Olympic Winds

The wind woke me up around 8:30 AM. It was fierce, shaking the pine trees outside and rattling the house to its core. My knee was still pretty sore, too. Between the wind, the extreme cold, my knee, and the snow on the street, there was no way I was going to work. I rang up the Acme and called out, then went back to sleep.

The wind continued to blow hard when I did finally roll out of bed. It must have blown the snow off the street, because Johnson was clear by noon. I hurried downstairs to move the recycling canister closer to the house and empty that...and it was so biting cold, that was the only time I even remotely went outside today.

Warmed up while eating breakfast and watching She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Three members of the Horde, Kyle, Lonnie, and lizard kid Rogelio, have been sent to pick up supplies by Catra. When their transport is damaged by an acid spore shower, they have to breach "Protocol" and figure out who should be the one to repair it. The same spore shower has also damaged Light Hope and the Crystal Castle while Adora is training there. Light Hope is far sweeter when she's rebooting, showing Adora how much she cared about the previous She-Ra, Mara, before Mara went rogue.

Switched to winter and winter-sports themed specials next. I go further into Frosty's Winter Wonderland, the sequel to the original Rankin-Bass Frosty the Snowman, at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Animation Celebration Saturday - Frosty's Winter Wonderland

Did the winter sports-themed specials next in honor of the Winter Olympics, which began yesterday. Peppermint Patty is hoping to become the next figure skating diva in She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown. Snoopy is her relentless manager. Peppermint Patty has to fight local hockey players to get ice time and is convinced Marcie will make her a costume. Marcie can't sew, and Snoopy ends up doing that, too. We learn what Snoopy can't do when the tape for her music gets tangled, and Woodstock ends up bailing her out.

The Pink Panther is off to Lake Placid for the Olym-Pinks in this 1980 special. He's the star of the ski team, to the frustration and resentment of his long-nosed rival with the mustache. His rival constantly attempts to one-up Pink and only ends up with a cold and second place for his troubles. Meanwhile, Pink has his own problems dodging a piano that is determined to follow him everywhere, even onto a live wire.

Put up the Valentine's Day decorations as well as I could with my knee next. I put off putting them up because of my knee, but I really wanted to get them up before the actual holiday. I have two thick red and white tinsel garlands, one of which went in front of the TV on the media center. There were also two heart-shaped candy boxes that were too pretty to throw away, a pink bear-shaped tin, two vintage cut-outs from the 70's and 80's depicting a bear holding a heart and a Holly Hobbie-type pioneer girl whose puppy is giving her kittens, a giant cut-out cardboard heart, and three stuffed animals. Valentina the Love Penguin and Amoura the Love Frog are leftover from the WebKinz fad of the 2000's and early 2010's. Valentino is a Valentine's Beanie Bear. 

Switched to Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle at YouTube next. Drawing the WENN superhero artwork with the kids got me thinking of my ideas for my (hopefully) upcoming WENN superhero story Captain Victor, Man of Power. This three-part PBS documentary covers the origins of superheroes during the Great Depression, how they flourished during World War II, then vanished in the 50's once the threat was over and all comics became suspect to high-minded intellectuals. They made a comeback in the pop-art 60's when the Batman TV show became a sensation, and superhero comics began to embrace stronger themes and more diverse characters.

Finished the night at YouTube with the Match Game marathon. Match Game is also celebrating sports this weekend with the first of two sports-themed marathons. This one revolves around questions on Olympic sports like skating, track and field, and gymnastics. The vast majority of these questions occurred in 1976, when the Montreal Olympics were running, or in 1980 during the Lake Placid Winter Olympics. There were jokes about what Pinocchio used his nose for, about a warden who lamented that he shouldn't have let his prisoners do Olympic sports that involved jumping over walls, and involving the things gymnasts do. We heard sports questions during the week in late 1975 where Richard Dawson's then-girlfriend Jodie Donovan appeared, when Fannie sat in for Brett during the last week of 1977, when Brett Somers came in wearing a West Hollywood Olympics shirt, prompting jokes from her best female friend Marcia Wallace about what she actually won at said Olympics.

Celebrate the Winter Olympics with this hilarious Wide World of Game Show Sports!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Olympics Games Marathon

Rainy Days and Games

I awoke to a messy morning, with rain coming down in torrents. It would continue in some form through the late afternoon. There was no way I'd be going anywhere today. Just as well. I also had a stuffed-up nose and pounding sinus headache. I wasn't up to wandering around anyway.

Watched Alice's Wonderland Bakery while eating breakfast. Hattie and Fergie love racing to make deliveries for Alice's new food order service in "Order Up!" The guys learn a lesson about going slow and working together when they mistake Dinah for the cake Alice made for the Queen of Hearts and have to swap them at Hearts Palace. Alice and Rosa are caught up in a "Teeny-Tiny Venture" when they're shrunk and have to figure out a way to the palace by midnight for the Knighting Ceremony. 

Switched to The Roku Channel for The Busy World of Richard Scarry. "Mr. Gronkle Moves Away" when he gets tired of the noise in Busytown. Turns out the woods are even noisier. He eventually moves back, but won't answer his door or phone. He finally realizes how important he is to the town when Huckle, Lowly, and Sergeant Murphy come to check up on him. An Indian scribe and his daughter try to convince a wealthy merchant that "Counting Chickens" with numbers is easier than with stones or shells. He refuses to learn the new new system, until the daughter teaches him. Billy Dog is certain he'll never be able to handle "The Spelling Bee." His mother helps him practice, and he not only wins, he gets to the city finals.

Took the laundry downstairs, then did dishes and put them away. After I got all that cleaned up, I watched Broadway's Lost Treasures III. This is one of the three collections of musical numbers aired on the Tonys to have turned up on PBS in the early 2000's. Robert Goulet, Tommy Tune, and Harvey Furnstein hosted. To tell the truth, most of the performances were done years after the shows in question had come and gone, including Julie Andrews and Ethel Merman performing their biggest hits. Debbie Allen and the dancers from West Side Story give us a glimpse of the original lyrics for "America," while the cast of the 42nd Street revival from 2001 open the show by literally dancing on the real Broadway...and then under it on the subway. 

Robert Goulet was seen twice, joined by Inga Swenson and a line of male and female Mounties for a medley of songs from Rose-Marie and in the addition material with two numbers from the flop Kander-Ebb show The Happy Time. Sweetly goofy Kristen Chenowith makes a perfect Sally explaining "My New Philosophy" in the 1999 revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. The cast of the 1989 revue Black and Blue tore up the floor with their vivacious tap routine to "'Tain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do." The opening numbers from the original Ragtime and the 2002 Into the Woods revival gives us a good look at those epic shows and how the casts of New Yorkers and immigrants in the turn of the 20th century and fairy tale characters interact. The mid-60's flop How Now Dow Jones isn't well-known today, but that's not the fault of its hilarious and catchy chorus number "Step to the Rear." 

After the show ended and I put the laundry in the dryer, I decided to try my new muffin pan. I wanted to use up the coconut that was leftover from the Irish potatoes last week, and I haven't made muffins in ages. The "Old School Muffins" recipe from Alton Brown's I'm Just Here for More Food became Coconut-Orange Muffins, replacing the yogurt with orange juice. Not bad. I haven't made a bad batch from that recipe yet. I think the orange juice just made them more sweet than orange, though.

Had lunch while watching What's New, Scooby Doo? It's a "Big Scare In the Big Easy" when the gang encounter the ghosts of two brothers who fought on the opposite sides of the Civil War at a graveyard. The owners are being pressured by their next-door neighbor to sell for his water park. When Daphne disappears while investigating, the others rescue her while trying to figure out what this not-so-brotherly duo is really up to.

Brought the laundry upstairs, then listened to Doris Day's Greatest Hits while I folded it. This 1958 album gives us a lot of songs from her movies to that point, like "Secret Love," "It's Magic," "Que Sera Sera," and the title number from Teacher's Pet, but I prefer the non-film songs. Her "Everybody Loves a Lover" is jaunty fun, and we also get a sweet "When I Fall In Love" and "If I Give My Heart to You."

Went online to reply to an e-mail. We finally got a bite. A company that rents out office space needs an assistant and are willing to give me a short phone interview. I told them I'd be ok for Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning.

After I finished that, I went down for a desperately-needed nap. I took allergy medicine earlier in the day, but all that did was wipe me out. I passed out at 4:30 and didn't get up until past 6:30, by which time the rain was long gone and the sun was out.

Took out the recycling, then had dinner while watching Match Game Syndicated. Bob Donner joined in for the first time in these episodes. His deadpan humor and excellent artwork on his cards would really add a lot to the later syndicated episodes and Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour. Joining him are Bill Daily and a pair of Wallaces, Marcia and former Miss USA Marjorie. 

Finished the night on YouTube with flop game shows from the 50's and 60's. Producers were really just trying to see what stuck in the early days of TV. Game shows that worked on radio often didn't land on television, either because they didn't involve enough movement, or they'd just worn out their welcome. Along with panel shows, quiz shows were among the most popular formats during the 50's. They were cheap to produce, could hand out huge payouts, and winning contestants often became household words. 

Penny to a Million from 1955 is one example. Contestants won a penny for each question answered. They could win a maximum of 100 pennies, or $10,000. Yeah, this is dry as a bone. It takes forever for anyone to earn enough pennies for a decent payout, and the format just isn't that exciting. Even jocular radio announcer Bill Goodwin can't drum up interest.

No wonder producers started fixing shows. The Big Surprise from 1956 had celebrities and regular folks who had performed acts of heroism answering questions about their family and themselves to win $100,000. Even giving contestants the answers beforehand and having Errol Flynn as a contestant in the surviving episode couldn't make this one more interesting. It was gone by 1957, well before other shows began blowing the whistle on the fixes.

Dotto started off strong in early 1958. Contestants answered questions that would connect dots to form a picture. If they guessed correctly, they would win fabulous prizes. Within months, the show was the biggest hit on daytime, and Jack Narz was one of the best-known hosts on television. It came crashing down by late July when it was discovered that the show was rigged and contestants were given answers to questions in advance. 

