Storm-Bound Matches

Overslept and had just enough time to begin The Victorian Christmas Book and write in my journal, then have a really quick breakfast. Thankfully, though it was wet outside when I called Uber, it wasn't raining. They came in 4 minutes and got me there in less than five, with no trouble. 

Spent most of the first half of the day pushing carts. It rained off and on, but it was very light showers, barely enough to get me damp, and pleasantly cool but not cold. Spent a lot of the second half returning four full carts with unwanted items. The afternoon bagger came in at 11 to take over sweeping and doing trash. We were busy, but  not overwhelmingly so. The Eagles don't play until tomorrow night, and the rain may have scared some people off. 

Needed a few things after work. They didn't have the box of fudge ingredients at the Westmont Acme, and I forgot cherries for the cherry-coconut bars. Picked up Coke Zeroes for later. They had dollar hair accessories on clearance for stocking stuffers. I bought rubber bands and clips in neutral colors. No trouble getting a ride home. Though it was wet, the rain had temporarily subsided. I got a ride in 7 minutes and home in 5.

Listened to Happy Holidays Vol. 23 when I got home. Mom bought this when it came out in 1988. We used to listen to it when we decorated the tree. It was the first time I heard Bing Crosby sing "White Christmas" anywhere but occasionally on the radio. When I started collecting more of the older Happy Holidays albums about three years ago, I had to find this again. Other good ones on this collection include "Winter Wonderland" by the Andrews Sisters, "Greatest Little Christmas Ever Wuz" by Ray Stevens, "Merry Christmas Baby" by Chuck Berry, and the very 80's "This Christmas" by the Jets.

(Incidentally, the rain returned with a vengeance shortly after I got home. Lashing rain and heavy winds pounded on the roof. The storm has continued off and on since then.)

Finished the night at YouTube with today's Match Game Classics marathon. Since we saw him on the earlier episodes of The Price Is Right Christmas marathon last night, announcer Johnny Olson was in the spotlight. Lovable Johnny had been announcing Match Game since it began in 1962. He appeared enough on the 70's version to be something of a semi-regular in his own right. 

The episode where Burt Reynolds made a cameo appearance also featured a question on how Johnny keeps his tongue in shape. Another has what he says to his wife in his sleep. There was also a gag where Johnny announced the first game show for Cleopatra and the obvious answer the contestant didn't get. Johnny was twice called on to do his famous "Come on down!" line for the Audience Match. Once when he did it, Gary Burghoff ran down in his imitation of an overly excited Price contestant. 

Johnny even took part in the madness a few times. He sat in for Gary on the panel once in 1974 when he was late due to Daylight Savings, and did very well, too! During that crazy episode in 1976 with the very excited and clingy contestant, everyone got so into kissing each other, Betty White even grabbed Johnny for a smooch. Gene would occasionally just call him down to praise the good job he was doing. 

Come on down and match with one of the most beloved announcers ever in broadcasting!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Featuring Johnny Olson on Match Game

Come On Down for Christmas

Started off the morning with breakfast and Alice's Wonderland Bakery. Alice, Hattie the Mad Hatter, and Alice's sentient cookbook Cookie have been invited to the Queen of Hearts' big Christmas dinner! Fergie the White Rabbit is disappointed when he's not included. Alice finally decides she'd rather be with her best friend and declines to go. When the Mome Raths invade the castle, there might not be a dinner. Alice and all of Wonderland finally build "The Gingerbread Palace" as a place where everyone, no matter who they are, can have Christmas dinner together...Mome Raths included.

Mom called during the cartoon. We chatted for nearly 40 minutes. Mom got their box yesterday. Aurora loved her new stuffed puppy. Keefe and Julia loved their Amazon gift card. Apparently, they're big Amazon shoppers. While I won't be able to get green boots - they're out of them in 8 1/2 - I will be able to get gray, and that's ok, too. Good boots are good boots. Oh, and Mom said that Rose and Craig's Thanksgiving trip went badly. They stayed in an Airbnb, and it was lovely but cost a bundle. Driving during the holiday was a pain, too. I'll have to text Rose, but it sounds like they'll be here for Christmas again. 

Grabbed my little cart and headed out after I talked to Mom. Not only am I not sure my wrist is up to a bike ride yet, but I intended to buy too much to carry on the bike anyway. The Westmont Acme isn't that far, a 20 minute or so walk from where I am. It was too gorgeous not to cut through the park. It was sunny, breezy, and in the upper 50's-lower 60's, ridiculously warm for mid-December. I dodged people walking their dogs and their children and out for strolls.

The Westmont Acme was really busy, too. Not a good thing, as I had a lot of shopping to do. I'll be making Christmas cookies and fudge starting Monday. I stocked up on flour, coconut, butter, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, dark and semi-sweet chocolate chips, mint and vanilla extracts, evaporated milk, ground ginger, yellow cake mix, and baking soda. Needed granola bars, yogurt, grapes, and mozzarella cheese balls to snack on. Found red velvet cake bites and a bag of bagels on the bakery clearance racks. Treated myself to a container of coconut milk eggnog.

Walked home through the park as well, this time pulling my full cart up the hill and past the Haddon Township Environmental and Historical Center. It's winter in all but name and temperature in South Jersey now. The trees have long been bare; gardens are empty except for trimmed bushes. Brown leaves crunched underfoot as I made my way up the hill.

Went straight into I Believe In Santa Claus as I ate lunch and got organized. I go further into this bizarre 1984 French musical fantasy at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Family Fun Saturday - I Believe In Santa Claus (J'ai Recontre Le Pere Noel)

Watched A Christmas Story next. It's Christmas 1940 in small-town Indiana, and all Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsly) wants is a Red Ryder Range Model Air Rifle (with a compass and a stock and this thing which tells time). Everyone in the universe seemingly conspires against Ralphie getting this much-coveted gift. His mother (Melinda Dillon) doesn't like guns to begin with, his teacher Mrs. Shields (Tedde Moore) gives him a low grade when he writes about it in a school assignment, and his father (Darren McGavin) seems to be too involved with his "Major Award" and battles with the furnace and the neighborhood dogs to notice much else. Not to mention, Ralphie may not survive childhood pitfalls like bullies, cursing in front of parents, or radio shows that turn out to be commercials to make it to Christmas Day!

One of the funniest - and most realistic - movies ever made about the holidays. I grew up in New Jersey in the 80's and 90's with two sisters and a brother, a working mom, and a stepdad who was more of a motorcycle man, and I can still relate to so much of this. From kids hiding under the sink when they're upset to the infamous tongue-on-the-pole-triple-dog-dare incident, there will more than likely be at least one thing you can relate to here, too. Don't wait until the 24-hour marathon on Christmas Day to check this comedy classic out.

