When You Believe

Began the morning with breakfast and Mickey's Christmas Carol. Actually, Mickey plays Bob Cratchit in this classic Disney featurette. Uncle Scrooge is the real star, playing his namesake miser who cares more about profits than giving. He learns his lesson from a diminutive Ghost of Christmas Past who acts as his conscience (Jiminy Cricket), a sweet, huge Ghost of Christmas Present (Willie the Giant) and a terrifying cat of a Christmas Future (Big Pete), who show him what will happen if he continues on his present path.

Switched to Journey to Bethlehem at Disney Plus while making my bed and doing chores. I go further into this pop retelling of the birth of Christ at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - Journey to Bethlehem 

It had been raining all morning. Not hard, just enough that it was too wet and chilly for the bike. I called for Uber to get me to the Thomas Sharp School. Fortunately, no trouble getting where I was going either way. They took 13 minutes going there, but I called early enough that I still arrived right on time. They came in 4 minutes going home.

On one hand, I don't think you'll be surprised to hear the kids were really rowdy today, especially in the first hour. On the other hand, there were just 12 pre-schoolers and kindergartners to start with, and only slightly more older kids. After lunch, we first settled them down to color and play with magnetic blocks. I gave them papers from my old Sesame Street coloring book that I've had for almost 20 years and really want to get rid of. After they got bored with that, a couple of the girls requested stories. I read Frozen and my own copy of The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas. 

The kids spent most of the second half of the afternoon doing crafts. The younger ones resumed making pipe cleaner and bead jewelry and ornaments. The older children created cards for their parents by gluing beads and squares of colored tissue paper onto construction paper. We initially listened to Christmas songs while we worked. Later on, someone found a sheet and a projection machine, allowing one of the teachers to run The Polar Express. 

They were all really excited when Santa came to the cafeteria about mid-way through the day, bearing a box covered in Mario wrapping paper with presents for all of them. Actually, I think the presents were fancy pencils or crayons, but that was enough for most of the kids. (Don't tell them, but I'm pretty sure "Santa" was a custodian or male Healthy Kids worker wearing a red shirt, suspenders, and a Santa beard and hat. I might be wrong, of course.)

The kids can be so sweet. They've done more for me this year than they'll ever know. Two gave me Amazon gift cards. Two more gave me WaWa gift cards. One gave me a smaller gift card to Dunkin' Donuts. One of the parents praised how we'd gotten her son to work with beads - in fact, he'd been working on bead ornaments for most of the afternoon - when his teachers said he needed to do more with his hands. It really made me feel appreciated and realize how important we are to these kids.

Ran the first Christmas episode of MASH when I got home. "Dear Dad" is Hawkeye's letter to his father about the wacky goings-on at the 4077th during the holiday season. Frank and Klinger get into a brawl that Father Mulcahey has to break up and hide from the police. Hawkeye and Trapper play pranks on Hot Lips and Frank in her cabin before one of their dates. Henry tries to give his troops an awkward lecture on sex, with predictably goofy results. Hawkeye and Trapper also catch Radar sending a jeep home to his family in boxes piece by piece.

Jessa picked me up around 6:20. She originally wanted to hit the Cherry Hill Mall to buy something for clients...then we saw the traffic around the mall and the full-to-bursting parking lot. We just ended up eating across the street at a much safer Silver Diner instead. This time, she had a tuna melt and fries. I had a tasty California omelet with egg whites, chicken, cheddar cheese, scallions, tomatoes, and whole wheat toast. She had her office party today and wasn't up to dessert, but I tried their tasty, sweet apple-walnut bread pudding topped with vanilla ice cream and caramel drizzle.

Finished the night at home with the Remember WENN Christmas episode. Everyone at radio station WENN is gearing up for "Christmas In the Airwaves." The arrival of Rollie Pruitt (Johnathan Freeman) puts a crimp in their plans. He's the financier for the station's owner, singer Gloria Redmond (Betty Buckley), who lost her husband last Christmas. Gloria is grieving so much, she doesn't want any Christmas shows or references to Christmas at the station. Pruitt, who just wants her to write the station off and get the tax benefits, agrees. It'll take teamwork, a bit of holiday subterfuge, and a really sweet speech to make Gloria understand that Christmas is wonderful time for a heart to start healing. 

The Man With All the Toys

I awoke to a cloudy sky and a sprinkling of snow. It would snow and rain on and off for much of the day. Good thing I planned on spending the majority of this week indoors baking anyway. I did my next batch of cookies, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, this morning while running Christmas programming. My favorite of Moonlighting's two holiday episodes is "'Twas the Episode Before Christmas" from the second season. When Agnes DiPesto finds a baby abandoned in her laundry, her bosses Maddie and David search for the mother and argue over the idea of parenthood and David's "Santa Hotline."