It's too bad. Unlike the previous two shows, this one was strong enough not to need the rigging. I'm surprised no one has tried reviving this or doing something similar, maybe on streaming with digital dots. The two surviving episodes show why it was such a fast success.

By the early 60's, quiz shows were replaced by celebrity guessing games like Password or gimmicky panel shows. The most notorious of the latter was You're In the Picture from 1961. Jackie Gleason hosted this very weird panel show where four celebrities stick their heads through a picture and try to guess what they are while Gleason tosses out quips. Uh, yeah. Not really as horrible as Gleason's later apology claimed, but very, very awkward. Fortunately, both the show and Gleason's apology the next week for how bad it was survived, so you can see the biggest game show bomb of the early 60's for yourself.

Get the Message is an example of the many Password imitations littering the airwaves in the mid-60's. Unlike You're In the Picture, I wish this one had worked out. Two teams of men and women consisting of contestant and a pair of celebrities are shown a message. The celebrities write a one-word clue describing the message and relay it to their contestant. If they didn't guess the message, it passed to the other team. Simple and fun, this is another one I'm surprised no one attempted to revive or revise. 

Game shows in the late 60's became more salacious in response to more titillating programs like The Newlywed Game and Hollywood Squares. He Said, She Said went the Newlywed route as three regular married couples and a celebrity couple matched stories. Gene and Helen Rayburn were the celebrities in the pilot. The regular contestants were dropped in favor of all-celebrities after a few months. Goodson-Todman would continue to tinker with this one in the early 70's, finally finding success with it as Tattletales in 1974. 

Check out some of the most notorious game show flops and scandals of the 50's and 60's, including one that was so bad, it ended after one episode!

Penny To a Million (1955)

The Big Surprise (1956)

Dotto (1958)

You're In the Picture (Including apology) (1961)

Get the Message (1964)

He Said, She Said Pilot (1969)

The Man With All the Toys

Began the morning with breakfast and Ziggy's Gift on YouTube. When comic strip character Ziggy gets a job as a sidewalk Santa, he thinks he's helping the homeless. Turns out the job is a scam. A cop is already on his tail, along with a thief who is after the money he's collected. All three learn a lesson in the holiday spirit when Ziggy first takes in a stray cat, and then they end up at an orphanage and the kids think the thief is Santa.

Work didn't start out too badly. It wasn't busy when I arrived at 9 AM, but it picked up by 11:30 as people came in from the lunch rush hour. They kept calling me to do stuff when I was trying to do something else, including calling me in the middle of my break to bring an old man an electric cart. Thankfully, it was starting to slow down by the time I finally finished. The weather helped, too. It was sunny and warm-ish, chilly but not overly so for this time of year, probably in the lower 50's. The clouds didn't start rolling in until I was going home. 

Had lunch and set up the cookie boxes while watching the second half of Tattletales and the Rankin-Bass Frosty the Snowman. Frosty (Jackie Vernon) comes to life after the local kids give him the hat belonging to a phony magician Professor Hinkle (Billy De Wolfe). Hinkle wants the hat back now that it seems to have magic, so little Karen (Suzanne Davidson) and Hinkle's sympathetic rabbit Hocus Pocus (Paul Frees) take him up to the North Pole to dodge the clumsy and inept magician. 

After lunch, I made my first batch of Christmas cookies. The Chocolate Yum-Yums from the Christmas Is Coming 1988 craft book became more festive Red Velvet Yum-Yums, replacing the devil's food cake mix with red velvet cake mix and pecans with white chocolate chips. I didn't try them, but they came out perfectly and smelled amazing in the oven. 

Switched to Ernest Saves Christmas after I came back upstairs. Despite living in sunny Orlando, Florida, Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney) is a huge Christmas fan. He's as surprised as the next guy when a man claiming to be Santa Claus (Douglas Seale) turns up in his taxi. Seems Santa's been doing his job for too long and has chosen former local kids' host Joe Carruthers (Oliver Clark) as his replacement. Joe's sleazy agent Marty (Robert Lesser) is trying to talk him into doing a Z-grade Christmas horror movie, but Joe doesn't appreciate the violence and bad language in the script. Marty has Santa arrested for vagrancy, prompting Ernest to break him out. Ernest also has to deal with teen runaway Harmony Starr (Noelle Parker) who covers the pain from her parents' divorce with lying and acting older than her age and with driving the sleigh and getting it to the new Santa before midnight!

This is an old childhood guilty pleasure of mine. No wonder it would be far and away the biggest hit of the long-running Ernest series. Varney has a blast with Ernest's holiday fandom, especially when he and Harmony descend on poor Vern's Christmas party early-on. Douglas Seale made such a convincing holiday gift-giver, he was the actor I imagined when I thought of Santa well into the 2000's. Not a bad place to start if you want to introduce older kids to Ernest's world, or you're just looking for a good, goofy Christmas comedy.

Worked on the Seasonal inventory next. Added all of the A Winter's Solstice albums on CD along with the similar On a Winter's Night, Autumn Dreams by Danny Wright, George Benson's Autumn, the two Halloween CDs, and Blues, Blues Christmas, a collection of R&B and blues Christmas songs I picked up from the North Cape May Big Lots in December 2005, two months before I moved to Oaklyn. Most of the others don't go back nearly that far. On a Winter's Night is the second-oldest in this batch, having turned up in a yard sale in 2011. 

Watched Match Game Syndicated during dinner. The first episode finished up the Marjorie Wallace/Bob Donner week. Gene mixes up Marjorie and Marcia, prompting the latter to point out how much they had in common. The second brought in Richard Paul and for the first time since the mid-70's, Jo Ann Pflug. An older woman contestant is more than happy to claim she can take Brett's place in Encino with Gene!

Did The Year Without a Santa Claus after I ate. I went further into my personal favorite Rankin-Bass special at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews way back on Christmas Eve 2019. 

'Twas the Night Before Christmas and The Year Without a Santa Claus

Moved to chilly New York City in 1947 for my next movie on the existence of Santa, the original Miracle on 34th Street. Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) is just about the most perfect Santa Macy's ever had. He's even gotten Macy's and their rival Gimbels to share ideas. There's just one problem. He keeps insisting that he really is Santa. This particularly disturbs store manager Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara). She raised her precocious and intelligent daughter Susan (Natalie Wood) not to believe in fairy tales or fantasy of any type after she was burned by a bad divorce. 

The other person at Macy's who isn't enamored with Kris is Mr. Sawyer (Porter Hall), Macy's psychologist who doesn't appreciate Kris' ability to see through his abrasive personality. After he starts telling employee Alfred (Alvin Greenman) he has a guilt complex, Kris finally attacks him. Fortunately, Kris is roommates with lawyer Fred Gailey (John Payne), who turns his insanity hearing into a media sensation. Most of the law officials in charge think there's no chance Kris will be acquitted...but it's Kris and the US Mail system who finally teach everyone a lesson in faith, trust, and the Christmas spirit.

One of the most beloved holiday film of all time. Gwenn made such a wonderful Santa, he won a supporting actor Oscar. The adapted screenplay won as well. O'Hara is lovely as the frazzled store manager, matter-of-fact Wood is charming and intelligent playing off of her, and John Payne is far more comfortable here than he ever was trilling with Fox blondes in their musicals. I also appreciate that the law officials aren't played as bad guys. Sawyer is the only real villain here. The lawyers and judge admit that they even like Kris and are just doing thankless jobs. I've heard the 1994 version with Richard Attenborough as Santa has its moments, but this one is still highly recommended as well.

Moved to YouTube for The Bernstein Bears' Christmas Tree. I went further into the first Bernstein Bears holiday special at my Musical Dreams blog in my big Christmas entry last year.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Bernstein Bears' Christmas Tree

Finished the night with another YouTube production. Keven Perjurer of Defunctland created an almost two-hour documentary on the history of Disney's Audio-Animatronics. From the early "automatons" that were popular during the 19th century to Disney's own Mr. Lincoln and Carousel of Progress at the 1964 World's Fair, this teaches you everything you ever wanted to know about moving mechanics and robots, and does it in an informative and entertaining way.

(And if you haven't checked out the rest of Kevin's Defunctland channel and share my interest in theme park history, by all means, please do so. He discusses everything from the infamous Action Park in North Jersey to the aforementioned New York World's Fair to the history of Coney Island to why Disney was never able to pull off the Virginia-based park Disney's America. Each and every video is well-made, informative, and frequently some of the funniest stuff online. There's even excellent original music and amazing graphics that are often in line with the time period being depicted.)

Defunctland: Disney's Animatronics - A Living History

Dreaming of a Wet Christmas

Began a gray, rainy late morning with breakfast and Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus. This 1974 special based on the real-life story of the little girl who wrote to the New York Sun in 1897 asking about Santa was directed by Bill Melendez, of Peanuts specials fame. It definitely shows in the very similar rounded, sketchy animation and even the kids' voices. It's a charming Emmy-winning short that definitely deserves to be better-known.

The rain slowed enough by noon for me to head out and run a few errands. Mainly needed laundry detergent at Dollar General, though I also bought a birthday card for my nephew Collyn. Didn't like the price of toothpaste at CVS, but I did get a gift for my sister Rose and her husband Craig and a Cherry Coke Zero. Though the rain was gone by the time I got out of CVS, it remained wet, cloudy, and warmer than it has been, in the lower 50's. I thought of going for a longer walk, but I didn't trust the weather and ended up just going home. 

Had lunch and put the laundry in the washer while watching Christmas Past, one of three holiday documentaries Linda Young sent me way back in 2007. We learn about Christmas history in England, via narration describing how pagan holidays evolved into Christmas in more modern times. I especially loved hearing stories told by older people who were around in the early 20th century, like the Lord who remembered his childhood Christmases in a manor house, the female Father Christmas, the Scots who recalled their first real Christmases after World War II, and the woman who spoke of her first big Christmas after being evacuated to the country.

Spent the next few hours after I ate working on my Christmas cards. I'm hoping to get everything that needs to be mailed out by the end of this week. I'll hand out the cards that get delivered to people who live in the area the week of Christmas, but the others will be going out tomorrow or in packages on Thursday or Friday.