Let the DVD run into the Muppet special Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas. Emmett and his ma are facing a bare Christmas until friends tell them about a talent show on Christmas Eve. Emmett and his friends form a jug band, while Ma sings a folk ballad solo. The winners of the contest end up being a suprise, but Ma and Emmett wind up getting something even better afterwards.

Switched to Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol next. I went further into this classic 1962 special at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog in December 2019.

Animation Celebration Saturday - Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol

Finally finished the fairy tale while all of these were on. Stephen is elated when Charelton recognizes him. Better yet, so do his men, who have come looking for him and Cora. They help the duo back to the castle, where Stephen recovers. He and Cora agree to postpone the wedding in order to properly court and get to know each other better. They repeal the heavy taxes Harron placed on the kingdom, give the food from his wild parties to the poor, and spend time in book stores and the antique shops together. The dog from the fortress becomes their pet; the lion is returned to Africa. Stephen's guards search the rubble and find bones, blood, and bits of fabric, confirming that Harron did not survive the one-two punch of a lion attack and the fortress coming down on him. 

When they do finally get married, it's quietly in the garden, with just Cora's parents and a few trusted servants surrounding them...and they, their kingdom, and their dog live happily ever after.

That took me a little while, but I think it came out pretty well. I'll likely return to Nutcracker Blank for the remainder of the holiday season. If I can finish it by mid-late January, great. If not, I'll pick it up again next year. For right now, here's my unnamed original fairy tale!

Fairy Tale, Part 1

Fairy Tale, Part 2

Fairy Tale, Part 3

Had dinner while watching Tattletales when I got home and got organized. These episodes were among the funniest in the entire series. Comedy writer Donald Ross somehow hosted the first question and a half of the first episode when Bert Convy showed up late. Patty Duke spent the second episode throwing out hilarious quips every time her husband John Astin gave a mismatched answer. Bill Macy is more amused by his newlywed bride Samantha Harper.

Lauren sent me one last box of presents. I opened them tonight. She found a bootleg set with the remaining five seasons of Happy Days that aren't yet on DVD on eBay. She says it's a good quality set, as she has it, too. She also bought two My Life As Walmart 18 inch doll outfits for my dolls. Whitney will get the one-shouldered dance costume. I haven't decided if Jessa or Ariel will get the windbreaker and floral sundress. Jess isn't much for dresses, but Ariel has several similar outfits. 

Finished the night at YouTube with something totally different. Match Game Productions celebrated Christmas and Bob Barker's birthday with a marathon of holiday Price Is Right episodes. It was fascinating to see how the show - and Bob - evolved over the years. The marathon began in 1980, when Bob still had dark hair and Johnny Olson was still announcing. Rod Roddy of the flashy suit jackets took over after Olson's death in 1985. Some of the Showcases that had Johnny or Rod playing Santa, with the models as little girls getting presents or sitting on their knee, were especially funny. 

Come on down and celebrate the holidays with Bob and The Price Is Right!

A Bob Barker Christmas - Featuring Episodes of The Price Is Right 1980 - 1999

Warm for the Holidays

Began the morning with breakfast and A Walt Disney Christmas. I dubbed this collection of classic Disney holiday shorts off of a very old video about a decade ago. The video came in one of the original thick white clamshell covers and began with the Scanimate Mickey Mouse silhouettes. This video is so old, it's the first time I saw "Santa's Workshop" and "Donald's Snow Fight" uncut. The others included are the charming "Once Upon a Wintertime," the other Santa Silly Symphony "The Night Before Christmas," the funny Mickey and the gang short "On Ice," and probably the most famous Disney Christmas short, "Pluto's Christmas Tree." 

Switched to Buzzr for Match Game '78 next. Today begins Buzzr's annual "Betty White Christmas" marathon. All morning and afternoon weekday programming and all weekend programming will feature Betty White in some way or the other from today through Christmas Day. Gene and the panel are more than a little nervous when a contestant announces that his wife is in the audience and is in labor! Thankfully, she's gotten to the hospital by the time of the second episode. Former baseball player Joe Garagiola doesn't appreciate the Howard Cosell jokes. Brett points out they're typical on the show.

Got my schedule at this point. In good news, three days off again next week, which I absolutely did not expect, and more hours. Sunday's seven hours, though, but I have Monday and Tuesday off after that, Tuesday for a dental appointment. Probably just as well that I only had baking and candy making planned for next week anyway along with the dentist.

Decided I would test how my wrist was on the bike today. Pumped my front tire, then went outside...before coming right back in. A box from L.L Bean for me was on the front porch. I hadn't ordered anything. It was a Christmas present from my mom, really nice boots with strong rubber soles. Alas, they were much too small. Research reveals that L.L Bean does have 8 1/2 sizes left. I do like the boots, so I'll send out the exchange next week.

(Had more luck with gifts later this evening. My second Amazon present from Lauren arrived! I got the last two seasons of Laverne & Shirley and the sixth season of Happy Days, the last season  currently available on commercial DVD.) 

Headed out even before the second episode ended. I wanted to run errands and have lunch at the Westmont Plaza before it was overrun with teenagers out of school. Started with lunch at the Westmont Bagel Shop. It was 1:30 by then, well past the lunch hour. I enjoyed a delicious, just right-sized spinach and feta omelet with hash browns and a toasted multi-grain whole wheat bagel while listening to 80's hits on their radio.

Made quick runs to Sprouts and Target next. Sprouts didn't have granola bars on sale, but they did have a good price on whole wheat flour. I bought my usual coconut milk here, too. Target was slightly busier. They didn't really have any granola bars on sale, either, but I got Make Good anyway. Bagged gala apples were a good price, and I picked up my usual bag of nuts and one yogurt for tomorrow. Stopped back at the bagel shop before I left to buy bagels for lunch this week.

Hurried out after Target, just as the kids began to arrive. It took me long enough to cross Cuthbert just as the schools finished for the day. And...I think I might hold off on the bike another week. My wrist is still sore and can't really grasp the handlebars without pain. I've been pushing carts one-handed. We'll see how I feel Wednesday. It's supposed to rain on Sunday. I may end up doing Uber that day anyway.

At least the weather was nice. In fact, it was too nice. It remained sunny, but it had jumped into the mid-50's. I was warm in my heavy coat and scarf when I ran errands!

Put on Super Password while I got organized upstairs. These episodes finish out the Lucile Ball/Ann Dusenberry/Betty White/Estelle Getty week. The first episode was particularly hilarious. The entire set was determined to be troublesome. The buzzer wouldn't work, then the slats covering the answers wouldn't move. It got kind of ridiculous after a while. The set behaved much better on the second episode. Betty White and Estelle Getty ended the week as the winners, picking up money for The Humane Society.

Moved to the original 1945 Christmas In Connecticut next. Elizabeth Lane (Barbara Stanwyck) is the author of a wildly popular cooking and lifestyle column that describes her adventures and recipes developed while caring for her baby on her Connecticut farm. Trouble is, it's all fiction. Elizabeth is really a city girl who can't boil water and lives in an apartment. All of her scrumptious recipes come from her good friend Felix (S.Z Sakall). 

