It was still sunny when I got up this morning. I ran Moonlighting while eating breakfast. They did two Christmas episodes. I prefer the more upbeat "'Twas the Episode Before Christmas" from the second season. Maddie and David's receptionist Agnes finds a baby in her apartment. While Maddie and David look for the mother, they argue over the idea of parenthood and David using company phones for his "Santa Hotline."
The first thing on my long to-do list for today was a trip to the laundromat. Thankfully, unlike my pre-Christmas laundromat run last year, they were quiet as can be. There were only two people unloading dryers when I arrived, and one college student loading a dryer when I left. I spent the hour listening to The Price Is Right and reading Christmas stories.
When I got home, I put everything away while running another TV Christmas show. The second episode of Night Court had a mild Christmas theme. "Santa Goes Downtown" when a kindly old derelict in a red suit shows up at the court and insists he's the jolly old man in red. Harry doesn't believe he's Santa, and neither do two runaways who refuse to give anyone their names. (One of the runaways is Michael J. Fox, just prior to Family Ties.) The old man finally shows Harry and the kids that there are people out there who care about them, even just an old man in a red suit.
Headed out again after the show ended. I wanted to deliver the food gifts for my current landlords Richard and Willa next-door, my former landlords Andrew and Linda down the street, and my old friend Erica and her mom Miss Helen who live a block from Dad's house. I was going to wait until Christmas Eve to do it, but the weather doesn't sound like it's going to be appropriate for a lot of running around.
I had lunch at Amato Bros, the deli and hoagie store on the White Horse Pike, next to Duncan Donuts. My "Mama's Turkey" - basically a turkey club hoagie with Russian dressing - was delicious, if a bit messy. I also enjoyed a can of Diet Pepsi and a couple of white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies. It was quarter of 1 by that point, and they were busy with people enjoying a quick lunch and picking up hoagies to eat on the go. I listened to Action News and The Chew's Ugly Sweater Contest and watched people pick up their orders.
I rode to the Haddon Township Library through Newton River Park. By the time I was there, it was cold and had clouded over, but the wind was nonexistent. The dark, mottled water of the river looked like it had tried to freeze over and failed. The grass was still a little green, probably from all the rain we've had. I only saw two other people, an old man out for a stroll and a man walking his two little dogs, but there were tons of ducks and Canadian geese around. I dodged a particularly large flock of geese as I headed for the park exit on Cuthbert.
The Library was fairly busy when I arrived, and there was quite a bit to do. Thankfully, this week, I had no problems doing it all, other than the B and S titles don't fit in the kids' DVD sections and the R and S titles are overflowing on the adult shelves. I also put away new book releases, CDs, and audio books. And for once, I agree with the head librarian, who must have heard about the fuss last week. From now on, I try to stick to volunteering in the afternoon whenever possible. They have plenty of help in the mornings.
(I opted not to take anything out again. I don't know what my schedule next week will be like, and I have plenty of movies to watch here, including all those DVDs Lauren sent me.)
Next stop was Thriftway for what I hope will be my last grocery shopping trip before Christmas Day. I needed to pick up a shortbread crust, canned pumpkin, milk, and Cool Whip for the pudding pie. They had the smaller box of brown sugar on sale for 99 cents - I was just about out. Grabbed heavy cream for the cupcake icing I'll make tomorrow. Thriftway was surprisingly dead as a doornail. I had no problems anywhere, including in line.
I made my way around traffic on Cuthbert and the White Horse Pike, then made one more quick stop at WaWa for a Peach-Nectarine Sparkling Ice before riding home. Ran Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas while getting organized and making Red Velvet Cupcakes. This anthology of three shorts featuring the Disney characters came out in 1999, and has been a favorite of mine ever since. I'm especially fond of the first story, "Donald Duck: Stuck On Christmas." Huey, Dewey, and Louie wish it was Christmas every day, then regret it when their wish turns out to be a burden instead of a blessing. It's "A Very Goofy Christmas" when Pete tells Goofy's son Max that Santa isn't real. Goofy goes out of his way to prove otherwise. In "Mickey and Minnie's Gift of the Magi," Mickey and Minnie learn a lesson about love when they trade their most prized possessions for gifts for their sweethearts.
Oh, and the Red Velvet Cupcakes finish all Christmas baking. Dad and Jodie loved the Blue and Red Velvet Cupcakes I made for Dad's Father's Day party so much, I opted to give them both some for Christmas. I just have the cupcakes left to frost and the Pumpkin Pudding Pie to make for Dad and Jodie's Christmas Eve party, and I'll be done with my Christmas list.
Moved to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation as I made Chicken Stir-Fry with leftover chicken breast, a very small sweet potato, and some of those bagged veggies for dinner. Like Arthur Read, Clark Griswald is looking forward to a perfect holiday, with a huge tree, a big dinner for all the family, tons of presents, and his whole clan together. As with Arthur, what Clark imagines and what actually happens is a whole other story. His in-laws don't get along at all. The yuppies next door aren't delighted by Clark wrapping his house with bright lights. His hillbilly cousins show up unexpectedly and create even more chaos. When Christmas Eve turns into one disaster after another, Clark finally snaps...until he realizes that while no one's holiday is perfect, that doesn't mean they can't be memorable.
This is an old favorite of mine (and a reminder of why my parents always insisted that any relatives who wanted to visit for the holidays come on Christmas night or the week after.) Ok, so the jokes are scatological and the yuppies are annoying and dated. I love the cast here - William Hickey and Mae Questal steal the show as obnoxious Uncle Louis and sweetly senile Aunt Bethany. (Questal, the long-time voice of Betty Boop and Olive Oyl, should have done more live-action.) Great for older kids and teens who will be going on their own vacations this week and adults who have probably gone through a lot of what Clark does in this movie.
Finished out the night with one of several holiday episodes of Happy Days. Mr. Cunningham would probably relate to Clark quite a bit in the second season episode "Guess Who's Coming to Christmas?" All he wants is a good old-fashioned Christmas Eve with his wife and children. Richie, however, figures out that Fonzie's insistence that he's going to a party is a fib and that he's really alone for the holiday. Richie and Mr. Cunningham find a way to invite Fonzie without hurting his feelings...by making him feel like part of the family.
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Monday, December 22, 2014
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Once Upon a Wintertime
I'm glad it was a beautiful, sunny first day of winter when I got up this morning. It's supposed to rain for the next three days, including Christmas Eve! I had one last banana that was getting really, really squishy and coconut leftover from the Cherry-Coconut Bars. Tossed in a few of the smaller pieces of glazed pecans and made Tropical Banana Pancakes. Ooooh, they were so good! I wish I'd been able to finish them, but I was still a little full from yesterday.
Listened to Christmas music as I ate. The first Disney's Christmas Collection is much shorter than the follow-up. I still have it for the song "From All of Us to All of You" (from Jiminy Cricket's Christmas) and Jiminy's sweet recitation of "The Night Before Christmas." The rest of the CD is mainly selections from an older Disney holiday album mixed with two songs by the Disney characters, "Oh Christmas Tree" and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." (What's with that weird medley of carols that finishes the CD? It sounds like it was sung by Chip and Dale going to a funeral.)
My favorite of The Great Songs of Christmas albums I have is the one that was released in 1965. Anna Maria Albergetti sings a lovely "Caroling, Caroling." Diahann Carrol gets two beautiful older hymns, "Lo, How a Rose 'Er Blooming" and "Some Children See Him." Maurice Chevalier, then in the tail end of his late 50s-early 60s comeback, does a really cute "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" and a gentle "Silent Night," the latter performed partly in his native French. The album concludes with a really fun number from Sammy Davis Jr, "It's Christmastime All Over the World."