Christmas Unwrapped is a History Channel documentary from the late 90's. This one gives us more general holiday history from the American point of view, from how December 25th ended up being chosen for the date to why the Victorians loved Christmas trees and mistletoe. It also goes further back in holiday history, discussing medieval Christmases and how the Puritans tried to outlaw the holiday in the 1670's, and how it was revived in the US during the early 19th century.

TV Guide Looks at Christmas, a USA Network special that's also from the late 90's, gives us the history of the holidays on the tube. My favorite segment discusses Christmas variety specials. The homey hour-long extravaganzas with crooners and their families singing heartfelt carols were just starting to go out of fashion during my early childhood. The only one I remember from when I was a kid was Peewee's. I'm glad they've started to turn up on YouTube and elsewhere in the past decade, giving me a glimpse of what the holidays were like on TV for my parents when they were younger.

Switched to White Christmas as I put the laundry in the dryer and worked on the Seasonal inventory. I went further into this classic holiday musical featuring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog way back in December 2018. 

White Christmas 

Got a lot done with the inventory today. Added all of the children's Christmas albums, the Care Bears and Pac-Man and the Cabbage Patch Kids and Looney Tunes, plus two soundtrack albums. I've had the Looney Tunes Holly Daze and Disney Nutcracker Suite albums for so long, I have no clue where they came from anymore. The Care Bears and Pac-Man were freebies I rescued from a box on the side of the road in 2019. No idea where Charlie Brown Christmas came from, either. It's the original release, not the deluxe re-release from when they started putting out the other Peanuts soundtracks. 

Watched Match Game PM during dinner. Buzzr is honoring birthday boy Bob Barker all week, so the episodes all featured him. The first one from 1977 was the episode where Eva Gabor insisted that Barker is considered a sex symbol in her native Hungary. There was also the one from 1978 where Barker kept whispering in Loni Anderson's ear.

Finished the night after a shower with game shows featuring another beloved host who had a birthday this month. Peter Tomarken got his start not in TV, but in advertising. He worked in the advertising departments of several magazines before doing commercials for his own advertising firm. He proved to be so personable in front of the camera, his agent suggested he try hosting game shows.

Peter did a few pilots that didn't get picked up before producer Jay Wolpert hired him for Hit Man in 1983. Tomarken narrated two mini-documentaries for three contestants, who would then answer questions about what they saw in the segments. The third round played like a video game of the time, with the contestants answering questions to eliminate their men. Winner went to the bonus round, where they'd have to make rows of "hit men" by answering questions, sort of like a trivia-oriented Connect 4. 

Hit Man barely lasted four months, but that freed up Peter for what would become his biggest hit. Producer Bill Carruthers tagged him as the host for Press Your Luck. It would be far and away the show Tomarken remains the most identified with. He always seemed to have so much fun hosting, whether he was reacting to the Whammies' antics or the players not answering his questions right in the quiz rounds or reading those final poems sent in by viewers. 

Tomarken never had another hit on that level after Luck ended in 1986. He hosted the pilot for Wordplay in 1986, but not only did Tom Kennedy host the regular series, it barely lasted a year on NBC. Bargain Hunters was a poorly-received Wheel of Fortune clone that ran on ABC during the summer of 1987. It was so bad, Tomarken himself was said to have hated it. The syndicated trivia show Wipeout from 1988 had players answering questions to eliminate all but the wrong answers. Not only was it on the cheap side, but game shows were starting to fall out of fashion by 1988. 

Tomarken would never host another network series. After attempting a series of failed pilots (including the version of Monopoly that eventually aired during summer 1990), he gave up hosting entirely except for one Fox Family game show Paranoia that barely lasted a month. His last appearance before his untimely death in 2006 was hosting one of the pilots for Whammy! The All New Press Your Luck on Game Show Network in 2002 and a special on the Michael Larson Press Your Luck scandal. 

Chase down hit men and learn word meanings with this advertising executive turned master of the Whammies!

Hit Men Series Finale (1983)

Press Your Luck Premiere (1983)

Press Your Luck (1985)

Press Your Luck (1986)

Wordplay Pilot (1986)

Bargain Hunters Premiere (1987)

Wipeout (1989)

Whammy! The All New Press Your Luck Pilot #1 (2002)

As Time and Rain Goes By

Slept in, then spent so much time reading non-fiction essays and stories about Christmas lore and customs, it was past 12:30 before I got moving. Watched Match Game '78 while I ate breakfast. The third episode of the New Year had Gene sporting a lightning bolt on his microphone, supposedly in order to dissipate the static it created. There's also a crack about "gay and colorful" from Gene and Brett that was interesting considering Fannie and Charles were on the panel...

Let it run into Tattletales. The first episode was the one I saw during the Bob Barker marathon a few weeks ago, where he was joined by Pat Cooper and his smart wife Patti and William Shatner and his girl Marcy. Bob and his wife Dorothy Jo didn't do to well there. They did much better in the second episode. I'm not surprised they had great stories. They'd known each other for so long, they met at an Ella Fitzgerald concert and married right out of high school. 

Went for a walk after the show ended. It rained hard this morning, but by quarter after 2, the rain had taken a temporary leave of absence. I wanted to get pretzels, but despite it being nowhere near 4 PM, the pretzel shop was already closed. I wonder if they went on vacation this week? Ended up at Dunkin' Donuts for a Pepsi Zero and cream cheese-stuffed bagel bites instead.

I got home just in time. It started raining again as I strolled down East Clinton. Good thing I brought an umbrella. It picked up not twenty minutes after I got in and has been raining hard off and on ever since.

Put on You Must Remember This as I had lunch, and then while resting. It's entirely appropriate that Linda Young sent me this five-part American Masters special on Warner Brothers for Christmas. They just turned 100 this year, making it a good time to chronicle their history. The first three episodes chronicled Warners' history from their first silent star Rin Tin Tin through the late 1960's, when they released the groundbreaking (and very violent) Bonnie & Clyde and Cool Hand Luke. 

Sound movies began with them, with Al Jolson's melodramas The Jazz Singer and The Singing Fool that had to be heard to be believed. They reveled in the lawlessness of the early 30's with tough ladies like Barbara Stanwyk who could be utterly amoral and gangsters like Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney who flouted the law and paid for it. Even after the Hays Code began to be enforced, Warners could count on Busby Berkeley and his kaleidoscopic fever dreams to pack in audiences, or Errol Flynn's swashbucklers that proved historical action stars could be even tougher than the mobsters.

No one got more patriotic than they did before and during World War II. They produced four of my favorite movies from this era, three of them with reluctant romantic lead Humphrey Bogart - the twisty private eye caper The Maltese Falcon, the ultra-patriotic Yankee Doodle Dandy, the Oscar-winning Casablanca, and Bogie's first encounter with his future wife Lauren Bacall in To Have and Have Not. 

Even classics like The Big Sleep and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre with Bogart and White Heat with Cagney couldn't stop their slide in the late 40's as television and difficulties with the House Un-American Activities hearings cut into their business. Jack L. Warner put his money on massive epics like My Fair Lady, and while that was popular, most of his audience preferred more violent action in Bonnie & Clyde and The Wild Bunch. The exception to the malaise were the Looney Tunes shorts, which were at their peak of creativity in the late 40's, 50's, and 60's, even as the studio around them crumbled. 

Worked on writing for a while after the third episode ended. Joyce is nervous about the dark forest. Richard is not. The only thing that can harm him is water or sharp denting objects. Charles just hopes there's nothing in there that eats hay.

Broke for dinner and Match Game Syndicated at 7 PM. The first episode featured Gene and Eva Gabor explaining how an overly enthusiastic contestant accidentally kicked Eva's foot so hard when he came to embrace her, he took her toenail off. Eva was a good sport about it, but she did have it wrapped up and on ice. In the second episode, a college student who was a cheerleader showed off some of her moves for a very appreciative crowd.

Spent the rest of the evening finishing out You Must Remember This. Warners' tough-guy sensibility was nowhere more in evidence than in the 1970's in hits like A Clockwork Orange, Dog Day Afternoon, Barry Lyndon, and All the President's Men. With the debut of Superman in 1978, Warners more-or-less created the superhero movie as we know it today. The first three Superman movies were among my favorites when I was a child. I was far more interested in them than I was in Spielberg's epics The Color Purple and Empire of the Sun. While the adults talked about the Oscar-winner Driving Miss Daisy, every boy I knew imitated the Joker of the Tim Burton Batman and the potty-mouthed wiseguys of Goodfellas. 

Normally, my stepfather loved Clint Eastwood. We had The Outlaw Josey Wales on video and he would watch the Dirty Harry and Any Which Way But Loose movies on cable. Unforgiven, however, proved to be a little too dark for even his taste. He far preferred The Fugitive when we rented it in early 1994. Warners also had early-mid 90's hits with Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, the ultra-romantic The Bodyguard that made a movie star out of Whitney Houston, and the campier Batman Forever. 

They dove headfirst into action franchises by the end of the decade with the smash success of The Matrix. The slow-mo visuals and martial arts sequences were as influential in the early 2000's as Al Jolson and his "Blue Skies" had been 80 years earlier. I fondly remember seeing the First Gulf War action comedy Three Kings in the theater with my then-boyfriend when it came out and drooling over George Clooney in that and Ocean's 11. My little brother far preferred the animated Space Jam and Pokemon: The Movie and the much-loved and influential Harry Potter fantasy films.

Honestly, the last segment lost my interest as they droned on about then-recent releases. I actually wouldn't mind seeing them update this for their 100th anniversary and discuss more recent hits like the Harry Potter Deathly Hallows films, The Artist, the various DC Comics movies (and attempts at turning them into a Marvel-like universe), the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit series,  The Lego Movies, the Paddington films, and their many mergers that ended with them belonging to Discovery.

Home Around the Corner

Once again, I got up early and called out. My knee remains stiff, my wrist is sore, and my big toe is black and blue and hurts. My knee feels a little better when I move it around, but it's still not great. Went back to bed after that and slept until past 10:30. Got caught up reading The Christmas Tree Book and writing in my journal and didn't finally get moving until nearly noon. 