Her house of cards comes crashing down when her boss Alexander Yardley (Sydney Greenstreet) insists on not only coming to her farm for dinner, but bringing handsome soldier Jefferson Jones (Dennis Morgan) with him. In desperation, she agrees to marry the dull architect John Sloan (Reginald Gardiner) who does have a farm in Connecticut. His housekeeper Norah (Una O'Connor) even takes care of babies for the local factory workers. John and Elizabeth keep trying to get married, but something always interrupts them. Not to mention, Elizabeth is starting to fall for Jefferson. After a long Christmas Eve of switching babies and runaway cows, she finally learns that honesty really is the best policy, especially where love is concerned.

Charming romantic comedy is stolen by Greenstreet and Sakall as the bosses with very different ideas on listening to their employees. A perfect cozy watch for a chilly holiday afternoon curled up at home.

The Warners DVD comes with the Oscar-winning short "A Star In the East." Master of accents J. Carrol Naish plays Tony, a hotel owner in the Arizona desert whose demanding customers have left him with a low opinion of humanity. A mysterious stranger points out that there's peace and goodwill in the heart of everyone at this time of year. Tony learns how true it is when his customers and three wandering cowboys come together to aid a Hispanic youth and his pregnant wife.

Worked on writing for a while after that. Charleton, Stephen's valet, is the first person from the castle to find Florrie's cottage. Everyone's looking for them, he tells Cora and Stephen. The wedding had to be called off until they were found. To Stephen's utter delight, he recognizes him despite his disfigurement. Turns out no one in the castle has any memory of the past few months, other than their king is going to get married. 

Broke for dinner and Match Game Syndicated. For some reason, they skipped two episodes, ending up with the last of the week with Gary Collins. Bill Daily sported a snazzy tuxedo, while North Jersey native Debralee Scott teased the male contestant about his decided lack of New York  in an answer. Bart Braverman and Robert Walden came along for the next episode as everyone complained about it being cold in the studio in the opening. (Including Brett - Robert kindly let her borrow his jacket.) Connie Stevens has less luck with "Mail __" in the Head-to-Head.

Moved to Kanopy for another holiday movie I never heard of before, the British The Holly and the Ivy from 1952. Reverend Martin Gregory (Ralph Richardson) and his children and two maiden aunts gather for a big Christmas celebration at his rectory in Norfolk. Older daughter Jenny (Celia Johnson) wants to marry an engineer (John Gregson)  who'll be leaving for South America in a month, but she also doesn't want to leave her father without care. Younger daughter Margaret (Margaret Leighton) was living in London as a writer, but recent tragedies and her lack of work have left her a bitter alcoholic. Son Michael (Denholm Elliot) is currently in the Royal Artillery, but he's not a fan of religion and questions going to college after he gets out of the services. 

They come together with no-nonsense Aunt Bridget (Maureen Delany) and dreamy Aunt Lydia (Margaret Halstan) to share Christmas dinner and morning together. During the course of the evening, old anger and resentments bubble to the surface. The three younger Gregorys see their father as formidable and fear offending him. Turns out that Martin isn't so easily offended after all, and maybe all the three Gregory children need to do is to see past their feelings on religion and remember that their father is human, and that we humans were meant to communicate with one another.

Apparently based after a hit play on the West End in 1950, this was a very sweet and simple tale of one English family learning a lot more than they ever planned on about each other during Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Leighton is particularly devastating as the Gregory sibling with the most heartbreak whose city life isn't nearly as glamorous as it seems at first. This is another good cozy watch for a chilly evening.

Finished the night on YouTube with the original Rankin-Bass Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I went further into their first major holiday special at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog in 2018. 

Animation Celebration Double Feature - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus Is Coming to Town

Baby, It's Really Cold Outside!

Began the morning with breakfast and Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates. I go further into this 1969 TV musical version of the beloved 1865 children's novel about a Dutch boy who enters a skating contest to win the title skates at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Musicals on TV - Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates (1969) 

Worked on writing for a while as well. Stephen explains to Cora that the curse forced him to work as a servant for Harron. He couldn't go against him. He knew the spell was weakening when he was able to attack Harron after he saw him trying to hurt Cora. Stephen is understandably reluctant to return to his castle, but Florrie points out that his people are looking for him and Cora, even as they hear voices in the distance...

Had the devil of a time getting Uber today. It wasn't that bad getting there. The driver arrived in 4 minutes and got there in less than 5. Going home was a pain in the rear. It took me almost ten minutes just to get a driver who wasn't busy at 6 PM, and then they took almost 20 minutes to show up when they originally said 11. And then, the guy almost drove down the ramp to Camden instead of the one to Oaklyn! I wish more of the drivers came from somewhere besides Camden and Philly. Too many of them don't really know the area.

Work wasn't much fun, either. On one hand, I spent most of it pushing carts and sweeping. Got to enjoy another sunny, very brisk breezy day. However, I was supposed to be working in the floral department during the first half of the night, but they kept pulling me to do sweeping and carts when the head bagger ended up going in for cashiers' breaks. I wish they'd make up their minds and decide what I'm supposed to be doing here.

Got home in time for dinner and the second half of Match Game PM. I came in at the beginning of round 2, just as Gene asked what the salesman who used to be a doctor told Harry to do. Brett and Charles work together to get their answer to "One, Two, Three __" in the Audience Match. The panelists on Match Game Syndicated have a tougher time with "__ Ography," especially when Dick Martin insists that the answer is pornography!

Finished the night at Shout!TV's website for one of the three Mystery Science Theater 3000 Christmas episodes. Mike and the robots open presents and sing carols between parts of the 1959 Mexican family film Santa Claus. Santa goes up against the Devil's assistant in order to deliver presents to good children and stop three naughty boys from stealing presents from a rich child. 

Weird as this is, Santa and the Devil have enough fun going up against each other in the second half for this movie to be a guilty pleasure of mine. Some of the sets are pretty nifty too, including Santa's outer space Toyland castle.  As the robots point out, the opening number with kids from all around the world singing goes on for way, way too long, and there's no reason for Merlin the Magician to be involved in this. Otherwise, recommended with or without robot wisecracks if you go for charming camp like me. 

Oh, and Lauren got her Christmas box today. She says she and her parents loved everything, and it was all perfectly chosen. She was especially excited about Super Mario Wonder - said she'd play the game later tonight. 

Put a Little Love In Your Heart

Began the morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Dan and Prince Wednesday go on "Daniel's Winter Adventure" when Dan Sr. takes them sledding. They're nervous about how high the hill is, but they slide down it a little at a time, and they eventually love it. Likewise, his mother helps him learn to skate a little at a time. Dan and O the Owl are looking forward to the "Neighborhood Nutcracker." O's nervous about being in crowds, but his uncle helps ease him into the Enchanted Garden. Daniel is nervous when he has to take over dancing in the show after Prince Wednesday gets a cold. Henrietta and Katerina teach him a little at a time, and soon he's dancing as well as them.