I have Nat King Cole's The Christmas Song on cassette. The title song is by far the most famous number here, but there's some other nice pieces. I'm especially fond of the touching "A Cradle In Bethlehem." He even does a bit of "Oh Tannenbaum" ("Oh Christmas Tree") in its original German.
Work was on-and-off busy all day, not surprising for a Sunday. Sundays tend to be busy even when there's no holidays or football going on. Things did get a bit hectic later, when everyone started to come out of church and the malls and think about their Christmas and Hanukkah dinners. Thankfully, everything went pretty well. There were even leftover ham, pretzels, tortilla chips, and deviled eggs in the back room. My relief was one of the college boys, and he was right on time.
When I got home, I changed into regular clothes, then put on more Christmas music and spoken word collections as I made Pumpkin Bread. I have an episode of the Jimmy Stewart radio show The Six Shooter that adapts A Christmas Carol on a large set of various old-time radio shows. Stewart's Britt Ponset tells a runaway boy the story of old Eben Scrooge. This nasty western miser owned lots of ranches, but was too mean and stingy to build a real ranch house, or let his foreman Bob have one, either. He stubbornly refused to go to his nephew Fred's livery stable for a Christmas party. Four ghosts and Bob's small, fragile son work their way into Eben's heart and change his mind about the holidays...and the little boy and his aunt's minds, too.
It's Christmas Time was another cassette find from the Laserlight displays at Staples in the early-mid 90s. Although Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole are prominent on the cover, Cole only has two numbers, "The Christmas Song" and a rollicking "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." The rest of the album is made up of selections from Bing and Frank's various radio appearances. I think Bing's are mainly taken from The Kraft Music Hall, a radio variety show he hosted in the 40s.
My favorite song by far is the opening "Silent Night." I used to run this cassette right before I went to bed on Christmas Eve, so Bing's words were the last thing I heard before I went to sleep. "Hear that? The bells of Christmas 1945 ring out clear and free around the world and you. Their message comes from the hearts of 72 million grateful Americans. They wish you peace on Earth, good will towards men, and Merry Christmas to all of you." The other famous song is the finale, "Jingle Bells." I believe the "oh we have a lot of fun" was used in Target's holiday commercials for many years.
Incidentally, the Pumpkin Bread concludes my baking from scratch. The Red Velvet Cupcakes I'm going to make tomorrow come from a mix. The Pumpkin Pudding Pie I'll make Tuesday morning requires no baking. It's the same recipe I used for Mom's day-after-Thanksgiving breakfast, and it came out just as perfectly.
I made a quick Spinach Pancake (spinach, mushroom, cheese, and eggs) for dinner while listening to that Merry Christmas Supremes album I bought from Grooveground in Collingswood during the Christmas Parade. I'm guessing this Motown release is from the mid-60s, from their enormous hair-dos on the back cover. "The Children's Christmas Song," with its sweet and simple "ding dong ding dong" refrain, is probably the best known song. I liked the gritty "Son of Mary" even more. "My Christmas Tree," a tale of Christmas heartbreak, wasn't nearly as much fun.
Listened to Christmas music as I ate. The first Disney's Christmas Collection is much shorter than the follow-up. I still have it for the song "From All of Us to All of You" (from Jiminy Cricket's Christmas) and Jiminy's sweet recitation of "The Night Before Christmas." The rest of the CD is mainly selections from an older Disney holiday album mixed with two songs by the Disney characters, "Oh Christmas Tree" and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." (What's with that weird medley of carols that finishes the CD? It sounds like it was sung by Chip and Dale going to a funeral.)
My favorite of The Great Songs of Christmas albums I have is the one that was released in 1965. Anna Maria Albergetti sings a lovely "Caroling, Caroling." Diahann Carrol gets two beautiful older hymns, "Lo, How a Rose 'Er Blooming" and "Some Children See Him." Maurice Chevalier, then in the tail end of his late 50s-early 60s comeback, does a really cute "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" and a gentle "Silent Night," the latter performed partly in his native French. The album concludes with a really fun number from Sammy Davis Jr, "It's Christmastime All Over the World."
I have Nat King Cole's The Christmas Song on cassette. The title song is by far the most famous number here, but there's some other nice pieces. I'm especially fond of the touching "A Cradle In Bethlehem." He even does a bit of "Oh Tannenbaum" ("Oh Christmas Tree") in its original German.
Work was on-and-off busy all day, not surprising for a Sunday. Sundays tend to be busy even when there's no holidays or football going on. Things did get a bit hectic later, when everyone started to come out of church and the malls and think about their Christmas and Hanukkah dinners. Thankfully, everything went pretty well. There were even leftover ham, pretzels, tortilla chips, and deviled eggs in the back room. My relief was one of the college boys, and he was right on time.
When I got home, I changed into regular clothes, then put on more Christmas music and spoken word collections as I made Pumpkin Bread. I have an episode of the Jimmy Stewart radio show The Six Shooter that adapts A Christmas Carol on a large set of various old-time radio shows. Stewart's Britt Ponset tells a runaway boy the story of old Eben Scrooge. This nasty western miser owned lots of ranches, but was too mean and stingy to build a real ranch house, or let his foreman Bob have one, either. He stubbornly refused to go to his nephew Fred's livery stable for a Christmas party. Four ghosts and Bob's small, fragile son work their way into Eben's heart and change his mind about the holidays...and the little boy and his aunt's minds, too.
It's Christmas Time was another cassette find from the Laserlight displays at Staples in the early-mid 90s. Although Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole are prominent on the cover, Cole only has two numbers, "The Christmas Song" and a rollicking "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." The rest of the album is made up of selections from Bing and Frank's various radio appearances. I think Bing's are mainly taken from The Kraft Music Hall, a radio variety show he hosted in the 40s.
My favorite song by far is the opening "Silent Night." I used to run this cassette right before I went to bed on Christmas Eve, so Bing's words were the last thing I heard before I went to sleep. "Hear that? The bells of Christmas 1945 ring out clear and free around the world and you. Their message comes from the hearts of 72 million grateful Americans. They wish you peace on Earth, good will towards men, and Merry Christmas to all of you." The other famous song is the finale, "Jingle Bells." I believe the "oh we have a lot of fun" was used in Target's holiday commercials for many years.
Incidentally, the Pumpkin Bread concludes my baking from scratch. The Red Velvet Cupcakes I'm going to make tomorrow come from a mix. The Pumpkin Pudding Pie I'll make Tuesday morning requires no baking. It's the same recipe I used for Mom's day-after-Thanksgiving breakfast, and it came out just as perfectly.
I made a quick Spinach Pancake (spinach, mushroom, cheese, and eggs) for dinner while listening to that Merry Christmas Supremes album I bought from Grooveground in Collingswood during the Christmas Parade. I'm guessing this Motown release is from the mid-60s, from their enormous hair-dos on the back cover. "The Children's Christmas Song," with its sweet and simple "ding dong ding dong" refrain, is probably the best known song. I liked the gritty "Son of Mary" even more. "My Christmas Tree," a tale of Christmas heartbreak, wasn't nearly as much fun.
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Cartoon Holidays
It was cloudy and chilly when I got up this morning (after beginning my annual chapter-a-day reading of A Christmas Carol). I started with the remaining cartoons I dubbed off the vintage Walt Disney Christmas video. Mickey and the gang go "On Ice" years before Disney started their skating shows. While Mickey shows off for Minnie, Goofy attempts ice fishing and Donald teases Pluto by getting him on skates. "Donald's Snow Fight" gets even wilder when Donald knocks down Huey, Dewey, and Louie's snowman. The boys get revenge with an epic snowball fight. "Pluto's Christmas Tree" holds two unannounced visitors - Chip and Dale! Pluto tries to chase them out of the tree, but unlike Donald, Mickey doesn't mind them being there.
