anything. I looked - there was nothing on the floor. Her daughter had said she'd collapsed in a similar manner at a party a few weeks before. Thankfully, we're next-door to a police station, and there's a special care hospital office right in the Acme. We were able to get her in an ambulance in less than 15 minutes, though she kept protesting she was fine. She didn't look fine to me. She looked haggard and pale. I don't know why she was even in the store. Her daughter should have found someone at home to look after her.
Thankfully, it slowed down enough by 7 that I was able to shut down quickly without a relief. I grabbed a quart of skim milk really fast and hurried out. By that point, it was showering again, but not heavily. I managed to get home only slightly damp.
When I got in, I went right into Ernest Saves Christmas as I got the remaining gifts organized for tomorrow. We move from chilly New York to sunny Orlando, Florida for another story of believing in Santa. Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney) loves Christmas and everything about it. He's eager to help when the real Santa turns up in his cab, hoping to convince a former local children's show host to be his replacement. Not everyone's as ready to believe in holiday magic as Ernest. A sleazy movie producer wants the children's show host to star in his bad Christmas horror movie. A pre-teen runaway cares only about herself. And Santa's reindeer are stuck in storage at the airport, under the care of a couple of none-too-bright airline workers who have no idea what they really are. It'll take a little lesson in the magic of Christmas - and a lot of slapstick - for Ernest to help Santa make his Christmas Eve deadline.
Ok, I'll admit, this is a long-time guilty pleasure of mine. My family watched it a lot when it turned up on cable in the late 80's and early 90's. I know not everyone goes for Ernest's brand of humor, but if you like slapstick or the other Ernest movies, you'll probably get a kick out of this one as well.
Oh, and...I'm now totally ready for Christmas. Everything is bagged, boxed, and tagged. Anything that doesn't need to be chilled until tomorrow is in either the Disney Christmas bag or Han and Chewie bag, waiting to be delivered. I had to do it tonight. I work early tomorrow and aren't planning on lingering for too long at home before I go to Dad's party.
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