After the show ended, I moved to two movies on the existence of Santa. Ernest Saves Christmas takes us to Orlando, Florida, where the title character is working as a cab driver. When the real Santa shows up in his taxi and says he's in Florida to find a replacement, even Ernest is skeptical at first....until he sees Santa's magic sack. Ernest soon finds his hands full with Santa's snarky elves, a selfish teen runaway who just wants the stuff from the sack, and the obnoxious agent of the kindly children's show host that Santa hopes to replace them. It'll take a Christmas miracle - and a lot of Ernest-provided slapstick - to get them all together in time for Santa's big ride on Christmas Eve.

The original 1947 Miracle On 34th Street takes us from warm Orlando to chilly New York City. This time, the Santa in question is Kris, who works for the big Macy's in Manhattan and insists he's real. The lawyer who takes him in (John Payne) thinks he's a nice old man. His neighbor Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara) and her daughter Susan (Natalie Wood) are the skeptical ones; Doris was soured on romance by a bad divorce and has taught her daughter to avoid all kinds of fantasy. When a neurotic psychologist insists Kris be put on trial for lunacy, his lawyer friend takes his case...and in doing so, proves to Susan, Doris, and all of New York that "faith is believing when common sense tells you not to."

I switched to the Peanuts while I made lunch and got ready for work. I Want a Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown brings in Linus and Lucy's little brother Re-Run, who desperately wants a puppy of his own. He keeps begging Snoopy to come out and play with him. Charlie Brown finally calls Snoopy's brother Spike from the desert to make Re-Run happy. Spike and Snoopy do their best to show Re-Run how hard it can be to take care of a pet. 

I hurried out to work shortly after I Want a Dog For Christmas ended. It started raining again shortly after I left, and apparently rained off and on for the rest of the night. That, coupled with a busy week in general, may have kept our customers at bay. We were steady for most of the night, and never really crazy, even during rush hour. People were in better moods, too. One customer from Sunday even apologized to me for being rude that night! I was in and out with no major problems.

When I got home, I ran the other special on the Deluxe I Want a Dog For Christmas Warners DVD set. Happy New Year, Charlie Brown skips ahead a couple of weeks to Christmas vacation. While Charlie Brown is saddled with having to do a book report on War and Peace, the rest of the gang is looking forward to the big New Year's party. Peppermint Patty wants him to ask her out...but of course, Chuck can think of asking no one but the Little Red Haired Girl. 

Santa Claus Is Coming to Work

I slept in a little bit this morning. When I did finally get out of bed, I ran a few cartoons and TV shows while I had breakfast and gathered presents to be delivered to various relatives and friends. Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales is the third Peanuts holiday specials. Unlike the original show, this one is a series of random holiday-themed skits based after various Peanuts Christmas comic strips from over the years. Sally gets most of the best ones, including writing a note to "Samantha Claus" and how she gets a Christmas tree.

The Year Without a Santa Claus is my favorite Rankin-Bass special. When Santa gets sick, he becomes determined to have a holiday. His wife is just as determined to prove that he's still a beloved part of Christmas and enlists two elves and a reindeer to find some Christmas cheer in the world. What she didn't count on was the elves ending up in the snow-less American south...or become involved in the feud between the infamously hammy Heat Miser and Snow Miser!

The Monkees' did their Christmas episode about half-way through the second season. Compared to some of the other, stranger shows they did that year, this one is actually pretty simple. The groovy quartet find themselves babysitting an obnoxious rich boy when his aunt goes on vacation. The kid refuses to enjoy the boys' attempts to create Christmas cheer....until Mike Nesmith figures out what he really needs.

I finally headed out around 12:30 with a bag of food deliveries. I got lucky with my first two gifts. Andrew was downstairs, clearing out Miss Ellie's old apartment, and Richard was outside doing yard work. I was able to give Andrew the cupcakes for him and his wife Linda, and Richard the loaf of Cranberry-Orange Bread for him and his family right away.

Stopped at Doria's Deli to deliver cupcakes to the store's owners. Mrs. Doria was happy to receive my gift. She gave me a treat, too. Apparently, she makes Truffles for her family's get-togethers from cream cheese, Oreo crumbs, cocoa, and candy coating. She gave me two to try. I took a bite out of the one with chocolate coating. It was absolutely delicious, but as you can guess from something that's mostly cream cheese and thick candy, very rich. I decided to save the rest for later. I thanked Mrs. Doria and went on my way.