Moved to Popeye winter and holiday-related shorts as I prepared the package with Anny and her sons' presents and cookies. "Seasons Greetinks" is the Fleichers' Christmas offering. Popeye takes Olive skating on Christmas Day, but Bluto's interference leaves Olive on thin ice. "I Ski-Love Ski-You Ski" moves off the ice and onto the slopes. This time, Olive chooses Popeye for a skiing and mountain climbing trip. Bluto does everything he can to sabotage their winter fun.
My only errand planned for this morning was another run to the Oaklyn Post Office. This time, the long line was almost literally out the door, but it couldn't be helped. I wanted to get the packages going to Cape May County out today. I did have to use one of their boxes for Mom and Dad's cookies and get that ready. Other than that, everything went quickly. The line moved pretty fast (only two people were sending packages - most others were inquiring after their packages or buying stamps). A second line opened right as I was finally leaving.
After I got back to my apartment, I switched to the Tiny Toons as I prepared for work. "It's a Wonderful Tiny Toons Christmas Special" spoofs It's a Wonderful Life, right down to a faux black-and-white "clip" of the movie used about half-way through. Buster, upset after the Toons' Christmas show goes wrong and he's fired, thinks he doesn't matter to his friends. A very tall rabbit named Harvey with a familiar sounding voice shows him what Acme Acres would be like if he never existed.
Finished out the morning with a few more shorts. "Chip and Dale" officially named the two chipmunks who frequently annoyed Donald and Pluto. Here, they fight with Donald over the log he wants to use for his fireplace - it was once their home. "Toy Tinkers" was nominated for an Oscar in 1949. The chipmunks try to steal Donald's nuts from his house at Christmas, but he's ready to fight for them. "Gift Wrapped" is a holiday-themed vehicle for Tweety and Sylvester. The black and white kitty thinks Tweety is his Christmas present. Granny spends her holidays trying to keep Tweety out of Sylvester's mouth and Sylvester out of the mouth of a bulldog.
I left for work early in order to be able to enjoy the Acme's Christmas employee luncheon. It's more-or-less the same thing as the Thanksgiving luncheon, only with Christmas garlands on the tables, red-and-green tablecloths, and Christmas wrappers on the candy. Once again, there was tons and tons of food. In addition to the ham, corn, and meatballs that appeared at Thanksgiving, I saw coleslaw, pasta salad, deviled eggs, baked ziti, tortellini in spinach and olive oil, a delicious spaghetti casserole with cheese and sausage, roast beef, and baked beans and hot dogs. Desserts included a cheesecake variety tray, a tray of eclairs, pumpkin bread, a plain cheesecake, buttery thumbprint cookies with jam in the middles, peanut butter cup cookies, brownies, and my cookies. I had the spaghetti casserole, a roast beef sandwich with provolone cheese, corn, and deviled eggs before work. Tried the tortellini, bread, thumbprint cookies, and a thin slice of chocolate cheesecake during my break.
Work was the reverse of how it's been for the past week - crazy when I came in, steady-to-quiet when I left. The big Eagles-Washington game was at 4:30, and many people may have gotten off of work early. As soon as the game started, our customers stopped. It was just steady by the time one of the college boys came in for me at 6. I grabbed a roll of ribbon for wrapping paper (I'm almost out of mine) and headed out.
When I got in, I put on The Monkees. Their sole holiday episode debuted during the mid-second season, when the show was just starting to get stranger. This one was actually pretty normal in comparison to the rest of the season. "The Christmas Show" finds the groovy quartet looking after a snobbish young boy (Butch Patrick of The Munsters) when he doesn't want to join his wealthy aunt on her cruise. They try to show the child the Christmas spirit, but their efforts fail...until Mike Nesmith figures out what the kid really wants.
Oh, and darn it. Despite coming back in the second half, the Eagles just barely lost to the Redskins, 27-24. Now they really need to make a huge push if they want to make the playoffs.
Moved to Popeye winter and holiday-related shorts as I prepared the package with Anny and her sons' presents and cookies. "Seasons Greetinks" is the Fleichers' Christmas offering. Popeye takes Olive skating on Christmas Day, but Bluto's interference leaves Olive on thin ice. "I Ski-Love Ski-You Ski" moves off the ice and onto the slopes. This time, Olive chooses Popeye for a skiing and mountain climbing trip. Bluto does everything he can to sabotage their winter fun.
My only errand planned for this morning was another run to the Oaklyn Post Office. This time, the long line was almost literally out the door, but it couldn't be helped. I wanted to get the packages going to Cape May County out today. I did have to use one of their boxes for Mom and Dad's cookies and get that ready. Other than that, everything went quickly. The line moved pretty fast (only two people were sending packages - most others were inquiring after their packages or buying stamps). A second line opened right as I was finally leaving.
After I got back to my apartment, I switched to the Tiny Toons as I prepared for work. "It's a Wonderful Tiny Toons Christmas Special" spoofs It's a Wonderful Life, right down to a faux black-and-white "clip" of the movie used about half-way through. Buster, upset after the Toons' Christmas show goes wrong and he's fired, thinks he doesn't matter to his friends. A very tall rabbit named Harvey with a familiar sounding voice shows him what Acme Acres would be like if he never existed.
Finished out the morning with a few more shorts. "Chip and Dale" officially named the two chipmunks who frequently annoyed Donald and Pluto. Here, they fight with Donald over the log he wants to use for his fireplace - it was once their home. "Toy Tinkers" was nominated for an Oscar in 1949. The chipmunks try to steal Donald's nuts from his house at Christmas, but he's ready to fight for them. "Gift Wrapped" is a holiday-themed vehicle for Tweety and Sylvester. The black and white kitty thinks Tweety is his Christmas present. Granny spends her holidays trying to keep Tweety out of Sylvester's mouth and Sylvester out of the mouth of a bulldog.
I left for work early in order to be able to enjoy the Acme's Christmas employee luncheon. It's more-or-less the same thing as the Thanksgiving luncheon, only with Christmas garlands on the tables, red-and-green tablecloths, and Christmas wrappers on the candy. Once again, there was tons and tons of food. In addition to the ham, corn, and meatballs that appeared at Thanksgiving, I saw coleslaw, pasta salad, deviled eggs, baked ziti, tortellini in spinach and olive oil, a delicious spaghetti casserole with cheese and sausage, roast beef, and baked beans and hot dogs. Desserts included a cheesecake variety tray, a tray of eclairs, pumpkin bread, a plain cheesecake, buttery thumbprint cookies with jam in the middles, peanut butter cup cookies, brownies, and my cookies. I had the spaghetti casserole, a roast beef sandwich with provolone cheese, corn, and deviled eggs before work. Tried the tortellini, bread, thumbprint cookies, and a thin slice of chocolate cheesecake during my break.
Work was the reverse of how it's been for the past week - crazy when I came in, steady-to-quiet when I left. The big Eagles-Washington game was at 4:30, and many people may have gotten off of work early. As soon as the game started, our customers stopped. It was just steady by the time one of the college boys came in for me at 6. I grabbed a roll of ribbon for wrapping paper (I'm almost out of mine) and headed out.