Had brunch while watching Match Game '77. A charming old gentleman who claimed he sold junk for a living came in for some ribbing, but he ended up doing very well. (For one thing, he did find a really nice tie.) Debralee Scott, Bill Cullen, and Fannie Flagg were among those who helped him out. Gene was the one who got the jokes in the second episode when his new western-style jacket inspired a few quips from Richard.

Let it run into Tattletales. The first episode featured Patty Duke and John Astin, Abe "Fish" Vigoda and his wife Bea, and soap star Millee Taggart and her husband Barry Kurtz. The Vigodas had been married for years, but John and Patty were always really good at this. After that, they skipped a week to the one with married dancers Bobby Van and Elaine Joyce, baby-faced Martin Milner of Adam-12 and his sweet wife Judy, and another soap star Jed Allen and his sassy wife Toby. The soap people just couldn't get it together, letting the cop and the dancers waltz off with the show.

Managed to move the knee well enough to take the laundry downstairs. After that, I relaxed and read Christmas books while watching The Shop Around the Corner. Alfred Kralik (James Stewart) is the head salesman at Mr. Matuscheck's (Frank Morgan) shop in Budapest. He's not happy when his boss hires little Klara Novak (Margaret Sullivan) after she manages to sell a musical cigarette box as a candy holder. The two fight over every single thing. Alfred is more interested in the young woman he's been corresponding with via mail, his "dear friend." They've never met, and he's too nervous to let her see him. 

That's not Alfred's only problem. Matuscheck has been unusually rough on him lately. He even fires him. He thinks he has his reasons, but he's totally wrong. Meanwhile, Klara admits that she's also been corresponding with a man via mail...but Alfred's not certain what to think when he hears her letters and they seem terribly familiar...

Charming European romantic comedy features lovely performances by Sullivan and Stewart as the two people who think they hate each other, even as they send each other romantic letters. Morgan is also excellent as the shop owner who thinks his best employee has turned on him. Ernest Lubistch adds a delicate touch and gentle warmth, even when the story edges into dark-ish territory with the reason Matuscheck is angry at Alfred and what he does when he finds out the real culprit. Perfect viewing for quiet afternoons during the holiday season.

Spent the rest of the afternoon working on writing after I dropped the laundry in the dryer and brought it upstairs. Stephen is furious when the little hunchback is able to attack him. He uses his black magic to throw him against the wall. Cora runs to him, trying to help him recover. The hunchback opens his mouth to tell her what's going on...but no sound comes out. He's a mute with no voice. He tries again, but still nothing. He tries to mime it, then write it down, but his fingers won't obey him...and all the while, Stephen is growing angrier, and his eyes are getting redder...

Broke at 7 for dinner and Match Game Syndicated. Buzzr went right back to the week with Paul Williams, Gail Farrell, and a plethora of short jokes. They help that sweet little Navy officer do very well in these episodes. Gene's more interested in discussing the coming Christmas holiday in the first one. Brett gets to help the happily sobbing officer with "America __" in the second.

Moved to YouTube after dinner. All three Sinbad movies made by Ray Harryhausen are currently free there. I started with the original from 1958, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. Sinbad (Kerwin Matthews) and his men know better than to hang around the island of Colassa and become food for its one-eyed monsters. Magician Sokurah (Torin Thatcher) lost his magic lamp to the monster and wants Sinbad to return and retrieve it. Sinbad won't risk any of his men, until Sokurah shrinks Sinbad's fiancee Princess Parisa (Kathryn Grant). Now, Sinbad has to find the roc egg that will restore her in order to restore his fiancee and avert a war with her father. The giant one-eyed monsters aren't the only obstacles on Colassa, They'll have to face everything from the massive Roc itself to a huge dragon in order to retrieve the lamp and rescue the princess.

One of Harryhausen's earliest works, and his first revolving around the Arabian Nights sailor, this is a dashing adventure with truly frightening stop-motion monsters, gorgeous costumes, and lovely Technicolor. 

Finished the night with a truly unique dive into Disney theme park history. Kevin Perjurer of Defunctland created Journey to EPCOT Center: A Symphonic History to be a documentary that's just as original as the concepts Disney came up with EPCOT itself in its early years. Kevin uses images, music, and actors portraying Disney Imagineers, architects, and workers to portray how EPCOT went from Walt's "experimental prototype community of tomorrow" to the corporate-sponsored future-and-culture-based theme park it was when it opened in 1982. It's truly awe-inspiring and like nothing else on YouTube. I especially like how he keeps everything accurate to EPCOT's developmental period of 1976 to 1982, from the headlines of the time to the laser-like recreation of early CGI. 

If you want to learn more about EPCOT's early years and don't mind the lack of dialogue, you owe it to yourself to check this out.

Journey to EPCOT Center: A Symphonic History

Of Dolls and Superheroes

Started out the morning with breakfast and Match Game '75. Richard's delighted to show off a puppet one of their fans made that looks like him. He treated that thing as well as he did his own beloved sons. Meanwhile, Gene praises their young producer and scorekeeper Roger Dobowitz for actually spelling the words on their cue cards right for a change. (Poor Roger! He was such a sweetie, and Gene teased him so much.)

Switched to The Backyardigans at Paramount Plus as I got organized. Tasha, Pablo, and Uniqua are a biker gang who call themselves The Do Gooders and go around helping people out. Mail-moose Tyrone has a Valentine's Day "Special Delivery" for them, but he loses his bag. The other three try to return it to him, but he thinks they're a stereotypical "bad" biker gang and attempt to out-ride them.

Headed out to run errands after that. Not only was it sunny and bright, but starting tomorrow, it's going to be too cold for walks for the next few days. Headed to Dollar General first. I mainly needed thin pads. Grabbed Valentine's Day cards and a gift for a friend, too. 

Debated what to do about lunch. Truthfully, I wasn't up to even pizza. I opted to drop by the pretzel shop about a block down the street from me. They sell cheesesteak pretzels and hot dogs wrapped in a pretzel. The gluten-free pretzel dogs were the only one left, so that and a can of Diet Pepsi were what I bought. I also wanted to pick up one regular pretzel for later...but the lady said she had too many and gave me three! 

Had lunch while watching Frosty's Winter Wonderland in honor of the cold weather arriving tomorrow. In the Rankin-Bass sequel to their Frosty the Snowman, the local kids build Frosty a wife after he admits he's lonely. Trouble is, they have to figure out how to make her "all livin'" like him...and then Jack Frost decides  he's jealous of Frosty and goes after his magic hat.

Dressed the dolls for February next. Samantha's dusky pink Talent Show Dress is so authentic, it's based on a real little girl dress from 1904 that exists in a museum. Whitney gets a pink and white felt poodle skirt with a white Peter Pan collared blouse I found on eBay and a knitted pink sweater with pearl trim from a yard sale. The pretty pink and red flowered Empire waisted gown and lace wrap Josefina's wearing also came from eBay. Felicity's in her Laced Jacket and Petticoat (which I laced up with a velvet ribbon I've had for a while). Ivy's Chinese New Year Dress doesn't really fit Jessa that well, but I like it better for her than the current Lunar New Year dress at American Girl. She wears it with Josefina's black mules. Molly wishes she could wear something more glamorous than her plaid School Jumper and white blouse! 

Barbara Jean gets the gold and white Sweet Spring Dress with the pink flower and ribbon trim, which does look something like a minidress from the mid-late 60's. I struggled to get a pink ribbon to stay on her head, maybe because it's larger than average for dolls nowadays. Ariel's in Julie's Calico Dress with the red tights and boots and bandanna to wrap around her masses of copper hair.

Switched to job hunting after I finished, but I'm still not having much luck. I'm just so nervous. Can I really do any of this? What can I do? Would all these people who want experience take someone who's worked at a grocery store for 20 years? I need health insurance, but writing jobs don't have that. Can I write and have a job that'll provide health insurance and help me make enough money to buy a condo? 

Moved on to writing around 5:30. Betty admits she's seen Richard before, but he tries to hide his face from her. He's worried she may recognize him. Allen doesn't. He introduces Richard to Betty as a member of the group and says he's hired...as long as the boss approves...

Broke for dinner and Match Game '74. Jokes abounded about the sweater Fannie Flagg wore with hands in strategic places and Gene's monumentally ugly patchwork pants. (Richard got them all singing "She's Got the Whole World In Her Hands" in the opening.) 

Returned to writing during Match Game Syndicated. Baby-faced and busty Charlene Tilton of Dallas made her first appearance on the show...but I'm not sure it was the smartest idea to put her next to Bob Barker, who spent the week ogling her. Needless to say, Gene was thrilled to give a kiss to the "new kid on the block." There were jokes later in the episode about pairing her with announcer Johnny Olsen!

The second episode kicks off with Bob showing off his orange jacket advertising his "Bob Barker's Fun & Games" road show plugging The Price Is Right. Charles plays director and insists that they show off how smoothly the turntable and wheel drop in the transition between the regular games and the Audience Match.

Finished the night on Amazon Prime with the three-part PBS documentary Superheroes: A Never Ending Battle. This look at the history of superheroes details their rise during the later Depression years and World War II, when they were patriotic blues-chasers. The enormous success of Superman in 1938 inspired scores of imitations, from the powerless vigilante Batman and his kid sidekick Robin to ultra-patriotic Captain America to kid-turned-hero Shazam (originally Captain Marvel) and the first major female superhero, Wonder Woman. 

They fell out of favor after the war in favor of darker horror, romance, and crime comics...but all comics became suspect in the 1950's after intellectuals denounced them for their violence and lack of morals. By the early 60's, all but the most popular titles had vanished, the crime and horror was gone, and comics were  considered kids' stuff. That changed thanks to Marvel hiring artists like Stan Lee, who created Spider Man, the Fantastic Four, Nick Fury, and the Incredible Hulk. Whether they were born with their powers, or gained them on accident, they were far more human and relatable than the gods and aliens at DC. This era also saw the first flowering of diversity in comics with the creation of Black Panther and the amoral mercenary Luke Cage.

