Began a cloudy, chilly morning with breakfast and more holiday sitcom episodes. The early 80's family comedy Silver Spoons did two Christmas episodes. I went with the one from the first season, "The Best Christmas Ever." Ricky Stratton is looking forward to spending his first Christmas Eve with his wealthy dad Edward. When a young boy asks to do chores to earn money, Ricky thinks nothing of it...until the kid goes back and takes some of their food. Turns out the kid's family has been living in a cave since his dad lost his job. Ricky and Edward to their best to make their Christmas happier.
Headed out to the laundromat as soon as I finished eating to get that done. I had a big load too, likely my last load before Christmas, so it's a good thing they weren't that busy. I saw two people the whole time. I worked on story notes and half-listened to Rachel Ray and The View.
As soon as I got home, I put everything away, then made Gingerbread Fudge. This was pretty much your standard evaporated milk/butter/marshmallow recipe with spices and a little bit of molasses added instead of chocolate or vanilla. It came out really, really sticky. I hope it'll be fine after it firms up overnight. At least I didn't burn it, like Amanda and I did the last time I attempted fudge with her in college.
Ran Ernest Saves Christmas while working, and later as I ate lunch. Here, Ernest is a cab driver in Orlando, Florida with an unusual customer - a man who claims he's Santa Claus. Santa is evidently in town to ask a former kid's show host to become his replacement. If he doesn't take over, the magic of Christmas will die forever! Meanwhile, Ernest encounters a selfish teen runaway who keeps lying at every opportunity and even steals Santa's sack. Ernest himself is tasked with bringing Santa's reindeer downtown. While he and a couple of elves try flying the sleigh, everyone learns a bit about Christmas miracles...and believing in Christmas magic.
Another long-time family guilty pleasure. This used to show up a lot during the holidays in the late 80's-early 90's on cable. If you're interested, it's one of the best of the long-running series of slapstick comedies featuring Ernest.
Spent the rest of the afternoon working on writing. Rosie Grumio, Poe the Piper's Son, and BB wind up all the life-sized toy soldiers in the storage room that Rosie was working on. They help the workers in the factory chase the Knights of Ren out. Mother Leia Goose tells Sir Kylo Ren to report to Barnaby that she'll never marry him or sell the factory. Rey refuses to court Kylo, either.
They all head off to Simple Simon's pie shop afterwards for a snack. Mother Goose tells BB how badly she misses her husband, Han Shaftoe, a sailor who went down with his ship, and her son Ben Boy Blue. Simon turns out to be Simon Mitaka, a mousy little man who sells Sugar Plum Pie. BB is about to enjoy her snack when there's a commotion in the square...
Broke at 5, mainly because I'd sat for so long, my legs were cramping. Did a mildly holiday-themed episode of Get Smart while making Coconut-Banana-Triple Chip Muffins for later this week. Max is "Our Man In Toyland" when he hits a department store that's been suspected of carrying merchandise with secret codes in them. 99 was undercover as a saleswoman and discovered where the messages are hidden. Unfortunately, Herr Bunny, the CHAOS agent in charge of the store, has figured out their cover and has them surrounded. Max and 99 have to get out of Toyland alive, before Bunny can get the merchandise out of the store.
Ran two of the three winter and holiday-themed episodes on the Scooby Doo and the Snow Creatures DVD. (I already have the third, "That's Snow Ghost.") "There's No Creature Like Snow Creature" from What's New, Scooby Doo? takes the kids to a local resort that's hosting a huge snowboarding contest. A terrifying creature seemingly made of ice has been attacking contestants, giving them injuries that'll take them out of the running. When Fred finds himself among its victims and Velma comes down with a cold, it's up to Daphne, Shaggy, and Scooby to figure out what's going on with this cold monster.
The special "A Scooby Doo Christmas" has the gang stranded in the small town of Willow Hollow on their way to a relative's condo for Christmas Eve. Seems the town has been attacked by the ghost of a gold rustler who has returned as a nine-foot snowman every Christmas since his death. The gang has to figure out what he's after...and how to bring the holidays to the troubled town.
Ended the night with Miracle On 34th Street. We move from warm Orlando to chilly New York City for another tale of faith and believing in Santa. Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) is the best Santa Macy's ever had. He's even gotten the owners of Macy's and Gimbles to form a temporary truce. There's just one problem. He keeps insisting he's the real Santa Claus. This deeply worries store assistant Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara). She's raising her daughter Susan (Natalie Wood) to not believe in any kind of fantasy, including Santa, after her own bitter divorce. Kris, however, is just so real, he gets Susie almost believing. At least, until the supercilious store psychiatrist insists Kris is insane. A lawyer who took Kris in accepts his case. Most of New York's judicial system thinks they're both crazy, but he's determined to prove that Kris is the actual deal...and show Doris, Susan, and all of New York that a little bit of fantasy and faith are never bad things.
One of three major holiday movies to come out in 1946-1947, and the only one that was a hit at the time. Edmund Gwenn won a Supporting Actor Oscar as Kris; I believe the screenplay won as well. There were remakes on TV in the 50's and 70's and on the big screen in 1994. I haven't seen any of them, but the original is the perfect blend of sweetness and cynicism, and is probably the only version you really need.
No comments:
Post a Comment