Sunny Holidays

Started off another sunny, gorgeous day with early work. We were just as quiet as yesterday when I came in, but it did pick up a bit later. I got stuck in the registers for about 20 minutes when we were busy, including dealing with a grouchy old man who was in such a hurry, he couldn't wait for us to find the soda he requested. Otherwise, I was mostly doing carts, gathering baskets, doing returns, or sweeping the outside patio.

I got off with enough time to change and have a quick lunch before going back out. Ran A Very Merry Cricket while I made myself a thick, rich Chocolate-Banana Smoothie. Harry the Cat and Tucker the Mouse are tired of all the holiday noise in Times Square. It seems people are so caught up with all the fuss around them, they've forgotten the spirit of the season. They head to Connecticut to pick up Chester to play them a concert to remind them. Even that doesn't seem to work...until a blackout finally makes most of Manhattan hear Chester and remember that Christmas is about the little things, too.

Headed out to run errands at 2. First stop was the Haddon Township Library. Like the Acme, they were a bit busier than they have been the past few weeks, probably due to the colder weather. I mostly shelved adult DVDs - they said someone would handle the kids' titles later. Took out the holiday movies Scrooged and the live-action version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, plus the special Kung Fu Panda Holiday. (I also took out another Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood collection, Big Brother Daniel, but it was so badly scratched, it wouldn't run in my DVD player after trying it four times.)

Made a quick stop at Target next. I wanted to start my Christmas shopping for the kids. All I could afford was a cute pink and blue poodle for my sister Anny's daughter Lilah and cranberries for my landlords' cranberry bread.

Went straight home after leaving Target. I wanted to finish A Star Wars Christmas Carol. Scrooge attends Han and Leia's party later that day. Leia's shocked to see him, but Han's happier. He and Scrooge talk business, and Scrooge makes up with the elder Ben Kenobi. Scrooge also offers Ben Solo a job, telling him that there's going to be an opening for a new clerk in his office soon, and he'll double his current salary with Snoke. His grandson says he'll think of it.

He's there bright and early the next morning to catch Luke being late. Luke is sure he'll be sacked, but as it turns out, he's being promoted. Scrooge makes him his partner, replacing that "Scrooge and Marley" sign with "Scrooge and Scrooge." And yes, Ben does join them, and Rey too. Scrooge does indeed help out his children and grandchildren, and becomes "as good a man and as good a master as the good old city ever knew."

I honestly think this is one of the best chapter stories I've done in a long time, and certainly one of the quickest! It probably helps that it's based after one of the most adapted pieces of literature in the western world. (That, and I started it almost a month earlier than I did last year's Christmas chapter story.) If you're in the mood for a different version of A Christmas Carol, mine is now online for viewing.

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I'll probably do some short Christmas stories before moving on to my next long Star Wars project - a version of The Snow Queen set in the actual Star Wars universe, shortly before The Empire Strikes Back begins. After that, it'll be "Robin Hood" with Han as the famous outlaw. (I was going to do that one earlier this year, but I wanted to separate it from the medieval fantasy I did last spring.)

Put on A Christmas Carol: The Musical with Kelsey Grammer while eating leftovers for dinner. I go into more detail on that one at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

A Christmas Carol: The Musical

Finished out the night with The Year Without a Santa Claus, my favorite Rankin-Bass special. Scrooge isn't the only one who doesn't feel the holiday cheer. Santa (Mickey Rooney) feels sick and thinks no one cares about him anymore. Mrs. Claus (Shirley Booth) sends two elves to scout out some Christmas cheer down below. The weather-controlling Miser Brothers accidentally land them in Southtown, where it never snows. Mrs. Claus, the elves, and a little boy named Ignatious become determined to prove to everyone - Santa and the Miser Brothers included - that there is always peace and goodwill in the hearts of everyone at this time of year.