Work wasn't really a problem, either, other than having to dodge the crane repairing the lights in the parking lot. We were mildly steady for most of the morning. It started picking up a little around noon, but it still wasn't crazy. Maybe it was the nice day. It was a sunny, breezy, brisk early 40's, a perfectly normal day for mid-December. I spent the entire day pushing carts and sweeping with no problems.
Once I got home, I changed, then went downstairs. It took a little while to slice the dense chocolate fudge and put the boxes for them together. I keep finding cute Christmas cookie and candy boxes everywhere, including online, but they require a lot of patience to push the flaps in that I often don't have. At least I did get them done.
The Peanut Butter Fudge took a while, too. I used brown sugar when I probably should have used more powdered, and I almost forgot the butter. The batter was still sticky when I finally poured it into the prepared pan, but as of around 5 PM, it seems to be firming up a bit. Hopefully, it'll be better tomorrow.
Went upstairs to watch It's a Wonderful Life. George Bailey (James Stewart) is not having the best Christmas Eve. His Uncle Billy (Thomas Mitchell) misplaced the money he needs to keep his Building and Loan business open. George loves his wife Mary (Donna Reed) and their children, but he's full of regrets. He never got to see the world or go to college. George spent most of his life after his father's death trying to keep mean old miser Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore) from taking over Bedford Falls.
When Potter puts out a warrant for his arrest, George almost commits suicide. He's saved by Clarence (Henry Travers), a kindly older man who claims to be an angel. George doesn't believe him, until Clarence acts on a chance comment by George about wishing he was never born. Bedford Falls without George is a very scary place, enough to finally show George that he truly does have a wonderful life after all.
This is an old favorite of mine, but it's not for everyone. If you don't agree with director Frank Capra's pro-small-town sentiment, this won't be your cup of Christmas tea. At any rate, Stewart and Reed are absolutely delightful. They're backed by some of the finest character actors in Hollywood, including Beluah Bondi as George's mother, HB Warmer as drugstore owner Mr. Gower, and Gloria Grahame as Violet, who has been chasing George since childhood.
Naturally, I had to follow that up with the series finale of the original Tiny Toons Adventures. Buster doesn't think "It's a Wonderful Tiny Toons Special," either. His attempt to make a holiday show with the Toons goes so badly, he almost jumps out of the film. It takes a familiar rabbit to make Buster understand how important he is to the show and his friends.
Worked a little bit on writing after that. Snow Queen Betty and her husband King Allen are searching for the Sugar Plum Fairy (Brett) and her cavalier (Charles). They're the only ones who know how to find the nut that can save Princess Clara-Marie.
Broke for dinner at 7 PM. Watched Match Game Syndicated while I ate a quick roast beef sandwich. Gene has to explain why the opening was so slow. Tim Conway apparently taped a show in the same studio and they had to rearrange everything quickly. He even shows a cue card that reveals what went on in the show. They're joined by Dawn Jefferies of General Hospital, Rita Moreno, and Fred Grandy. David Doyle takes Charles' place.
Finished the night with TV holiday specials from the 1980's. Rugby Tiger (voice of Dave Golez) thinks he's going to be The Christmas Toy for little Jamie again this year. He sneaks out to climb into the package and is followed by Mew (Steve Whitmire), a cat toy who is worried he'll be seen by humans and frozen forever. When the other toys realize they're gone, doll Apple (Kathryn Mullen), nervous ride-on horse Belmont (Richard Hunt), and laid-back cab driving Little Person Cruiser (Brian Henson) go after him. It's not until he sees another toy in the box and almost loses Mew that Rugby finally understands that friendship is a lot more important than being in the holiday spotlight.
Rugby's not the only orange striped cat who had a busy holiday in the mid-80's. Garfield's Christmas Special has Jon taking Odie and a reluctant Garfield to his parents' farm on Christmas Eve. Garfield finally ends up bonding with Jon's sassy Grandma. She's badly missing her husband, but he finds a way to make her Christmas a little bit merrier.
Even the action shows from Filmation got in on the holiday cheer. Yes, The She-Ra He-Man Christmas Special is a thing. Orko accidentally stows away in an experimental rocket, then brings two Earth children to Eternia after She-Ra, He-Man, and their friends finally get the crystal to create the portal to bring them there. Horde Prime doesn't like the children's talk of a happy, peaceful holiday and demands that Hordak and Skeletor bring them to him. Skeletor gets them first, but he learns a surprisingly lesson in the Christmas spirit when he ends up defending them against Horde Prime.
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