Made a quick stop at the bank to deposit my paycheck, then rode over to the Acme for this year's employee luncheon. I wasn't really due in at work until 5, but I figured most of the food would be gone by then. It was 1:30 when I finally made it over there. The back room was filled with employees enjoying every kind of food ever served at a holiday meal - lasagna, kielbasa and sauerkraut, franks and beans, shredded pork, potato salad, three kinds of pasta salad, turkey and gravy, sliced beef for hot roast beef sandwiches, ham, shrimp and pasta, cole slaw, a huge plate of mini-sandwiches from the deli, coconut cake, two cheesecakes, pumpkin bread, rolls, fresh pineapple topped with maraschino cherries, bowls of tortilla chips and potato chips, bags of candy (I snagged one for my 2-year-old nephew Khai), and at least three trays of cookies in addition to mine.

There was too much for me to try everything. I had lasagna, some of the shrimp and pasta, ham, one of the pasta salads, a slice of coconut cake, a mini-turkey sandwich, and several cookies. I had to have three of my friend Jade's coconut macaroons. She and her mom make their cookies, and their macaroons are the best I've ever tasted, sweet and just firm enough.

I forgot Santa Claus was supposed to be visiting the store between 12 and 2 today. He briefly joined the party, along with Mrs. Claus and a helper...and I got quite a surprise when I realized that "Santa" was played by Sam, the head manager! He's a small, skinny 30-something yuppie with sideburns and a goatee. I can only imagine how much padding it took to make him Jolly Old St. Nick - probably a whole couch. ; )

Santa's entourage was more attractive. Jade and Katie, two of the female college students who work as cashiers and customer service clerks, wore striped stockings and short red dresses trimmed with fur. Jade, as "Mrs. Claus," added a pretty cape and hood to her ensemble. And apparently, Jade made the whole outfit herself from an old bridesmaid gown - baking awesome macaroons isn't her only talent.

I've been having problems with the bike for the last few days. Ever since the storm the other night, the gears were sticking and not wanting to move. I thought they needed to be oiled. I forgot contact solution and light bulbs when I shopped yesterday. I just added a can of WD-40. I sprayed all around the gears, and while it was enough to get me home, they still didn't feel right.

I took a good look at the bike when I rolled in. As I inspected the gears, I noticed that the guard over the gears was half-hanging off. That was the problem! The guard must have come loose when the bike was blown over during the storm. I put the guard back into place, tightened the screw, and tried it out. Thanks to the WD-40, it was working better than it did before the storm!

Spent the next hour inside, doing things around the apartment and running a few more cartoons. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is the first and most famous of the Rankin-Bass holiday tales. In this version, Rudolph, an outcast due to his scarlet nose, flees with Hermie, the elf who wants to be a dentist, and wacky prospector Yukon Cornelius, to the Island of Misfit Toys. When the toys won't let them stay, Rudolph returns to the North Pole. A heavy storm almost grounds Santa, before he sees Rudolph's red nose and knows it's just what he needs to help him through the weather. Did a couple of Tom and Jerry Tales holiday episodes after that, including the odd one about Tom chasing two Jerrys in Jerry's dream.

My actual work shift was pretty much the same as the last few times I worked late - busy when I came in, dead when I left. It's a good thing I did bring the cookies early. There was only bowls of chips, bags of Philly Factory pretzels, and plates of cookies (none mine) remaining when I came in at 5. By the time I left at 10, only the pretzels, tortilla chips, and a few cookies remained.

We Need a Little Christmas

I started a gorgeous, sunny, 40-degree morning reading The Autobiography of Santa Claus snuggled in bed. Linda gave me this and the other two books in the Santa Chronicles series for Christmas a few years ago. Autobiography is just that; Santa tells his story, from his early years as a child trying to do good for his neighbors in ancient Turkey to modern times. It's a colorful tale that involves many famous Christmas legends, and quite a well-known figures in world and US history. I actually prefer the next book, How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas. Layla Claus, also a native of ancient Turkey, is a far more compelling character than her laid-back husband. The story, about how Layla (and Arthur of Britain - yes, "King" Arthur) became involved in the Canterbury Christmas March and the English subjects' attempts to restore Christmas in the 1600s when the Puritans banned it, is also more exciting than Santa's world history tidbits.

I think I'll continue to do my laundry on Tuesdays. Once again, when I arrived there around quarter of 12, it was dead. Only two other people were there when I was. Not even the manager could be seen. Good thing, because I had a fair-sized load, including several heavy pairs of pants.