When I got in, I put on The Monkees. Their sole holiday episode debuted during the mid-second season, when the show was just starting to get stranger. This one was actually pretty normal in comparison to the rest of the season. "The Christmas Show" finds the groovy quartet looking after a snobbish young boy (Butch Patrick of The Munsters) when he doesn't want to join his wealthy aunt on her cruise. They try to show the child the Christmas spirit, but their efforts fail...until Mike Nesmith figures out what the kid really wants.
Oh, and darn it. Despite coming back in the second half, the Eagles just barely lost to the Redskins, 27-24. Now they really need to make a huge push if they want to make the playoffs.
Friday, December 19, 2014
The Spirit of Christmas
Started a cloudy morning with breakfast and Arthur's Perfect Christmas. Aardvark kid Arthur Read is looking forward to the perfect holiday, filled with beautiful trees, lots of presents, snow on the ground, and a huge turkey dinner. His little sister D.W just wants the latest toy, despite the commercial driving her brother nuts. Muffy, the richest girl in school, doesn't understand why her best friend Francine can't come to her Christmas party. When Muffy asks her why she wasn't there, Francine explains how important Hanukkah is to her. Inspired by the Brain telling him how Kwanzaa was created, Buster tries to get his mother to relax and enjoy their own kind of holiday.
Work was busy off and on all day. While it still wasn't as bad as it probably will be next week, the lines were generally a bit longer than they have been. Thankfully, it slowed down enough by 4 PM that I was able to shut down without a relief.
Which was a good thing. I had a LOT of grocery shopping to do! I had tons of items I needed to restock after last week - cake mix (yellow and chocolate, plus red velvet for cupcakes), cheese, those dollar single packs of fish, cinnamon red-hots for cookie-decorating, fabric softener sheets, ground chicken, white and powdered sugar, tea (went with Bigalow's Constant Comment - I couldn't find the Christmas tea displays), more Acme generic Italian Wedding Soup, grapefruit, apples, and mushrooms. Bags of cut produce were a dollar - went with the vegetable stir fry mix. The Cascade sparkling waters were 88 cents - grabbed the Coconut. They had the limited edition holiday bags of Emerald nuts, too. A lot of my customers had raved about the Glazed Pecans, so I thought I'd give them a shot.
My schedule for Christmas week is far better and less hectic than it was last year. While I do work 7 hours Christmas Eve and very early the day after Christmas, that's really to be expected, given the holiday. Otherwise, my hours are pretty normal for this time of year, with Monday and Christmas Day off. I'll actually have the chance to get some library volunteering in along with all the usual errands.
When I got home, I changed into regular clothes, then put everything away. Started It's A Wonderful Life while making Cherry Coconut Bars (and to drown out the men working on the heater downstairs). George Bailey (James Stewart) thinks he's never done anything with his life, despite his loan business having created dozens of homes for the people of his town and having a loving wife (Donna Reed) and children. The nasty financier who owns most of the town (Lionel Barrymore) is accusing him of having stolen money from the loan company, even though it was really just lost. He's ready to end it all when a kindly old man (Henry Travers) stops him from jumping off a bridge. Turns out the old man is an angel who hasn't gotten his wings yet. When George makes a chance remark that he wishes he'd never been born, Clarence makes it literal. George finally discovers what a wonderful life he really has, and how important his family and the people of the town are to him.
I find this to be one of the most touching films ever made, but it's not everyone's cup of Christmas tea. If you don't agree with Capra's pro-small-town sentiments, you probably won't get much out of this. The slightly sugary finale is offset by the last half-hour, which is so dark and moody, I was 12 before I'd watch it straight through. Even so, this is still highly recommended for those who grew up with its constant showings on television or families with older kids who are ready to discuss some of the concepts brought up in the film.
Oh, and the Cherry Coconut Bars are the last of the five batches of cookies I make for Christmas. They're really just Lemon Bars with a very sweet cherry-coconut filling, but I love them. They're too sweet to eat all the time, but for Christmas, they're delicious. A lot of other people like them, too. They're my second-most-requested cookie after the Merry Christmas Molasses Cookies. They came out perfectly this year, just moist and crumbly enough. (I always put cooking spray on the bottom of the pan, even though the recipe says not to. The one year I did that, I couldn't get the bars off the pan and ended up with very sweet crumbs.)
Finished out the night with tilapia in lemon wine sauce with stir-fry veggies and a couple of holiday-themed Disney shorts. "Once Upon a Wintertime" depicts the adventures of a pair of Victorian lovers whose skating trip doesn't go as smoothly as planned. "Santa's Workshop" shows what Santa and the elves do before Santa leaves for his big Christmas Eve ride. "The Night Before Christmas" is what Santa does at the last house on his stop.
Work was busy off and on all day. While it still wasn't as bad as it probably will be next week, the lines were generally a bit longer than they have been. Thankfully, it slowed down enough by 4 PM that I was able to shut down without a relief.
Which was a good thing. I had a LOT of grocery shopping to do! I had tons of items I needed to restock after last week - cake mix (yellow and chocolate, plus red velvet for cupcakes), cheese, those dollar single packs of fish, cinnamon red-hots for cookie-decorating, fabric softener sheets, ground chicken, white and powdered sugar, tea (went with Bigalow's Constant Comment - I couldn't find the Christmas tea displays), more Acme generic Italian Wedding Soup, grapefruit, apples, and mushrooms. Bags of cut produce were a dollar - went with the vegetable stir fry mix. The Cascade sparkling waters were 88 cents - grabbed the Coconut. They had the limited edition holiday bags of Emerald nuts, too. A lot of my customers had raved about the Glazed Pecans, so I thought I'd give them a shot.
My schedule for Christmas week is far better and less hectic than it was last year. While I do work 7 hours Christmas Eve and very early the day after Christmas, that's really to be expected, given the holiday. Otherwise, my hours are pretty normal for this time of year, with Monday and Christmas Day off. I'll actually have the chance to get some library volunteering in along with all the usual errands.
When I got home, I changed into regular clothes, then put everything away. Started It's A Wonderful Life while making Cherry Coconut Bars (and to drown out the men working on the heater downstairs). George Bailey (James Stewart) thinks he's never done anything with his life, despite his loan business having created dozens of homes for the people of his town and having a loving wife (Donna Reed) and children. The nasty financier who owns most of the town (Lionel Barrymore) is accusing him of having stolen money from the loan company, even though it was really just lost. He's ready to end it all when a kindly old man (Henry Travers) stops him from jumping off a bridge. Turns out the old man is an angel who hasn't gotten his wings yet. When George makes a chance remark that he wishes he'd never been born, Clarence makes it literal. George finally discovers what a wonderful life he really has, and how important his family and the people of the town are to him.
I find this to be one of the most touching films ever made, but it's not everyone's cup of Christmas tea. If you don't agree with Capra's pro-small-town sentiments, you probably won't get much out of this. The slightly sugary finale is offset by the last half-hour, which is so dark and moody, I was 12 before I'd watch it straight through. Even so, this is still highly recommended for those who grew up with its constant showings on television or families with older kids who are ready to discuss some of the concepts brought up in the film.
Oh, and the Cherry Coconut Bars are the last of the five batches of cookies I make for Christmas. They're really just Lemon Bars with a very sweet cherry-coconut filling, but I love them. They're too sweet to eat all the time, but for Christmas, they're delicious. A lot of other people like them, too. They're my second-most-requested cookie after the Merry Christmas Molasses Cookies. They came out perfectly this year, just moist and crumbly enough. (I always put cooking spray on the bottom of the pan, even though the recipe says not to. The one year I did that, I couldn't get the bars off the pan and ended up with very sweet crumbs.)