No trouble with Uber today. The one taking me to work arrived in 4 minutes; the one going home arrived in 3. No traffic, no problems anywhere. 

No problems at work, either. We were dead the entire morning. I spent it sweeping, pushing carts, and enjoying the brisk, sunny, lower 40's weather. Not only was it too nice for shopping, but we're still two weeks from Christmas. Most people (including me) likely won't start stocking up for Christmas baking and dinner until this weekend.

Soon as I got home, I grabbed the cards and went right back out. I wanted to make sure they got out in the post office. It's only three blocks away, and I trust actually sending them in the post office more than a box or with the mailman. This time, they had no line. I ducked in, dropped them in the out of town slot, and walked home.

When I got home, I did the rest of the cards. These are the ones for Rose and her family, Jessa and Joe, and neighbors and friends who live in this area. They'll be given out with cookies or gift bags. 

Watched A Flintstones Christmas Carol while I worked. Fred's playing Scrooge in a community theater production, but he's getting a little too into the role. He gets so into rehearsing his lines, he forgets to buy presents and pick up Pebbles at day care. Wilma has enough on her plate as it is. She's the stage manager and costume designer, thanks to "The Bedrock Bug" that has felled several members of the troupe, and she's not happy with Fred's behavior. It takes a scare at a department store and really listening to the story beyond memorizing lines to make Fred understand what's really important - the love of his wife and daughter.

Switched to Tom & Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale at Tubi after I went online. Jerry and Tuffy watch a performance of The Nutcracker at a theater and immediately fall in love with the story. Their wish to dance is granted by Christmas magic, turning Jerry into a king, the toys under the tree into Jerry's court, and a  ballerina on a music box into his dance partner. Tom and his fellow cats invade the show, capturing all of the toys but Nellie the ride-on horse and Pixie the elf ornament. Jerry and his three friends search for the Toy Maker (Richard Newman), who created the toys and may know how to boot out the cats.

Despite the title, this is more of a cross between The Nutcracker and the other major holiday fantasy Babes In Toyland. The Toy Maker and rescue story comes out of the latter, but the ballet theme and Jerry being a king is really more from the original show. There's some pretty decent pantomimed gags here, and the side story with Nellie only being able to talk when you pull out her string ends up being touching. Not bad if you're a big Tom & Jerry fan.

Did a job search again, then worked on writing. Florrie and the weary Stephen explain how the curse on  him worked. If she could see through the monstrous body he was trapped in and kiss him, he'd be restored to his human form and his people would have their memories restored. Stephen admitted he'd fallen for Cora when her parents had talked about how intelligent and sweet she was and hoped she would be the one who could end the curse. Harron locked him in the kitchen closet when she arrived, but a maid took pity on him and released him.

Broke for dinner and Match Game Syndicated at 7 PM. Poor Brett was upset in the first episode that Charles was leaving to star in a Broadway show. The others try to figure out "The Civil __" in the Audience Match and what's under Lassie's beautiful fur coat when she takes it off. Dick Martin took Charles' place in the second show, joined by Bill Daily, Debralee Scott, Gary Collins, and Betty White. Betty's nervous when she has to deal with a double on "__ As Well" in the Head-to-Head. 

Finished the night at Paramount Plus with Scrooged. IBC head executive Frank Cross (Bill Murray) is heavily investing in his network's big live Christmas Eve production of A Christmas Carol. He's no saint himself. He refuses to attend his brother's (John Murray) Christmas party, fires one of his employees (Bobcat Goldthwait) for disagreeing about the dark promo he puts out for the special, and forces everyone else to work overtime on Christmas Eve, including his harried single-mom secretary Grace (Alfre Woodward). There's also the assistant (John Glover) his current boss (Robert Mitchum) hired who is after his job. 

When the ghost of his former boss Lew Hayward (John Forsythe) shows up and tells him he's going to be visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve, he's skeptical, to say the least. It takes visions of his past, present, and future and rekindling his romance with social worker Claire (Karen Allen) to remind him that Christmas is a wonderful time for charity...and for forgiveness.

My stepfather used to love this movie when it ran on cable in the late 80's-early 90's, but most critics at the time agreed with Mom and found it too mean-spirited. Considering I've seen Christmas movies that were five times worse nowadays, this might have been ahead of its time. In fact, the ending is rather sweet. Murray is at his manic best as the cynical executive who thinks his career is everything, until he's reminded of what really matters. The Oscar-winning makeup, especially on the ghosts, remains incredible and rather horrific to this day, especially Hayward in zombie form and the Ghost of Christmas Future with the TVs for a body! If you like your Christmas comedies on the darker side, this is one that's worth checking out. 

Harts and Guardians

Began a quick, late morning with breakfast and the Christmas episodes of The Busy World of Richard Scarry. Kittens Abe and Babe are behaving so badly on Christmas Eve, their mother scolds them and claims they'll get coal from Santa. When they see bags of coal outside and believe this is the truth, they learn "Abe and Babe's Christmas Lesson" and use them to help people of Busytown who lost their electricity. "Sally Cat's Christmas Dream" takes her to the North Pole, where she has to help a familiar Santa and his elves when he can't find the key to the toy workshop. Sally, Huckle, and Lowly wake up to "The Best Christmas Present Ever" when they learn why their tree is gone and their parents are in the hospital.

Rushed out shortly after that. I had fewer problems getting to work than home. The Uber driver picked me up in 4 minutes going to the Acme. I was going home at 4 PM, the height of rush hour. It took 9 minutes for a drive to arrive, and there was traffic on the White Horse Pike, too. I got to the Acme with enough time to buy something for Jessa and finish my Christmas shopping. 

Work was far less of a problem. I did run into trouble early-on when I misunderstood the head bagger and thought she said she'd already swept the store when she didn't. I had to rush around and sweep in a hurry. Spent the rest of the day helping the floral manager water plants, sort and organize unfilled occasion balloons, and dust shelves filled with vases and stuffed animals. I even took a course to learn how to make corsages and boutonnieres for winter formals.

At least the weather was lovely. Cold and windy, yes, but not really that out of line for mid-December. It was also sunny, and not that bad when you could get out of the wind. 

When I got home, I changed and sat down to watch Say One for Me. I go further into this 1959 musical with Bing Crosby as a priest in a New York Theater District church and Debbie Reynolds and Robert Wagner as the chorus girl and ambitious singer who are among those he helps, at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Say One for Me

Worked on writing for a while after the movie. Florrie and Stephen explain the curse to Cora as Florrie settles Stephen down in her bed to rest. Angry that his cousin wouldn't take his suggestions or let him rule the kingdom with an iron fist like he wanted, Harron used his hypnotic magic to convince Stephen's people that Stephen was the impostor. He manipulated Stephen's own army into throwing their real ruler into the dungeon and beating him. Harron scarred Stephan's face and hacked off his hair to keep him from being recognized. When Stephen threatened to break loose, his cousin sealed his mind in a hideous, hunched-over body and took his voice so he couldn't give away his true identity.

