Put a Little Love In Your Heart

Began the morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. "It's Snowflake Day," and Dan is excited about the Neighborhood's big winter festival. He's going to be the snowflake narrator of the kids' play this year, if he can get over his stage fright. Later, after the lights go out, he's the one who suggests the adults use their Snowflake Day lamps to give them enough light to get through the rest of the show.

It was so late by the time I finally got downstairs, I ended up calling Uber. Thank heavens, they picked me up in less than two minutes and got me to the Acme in less than five. I got into work right on time.

Which is really the worst thing that happened the entire day. We were once again quiet. We're between holidays. Most people won't come out of the malls and start thinking of Christmas baking until next weekend. I did have to do the trash at one point and mop the women's bathroom, but I was mostly outside with the carts. I had plenty of help, too. The head bagger was there for an hour or two until she had to go in a register, and then the afternoon bagger came in. 

Maybe the weather scared them off. It was sunny, but bitterly cold and very windy early in the morning. 

The wind did die down as the day continued, but not the biting chill. At least it was bright and sunny, without a cloud in the sky.

Grabbed my schedule before lunch. Not as many hours next week, but more than I was getting a few weeks ago. Monday off instead of Sunday and a perfectly normal six hour day next Saturday. Good. I'll have plenty of time to finish Christmas shopping, wrap presents, and get cards and gifts out in the mail. 

Did a little grocery shopping next. Mainly restocked yogurt, fruit, soda, and granola bars. I had online coupons for Kind bars, bags off clementines, and the new Chobani protein yogurt. Had an online coupon for the bakery cookies, too. I got the soft, very chocolaty brownie cookies. Grabbed two bagels for lunch this weekend. Since they were only a $1.50, I picked up a roll of pretty green wrapping paper with a Christmas flower print.

Had more trouble getting an Uber driver going home. It was 5:30 by then, well into rush hour. It took me ages just to get a driver, and they took 24 minutes to pick me up. At least there was no traffic when she did finally get me and we got home quickly after that. 

Switched to A Charlie Brown Christmas while getting organized. Most of the Peanuts are excited about Christmas, but Chuck isn't feeling in the spirit. He's tired of all the grabbing around him. Lucy convinces him to direct their local Christmas pageant, but the other kids seem more interested in turning it into a jazz concert. Chuck thinks a Christmas tree will set them right. The others make fun of the tiny tree he brings home, until Linus relates bible verses to remind them of what the holidays are really all about.

It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown is really more a series of skits about the Peanuts' later holiday adventures. Linus tries to get Sally to ride down a hill in a cardboard box, but she's not crazy about that idea. Charlie Brown attempts to sell wreaths in order to earn money to buy a gift for the Little Red Haired Girl. Snoopy puts up with Lucy's complaints about his bell as a sidewalk Santa. Peppermint Patty attends the Hallelujah Chorus with Marcie, tries to avoid Christmas break homework, and is horrified when Marcie gets to be Mary in the school pageant, and she's only a sheep. Sally tries to remember her one line for the pageant and is embarrassed by what she does say when onstage.

Worked on the Seasonal inventory next. Added the soundtrack from Get Crazy and my Guy Lombardo album for New Year's, an Al Hirt Mardi Gras album, and George Winston's Winter Into Spring. Al Hirt goes the farthest back here. I found it at the Logan Presbyterian Church Thrift shop in December 2011. 

Finished the night with dinner and Scrooged on Paramount Plus. Frank Cross (Bill Murray) may be the youngest president network IBC ever had, but he's also one of the biggest jerks on television. He pushes his live Christmas Carol show on Christmas Eve hard, overworking his secretary (Alfre Woodard) who needs to get her mute son to the doctor, firing another employee (Bobcat Goldthwait) who protests his overly violent commercial for the special, and ignoring his brother James (John Murray). His social worker girlfriend Claire (Karen Allen) wishes he'd treat people a little better, including her. Frank finally learns his lesson when a zombie version of his late boss (John Forsythe) and three rather noisy and violent ghosts pay him a visit during the broadcast, showing him his difficult past and present and reminding him of what will happen to those around him if he doesn't change his ways. 

I think you can guess this version of A Christmas Carol is not for everyone. My own family was divided on it when it came out in 1988. Dad thought it was funny as heck. Mom thought it was too mean-spirited. I agreed with Mom in the late 80's, but it's grown on me over the years. Honestly, I've seen holiday comedies come out since then where people acted five times worse than Frank in the beginning. Bill Murray is firing on all cylinders as the ultimate cynical executive, with Allen sweet and endearing as his social worker love interest and Carol Kane hilarious as a truly unique (and very violent) Ghost of Christmas Present. The makeup work on the ghosts and Jacob Marley characters are among the best in the 80's, equal to any high-budget sci-fi movie of the time.

If you're looking for something a lot darker than your average Hallmark Christmas movie or are a fan of Murray, director Richard Donner, or black comedy, head to New York to spend Christmas Eve learning about the true meaning of Christmas with Frank and three of the scariest and most unusual ghosts ever.