Finished out the night with tilapia in lemon wine sauce with stir-fry veggies and a couple of holiday-themed Disney shorts. "Once Upon a Wintertime" depicts the adventures of a pair of Victorian lovers whose skating trip doesn't go as smoothly as planned. "Santa's Workshop" shows what Santa and the elves do before Santa leaves for his big Christmas Eve ride. "The Night Before Christmas" is what Santa does at the last house on his stop.
Thursday, December 18, 2014
A Star In the East
I spent an off-and-on sunny morning where I've been for most of the week - in the kitchen, this time making Cranberry Bread for my next-door neighbors. Ran Christmas In Connecticut as I worked. Elizabeth Lane (Barbara Stanwyck) is one of the most popular magazine columnists in America, a model housewife and mother whose menus and advice are beloved by her readers. In reality, she's a city girl who can't boil water and gets the tantalizing recipes from her older friend Felix (S.K Sakall). When her boss (Sydney Greenstreet) invites himself and a handsome soldier (Dennis Morgan) to her non-existent farm for Christmas, she panics...until she remembers that the boring architect who has been constantly proposing to her has a farm. She accepts his proposal, then wishes she hadn't when she meets the good-natured, fun-loving soldier. It's a long and crazy holiday, but in the end, Elizabeth does finally learn that honesty really is the best policy, especially where love is concerned.
A cute romantic screwball comedy with a great cast. I especially like Sakall and Greenstreet as the two very different bosses. Recommended for fans of romantic comedy, the cast, or those looking for lighter holiday fare.
The Christmas In Connecticut DVD I have comes with the Oscar-winning 1941 short A Star In the East. J. Carrol Naish plays an embittered Italian motel owner who believes that people are only out for their own gain. A kindly wayfarer tries to persuade him otherwise, but all Nick sees at first are the obnoxious, demanding people who are renting rooms in his motel. At least until a young Hispanic couple shows up, looking for a room. It turns out the woman is pregnant...and the reactions of Nick's customers reminds everyone that goodwill is more abundant than you might think.
Switched to the Rankin-Bass special The First Christmas Snow as I made Dark Chocolate Cranberry Muffins to take to work for dinner. Lucas is an orphan shepherd who is blinded in a lightning storm. He stays with the kindly nuns and priest of a local church while they try to figure out what to do with them. He's especially fond of Sister Theresa (Angela Landsbury), who tells him about this wondrous thing called snow.
Did the other Christmas episode of Perfect Strangers as I ate leftovers for lunch and got ready for work. The fourth season episode "Gift of the Mypiot" has Balki and Larry staying in Chicago for the holidays this time. They're both excited about their big party on Christmas Eve, at least until Balki invites his obnoxious boss Mr. Gorpley to join the festivities. Gorpley is a jerk to everyone and doesn't make himself very welcome. It turns out he never had a real Christmas, but Balki knows how to make his holiday a little merrier.
Work was pretty much the same as it has been for the past week - busy during rush hour, steady-to-quiet otherwise. Other than a few mildly cranky customers, there were no major problems, and I was in and out.
My friends Linda and James Young from Atlanta, Georgia sent me a package. It was on my front steps before I left for work, but I didn't have a chance to open it until after I'd gotten home. There were three wrapped gifts. One was to be opened Christmas Eve, one Christmas Day, and one now. The "now" package held a sweet yellow wooden star with glitter and my name on it that Linda made herself, a beautiful bookmark with beads, shell, typewriter, and "Believe" charms on the end, and a book of inspirational Christmas short stories called The Spirit of Christmas. Good idea - I was going to read Christmas short stories next week after I finish my traditional chapter-a-day reading of A Christmas Carol. Thank you, Linda and James!
A cute romantic screwball comedy with a great cast. I especially like Sakall and Greenstreet as the two very different bosses. Recommended for fans of romantic comedy, the cast, or those looking for lighter holiday fare.
The Christmas In Connecticut DVD I have comes with the Oscar-winning 1941 short A Star In the East. J. Carrol Naish plays an embittered Italian motel owner who believes that people are only out for their own gain. A kindly wayfarer tries to persuade him otherwise, but all Nick sees at first are the obnoxious, demanding people who are renting rooms in his motel. At least until a young Hispanic couple shows up, looking for a room. It turns out the woman is pregnant...and the reactions of Nick's customers reminds everyone that goodwill is more abundant than you might think.
Switched to the Rankin-Bass special The First Christmas Snow as I made Dark Chocolate Cranberry Muffins to take to work for dinner. Lucas is an orphan shepherd who is blinded in a lightning storm. He stays with the kindly nuns and priest of a local church while they try to figure out what to do with them. He's especially fond of Sister Theresa (Angela Landsbury), who tells him about this wondrous thing called snow.
Did the other Christmas episode of Perfect Strangers as I ate leftovers for lunch and got ready for work. The fourth season episode "Gift of the Mypiot" has Balki and Larry staying in Chicago for the holidays this time. They're both excited about their big party on Christmas Eve, at least until Balki invites his obnoxious boss Mr. Gorpley to join the festivities. Gorpley is a jerk to everyone and doesn't make himself very welcome. It turns out he never had a real Christmas, but Balki knows how to make his holiday a little merrier.
Work was pretty much the same as it has been for the past week - busy during rush hour, steady-to-quiet otherwise. Other than a few mildly cranky customers, there were no major problems, and I was in and out.
My friends Linda and James Young from Atlanta, Georgia sent me a package. It was on my front steps before I left for work, but I didn't have a chance to open it until after I'd gotten home. There were three wrapped gifts. One was to be opened Christmas Eve, one Christmas Day, and one now. The "now" package held a sweet yellow wooden star with glitter and my name on it that Linda made herself, a beautiful bookmark with beads, shell, typewriter, and "Believe" charms on the end, and a book of inspirational Christmas short stories called The Spirit of Christmas. Good idea - I was going to read Christmas short stories next week after I finish my traditional chapter-a-day reading of A Christmas Carol. Thank you, Linda and James!
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Festival of Lights
First of all, I hope everyone who celebrates it enjoys their week of Hanukkah - today was the first full day. (The last day is Christmas Eve.)
It was sunny and fairly warm for this time of year when I got up this morning. I did a few cartoons while eating breakfast and getting organized for running errands. Rudolph's Shiny New Year is another oddity from Rankin-Bass that's grown on me in the last few years. The world's most famous reindeer has to use his glowing red nose to find the missing baby new year Happy, who ran off because people laughed at his huge ears. If he can't find Happy before midnight on December 31st, time will stop forever!
The Backyardigans also have an action-packed holiday in "The Action Elves Save Christmas Eve" from the fourth and final (to date) season. The title elves (Pablo, Tasha, an Uniqua) have to rescue Santa's sack from the goofy Abominable Brothers (Tyrone and Austin), who took it to hold snowballs.
I headed out into a day that was windy and probably in the 50s. Needless to say, there were quite a few people out and about in Newton Lake Park, even at quarter after 10 in the morning. The lake sparkled and bobbed as I dodged around dog walkers, joggers, and parents pushing their children in strollers.
Haddon Township Library wasn't busy, but they had plenty of help. Too much. There was already another volunteer there when I arrived. She complained that she'd just organized the kids' DVDs. I did it the way the librarian told me to a few weeks ago...and 10 minutes after I'd finished, she just rearranged everything anyway! This would be less of a problem if they would just clear out some older titles. They do NOT need those 3-episode Scooby Doo collections, or every Sesame Street set on the market. The S and T adult titles are overloaded, too. I finally got fed up after a half-hour and left as quickly as I could.