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Watched Match Game PM while I ate dinner. The Dick Smothers/Minnie Pearl episode brought in a handsome cowboy who called himself Buck Rogers. After a round of cowboy jokes, the others come up with some rather amusing answers to what the baseball player brought along on his honeymoon. Richard Dawson does better with "Veal __" in the Head-to-Head.

Returned to Match Game Syndicated after a shower. Charles Nelson Reilly celebrated his birthday just as I came back upstairs. Gene brought him a little brown and yellow cake, and everyone sang "Happy Anniversary" ("Happy Birthday" being copyrighted at the time). 

Lauren sent me my first Christmas presents from her tonight via Amazon. We're both big fans of Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley. She sent me the fifth season of the former and the sixth of the latter. I have a hard time finding the ladies in particular around here, so these were welcome. 

Moved to The Roku Channel for Hart to Hart, which also featured Robert Wagner. "Tis the Season to Be Murdered" when a Johnathan finds a private detective dead after the man claimed there were industrial spies in his toy company. Johnathan and Jennifer try to root out the spies themselves at first. When the spies catch on, they send Max in to help them find out who's after the plans for a toy robot that could become a big seller.

Finished the night at YouTube with Sailor Moon S: The Movie. The Guardians are enjoying their winter break when they're attacked by women made of snow who freeze everything in their path. Turns out they're the minions of Princess Kaguya, who wants to freeze the Earth and make it into an ornament for her collection. Meanwhile, Usagi's cat Luna falls for a handsome scientist who was the first to discover Kaguya's crystals...but not only are the crystals taking energy from him and making him sick, but to Luna's dismay, he's already in love with a female astronaut. While the Guardians stop the evil Princess from destroying life on Earth, Luna tries to figure out her feelings and help her crush get well.

Sending Christmas Cheer

Started off the morning with breakfast and The Super Mario Bros Super Show. Bowser is "Koopa Claus" when he kidnaps Santa and freezes his toy factory in order to ruin Christmas. Toad is horrified Bowser ruins his new snowboard, leading Princess Toadstool to scold him for being greedy. In the live-action segment, Mario and Luigi recall to a runaway boy how "Little Marios" also ran away once.

Switched to Buzzr for Match Game '77 while taking my laundry downstairs and putting the boxes for Lauren and my family in the Villas and Virginia together. Buzzr's still doing their Bob Barker marathon, as his birthday would have been tomorrow. Bob appeared on the last week before the show moved to mornings, as Gene complains about early in the episode. The others are more interested in contemplating why a woman is carrying what she calls a rape whistle around her neck while Gene points out that producer Roger's been misspelling answers again. 

Bob and his wife Dorothy Jo also appeared on the Tattletales episode with William Shatner and his wife Marcy and comedian Pat Cooper and his wife Patti. I never heard of Cooper until today, but apparently, he was big on celebrity roasts. No wonder. He and Patti were funny as heck. Although Bob and Dorothy Jo did well, they ended up being the big winners.

Headed out to run errands after I put the laundry in the dryer. I really wanted to get my Christmas boxes in the mail. One's going to Lauren and her parents in Pittsfield, one's going down to Mom and Keefe and his family in Yorktown, Virginia, and the third will be going to Anny and Lilah in the Villas. Fortunately, the Oaklyn Post Office is three blocks from where I live. There was only a short line when I arrived at the blocky one-room building. Other than a slight bobble with the zip code on Lauren's package, I was in and out...and it's a good thing. By the time I left, the line was out the door.

Dollar General is a block from the post office, so I went there next. I mainly wanted to buy a birthday card for my friend Linda Young. I also bought a Dr. Pepper Zero (I've never seen them anywhere else) and an original metal Slinky to put in the toy donation box in the front of the store.

When I got home, I brought my laundry upstairs and put it away while watching the first Christmas episode of Paw Patrol. The "Pups Save Christmas" when Santa has an accident with the sleigh and loses his presents, his reindeer, and the magic Christmas star that allows the reindeer to fly. Rubble and Rocky fix the sleigh. Chase herds the reindeer and helps find the star. Skye, Marshall, and Zuma deliver the gifts all around Adventure Bay.

Put on the 1951 British A Christmas Carol with Alistair Sim while I got Linda's birthday card and the Christmas cards going in the mail together. This is probably my favorite traditional, fully live-action Christmas Carol. Sim is a wonderful Scrooge, especially in the second half, when he's thawing out and beginning to to understand what his stinginess and bitterness has done to those around him. There's some nifty touches, too, including an expanded past sequence that fully shows how Scrooge went from idealistic clerk to nasty businessman and the hilarious reaction of his washer woman when she comes in on Christmas morning and sees her miserly boss suddenly dancing around and giving out money. This is in the public domain, so it's pretty easy to find. 

Let the other program  on the DVD run while cleaning up the cards. Max Fleischer released the first animated "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" as a short in 1948. This one follows the original book pretty closely. Rudolph is an adorable little fellow, especially when he's hoping Santa will fill his stocking and in the very end, where he blushes bright as his nose. This was apparently created as an ad for the story's original publisher Montgomery Ward, which is likely why it's now in the public domain. 

Did job research next. When I didn't see anything, I moved on to writing. Actually, I re-wrote the entire scene in the tower. The fire that burns the tower and Harron is now choking, clinging vines that scar Harron's  handsome face and crush the tower. When he uses his power to make the vines attack Cora, she uses her knife to knock one back at him. She pushes so hard, the thorns end up blinding him.

Broke for dinner at 7 PM. Watched Match Game Syndicated while I ate. Stephanie Powers finally made her first appearance since 1973, while Gene announced that Charles would be going on hiatus after this week to do a (short-lived, as it turned out) Broadway show. Fannie Flagg is more worried about dealing with "__ Decker" in the Head-to-Head. In the second show, Gene jokes about Stephanie's hair getting mussed, but Bill would rather muss Stephanie. 

Finished the night on YouTube with episodes of Tic Tac Dough in honor of the 45th anniversary of the 1978 revival and host Wink Martindale's birthday last week. Tic Tac Dough actually goes back to 1956 as one of the many big-money quiz shows dreamed up by Barry and Enright. Originally a daytime show, a nighttime version debuted in 1957. The Barry-hosted daytime show was apparently clean, but the night show hosted by Jay Jackson was said to be rigged more than 75 percent of the time. Both shows changed hosts after the Quiz Show Scandals broke. The nighttime version ended late in 1958; the day show didn't make it out of 1959.