DC responded by bringing Wonder Woman back to her roots, sending Batman and Robin off on campy pop art TV adventures, and throwing Green Arrow and Green Lantern together for a revealing trip across a changing American landscape. Other notable creations from this era include Black Cat, Valkyrie, Iron Fist, and the original Ms. (now Captain) Marvel. Marvel even brought Captain America back after being frozen in ice to join their own superhero team, The Avengers. 

I was born just four months after the release of the first Superman movie in December 1978. Christopher Reeve was one of my first crushes, and I loved seeing his first three movies and Supergirl on cable as a kid. My sisters and I were big fans of Wonder Woman, Spider Man, and the Incredible Hulk on TV, too, and we never missed the Spider Man and His Amazing Friends and Legendary Powers Super Friends cartoons on Saturday mornings. 

The darker characters and movies of the late 80's and 90's didn't do much for me, though. Ultra-violent titles like The Watchmen, The Crow, Spawn, Lobo, Hellboy, and Blade delighted my guy friends who went in for blood and gore, but disgusted and bored the heck out of me. The only superheroes I was interested in during the 90's were The Rocketeer, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 

That finally started changing as superheroes reemerged in the early 2000's. The X-Men movies were such huge hits, even I had to check them out. (My crush on Hugh Jackman at that point may have helped slightly.) As the world reeled from terrorist attacks and new wars, superheroes once again reemerged, this time on a larger scale. I saw movies and TV shows for characters I'd never heard of before like Iron Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Harley Quinn, Deadpool, the Teen Titans, and Pakistani teen Ms. Marvel. Others, like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain America, The Flash, and Nick Fury, got total rehauls to make them far more relevant to modern audiences. Even during the worst of the pandemic, local mothers told me they got their kids through binging on superhero movies on Disney Plus and HBO Max. (Which reminds me, I need to catch up on the newest ones.)

The Christmas Spirit

Began a clear, sunny morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. It's "Snowflake Day" in the neighborhood! Daniel and his family, friends, and neighbors celebrate by making goodies and putting on a play. Daniel is excited at first to play the snowflake who begins the show, but he needs a little help to get over his stage fright and remember his lines. He's also the one who thinks of using the snowflake lanterns everyone carries in a unique way.

Worked on writing for a while after the cartoon ended. Robert Walden, the navigator on The Golden Medley, admits he's really a reporter for the New York Tribune. He's hoping Gene will help him get the scoop on Goodson and find his former teacher Charles Nelson Reilly.

Broke at quarter of 12 with just enough time to pack up, call Uber, and head out. Directed the driver to the post office in the shopping center behind the Acme. I wanted to finally get the packages for Mom and Anny and her family out. Got there just in time. They were 15 minutes from closing when I came in. Thankfully, the line moved fast, and I was only there for about five minutes. 

Since there's three fast-food restaurants on the way to the Acme, I thought I'd pick up lunch. I first considered Chick Fil'A, but they're still primarily running on take-out. Ended up ordering a chicken slider, tater tots, and cherry limeade at a very busy Sonic. Ate it in the back room at work before I started my shift. Though the weather was bright and sunny, it was also too cold to eat outside, probably in the lower 30's. 

While a bit busier than yesterday, work still wasn't overwhelmingly crazy. We had a ton of help, and most people were in a good mood as they began their Christmas baking and finished their shopping. I was in and out with no trouble whatsoever besides the card machines acting a bit odd.

Did manage to remember the money for grocery shopping this time. I mainly wanted to pick up food for Christmas dinner and the remaining baking and candy this week. Mini-marshmallows will go into ambrosia and fudge; pineapple chunks will also go into the ambrosia. I'll turn the cream cheese and powdered sugar into cream cheese mints. Cards are half-price now, and ribbon isn't bad either. Grabbed dark chocolate mousse mix, Cool Whip, and a graham cracker pie crust to make Coconut Chocolate Pie. Picked up orange juice and cranberries for Cranberry Bread. Didn't really need sugar, but I had an online coupon to get it for 99 cents. Restocked eggs, plain yogurt, oranges, broccoli, milk, greens, a green pepper, and brown sugar. 

Put on the Rankin-Bass Stingiest Man In Town while I put everything away. I go further into the 1978 animated version of the live-action TV musical at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Stingiest Man In Town (1978)

Finished off the night with more PBS holiday fixtures. Lawrence Welk and his "musical family" made many Christmas episodes over the 30 or so years they were on the air. The three I watched tonight, from 1966, 1972, and 1980, were emblematic of the shows they put on over the years. Everyone sings a number, then freezes for a "Christmas card." The children of the performers join them for routines, and the families are introduced at the end. 

Christmas Show 1966

Christmas Show 1972

Christmas Show 1980

Rick Steves brings his own family along to experience the unique joys of a European Christmas. British children help their parents make mince pies and puddings in Bath and sing in choirs at their local churches. Adorable Saint Lucias bring saffron buns to the elderly in Norway. The French choose just the right truffles and beef to wrap with pastry for the big Christmas Eve dinner. Austrians bless the household with holy water and decorate the tree away from little eyes. Finding and decorating the tree is a family affair in Switzerland. The Tuscans set up a living nativity, while the Pope prepares to meet the faithful at the Vatican in Rome. 

Afternoon In the Rain

Began the morning with breakfast and Christmas Unwrapped. This History Channel special goes further into the history of Christmas in general and how it evolved once it came to America. I love hearing how the holiday went from a noisy community affair through the Middle Ages to quiet domestic holiday in the Victorian era with mistletoe and Santa, to the holidays of today that (normally) manage to be a little bit of everything.

Switched to Match Game '74 as I got ready to head out. It started with Gene trying to drag out a plastic limb, and didn't get any less crazy from there. Gene did a bad Columbo impression, complete with fake cigar, for one question, and the panel giving interesting answers for what Tinkerbell lost in Never-Never Land in another.

Called Uber to get me to the Acme for this week's grocery shopping, and probably would have, even if the bike was in good shape. It was rainy and cold off and on all day. Thankfully, both Uber trips were on time, quick, and quiet, no problems going to or from Audubon.

Didn't have a huge order anyway. I ate out of the fridge a lot this week. Had online coupons for brown sugar and bananas and another for free eggs. Found a pack of all-natural ground turkey with a manager's coupon. The small frozen fish fillets were buy one, get one - got those wild tuna steaks. Restocked milk, yogurt, canola oil, pumpkin, unbleached white flour, and orange marmalade. 

I'm less happy with my schedule next week. I'm working 40 hours, including two 8-9 hour days in a row, with only Thursday off. I'm supposed to be part-time. I asked the younger front end manager what was going on. Apparently, between people taking time off for the holidays and people on leave because they don't want to deal with the virus, we're critically short-handed this week. 

When I got home, I put everything away while watching TV Guide Looks at Christmas. Lea Thompson hosts this salute to almost every type of holiday programming found on television, from beloved sitcom episodes to vintage commercials to favorite movies. I'm especially fascinated by variety shows, like the series Perry Como did set in other lands, or the ones featuring Bing Crosby. Most of these shows were long gone by the time of my childhood, and many have only just started appearing on YouTube after having been missing for decades. 

Had a very late and fast lunch while Tattletales was on. This time, Bill and Pat only got one answer right. The big winners were Scoey and Claire Mitchilll, who are still going strong together to this day. Put up the general winter decorations during Press Your Luck. The Russian gentleman just couldn't get anywhere. He got slammed with Whammies in the second round, allowing the one woman to pull ahead and win. 

Did some writing after I put the crate with the winter decorations back in the hall closet. Dolly's not the only one who's concerned about someone Governor Goodson arrested. Captain Tom Kennedy tells Gene that his own older brother, Captain Jack Narz of The Concentration, is currently a prisoner on Goodson's ship the SS Todman. Goodson's subordinates destroyed The Concentration just a few weeks before.

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Tonight's Match Game '75 episode is one of the funniest from that year. Hard pressed to find an answer for the Audience Match question "Trench ___," Richard comes up with the dreaded "Trench Hand." Everyone continues to make jokes about giving to eradicate "Trench Hand" for the rest of the episode. Match Game PM had everyone making jokes about what the Welcome Wagon lady drives in a bad neighborhood and Charles helping a young lady out with winning 10,000.

The champ finally got pushed around in the beginning of Sale of the Century by a young gentleman, which may be why he didn't buy the first two Instant Bargains. The third was a trip to Palm Springs...which happened to be the champ's current home town. Jim Perry switched it to San Francisco in order to convince him to buy. He did end up winning again, this time picking up luggage for all those trips he won.

Finished out the night on Hulu with classic Christmas sitcom episodes. "Scrooge Wins an Oscar" from the first season of The Odd Couple has Oscar Madison (Jack Klugman) refusing to appear in his roommate Felix Unger's (Tony Randall) stage version of A Christmas Carol after his wife Blanche demands more alimony. Oscar finally dreams that a very familiar and peculiar ghost shows him what it'll be like if he doesn't change his grouchy ways.

"Dear Dad" from the first season of MASH is the first of many, many episodes throughout the season to depict someone from the 4077th writing a letter that reveals their points of view. Hawkeye (Alan Alda) writes to his father and tells him about the goings-on in Korea during the Christmas season, from Frank (Larry Linville) and Hot Lips (Loretta Swit) continuing their affair to Radar (Gary Burghoff) sending a jeep home piece by piece to Henry (McLean Stevenson) attempting to lecture the doctors on sex. Hawkeye is supposed to be Santa for the orphans' Christmas party, but he ends up having to take a helicopter to the front in costume. 

Friends at Christmastime

Awoke to sunshine this time and a quick breakfast. Watched the original How the Grinch Stole Christmas while I ate. All the Whos down in Whoville like Christmas a lot. Too much, if you ask the grouchy Grinch up on Mount Crumpet. Tired of all the noise on Christmas Day, he dresses as Santa and takes his dog Max to steal their holiday goodies. 

Ran Christmas Past while wrapping the lights and garland around the tree. This documentary covers the history of the holidays in England, as told by many of the people who lived it. Among the interviewees are a female Father Christmas, a nobleman who grew up in a Downton Abbey-esque manor house, a woman who got her first nice Christmas when she was evacuated to the country during World War II, and a Scottish couple who celebrated their first Christmas period around the same time. 