(I didn't take anything out today. I have no idea what my schedule is going to be like next week, but if it's anything like last year's Christmas and New Year's week schedules, I won't have the time to watch or return anything for a while.)
I went to Tuesday Morning to look at their Christmas section and cheer myself up a bit. I found the most adorable WebKinz Porcupine hiding among the stuffed animal piles in the kids' section. I considered buying some of their pretty Christmas gift bags, but decided I could get better prices for similar items at Dollar Tree and the Acme.
My next couple of stops were quick shopping trips. I realized yesterday that I didn't have enough shortening left for the Merry Christmas Molasses Cookies I wanted to make that afternoon. They were having a really good sale on cooking spray too, for $1.79. I also saw those divine Nestle's Dark Chocolate and Mint Chips on sale for $1.88. I haven't seen those at the Acme at all yet, and I really do love them.
Hit the Dollar Tree a few doors down after Thriftway. That may have been a mistake. The line was half-way across the store. That the cashier for the only open register was surly and rude didn't help matters. She held up the line ten minutes giving a poor young woman pushing a huge stroller a hard time about her bill being counterfeit. Ok, so it was counterfeit. That happens. She could have been a little nicer. Thankfully, by the time I made it up front, a second line had been opened by a young woman who was far more amiable. All I wanted were sponges and a Christmas gift bag for my neighbors' bread I'll be making tomorrow.
I had lunch at the Friendly's next-door to the Westmont Bagel Shop. Surprisingly for 1 PM, they were pin-drop quiet when I came in. There were only two other older women waiting for sandwiches. It did start picking up as I finished my All-American Chicken Sandwich with red onions, pickles, and honey mustard on the side. I didn't have ice cream this time. I'm in the midst of making cookies. The last thing I need is more sugar! I was disappointed that they didn't get into decorating this year. It was limited to red and gold balls hanging off the light fixtures. No wrapping paper on the pictures, no garlands or wreaths.
My last trip was to Rite Aid. I forgot orange juice for my neighbors' Cranberry Bread at Thriftway. Since their eggs were $2.79, I got those, too. It was even quieter there than in Thriftway. There was no line whatsoever. I may have been the only customer in the whole store.
Headed straight home after that. Ran the Christmas episode of Silver Spoons as I put things away and got my baking items organized. This early 80s sitcom did two Christmas themed-shows - I went with the one from the first season. Ricky is excited to spend his first Christmas with his father, surrounded by presents, treats, and loved ones. He learns a lesson in giving when a little boy (Joey Lawrence) steals food from their house...and Ricky gets quite a surprise when he follows the kid.
Did two movies on the existence of Santa Claus as I made the Merry Christmas Molasses Roll-Outs. Ernest Saves Christmas takes us to Orlando, Florida. While Santa hopes to persuade a former children's show host to take over his duties, Ernest has his hands full dealing with a selfish runaway and the host's sleazy agent. Ernest and Santa both have to prove that Santa is real...and that there's nothing wrong with caring about others, even if your methods of helping are a bit unorthodox.
Miracle On 34th Street moves us from warm Orlando to chilly New York City. Here, the Santa in question (Edmund Gwenn) is hired by Macy's manager Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara), who was impressed with his work in the Thanksgiving parade. Walker becomes more concerned when he keeps insisting that he actually is Santa, including to her daughter Susan (Natalie Wood). Susan's been taught by her divorced mother not to believe in impractical things like make-believe or fantasy. Santa - and the handsome lawyer who lives next-door (John Payne) - want to prove otherwise. When Santa goes on trial for lunacy, the lawyer sees a way of showing that Christmas spirit does exist everywhere, even in the hearts of jaded New Yorkers.
The Merry Christmas Molasses Cookies are probably my favorite of the five cookies I do for gifts to make, and they may be the most popular. They (and the Cherry-Coconut Bars) are usually the most-requested. I got this recipe from Betty Crocker's Cooky Book years ago. The original recipe calls for honey and lemon flavoring, but I like the spicier version with ginger and molasses. They're cut-out cookies, though, which means they're very time-consuming. They also require shortening and are rather rich, which is why I only make them once a year.
I had the rest of the leftover soup for dinner, then headed out for my annual stroll around the neighborhood to look at lights. It was a beautiful night for it. I love how festive my neighbors get. I hiked down Manor, then into the neighborhood behind Kendall and the school, near where that little playground Lauren and I found last summer is. There's always lots of good displays down there.
I saw beautiful blue icicle lights that made roofs look like they were covered in real ice. One house had the columns that flanked the front door wrapped in strings of lights that looked like a winding rainbow. Another house was done from roof to lawn in red and gold. My neighbors across the street have circles of red and a small but elegant Nativity on their front lawn. (No lights wrapped on the house though, thank goodness.) Even Rose and Craig had green garlands with candy-like large bulb lights around their door and windows and a big, beautiful tree in their covered porch window.
My favorite inflatable this year was an adorable Santa who popped out of a snow-covered tree. I also saw a Peanuts "Christmas Pageant" that was really cute. A house down the street from me has a whole platoon of lit tinsel-and-wire statues, including polar bears and penguins in an igloo.
When I got home, I called Mom. I'd called her earlier, but hadn't gotten her. She was decorating the tree when I called. She's had a lot of hours at the Ferry and is very behind in just about everything. As of this second, she's working Christmas night and Christmas Eve and won't be making it anywhere but the Ferry for the holidays.
Finished up Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas as I talked to Mom. This "mid-quel" to Disney's beloved Beauty and the Beast is set while Belle was living with the Beast in the castle with all the servant objects. Belle wants to bring a little Christmas cheer to the castle by setting up a party. The Beast is totally against it. Christmas just reminds him of how he was transformed into a beast in the first place. Also against it is an obnoxious organ named Forte (Tim Curry) who wants the Beast to keep listening to his depressing melodies forever, and his piccolo sidekick Fife (Paul Rubens). Belle has to get around the objections of the Beast and the castle's bitter interior decorator Angelique (Bernadette Peters) and show them that Christmas is a time of hope for all creatures, even beasts and ornaments.
Unlike most of Disney's direct-to-home-media sequels, this one was obviously done with some care. There's a couple of lovely songs, including "Stories" and "As Long As There's Christmas," and a few nice animated sequence. And Curry's Forte is actually a more interesting and menacing villain than Gaston in the original, even if the massive organ is very obvious and badly-done computer animation. If you have a little girl looking for something different for Christmas or a Beauty and the Beast fan, this one is worth tracking down (it's been on DVD twice, but I believe both copies are out of print at the moment).
It was sunny and fairly warm for this time of year when I got up this morning. I did a few cartoons while eating breakfast and getting organized for running errands. Rudolph's Shiny New Year is another oddity from Rankin-Bass that's grown on me in the last few years. The world's most famous reindeer has to use his glowing red nose to find the missing baby new year Happy, who ran off because people laughed at his huge ears. If he can't find Happy before midnight on December 31st, time will stop forever!
The Backyardigans also have an action-packed holiday in "The Action Elves Save Christmas Eve" from the fourth and final (to date) season. The title elves (Pablo, Tasha, an Uniqua) have to rescue Santa's sack from the goofy Abominable Brothers (Tyrone and Austin), who took it to hold snowballs.
I headed out into a day that was windy and probably in the 50s. Needless to say, there were quite a few people out and about in Newton Lake Park, even at quarter after 10 in the morning. The lake sparkled and bobbed as I dodged around dog walkers, joggers, and parents pushing their children in strollers.