The episode I have here is a daytime show from 1958, one of the very few known to exist today. In the original version, people would guess answers from subjects on a tic-tac-toe board that was mechanically shuffled. The money they won would be added to a pot. Whomever got three Xs or Os in a row won the pot. I find the mechanical board to be charming and the questions to be interesting, which makes me wonder why someone thought they needed to cheat on this to begin with.

After Barry and Enright made a comeback in 1973 with their Joker's Wild, they decided it was time to bring one of their first hits back to the small screen. What most people probably don't remember is that there were actually two Tic Tac Dough revivals that debuted in 1978. The first turned up on CBS that summer. It apparently couldn't drum up ratings opposite Card Sharks and was gone by the fall. 

The version that everyone remembers is that the show moved to syndication two weeks after it left CBS...and was an instant sensation. Along with Family Feud, it was probably the most popular game show of the late 70's and early 80's. Now the questions are asked on monitors, and there's occasional "red squares" as money bonuses. They also added an actual bonus round. In the CBS show, people would try to get three Xs or Os in a row and avoid the noisy roaring dragon that would seemingly lunge at the screen. The syndicated version had them choosing numbers to find money under them. If they found $1,000 or over, or got the words "Tic" and "Tac," they'd win a big prize package. Contestants who won five games in a row got a car.

There were a lot of big winners on this show, but the biggest debuted in 1980. Naval pilot Thom McKee started off in September 1980 and would continue winning money for 46 episodes. He eventually amassed more than $312,000 and eight cars. It was a game show winnings record that would stand until Ken Jennings' big run on Jeopardy! 20 years later. (And apparently the guy who finally defeated him went on to do really well, too.) 

Martindale left to do his own Headline Chasers in 1985. Jim Caldwell replaced him, and while he apparently got better as the final season went on, he was really no Martindale. On the other hand, the set did get a rather attractive make over at this point, trading in the late 70's wood-and-gold look for softer pastels. Nothing helped. Dough couldn't stand out in a syndicated landscape now dominated by Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune and finally ended in 1986. 

Dough was one of the many games that saw a revival in 1990. Alas, this version is rather notorious among game show fans for not being terribly good. On the plus side was a nifty early CGI board and a simple but fairly elegant set. However, the bonus round was unnecessarily complicated by a new knight "dragon slayer" character and the contestant choosing to play Xs or Os, instead of just choosing money. Host Patrick Wayne was an actor who had little prior experience  hosting. He tended to be either totally bored or screaming at the top of his lungs. 

(It's too bad most people think this moves too slow and the tic-tac-toe board is too cumbersome to work nowadays. There apparently was a pilot for a third revival shot in 2021 with Tom Berganon, but they didn't go ahead with it. I wish they'd change their minds. I enjoy watching the older episodes, and I did as a kid when I'd see them on USA. I wonder if there might be life for this show yet in the right hands.)

At any rate, see if you can solve trivia and avoid that infamous dragon with some of the most winningest contestants ever on television! (Look for commercials from the show's run on Game Show Network and USA on most episodes and bad tapes on the CBS premiere and the show from 1986.)

Tic Tac Dough (1958)

The New Tic Tac Dough CBS Premiere (1978)

The New Tic Tac Dough Syndicated Premiere (1978)

Tic Tac Dough - Thom McKee Debuts (1980)

Tic Tac Dough - Thom McKee Wins $200,000 (1980)

Tic Tac Dough - Thom McKee Departs (1980)

Tic Tac Dough - 1,000th Episode (1983)

Tic Tac Dough Series Finale (1986)

Tic Tac Dough (1990)

Christmas Showers

Started off my morning with breakfast and the Very Special Christmas 3 CD. This one didn't make it out until 1997, by which time the world of pop music had changed considerably. This is reflected in the majority of the album being made up of rap, hard rock, and alternate rock artists. Sting's "I Saw Three Ships" is my far and away my favorite here. Other interesting contributions include Hootie & the Blowfish performing "The Christmas Song," "Christmastime" by The Smashing Pumpkins, "Oi to the World" by No Doubt, and a very peculiar "O Holy Night" by Patti Smith.

Switched to Happy Holidays Vol. 39 next. I've collected the True Value Happy Holidays albums for years. I found this one at a yard sale in Audubon, appropriately down the street from their True Value. I love Tony Bennett's sweet "Snowfall," the lovely version of "Christmastime Is Here" by Shawn Colwin, "Merry Christmas Baby" by B.B King, and Perry Como's jaunty "Christmas Dream."

Headed off to work before the CD even ended. Thankfully, it wasn't raining when I went to work or came home. Took me 4 minutes to find a ride both ways, and less than five to get where I was going. No trouble anywhere. I arrived early enough to buy a Coke Zero and get money for my nephew Collyn's birthday on Tuesday.

It was steady when I got into work. By the time it started showering harder, our customers had vanished. Most of them are probably doing their Christmas shopping in the malls. It helps that the Eagles didn't play until 8:10 tonight, too. I did have some trouble cleaning up a broken jar of spaghetti sauce outside. Otherwise, I mainly gathered carts and got wet. They had plenty of college kids around to sweep and do the trash.

(Oh, and I got lucky. It started pouring again shortly after I got home. It's been pouring off and on, often hard, ever since.)

Took a shower soon as I got home, then continued the writing - or re-writing - I started this morning. I originally had Harron attack Cora and Stephen with fire, but decided that using plant life went back to Stephen's love of flowers. Vines hug the stairwell and block Cora's way. Even after she hacks her way through them and feeds the dog as before. she finds more in the tower. Once she's freed Stephen, Harron directs the vines to attack them. Cora's able to cut the vines away.

Listened to Happy Holidays Vol. 28 as I worked. This was the first Happy Holidays album I ever bought. I picked it up from the Cape May True Value in 1993, mainly because it was the only Christmas music I could afford at the time. There's some unique songs I've never heard on any other anthology, including "A Candle In the Window" by Alabama, "Sleigh Ride" by Lorrie Morgan, "It Doesn't Have to Be That Way" by Jim Croce, "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" by Amy Grant, and "'Til Santa's Gone (I Just Can't Wait)" by Clint Black.

Finished the night on YouTube with the Match Game Sunday Classics marathon. Former Miss America and Catwoman Lee Merriweather started on the show in late 1973. She quickly became one of the best and most popular panelists in the fourth "ingenue" seat. She played very well, was easy on the eyes, and had no trouble fending off Richard Dawson and Gene Rayburn's advances. 

She saw Charles Nelson Reilly pretend to be a taxi driver in one episode, then rolled down Gene's pants legs after Betty White rolled them up in another. Lee wanted to give a towering contestant a kiss after she helped him get the Audience Match answer, but Gene would rather she kissed him. She last appeared during a week late in the syndicated run. She and Fannie Flagg did a kickline together to demonstrate the Rockettes to a panelist that was definitely the hit of the show!