When I got home, I put away the laundry, had a quick lunch of leftovers, and went right into cookie baking. Since doing the laundry was my only plans for today, I saved this afternoon for the two recipes that take the longest to make, the Biscotti and the Merry Christmas Molasses Cut-Outs. The Biscotti is an authentic Italian recipe from my Italian Farmhouse Cookbook. The Merry Christmas Molasses cookies are a variation on a recipe in the Betty Crocker Cooky Book. The Biscotti are basically a heavy rolled butter cookie. (For extra flavor, I used almond extract, rather than vanilla, this year.) Instead of cutting them in rusk shapes, I roll them into wreaths and candy canes and sprinkle on colored sugar. The Molasses cut-outs are crispier versions of gingerbread men. I like them much better than the same old sugar cookies everyone makes. I'm not the only one. These are probably my most-requested Christmas cookie. They get cut out with cookie cutters and also sprinkled with colored sugar and cinnamon Imperials.

Ran a Bowery Boys movie and the 1974 film version of Mame while doing my baking. The Bowery Boys movie was one of the rare ones from the mid-50s centered mostly around Louie's Sweet Shop. In Spy Chasers, the Boys find themselves protecting the King and Princess of Truvania while Louie awaits a courier coming with half of a coin. If the coin fits, the King is to leave the country and help with a revolution that would put him back on the throne. Two of the King's trusted advisers are traitors who create a phony coin. The woman hypnotizes Sach to try to get him to help them, but as usual, he turns out to be less than useful. One of the better entries with the four Boys and Louie. Slip trying to "drill" the others is especially amusing.

Lucile Ball is Mame, the lovable, eccentric aunt with the heart of gold and hair color that changes at whim. Her young nephew Patrick and his nanny Agnes (Jane Connell) comes to live with Mame during the Roaring Twenties, when her home at Beekman Place in New York was a fashionable address for all of the Big Apple's Bohemians and free-thinkers. Mame introduces Patrick to her fun-loving life and her wacky friends, including the perpetually soused stage star Vera Charles (Beatrice Arthur). Mame and Patrick will always be each other's true loves, come heck, high water, the Depression, and a handsome southern millionaire (Robert Preston), but when a now-grown Patrick expresses his wish to marry into a bigoted, snooty Conneticut family that is everything his aunt isn't, how will Mame handle that her "little love" has changed?

Critics have been nasty about this one for years, complaining about the soft-focus photography and a seemingly miscast Lucile Ball. I think Ball's quite suited to the role, raspy voice and all, and the movie is absolutely adorable. Ball does get a lot of chances for fun, including her roller-skating across a department store and the famous Fox Hunt Ballet sequence. Robert Preston is a sweet Beauregard Burnside, too. You can understand why Ball would go for him so quickly, especially when he sings the dreamy ballad "Loving You" that Jerry Herman wrote directly for the film. My other favorite numbers are the standard "We Need a Little Christmas" (with Agnes doubling as a Christmas tree in lots of tinsel garland), the "Open a New Window" montage, and Arthur and Ball's hilarious "Bosom Buddies." (It's worth getting the DVD for "Bosom Buddies" alone.) If you're a fan of Jerry Herman, Ball, Preston, Arthur, or the overstuffed musicals of the 60s and early 70s, this is definitely worth looking into.

I spent all afternoon in front of my stove and really needed to get out for a while. After the dishes were done and the last batches of cookies were cooling on a towel on the table, I headed out for a run to WaWa and a stroll around the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights. I love the light displays in my neighborhood. It's so festive. There are houses with nothing but candles in the windows. (One house had really pretty green candles that went well with their window holly wreaths.) There were houses that just had a swag of icicle hanging lights on the roof. And then, there were the houses that went all out, with lights strung from every tree, signs saying "Merry Christmas" or "Seasons Greetings", lighted figurines (one lighted dear actually moved his head up and down), lit wreathes, and every kind of inflatable imaginable. (My favorites was the adorable teddy bear in the Santa hat who held a red and green box that says "Happy Holidays" and the Santa in the shades on the motorcycle.)

When I came home, I had my turkey and spinach Shorti hoagie and watched a vaguely Christmas-related Get Smart episode from the first season, "Our Man In Toyland." Max and 99 have to figure out how a CHAOS agent is smuggling secret information out of the country. They discover the means in the toy section of a department store, but will they survive to tell the Chief?

Must Be Santa

First of all, I finally posted this month's Monkees role play and several holiday-related short stories. Lauren and I really finished them over two weeks ago, but I've been so busy, I haven't really had the chance to edit them until now. Enjoy!