Haddon Township Library wasn't busy, but they had plenty of help. Too much. There was already another volunteer there when I arrived. She complained that she'd just organized the kids' DVDs. I did it the way the librarian told me to a few weeks ago...and 10 minutes after I'd finished, she just rearranged everything anyway! This would be less of a problem if they would just clear out some older titles. They do NOT need those 3-episode Scooby Doo collections, or every Sesame Street set on the market. The S and T adult titles are overloaded, too. I finally got fed up after a half-hour and left as quickly as I could.
(I didn't take anything out today. I have no idea what my schedule is going to be like next week, but if it's anything like last year's Christmas and New Year's week schedules, I won't have the time to watch or return anything for a while.)
I went to Tuesday Morning to look at their Christmas section and cheer myself up a bit. I found the most adorable WebKinz Porcupine hiding among the stuffed animal piles in the kids' section. I considered buying some of their pretty Christmas gift bags, but decided I could get better prices for similar items at Dollar Tree and the Acme.
My next couple of stops were quick shopping trips. I realized yesterday that I didn't have enough shortening left for the Merry Christmas Molasses Cookies I wanted to make that afternoon. They were having a really good sale on cooking spray too, for $1.79. I also saw those divine Nestle's Dark Chocolate and Mint Chips on sale for $1.88. I haven't seen those at the Acme at all yet, and I really do love them.
Hit the Dollar Tree a few doors down after Thriftway. That may have been a mistake. The line was half-way across the store. That the cashier for the only open register was surly and rude didn't help matters. She held up the line ten minutes giving a poor young woman pushing a huge stroller a hard time about her bill being counterfeit. Ok, so it was counterfeit. That happens. She could have been a little nicer. Thankfully, by the time I made it up front, a second line had been opened by a young woman who was far more amiable. All I wanted were sponges and a Christmas gift bag for my neighbors' bread I'll be making tomorrow.
I had lunch at the Friendly's next-door to the Westmont Bagel Shop. Surprisingly for 1 PM, they were pin-drop quiet when I came in. There were only two other older women waiting for sandwiches. It did start picking up as I finished my All-American Chicken Sandwich with red onions, pickles, and honey mustard on the side. I didn't have ice cream this time. I'm in the midst of making cookies. The last thing I need is more sugar! I was disappointed that they didn't get into decorating this year. It was limited to red and gold balls hanging off the light fixtures. No wrapping paper on the pictures, no garlands or wreaths.
My last trip was to Rite Aid. I forgot orange juice for my neighbors' Cranberry Bread at Thriftway. Since their eggs were $2.79, I got those, too. It was even quieter there than in Thriftway. There was no line whatsoever. I may have been the only customer in the whole store.
Headed straight home after that. Ran the Christmas episode of Silver Spoons as I put things away and got my baking items organized. This early 80s sitcom did two Christmas themed-shows - I went with the one from the first season. Ricky is excited to spend his first Christmas with his father, surrounded by presents, treats, and loved ones. He learns a lesson in giving when a little boy (Joey Lawrence) steals food from their house...and Ricky gets quite a surprise when he follows the kid.
Did two movies on the existence of Santa Claus as I made the Merry Christmas Molasses Roll-Outs. Ernest Saves Christmas takes us to Orlando, Florida. While Santa hopes to persuade a former children's show host to take over his duties, Ernest has his hands full dealing with a selfish runaway and the host's sleazy agent. Ernest and Santa both have to prove that Santa is real...and that there's nothing wrong with caring about others, even if your methods of helping are a bit unorthodox.
Miracle On 34th Street moves us from warm Orlando to chilly New York City. Here, the Santa in question (Edmund Gwenn) is hired by Macy's manager Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara), who was impressed with his work in the Thanksgiving parade. Walker becomes more concerned when he keeps insisting that he actually is Santa, including to her daughter Susan (Natalie Wood). Susan's been taught by her divorced mother not to believe in impractical things like make-believe or fantasy. Santa - and the handsome lawyer who lives next-door (John Payne) - want to prove otherwise. When Santa goes on trial for lunacy, the lawyer sees a way of showing that Christmas spirit does exist everywhere, even in the hearts of jaded New Yorkers.
The Merry Christmas Molasses Cookies are probably my favorite of the five cookies I do for gifts to make, and they may be the most popular. They (and the Cherry-Coconut Bars) are usually the most-requested. I got this recipe from Betty Crocker's Cooky Book years ago. The original recipe calls for honey and lemon flavoring, but I like the spicier version with ginger and molasses. They're cut-out cookies, though, which means they're very time-consuming. They also require shortening and are rather rich, which is why I only make them once a year.
I had the rest of the leftover soup for dinner, then headed out for my annual stroll around the neighborhood to look at lights. It was a beautiful night for it. I love how festive my neighbors get. I hiked down Manor, then into the neighborhood behind Kendall and the school, near where that little playground Lauren and I found last summer is. There's always lots of good displays down there.
I saw beautiful blue icicle lights that made roofs look like they were covered in real ice. One house had the columns that flanked the front door wrapped in strings of lights that looked like a winding rainbow. Another house was done from roof to lawn in red and gold. My neighbors across the street have circles of red and a small but elegant Nativity on their front lawn. (No lights wrapped on the house though, thank goodness.) Even Rose and Craig had green garlands with candy-like large bulb lights around their door and windows and a big, beautiful tree in their covered porch window.
My favorite inflatable this year was an adorable Santa who popped out of a snow-covered tree. I also saw a Peanuts "Christmas Pageant" that was really cute. A house down the street from me has a whole platoon of lit tinsel-and-wire statues, including polar bears and penguins in an igloo.
When I got home, I called Mom. I'd called her earlier, but hadn't gotten her. She was decorating the tree when I called. She's had a lot of hours at the Ferry and is very behind in just about everything. As of this second, she's working Christmas night and Christmas Eve and won't be making it anywhere but the Ferry for the holidays.
Finished up Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas as I talked to Mom. This "mid-quel" to Disney's beloved Beauty and the Beast is set while Belle was living with the Beast in the castle with all the servant objects. Belle wants to bring a little Christmas cheer to the castle by setting up a party. The Beast is totally against it. Christmas just reminds him of how he was transformed into a beast in the first place. Also against it is an obnoxious organ named Forte (Tim Curry) who wants the Beast to keep listening to his depressing melodies forever, and his piccolo sidekick Fife (Paul Rubens). Belle has to get around the objections of the Beast and the castle's bitter interior decorator Angelique (Bernadette Peters) and show them that Christmas is a time of hope for all creatures, even beasts and ornaments.
Unlike most of Disney's direct-to-home-media sequels, this one was obviously done with some care. There's a couple of lovely songs, including "Stories" and "As Long As There's Christmas," and a few nice animated sequence. And Curry's Forte is actually a more interesting and menacing villain than Gaston in the original, even if the massive organ is very obvious and badly-done computer animation. If you have a little girl looking for something different for Christmas or a Beauty and the Beast fan, this one is worth tracking down (it's been on DVD twice, but I believe both copies are out of print at the moment).
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
In the Kitchen
It was still sunny out when I awoke this morning. I finished The Great Santa Search, then had breakfast while watching Christmas Eve On Sesame Street. Sesame Street's first holiday special came out in 1978, and while a lot of the cast has changed over the years, this one remains charming. Big Bird is worried that Santa won't be able to deliver presents when Oscar reminds him how skinny many chimneys tend to be in New York. Bert and Ernie sell the things that mean most of them to buy presents for each other...but Mr. Hooper has surprises for them, too. Cookie Monster just wants to somehow get his list to Santa, without eating the writing utensils first.