Switched to Doc McStuffins as I made the bed and vacuumed around the tree. It's "A Very McStuffins Christmas" in the second season when she and her toy buddies discover an elf under the tree Christmas Eve night. The poor fellow is upset because he accidentally broke the Commander Crush toy her brother Donnie wanted badly. Doc and her toys follow him to the North Pole, the only place where a replacement part can be found quickly...but Stuffy gets lost in Santa's workshop and Lambie and Chilly have to go after him.

Amanda was supposed to arrive at 11:30. It was closer to quarter of 12 before she finally pulled in at the curb in front of the pool area. Hillcrest is in the back of Oaklyn on the end of a dead-end street and is hard for a lot of people to find. I slid in, and we headed on our way. Amanda wore her mask for most of the day. Like Lauren, she lives with her parents and was concerned for their health. 

We didn't go far. She and I normally hit a diner or a local restaurant when we get together, but most diners don't have outdoor seating. There's outdoor seating on West Clinton, and since the local kids were either in school or taking at-home lessons, they were empty. It got warm enough for us to enjoy coffee, hot chocolate, chicken gyros, and extra-crispy fries from Common Grounds and Phillies Phatties together at the picnic tables. 

At least it was a gorgeous day for it. The clouds had been replaced by sunshine and fairly warm temperatures, probably in the lower-mid 50's. It was still a bit windy, but not enough to make eating outside difficult. 

When we got back to my place, I showed her around, and we opened gifts. Amanda always gives me fancy lotion and soaps for Christmas, and this year, she found them with kitten labels. She's a vet technician who loves her own pet kitties! I also got two "fragrance mists" from Bath and Body Works and an adorable Hallmark ornament with a kitten climbing on a hamster's cage. 

After we opened presents, we started in on the tree. I have so many ornaments, I really can't hang them by myself anymore. There's metallic glass balls I bought from the Family Dollar in North Cape May and fancy glass ornaments Mom gave me for Christmas from Winterwood in Rio Grande. Mom made several folksy felt and cotton ornaments in the 90's, including a folk heart in a circle, a Santa face, and Holly Hobbie in Christmas colors. She made the clothespin toy soldiers, too. We hung candy canes and plastic Family Dollar icicles on the very tips of branches. Put characters like Winnie the Pooh in angel wings, the Disney Cinderella with her mouse friends, and Yogi Bear with his pic-a-nic basket full of candy canes out where Finley can see them when she rushes to the Cabbies. I remembered to hang the gold fabric and wood angel I bought last month from the thrift shop in Collingswood, too.

We finished that so quickly, we dressed the bears and put them under the tree. Mom started this tradition when Dad gave her a big stuffed polar bear in a red knit hat and scarf in 1987. She named him Chester, sat him on her hope chest, and surrounded him with other bears and stuffed animals in old baby winter and Christmas clothes. It was an interactive display. We'd play with them throughout the holiday season, and even swapped their knit hats for tiaras at New Year's. By the turn of the millennium, she'd grown tired of dressing them, and Keefe was too old for the display. After I moved, she turned Chester and the remaining Christmas-only bears and clothes over to me. 

Even with doing the bears, there was still plenty of time to put out the rest of the decorations. The big resin Santa statue went on the ledge in my bedroom next to the tree. Winter Cinderella, with her glistening white gown, joins the collectible dolls on the dresser. The metal trays with the Currier and Ives scenes and the big Whitman tin were perfect for the square windows. The Christmas Beanie Babies and stuffed printed elves Mom sewed ages ago went on those empty shelves in the hall, as did the mini-tree I've had since college. Another garland was layered on the entertainment center, with Mom's hand-made stuffed gingerbread people nestled amid the greenery. The big sequin-trimmed snowman stocking Aunt Terri made for me when I was a toddler dangles on the book shelf in the living room; the less glittery one Mom made in the 90's hangs from a metal stocking holder on a window ledge. 

Amanda and I sipped iced tea and talked about our difficult and demanding jobs and her problems with her co-workers while Tattletales was on. There was a tie for the second day in a row. This time, Scoey Mitchilll and his tough wife Claire and Bill Daily and his calm wife Pat were the big winners, splitting the pot for the red and "banana" (yellow) sections.

She headed out shortly before Press Your Luck began. Once again, things started slow, with everyone winning something in the first round and no Whammies. The champ and a young man kept swapping turns, and she got hit with Whammies...allowing a Russian refugee to sneak in and win the game. 

Finished hanging paper decorations as Press ran. The two candy canes crossed were perfect for the window overlooking the neighbors' house, and some of the larger ones went on the windows overlooking the river. There wasn't room for most of the small ones, though. I still don't want to tape anything on the walls. 

Worked on writing after the show ended. Gene awakens in the captain's cabin on board The Golden Medley to find a pretty British redhead nursing him back to health. Dolly Martin, the wife of one of his crewmembers Dick Martin, is worried about her husband. Everyone on The Golden Medley heard the explosion that destroyed The Marauder. She's desperately hoping he was able to get to safety before it blew.

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Match Game '75 began with Charles insisting that he was going to play without his glasses today. Jo Ann Pflug was a little too modest for the audience - and Burt Convy - when she answered a question about what Weird Willie burned to feel liberated. David "Bosley" Doyle worked with a gentleman who wrote several best-selling cookbooks who hit the double for 20,000 on Match Game PM. 

Slid gingerbread into the oven while Sale of the Century was on. The champ still dominated, but not to the extent he has the last few days. He keeps jumping in too early on the questions and not having the right answers! Once again, the one woman won at a Fame Game board and the champ bought an Instant Bargain, managed to squeak by in the Speed Round, and won a trip to Jamaica on the Match the Prizes board.

Watched Broadway Hostess on TCM when I went online. I go further into this small-scale nightclub melodrama at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Broadway Hostess

Finished the night on YouTube before the Match Game '90 premiere with the Dean Martin Christmas Show from 1972. For a show that starts with Martin singing his hit "Marshmallow World" and ends with cop Dom DeLouise giving Santa a ticket, this isn't really that Christmas-feeling. Most of the numbers are standards heard at any time of the year, including a medley of Jerome Kern songs in the finale. I did think a sequence with Dean chatting while getting his hair done by barbers DeLouise and Nipsey Russell was pretty funny. 

Here's the full special, to be played in the background of your own holiday cocktail party!

Dean Martin Christmas Show 1972

Sharing the Holidays With Friends

Began a cloudy, blah morning with breakfast, then made my bed and sorted through the junk and mail on top of my printer. As soon as I finished that, I pulled out the Christmas tree. I wanted to get the actual tree up before Amanda arrived. Got the lights and gold tinsel garland on, too, though the lights took me a while. They tend to get tangled in the tree branches when I put them on.

Incidentally, my tree is fake. I had a very large, ancient heater in my living room when I lived in Wildwood in the early 2000's and didn't trust a real tree within a hundred miles of it. My current tree was an early Christmas present from Mom in 2002. Besides, not only could I not afford a new tree every year, but I could never get even a small real tree home on my bike.

Ran documentaries on Christmas history as I worked. Christmas Past discusses the holidays in England, via the stories of people who lived through it, including a genuine Downton Abbey-esque aristocrat, a woman who was evacuated to the country during World War II and her first nice Christmas there, and two Scots who celebrated their first holidays period in the 1950's. Christmas Unwrapped is more-or-less the same deal, with more emphasis on how the holiday began and holiday traditions in the US. TV Guide Looks at Christmas has Lea Thompson going into the history of how Christmas on TV has been represented over the years, from a Howdy Doody special to A Charlie Brown Christmas to Pee Wee Herman's 80's variety show.

Went out to wait for Amanda promptly at 11. She didn't arrive until 11:30. She claimed she ran into traffic and road work on the White Horse Pike. At the very least, that gave me the time to round up my trash can and bring the mail inside.

We had lunch in Collingswood at The Pop Shop. Unlike Jessa last month, Amanda was able to find a parking spot, right down an alley and across the street from their building. Despite it being noon, they were dead when we arrived, with only one other family with two adorable toddlers dining there. Amanda and I both had grilled cheese. She had the Everett with cheddar, portobello mushrooms, spinach, and onions. I had the Bettlewood, dripping with Swiss cheese, grilled chicken, scallions, and garlic mayo. We shared a big basket of tasty dark fries.

Amanda decided that it would be easier for her to pay for lunch, rather than figuring out how to split it. I offered to buy our tea and coffee at Common Grounds Coffee House around the corner from my place. She had a peppermint mocha coffee with a chocolate peanut butter cake pop. I had a chai latte with a red velvet cake pop. We enjoyed our treats in the back corner of the room, chatting in a quiet shop with only the barista and one other woman there.

Went back my apartment after we finished. As soon as we got in, we exchanged gifts. She gave me containers of pump soap, body lotion, bubble bath, as well as sleep socks from Bath and Body Works (where she works on occasional weekends), along with a plastic cane of Hershey's candies and a box of Swiss Miss peppermint hot chocolate. She loved the little Christmas-themed Hello Kitty clip I gave her.

After we put away the gifts, I showed Amanda episodes of Match Game. We kept them on in the background while we decorated the tree. I have so many ornaments, I really can't decorate it alone anymore. I have plain glass balls I bought at Family Dollar and fancy glass ornaments Mom bought from gift shops in Cape May. We hung a Lucy Ricardo ornament Mom gave me, an Older Force Awakens Han Solo I got from a half-price sale at a closing Hallmark, a Disney Cinderella and Yogi I picked up at after-Christmas sales, several resin bears, and all kinds of gingerbread and snow-themed pieces. There were clothespin soldiers Mom made, glittery and translucent icicles I bought from Family Dollar years ago, and dangling beaded ornaments my cousin Samantha put together one year.

We worked so well together, we had the tree fully decorated by 3. Since we had time, we dressed the bears and put them under the tree. Mom started this tradition when Dad gave her a big white teddy bear from K-Mart in 1987. She put him on her hope chest, then added several more stuffed animals and put them in old Christmas baby outfits and scarves and hats. She got tired of doing it by the 21st century and turned the remaining bears and their accessories over to me, and I have my own bears to go with them.