Second, after a quick walk to the bank to drop off my paycheck (and give the rest of my rent to Miss Ellie), I spent most of the day at work. The Acme was so busy from my arrival at 11 until a little after 4, there were lines out to the aisles. We kept having to call stock workers and bakery people to help bag and handle the registers up front! Even with all the commotion, except for one grouchy lady who fussed when I asked her if she had anything under the cart, the customers were fine. I don't understand why she wanted me to look under the card. How hard is it to say "Yes, I do" and "No, I don't?"

Nicole, one of the recent teenage baggers who just switched to cashiering, gave me my Secret Santa gift. She gave me the cutest little purple fairy figure, with pretty wings and a hopeful smile. She's a very sweet girl. I put the fairy with my porcelain doll collection.

Nicole wasn't the only one giving out presents today. "Santa Claus" was walking around the store this afternoon, ringing a bell and giving away candy canes to all the kids. I have no idea who he was - someone told us, and I couldn't hear who they said it was. (My guess would be Mr. Wolf, the assistant manager who wears glasses and is Santa-ly round.)

I received a nice compliment from one of the stock workers who helped me back, the one who tried to fix my glasses when they broke last summer. He was impressed with how I handled the major crowds we had today. That was nothing! He's never been in the Acmes in North Cape May and Wildwood during the height of summer. You learn pretty quickly how to deal with mobs of people then.

I did the Pumpkin Bread for my sister Anny and her boyfriend Mike after getting home from work tonight. It came out quite nicely and smelled divine. I'll do the Cranberry Bread for my neighbors tomorrow.

Oh, and I'm really glad I've finished my mall shopping. Most of my customers said the malls were packed elbow-to-elbow today, and parking spaces were so hard to find, people were following other cars in search of a space! That's why I always try to do mine fairly early.

Come So Far (Got So Far To Go)

I began my day by finally opening the present Linda said to wait until St. Nicholas Day for. I realized why when I opened it by the tree. They're three books about Santa Claus by Jeff Guinn. I'm reading the first, The Autobiography of Santa Claus, about Santa himself and the legends that have sprung up around him over the years. I can barely put it down. I've known a lot of the stories about St. Nicholas/Santa, but here they all were, collected and in first-person voice...and mixed with the stories of many other "legendary" historical figures, from Attila the Hun to Amelia Earhart. Fascinating and fun. There's two more, How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas, about Nicholas' wife Layla defending Christmas after the Puritans banned it in the 1600s, and The Great Santa Search, about an outraged Nicholas participating in a reality show searching for the "real Santa."

I was going to go to the Camden County Library for volunteering this morning, but my porch was still icy when I woke up, and considering my track record with wet steps, I thought it better not to risk it. The porch was slowly melting by the time I headed to Collingswood for counseling. I noted a box on the porch for me, but didn't have enough time to get it then.

I chatted with Scott for the usual hour, mostly discussing my troubles with Christmas. As he said, I'm fine and busy for the weeks leading up to the holiday. It's the big day itself I'm having trouble with. Rose may be going skiing on Christmas Day. I was really hoping we could spend the day together, but she's starting the Rutgers Law School January 7th and wants to get her vacation before classes begin. She says she doesn't know if she's going yet or not. I wish she'd make up her mind.

I came up with a list of ideas in my offline journal last month in case I get stuck alone again on Christmas afternoon. Maybe I'll volunteer at a soup kitchen, or treat myself to a fancy dinner in Philly, or go for a long walk or bike ride if the weather's nice, or just hang out online.

What I really wish is all my far-away friends and family could be in one place, even for a few hours.

I stopped at the Treehouse Cafe in Collingswood for a late lunch of hot chocolate and a pizza bagel, then walked home, picking up my package on the way in. It was another one from Lauren. I'd mentioned to her during a chat that I hadn't bought myself a copy of the wonderful recent version of Hairspray that we saw last summer yet and couldn't find a copy of the recent two-disc re-release of the odd-but-fun Beatles movie Help! anywhere, so seeing them in the box was great but not really a surprise.

What WAS a surprise was what else was in the box. Lauren bought her niece a Tickle Me Extreme Elmo - an Elmo doll that literally rolls side to side with electronic laughter - last Christmas, and liked it so much, she got one for herself. This year, she sent me the Cookie Monster version. He's really cute once you get him going. Just press on his tummy, and he falls over in baritone guffaws.

I spent the rest of the evening watching Hairspray and wrapping gifts. If you're a musical fan and you haven't seen this yet, put it on your Christmas list pronto! It's an absolute blast from start to finish.