You don't need to be a detective to check out this purrfect panelist! 

Match Game Sunday Night Classics - Featuring Lee Merriweather On the Panel

(Oh, and the Eagles couldn't get anything going against the Dallas Cowboys and lost 33-13.)

A Very Bear-y Christmas

Began a cloudy morning with breakfast and Mickey's Christmas Tales. This is a series of three-minute shorts on Disney Plus done in the same felt stop-motion animation as the Mickey special they released last year. Goofy's "Starstruck" when he knocks the town star off the Christmas tree. The others try everything they can go get it back on. Goofy's supposed to demonstrate "How to Build a Snowman," but two squirrels keep getting in his way. Minnie hides her Christmas cookies in her "Holiday Hideaway" so Donald won't eat dessert before dinner. Santa's new ride becomes a "Slip n' Sleigh" when he and two reindeer take it out for a test-drive. Mickey and the others want to be "Up All Eve" to wait for Santa, but Pluto is the only one who pulls it off.

Called Uber before the cartoons ended. Thankfully,  no trouble here again. My ride to work arrived in less than 4 minutes; going home came in 8 minutes. No traffic, no trouble getting there and back.

Though I did have to sweep the store a few times and put some cold items away, I mainly spent the morning and early afternoon pushing carts. It was the perfect December day for it. The clouds gradually cleared all morning. By noon, it was a gorgeous, sunny afternoon in the upper 50's. The Christmas tree lot played music; between them and the Salvation Army worker ringing a bell for donations on the store patio, it felt very festive outside.

I actually got my schedule online yesterday, but I confirmed it today. In good news, slightly more hours, two days in the floral department, and three days off. Still wish I had more hours, but those probably won't pick up until get get closer to the holiday and people start thinking Christmas baking and dinner. 

Did some grocery shopping after work. I finally finished the last of my farm market apples and pears yesterday and needed to restock. Found mandarin oranges and organic Gala apples for good prices. Grapes were on sale with an online coupon. Restocked my yogurt and Kind bars, too. Bought gift cards for my sister Anny, my brother Keefe and his wife Julia, and my oldest nephew Skylar. 

After I got home, I put everything away and had a snack while watching Yogi's First Christmas at Tubi. I go further into this Hanna-Barbara holiday extravaganza at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Animation Celebration Saturday - Yogi's First Christmas

Worked on writing for a while after that. Harron tries to attack Cora with his eyes again, but she's ready for it this time. When he shoots her with his magic, she reflects it back with her knife blade and blinds him. She manages to get the weary Stephen out of the tower, with the dog following. The door and the lion trap Harron in the tower as it burns, reminding him that he never treated them well.

Broke for dinner while watching Yogi's All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper, which is also currently at Tubi. Yogi and Boo Boo stow away on a bus to the big city, unaware that most of their fellow Hanna-Barbara funny animals went to Jellystone to see them. They eventually catch up with them and help the duo find the neglectful wealthy father of a lonely little girl. Meanwhile, Ranger Smith searches high and low for Yogi with the help of two bumbling animal control officers.

Finished the night at YouTube with today's Match Game Classics marathon. After Game Show Network complained about the owner uploading content with their current logo, he had to go back and use his own logo to cover theirs. He was finally able to repost the formerly lost week featuring Valerie Bertanelli and the episodes before and after it in a marathon tonight. I really do wish these shows weren't lost for so long. Some of them are hilarious, especially the episode from the week after Valerie's that had Betty White rolling up Gene's pants leg and almost-stripping. Valerie herself played very well. She was only 18 at the time, though, and was so uncomfortable caught between panting older men Gene Rayburn and Ed Asner, she wouldn't do Match Game again until the 2010's. 

See how all this went down for yourself in this marathon of rare episodes!

Match Game Saturday Classics: Featuring Newly Released '78 Episodes with Valerie Bertanelli

Love In a Home

Began the morning with breakfast and The Backyardigans. When Uniqua wants to know "The Secret of Snow," Austin directs her to Ice Lady Tasha. Busy Tasha has no time for her queries. She sends her to the desert, where she meets Cowboy Pablo, and the jungle, where Tyrone of the Jungle tries to rescue them on a vine. Even when they return, Tasha puts them to work. After they help her, they learn that there's no real secret of snow...but when you can make friends, the weather's not that important.

Headed out after that for a run to Dollar General. I needed wrapping paper. I used up the last of my previous roll on Lauren's presents. I found a pretty, simple gold paper with white reindeer and green and red garlands. Picked up something for my nephew Collyn, including a birthday card (it's next week), and gift holder cards for my oldest nephew Skylar and my brother Keefe and his wife Julia. They had a coupon for $2.50 off a cute stuffed snowman if you bought $3 worth of cards. I did get the cards, but the coupon didn't work. The snowman was too darling to leave behind, though. Picked up Kind bars on sale, too.

Stopped at the Mexican bakery on the way back. I have such a hard time deciding with all those goodies around! I finally chose a small plastic cup full of very thin peppermint-white chocolate-covered chocolate wafers. 

When I got home, I went straight into wrapping gifts. I'm hoping to get all the packages out by early next week and finish any shopping for out-of-town friends and family. The post office seems to be more on the ball lately, but I'm not willing to take chances.

Watched Buzzr first. Let Match Game '77 run, then Tattletales. I'd seen the Tattletales episodes before. Songwriter Sammy Cahn and his hilarious wife Tita, Hal Linden and his smart wife Fran, and Scoey and Claire Mitchilll were all on the ball today, but the Lindens seemed to do the best. They won both episodes, joined by Claire and Scoey in the second.

Switched to The Cat In the Hat Knows a Lot About Christmas next. Ralph the baby reindeer gets lost after the Cat's Christmas Eve party when he gets off at Sally's house instead of Freeze-Your-Knees Snowland. The Cat and the kids try to get him home, but the Thing-a-Ma-Jigger keeps breaking down in tropical climes and even the ocean. On the way, they learn about the migration patterns of reindeer, red crabs, elephants, and dolphins, and how each group finds food and stays together when they travel.

Returned to Paramount Plus for the first season of The Odd Couple while I cleaned up the wrapping mess. Oscar is feeling grouchy when his ex-wife Blanche demands alimony on Christmas Eve and throws Felix out. Felix thinks he'd be the perfect Scrooge for their Christmas play. He refuses...until Oscar dreams that "Scrooge Wins an Oscar" and that he's the mean miser who learns the true meaning of the holidays.

Worked on writing for the next couple of hours. The doll is, indeed, Stephen, but he's in terrible shape. His hair is hacked off, his cheeks are scarred, and he can barely stand upright without Cora's help. Cora and Stephen remind Harron that he could use his powers to help people instead of manipulating them. He says he tried to, but the rich men he offered them to wanted to use him...so he now intends to use them. Cora keeps pushing Stephen behind her, but Harron keeps advancing...