Finished the remaining decorating after Amanda headed out. I have a lot of holiday stuff for such a small place. Loaded Beanie Baby bears onto the DVD shelves, including my green bear angel Gift and white angel Herald. Mom's hand-made stuffed "gingerbread people" were organized around a garland on the TV stand. Holly the porcelain doll and the mini-Nutcracker guard the CDs and records next to the tree. Two cheerful porcelain bears in Santa suits stand watch over the CD player. The collectible Winter Cinderella doll in her gold and white gown went on top of the wardrobes with the other collector's toys. The big resin Santa statue, small porcelain bears, and roly-poly Clement and Rudy musical toys all went on those newly empty shelves in my bedroom. A small tree decorated with tiny (non-working) lights and garland went on the other bookshelf.

Watched Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer as I was doing this. Rudy is an adorable baby reindeer with a big problem. His nose glows bright-red, something that's looked down as shameful at the extremely conformist North Pole. Good thing he makes friends with fellow misfit Hermie, an elf who wants to be a dentist, and miner Yukon Cornelius. They finally learn from their encounters with the Island of Misfit Toys and the Bumble Snow Monster that being a little different isn't such a terrible thing...and you never know when a disability might save someone's holiday season.

Did How the Grinch Stole Christmas as I ate a quick leftovers dinner. This is the original version of the tale of the Grinch, a nasty green fellow who lives over the Whos on Mount Crumpet, and the year he decides he's tired of their noise and steals their holiday goodies. Boris Karloff is the Grinch himself  here, as well as the narrator. Thurl Ravenscroft of Tony the Tiger fame introduces "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch."

Headed out after dinner. I saw an advertisement for a holiday bazaar on West Clinton on the marquee at City Hall. The "bazaar" was on West Clinton, but it wasn't really much to look at. The block where Common Grounds and a few other restaurants and offices are hosted several tables of hand-made goodies and a cart with edible cookie dough. I saw nothing I absolutely needed and moved on.

I thought Oaklyn's Parade was supposed to be at 6:30. There was no one at City Hall when I arrived. I strolled down to WaWa and bought a Peppermint Mocha Hot Chocolate, then returned to City Hall...to discover when I looked it up online and checked out the digital sign at the Fire Department that our parade had been moved to 8 PM. Seems Gloucester Township's parade was at 6:30, and the Oaklyn Fire Department was due to be in that, too. I decided that was too late to be out on a cold, windy night and walked home instead.

Made Double Chocolate Chip Cookies from a fudge cookie mix while finishing Rick Steves' European Christmas, which I started during dinner, when I got home. It's a merry little Christmas all all across the continent that gave us some of our most cherished winter traditions. The British make mini-mince pies with their little ones, decorate trees with cookies, and watch the kids at their local school sing carols. The gorgeous Christkind angel welcomes visitors to the marketplace in Munich. Parisians skate on top of the Eiffel Tower and buy gifts at fancy department stores, while rural families in Burgundy enjoy a huge feast. Rural Italians enjoy a living nativity, while Austrians decorate their tree away from children's eyes. Bringing home and decorating the tree is a family affair in snowy Switzerland.

Finished the night after a shower with The Girl of the Golden West. I go further into this western vehicle for Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

The Girl of the Golden West (1938)

Never-Ending Battles

Kicked off the morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. While I'd seen more than half the episodes elsewhere, there were enough that were unique to justify taking the DVD out. "Daniel's Love Day Surprise" includes a heart-shaped pizza for dinner and hiding valentines for his Grandpere. He's upset when his baby sister Margaret finds one first, but Grandpere assures him that he doesn't mind, and Margaret is just showing how much she loves him.

Dan visits O the Owl at his and his uncle X's home in the tree house. They read a dinosaur book from O's vast collection, only to discover that the last page is missing. "Daniel Helps O Tell a Story" in order to finish the book.

The Tiger parents want Margaret to experience her first "Chime Time" - that is, the time when all the clocks at the factory where Daniel Sr. works goes off at once. On the way, they encounter Katrina and Henrietta, who are spending their own family time having a tea party and dancing together.

Headed to work as the episode was ending. It wasn't that busy when I came in, but I did pick up during the noon rush hour and stayed relatively busy. I got stuck in the registers twice, once to go in for someone going on break, but I was mainly either doing a full cart of returns, or outside gathering carts and recycling.

Went straight into grocery shopping as soon as my shift ended. There's a lot of really good sales this week. Skippy Peanut Butter and McCormick Grill Seasoning were $1.50 each. I had a paper coupon for the former and an online coupon for the latter. Butter, frozen vegetables, and frozen pizza were cheap, too. Found bone-in chicken thighs and ground chicken for good prices. Found Smucker's Natural Concord Grape Jelly on the clearance racks. Restocked pears, oranges, bananas, an onion, skim milk, pancake mix, cereal, white flour, and canned mandarin oranges.

My schedule this week is not bad, and in fact is one of the best I've had in a while. Only one early day, on Wednesday (the head bagger's day off), Sunday, Thursday, and next Friday off. That means I'll be able to get some job research done and start my next story.

Finished out Daniel Tiger while I put everything away. It's "Tiger Family Fun" when the Tigers pick fruit and vegetables for dinner from the Enchanted Garden. They eventually join Lady Elaine, Miss Elania, and Music Man Stan for their own dinner.

Went into Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle while I baked the Five-Cheese Pizza I got for dinner. Had it with a basic green salad. The first episode covered the Golden Age of Superheroes from Superman's debut to the creation of the Comics Code in the mid-50's. As someone who was born 40 years after the first Superman comic was released, I don't really know much about this era. Along with the big names - Superman, Batman and Robin, Captain America and Bucky, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the Flash, Sub-Mariner, and Shazam (then known as Captain Marvel) - the late 30's and World War II produced an endless parade of lesser-known cosmic or god-like do-gooders who saved the day from Nazis and gangsters. The stability of the 50's not only ended the need for such heroes, but made them look quite suspect to many intellectuals of the day, with their violence and heroes running around in tights, with random young men by their sides.

Worked on a little writing after dinner. I was tired and didn't get much more done than setting the scene. Coruscant City in 1977 is a corrupt landscape made up of many districts. Most of the rich folk live in Naboo Heights, while the Corellia Wharfs are known for their crumbling warehouses and rampant crime and drugs. Bespin is the major entertainment and nightclub district; Mos Eisley in the outer borough town Tatoonie is basically the seedier, low-rent desert version. Hosnia Square is the home of the city government, including Mayor Steven Palpatine and his mysterious enforcer, Darren Velder - aka, the super villain Darth Vader.

Into this den of crime and corruption flies what to most citizens of Coruscant City appears to be little more than a streaking star...but is really Force Girl, aka Lelita Ortega, flame-powered superheroine, who is doing her best to escape Vader's goons and get a message to safety.

Broke for a shower at 8. Finished the Superheroes documentary after I got out. As the 60's dawned, superheroes were basically considered to be silly kid's stuff, the Comics Code and the conformity of the times having banished darker or scary elements. All that began to change with the revival of Marvel Comics and their new breed of slightly darker, more angsty heroes. The Fantastic Four, Spider Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D, and Silver Surfer were far more human (or human-like) than previous superheroes. DC rewrote their older characters like the Flash, The Green Arrow, and Green Lantern to bring them closer to the changing times. The rise of the Civil Rights Era and Women's Liberation movement returned Wonder Woman to her roots at DC and created the first black superhero, Black Panther, along with Ms.(now Captain) Marvel, Valkyre, Black Cat, and the amoral mercenary Luke Cage.

We open the last segment with the arrival of the first Superman movie on the big screen. Superman: The Movie was the blockbuster hit of 1979. The first three movies and Supergirl were part of the backbone of my early childhood, and Christopher Reeve was one of my first crushes. The success of Superman on the big screen and Wonder Woman, Hulk, and Spider Man on TV (along with small-screen originals The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman) proved that anyone, from psychopaths to children to mutated pet turtles, could be super.

I preferred those campier shows and Reeves' earnest performance to the darker and more violent comics of the 90's. The Tim Burton Batman may have been the smash hit of 1989, but it was too much for me (and still isn't a huge favorite of mine). I just couldn't get into 80's and 90's anti-heroes like Blade, The Punisher, Spawn, The Watchmen, Lobo, The Crow, and Hellboy. Though I would become a fan of Deadpool, Wolverine, and the X-Men later in life, as a teen, the only superheroes who even remotely interested me were The Rocketeer, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

As I've previously mentioned, what I'm most enjoying about the current superhero boom is learning more about characters I'd either never heard before the turn of the 21st Century (the female Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Ant-Man and the Wasp, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Iron Man) or had only vaguely heard of or known a little bit about (Captain America, Thor, Wolverine, Deadpool,and the X-Men, Aquaman, Cyborg, the Teen Titans). It's also interesting to note how the popularity of superheroes has tended to go up whenever there is a lot of unrest in the world, which would explain their creation in the depths of the Great Depression...and their huge popularity with everything going on now.

Last Day of Vacation

Started off a blah, cloudy day with cartoons during breakfast. Mickey Mouse gets the spotlight this time in a few color shorts I haven't been able to find offline. "Mickey's Circus" is mainly dominated by Donald Duck and his seal act...at least until Mick's nephews Morty and Ferdie and their buddies decide to try to shoot their uncle and his anger-prone pal out of a cannon! "Mickey's Garden," the first Mickey cartoon in color, gets a little freakier when Mick dreams that he and Pluto shrink to ant-size and are attacked by the very critters he tried to clear out of his vegetable patch. While Mick shows off "On Ice" for a delighted Minnie, Donald teases Pluto by putting him on skates, and Goofy attempts ice fishing.

Headed out to run some quick errands as soon as the cartoons ended. My first stop was the Oaklyn Library. Despite the blah weather, there wasn't much going on there. I dropped three of the four DVDs off (I'll do Christopher Robin on Monday), looked over the DVD shelves, and moved on.

