It was still raining when I got up this morning, but there was no snow mixed in. It was just wet. I had breakfast while kicking off my holiday season with A Charlie Brown Christmas. The Peanuts gang is gearing up for the holidays, but Chuck isn't feeling in the spirit of the season. Lucy invites him to direct their Christmas pageant. Chuck buys a little tree to set the mood and keep the other kids from turning it into a jazz concert, to the annoyance of the girls who wanted one of the pink aluminum monstrosities that were in style in the 60's. It takes a famous religious speech from Linus to remind all of the kids of what Christmas is really about.
Moved on to It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown and cleaning the bathroom after I finished eating. This later special from the early 90's is a series of skits about the Peanuts' holiday activities. Charlie Brown sells wreaths door-to-door to make money for a gift for the Little Red Haired Girl, Snoopy dresses as a sidewalk Santa, Peppermint Patty avoids homework, and Sally struggles to memorize her one line for the school play.
Ran Garfield's Christmas Special as I cleaned up from my pumpkin pancakes breakfast. Garfield's not happy about going to visit Jon's parents on their farm at first, until he meets Jon's sarcastic and rock-loving grandma. Grandma's feeling alone and missing her late husband, but Garfield runs into a special gift in the barn that makes her Christmas a little merrier.
Finished the kitchen while watching Santa Claus Is Coming to Town. This Rankin-Bass special gives us their version of the origins of Kris Kringle (Mickey Rooney), a young man raised by toy-making elves. He says he'll deliver their wares in Sombertown, but the Burgomeister Meister Burger (Paul Frees) just banned toys and playing, and the Winter Warlock (Keenan Wynn) may not let him over the mountain to bring them. Even when Kris manages to befriend the Warlock, he still has to figure out how to get around the Burgomeister's strict rules.
Headed out to work shortly after the cartoon ended. Thankfully, by the time I left, the rain was gone. We never got snow, or even sleet. It wasn't that busy, but I kept getting run ragged anyway. The head bagger went home sick earlier in the day. I didn't have any help until 3 and had to run between gathering carts, sweeping the store, and trying to put away all the cold returns. After the other bagger arrived, I focused on shelving items.
I needed money for the week, so I bought Amanda a Christmas gift on the way out. It was showering when I left, but not heavily. My coat was a little wet when I got in.
Spent the rest of the evening writing. Patti's remaining vision shows them how her legs separated and she managed to paddle her way to the surface. Donald doesn't care if she used to be part-antelope. He still likes her, and she's still crazy about him. Gene reminds them that they now have two Legendary Princesses and a third has been taken to safety...but they still need to find the remaining three...
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Had leftovers, then made Pineapple-Pumpkin Muffins while watching the first episode of Downton Abbey. I heard so much about this show, but haven't gotten around to watching it until Mom loaned me her complete series. We begin at a huge British manor in 1912. The Titanic just sank, taking Robert Crawley's (Hugh Bonneville) cousin and heir and his son with it. The only male left in the family who can inherit the earldom is Matthew Crawley (Dan Steves), a distant cousin who, to the horror of the rest of the aristocratic Crowley family, a normal middle-class lawyer. Mary (Michelle Dockery), the eldest daughter, thinks she's going to wed a handsome Duke (Charlie Cox), but it's not her she's interested in.
Finished the night with the second episode. Matthew Crawley arrives at Crawley House with his mother Isobel (Penelope Wilton) in tow. Isobel, a former nurse in the Second Boer War, volunteers at a local hospital, where she encourages the local doctor to try a controversial treatment on a local farmer with fluid in his heart. Mary and Robert's mother the Dowager Duchess Violet (Maggie Smith) object to these newcomers, especially after Violet finds out what's going on at the hospital. Downstairs, Carson (Jim Carter) is worried when he's blackmailed by his former music hall partner, but Lord Crawley knows how to deal with it.
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