Broke for dinner and Match Game Syndicated at 7 PM. The episode begins with a nurse coming out to spray Gene with cold medicine. Bill Daily brings him a cup to spit in after he gargles. Meanwhile, Jon "Bowser" Bauman shows off his "Bowser Is Beautiful" shirt, pointing out that this is the first time he hasn't worn a plain black shirt on the show.

Finished out the night on YouTube with vintage TV specials and movies. Fred Astaire is The Man In the Santa Claus Suit who seems to be everywhere one cold Christmas Eve in New York, including selling Santa suits to three very different men. High school math teacher Bob Willis (Gary Burghoff) is too shy to tell gorgeous model Polly Primer (Tara Buckman) that he's crazy about her. He hopes the suit will give him confidence to finally get it out during her big Macy's fashion show that night. Stan Summerville (John Byner) was once a chef, but he's now a drunk on the run from the bank robbers after he found their gun. He tries to rob the home of two elderly former vaudevillains (Nanette Fabray and Harold Gould) and their spoiled grandchildren, but rethinks his life choices when they treat him kindly. Gil Travis (Bert Convy) is a political aide who wants to surprise his son between business meetings. His wife just wishes he'd spend more time with his son and remember how much happier they were when he was a struggling writer.

Fred Astaire's last appearance on the small screen is a charming three-part holiday tale. Astaire really is magical as the strange man who can seemingly be everywhere. Fabray and Gould steal the movie as the sweet older people who, unlike Travis or their bratty grandchildren, remember their days as struggling performers and don't look down on those who aren't as fortunate as they are. Burghoff and Buckman have their moments as the sweet teacher and the model who wishes her life wasn't so glamorous. Only Convy's segment is too cliched to really come off. Dig around for this on YouTube if you're feeling the need for a cozy holiday film that doesn't get too syrupy.

The Andy Williams Christmas Show from 1966 shares that same cozy holiday feeling. Though he starts off with a series of gags as he performs his hit "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," most of the special is set at (supposedly) his home or his parents'. The Osmonds do get in a very odd "Heigh Ho" while dancing with giant toy soldiers after the opening. I'd rather hear Williams and his lovely French wife Claudine singing the hit ballad "Love In a Home" from the original 1956 Broadway version of Lil' Abner or Williams singing "Jingle Bells" with his brothers against a simple backdrop. 

Let It Snow In the Morning

Began the morning with breakfast and Sheriff Callie's Wild West. Toby wants an animal of his own to ride, like Sheriff Callie's horse Sparky or Deputy Peck's mule Clementine. He thinks "Toby's Christmas Critter" is a horse with prickers, but it's really one of Santa's reindeer. Toby ends up having to help rescue his new friend and Santa's sleigh from bandits. "A Very Tricky Christmas" has Tricky Travis and Oswald the Bear claiming they've reformed. They even help the townspeople to form a marching band. They think stealing the townspeople's tree and gifts will make them happy, but the residents of Nice and Friendly Corners know better. 

Headed out even before the cartoon ended. It started snowing as I waited for the Uber driver. Thankfully, the snow never stuck to anything, and it had no effect on the drivers. The one taking me to work arrived in 4 minutes; the one going home took 5.

It snowed all morning long. It came down pretty hard at one point around 11-11:30, too. Between the snow, the sharp pine scent drifting in from the Christmas tree lot in the back, and the man gathering money for the Salvation Army, it felt pretty festive today. I spent the entire day sweeping and gathering carts with no trouble, even as the snow mixed with rain later in the afternoon.

Soon as I got home, I changed and went right back outside. Though it remained cloudy and damp at 1:30, the rain and snow was long gone. I took a short walk to the pretzel shop around the corner for two pretzels, a cheesesteak-stuffed pretzel, and a can of Diet Pepsi.

Had lunch, then put the flannel sheets on my bed while watching Tattletales. Glamorous Joan Collins and her then-husband Ron Glass joined egotistical Dick Gautier and his supremely sarcastic then-wife Barbara Stuart and Rue McClanahan and her boyfriend Gus Fisher. Gus may have been big and fairly good-looking, but he wasn't too bright. He and Rue got one answer right. The other two couples won after everyone missed a question and the money defaulted to the last question.

Switched to Thank God It's Friday after I ate. I go further into this comedy on one night in a LA disco that features the Oscar-winning Donna Summer song "Last Dance" at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Thank God It's Friday

Wrapped presents while the movie was on. I managed to wrap all of Lauren and her parents' gifts but one. I ran out of paper before I could finish. Darn it. This was the one thing I hadn't stocked up on. I'll pick up more from Dollar General tomorrow.

Worked on writing after I cleaned up from that. Cora searches high and low among the dolls in the tower room, but she can't find one that looks like her Stephen...until she reaches behind a book case and pulls out a lump old rag doll. She kisses it, revealing a battered, worn Stephen with a scarred face and chopped-off hair. The furious Harron can't figure out why she chose an ugly doll when there were so many prettier ones in the room, but Cora remembered what Stephen looked like before he sent him there.

Broke for dinner and Match Game Syndicated at 7 PM. Though the Steve Kanaly week is currently on YouTube, he hasn't cleared it for TV yet. We skip ahead to the week after, with Bowser showing off his "Bowser Bag" that carries his props and comb and comedienne Gina Hecht getting nearly every answer right. She didn't have as much luck with "Poke __" on the Head-to-Head. The ladies are more than happy to admire a very tall and handsome young contestant in the next episode, though they didn't have as much luck helping him with "Sue __" in the Audience Match.

Finished the night on YouTube with three vintage holiday variety specials. From the mid-60's through 1994, Perry Como appeared in a series of specials set in exotic lands or other times. I started off with Perry Como's French Canadian Christmas from 1981. Debbie Boone joins Como for a sequence set in old Montreal, as a young woman awaits the arrival of brides from France. We also get French Canadian folk dancers, Dorothy Hamill doing a random skating routine, the Montreal Canadiens hockey team knocking Como over, and a finale set during Christmas for a French Canadian family.

Como headed back across the US border for Perry Como's Early American Christmas in Williamsburg, Virginia. John Wayne, of all people, joins Perry to recite a poem from a soldier in the American Revolution and kick back a pint at the local tavern. Diana Canova handles the ballads here. We get copious glimpses of life in Colonial Williamsburg during the holiday season. There's even two little girls in red and blue cloaks who remind me of Felicity and Elizabeth from the American Girl series. 

Andy Williams traveled northwards to a Vermont village museum for a different type of American history in Andy Williams' Early New England Christmas. Hamill returns here as a figure-skating schoolteacher. Alieen Quinn of Annie is her prize pupil who gets to belt out "Let There Be Peace On Earth" and do an old fashioned comedy number with Williams. Dick Van Patten runs the local general store and passes gossip and local history along to Williams.