Dodged noon traffic next to return DVDs to the Haddon Township Library. I don't think I'll be able to get over there until late next week. While I didn't take out anything else, I did find the rare video of the only Peanuts special that has yet to see a DVD release, You're In the Super Bowl, Charlie Brown.

Made a quick stop at Dollar Tree next for a new scrub brush and a shower curtain. I actually found a very pretty shower curtain in a nice autumn print of red, green, and yellow leaves on a cream-colored background. It took longer in there than I'd planned. The line was literally half-way across the store. Thank goodness a young man opened a register shortly after I got in line.

I hadn't eaten at the Westmont Bagel Shop in a while, so I went there next. They've gone through their second major remodeling in two years since the last time I was there. I'm disappointed. The walls are now dull white and festooned with stock photos of landscapes and bagels rather than the Philly sports articles and photos they used to have. There's a few left, but not nearly as many. The TVs are gone, too. At least my hot roast beef wrap with lettuce, provolone cheese, and horseradish mayo was tasty.

Took a peek at the House of Fun on the way home. They were also fairly busy with collectors checking out various action figures. I considered Star Wars 12-inch dolls, Funko Pops, and Sailor Moon figures, but finally decided I've spent enough money this week and just went home.

Things didn't go much better once I got in. I tried to make Mint Chocolate Chip Donuts, but even with the oil, the donuts were too dry and fell apart when I pulled them out. I made the glaze way too watery, too. It just sunk in the donut.

Cheered myself up with two winter-themed episodes of Perfect Strangers from the second season. Larry learns that it's "Snow Way to Treat a Lady" when he lies to his girlfriend Jennifer about being an expert skier to impress her. Balki keeps shoving his lying in his face, and even he finally regrets it when the trio are stranded in a cabin after an avalanche and he and Balki have to tunnel out.

Finished out the Mickey Mouse set while cleaning up the donut mess. Mickey and Donald take Morty, Ferdie, and their buddies out for an "Orphan's Picnic." Morty and Ferdie proceed to play the same kind of pranks on Donald that his own nephews would in about three years or so. It's "Moving Day" for Donald, Mick, and Goofy when Sheriff Pete repossesses their house. They have to get the furniture out before Pete can sell it at auction. (Skipped "Hawaiian Holiday" and "The Little Whirlwind," both of which I have in full elsewhere.)

Worked on writing for a while as the donuts cooled. They do manage to sneak past the guards and into Nottingham Castle. While Friar Ben goes to release the drawbridge, Han, Luke, Chewbacca, and Thomas head off into the castle itself to free Maid Leia.

It was nearly 7 before I broke for dinner. Ate roasted potatoes, broccoli, and cauliflower and baked coconut-crusted tilapia while watching Broadway: The American Musical. I go further into this documentary miniseries on the history of the stage musical at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Broadway: The American Musical 

Incidentally, it started pouring around 8 PM and has been going ever since. I'll still take a deluge over the two feet of snow Lauren's supposed to get up north.

White Christmas With Friends

It was just cloudy and chilly when I woke up this morning. As soon as I finished breakfast, I started putting up the tree. Amanda and I would do the ornaments later, but I wanted to get the lights and garland on before she came. I also vacuumed under the tree (fake trees shed almost as much as the real ones do), made the bed, and signed Amanda's Christmas card.

Ran two documentaries on holiday history as I did the decorating and my chores. Christmas Past talks about Christmas in England over the years, and even features interviews with a Scottish man who had just started celebrating Christmas, an earl, a female Father Christmas, and a woman who got her first really nice Christmas when she was evacuated to the country during World War II. Christmas Unwrapped goes into more detail about American holiday customs and how they came about, including Santa, Rudolph, and mistletoe.

To my surprise, it was snowing when I stepped out of the apartment. It wasn't heavy snow, just small flakes that looked pretty coming down. I felt quite festive as I strolled across Manor to West Clinton, and then to the parking lot for the closed PNC Bank on the White Horse Pike. I hadn't realized that the pre-school at St. Mark's Church across the street let out at 11. They were so busy by the time Amanda finally arrived at quarter after 11, she ended up picking me up next to the church instead.

We finally ended up at the Pop Shop in Collingswood for lunch. It was only 11:30 by then, and between the early hour and the weather, it was the quietest I'd ever seen them. There may have been one or two other couples seated at booths. We both opted for hot tea and breakfast. (The Pop Shop serves breakfast all day.) Amanda had vegetable Eggs Benedict on a big, fluffy biscuit. I had a Bananas Foster Waffle - bananas sauteed in brown sugar and walnuts on a waffle. The bananas were a little goopy, but it was better than the last time I ordered this on New Year's Day in 2015. For once, we both ate everything that was on our plates and didn't need to take anything home.

The snow was starting to come down harder as we left. It wasn't sticking to the roads, but it was making visibility a pain. We opted to skip any shopping and just move along. After getting lost briefly in West Collingswood, we finally stopped at Common Grounds around the corner from me in Oaklyn for hot drinks. She loves coffee and got a mocha latte. I settled for hot chocolate. We chatted and watched the snow fall at one of the tables by the big picture window. (I was glad to notice someone shoveled the steps going up to my porch when we arrived home. It never stuck to the streets here, but it did stick to the grass. I think we got maybe an inch or two.)

As soon as we got in and I showed Amanda what was new at my place, we exchanged gifts. Amanda works part-time at a Bath and Body Works in the Cumberland Mall, so a lot of her gifts usually come from there. She gave me two bottles of lotion (one small for work, one medium-sized and Christmas-themed for home), a bottle of soap, and hand sanitizer, along with sleep socks, a candy cane-shaped tube of Hershey's candies, and a totally adorable plush polar bear ornament.

The rest of the afternoon was spent decorating the tree. I have so many ornaments! They've came from all over. Mom made folk-art-style felt ornaments and a Christmas-themed Holly Hobbie for me when I was in high school. She gave me several fancier glass ornaments from the gift shops in Cape May County later, including the white heart with the Victorian-style flowers, the strawberry covered in glitter, the beautiful magenta ball with rings and the white ribbon on the cap, the gingerbread man face wearing a chef's hat, and the Disney gang - Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy. My cousin Samantha made beaded ornaments about a decade ago. Mom also made the clothespin soldiers - they're refugees from her tree. Force Awakens Han Solo is from a Hallmark that was closing; Chewbacca comes from Target. My friend Linda Young gave me Scooby and Shaggy on a sled. Yogi with a picnic basket full of candy canes, Cinderella with her mice friends giving a gift, and the angel Winnie the Pooh are from yard sales or after-Christmas half-price sales. The vintage wooden and porcelain figures are all yard sale finds.

Did TV Guide Looks at Christmas when we got in. This one discusses the history of Christmas on television, from popular holiday specials to beloved movies to favorite sitcom episodes. I especially liked hearing about the variety shows that used to turn up during the holidays. These big specials filled with songs and skits were common until the mid-70's, after which time they'd begun to die out. The only major variety holiday variety special during my childhood was Pee Wee's. I have the soundtrack to the Judy Garland special, but I never heard of Perry Como's European travels until I saw this. I may have to see if any of them are on YouTube.

The work went so quickly, we finished by 3. Amanda wasn't leaving until 3:30, so that was just enough time to pull out the Christmas stuffed animals and cloth items and put them under the tree. In 1987, Dad bought Mom a big white teddy bear from K-Mart. She named him Chester sat him on her hope chest. She eventually borrowed a bunch of our bears, dressed them in old winter clothes, and set them with Chester on the hope chest to be displayed throughout the holiday season. We'd get to change their clothes, and even give them party hats on New Year's Eve. By the turn of the 21st century, Mom had gotten tired of setting it up and turned the remaining Christmas bears and their clothes over to me.

Along with the bears, I hung my stockings. I have two, both with a snowman on the front. Aunt Terri made my original stocking when I was very little in the early 80's. It's a big red felt stocking with gold trim and a snowman and snow scene on the front, trimmed liberally with sequins. Mom made me a new, less glittery one in the early 90's. This one is also a snowman, but he's on a blue snow-print background instead of a red one, and he has the most cheerful face.

Amanda did indeed leave at 3:30. By that point, the snow was long-gone, replaced by a glorious bright orange and lavender sunset. I enjoyed the show while doing some writing. Scrooge is genuinely scared when the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come - a phantom with a wrinkled gray hand, hidden under a black shroud with gold lining - appears in his parlor. The Spirit takes him ahead in time...and they see that all of Scrooge's things are gone, even the curtains around his bed. He refuses to look at the lump under the remaining sheets, not wanting to know who was laying there.

Broke for dinner at 6. Made turkey meatballs, roasted broccoli rabe, and pasta while watching Rick Steves' European Christmas. It's a very merry holiday season all across the continent that inspired some of our most cherished holiday traditions. Kids help their parents make mince pies and sing in a local choir in England. Parisians skate on the top of the Effel Tower, while country folks in Burgundy prepare a massive feast of pastry-wrapped roast beef and fois grae. Adorable little Santa Lucias sing for the elderly in Norway. Italians await the Pope's mass and watch old men toss a flat fruitcake in a curling-like game, while the citizens of Tuscany prepare for a living nativity. Austrians decorate the tree away from the children, while the Swiss make a big family activity of bringing it home from the mountains.

Finished the night with Pulp Fiction. This unique non-linear crime film from directer Quentin Tarantino follows three different storylines, all arranged out of order. Hit men Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent (John Travolta) are supposed to be picking up a briefcase for their boss Wallace (Ving Rhames), but get caught up double-crosses and hot dances with the boss' wife Mia (Uma Thurman). Meanwhile, boxer Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) has been bribed to lose a bout, but he not only wins, he kills his opponent. He manages to evade Vincent and even helps Wallace out. There's also two low-level thieves (Tim Roth and Amanda Plummer) who hold up a local diner to deal with.

Widely considered to be Tarantino's masterpiece, I can certainly say there's nothing else like it. Killer soundtrack, awesome performances that revived several careers (including those of Willis and Travolta), and a masterful script make up for the story being frequently confusing and extremely violent. Adults who love the cast or Tarantino's other work will find much to enjoy here.