The crew at the Hundred Acre Woods is also enjoying an eventful holiday season in A Very Merry Pooh Year. The first half of this two-part compilation movie is the special Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too in its entirety. Pooh and Piglet try to get their friends the gifts they want when they can't get their wish list to Santa. After their well-meaning attempts to play Santa themselves backfires, Pooh is determined to get the list to Santa himself! The second half has Rabbit upset because the others barged in on his house without asking. To keep him from moving away, they become determined to make New Year's resolutions and change...but it only makes things worse. In the end, Rabbit realizes that he really does like his friends the way they are, no matter how much they can drive him crazy at times.
Started the first batch of cookies during Merry Pooh Year. I always make five kinds of cookies during the Christmas season to give as gifts and for the Acme's employee luncheon. I started with the same Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies I gave to Linda and James and Lauren. They're delicious and very easy to make.
I ran The Little Drummer Boy Book II as I cleaned up from the cookies and put them in gift boxes. Rankin Bass did the second tale of Aaron the drummer boy and his menagerie in the late 70s, and it's definitely one of their better specials from that era. Aaron and his animals help one of the Wise Men and an elderly man save silver bells that are to be used to herald the birth of Jesus from Roman guards. The drummer boy does manage to distract the head of the guards (Zero Mostel) from melting the bells into bricks, but at the cost of his most precious possession.
I took a quick walk and errand run around 12:30. Volunteered at the Oaklyn Library first. Despite the increasing clouds, they were empty except for two men and the librarian. I organized the DVDs (a TV show had gotten mixed in with the regular adult titles) and some of the children's books, then moved on. Got a "Gobbler" turkey hoagie, skim milk, and eggnog at WaWa.
The clouds were getting heavier and heavier as I walked home. They thankfully waited until about a half-hour or so after I'd gotten in to burst. It's rained on and off for the rest of the day, though never as heavily as last Tuesday.
I'd planned on spending the rest of the day inside anyway, regardless of the weather. Did one of the holiday episodes of Perfect Strangers as I ate my Gobbler. Larry's hoping to take Balki to his family's home in Madison for Christmas. He's devastated when a blizzard strands them in Chicago. Balki does his best to remind his cousin that the real Christmas spirit has less to do with presents than with being with the ones we love.
I put on the 1951 version of A Christmas Carol while I made the peanut butter cookies. British character actor Alistair Sim is a wonderfully despicable Scrooge. This is an interesting production that adds more to Scrooge's past, including how he met Jacob Marley and left Fezziwig, and a larger role to the charwoman seen in the future segment.
I found the recipe for what's now known as Cake Mix Peanut Butter Cookies two years ago, when I was short on funds and trying to figure out ways to cut a few corners. I decided to try using a mix for one type of cookie and save flour for some of the more complicated ones. The resulting cookies were so delicious, this has been my go-to peanut butter cookie recipe ever since.
Switched to The Grand Budapest Hotel as I made the biscotti. Director Wes Anderson is known for his quirky and unusual comedies, and despite its historical setting, this one is no exception. In the 60s, a young writer (Jude Law) is told the story of the title hotel by its elderly owner (F. Murray Abraham). The owner was once a humble lobby boy named Zero (Tony Revolori) who was taken in as a protege by the Grand Budapest's beloved and persnickety head concierge, M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes) at the hotel in a small fictional European country in the 1930s. Gustave enjoys romancing the Grand Budapest's wealthy and aging clientele. When one of them (Tilda Swinton) dies, she leaves him a very important panting...one that her dastardly son (Adrian Brody) doesn't want anyone to get. M. Gustave and the loyal Zero find themselves running for their lives after Gustave is accused of her murder.
I've rented other Wes Anderson films, but haven't gotten to watch them for one reason or another. I really need to stop putting them off. I really enjoyed this multi-layered tale of mystery, romance, and dapper gentlemen in days gone by. It is rated R for a reason, though. There's a lot of swearing, especially from Gustave (for a guy who prides himself on elegance, he sure does love his curse words), some violence, and a little bit of sexuality in the beginning. A fun ride for adults who can handle the swearing and enjoy Anderson's brand of oddball comedy-drama.
I'm glad I got to the biscotti tonight. It's one of two recipes I make that take a little while. I don't make this like the hard rusks many of you dunk in your coffee. This simple recipe is pretty much butter, flour, baking powder, and sugar that I roll into Christmas shapes and cover with colored sugar or cinnamon candies. The rolling takes a lot of time, though, and the butter makes it very rich, which is why I don't make this more often.
Took a short bath after the movie ended. Ahhh, that felt really good. I'd been standing in front of a stove for the better part of a day. I read Christmas stories and listened to holiday jazz music. It felt nice and cozy, with the light rain sometimes going on in the background.
Finished the night with soup and Get Smart. The first season episode "Our Man In Toyland" lands Max and 99 in a department store, trying to figure out how CONTROL is smuggling weapons information out of the country. Even after they find out how it's being done, they may not live to tell the Chief what's going on when they're caught by the head of the department store!
The crew at the Hundred Acre Woods is also enjoying an eventful holiday season in A Very Merry Pooh Year. The first half of this two-part compilation movie is the special Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too in its entirety. Pooh and Piglet try to get their friends the gifts they want when they can't get their wish list to Santa. After their well-meaning attempts to play Santa themselves backfires, Pooh is determined to get the list to Santa himself! The second half has Rabbit upset because the others barged in on his house without asking. To keep him from moving away, they become determined to make New Year's resolutions and change...but it only makes things worse. In the end, Rabbit realizes that he really does like his friends the way they are, no matter how much they can drive him crazy at times.
Started the first batch of cookies during Merry Pooh Year. I always make five kinds of cookies during the Christmas season to give as gifts and for the Acme's employee luncheon. I started with the same Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies I gave to Linda and James and Lauren. They're delicious and very easy to make.
I ran The Little Drummer Boy Book II as I cleaned up from the cookies and put them in gift boxes. Rankin Bass did the second tale of Aaron the drummer boy and his menagerie in the late 70s, and it's definitely one of their better specials from that era. Aaron and his animals help one of the Wise Men and an elderly man save silver bells that are to be used to herald the birth of Jesus from Roman guards. The drummer boy does manage to distract the head of the guards (Zero Mostel) from melting the bells into bricks, but at the cost of his most precious possession.
I took a quick walk and errand run around 12:30. Volunteered at the Oaklyn Library first. Despite the increasing clouds, they were empty except for two men and the librarian. I organized the DVDs (a TV show had gotten mixed in with the regular adult titles) and some of the children's books, then moved on. Got a "Gobbler" turkey hoagie, skim milk, and eggnog at WaWa.
The clouds were getting heavier and heavier as I walked home. They thankfully waited until about a half-hour or so after I'd gotten in to burst. It's rained on and off for the rest of the day, though never as heavily as last Tuesday.
I'd planned on spending the rest of the day inside anyway, regardless of the weather. Did one of the holiday episodes of Perfect Strangers as I ate my Gobbler. Larry's hoping to take Balki to his family's home in Madison for Christmas. He's devastated when a blizzard strands them in Chicago. Balki does his best to remind his cousin that the real Christmas spirit has less to do with presents than with being with the ones we love.
I put on the 1951 version of A Christmas Carol while I made the peanut butter cookies. British character actor Alistair Sim is a wonderfully despicable Scrooge. This is an interesting production that adds more to Scrooge's past, including how he met Jacob Marley and left Fezziwig, and a larger role to the charwoman seen in the future segment.
I found the recipe for what's now known as Cake Mix Peanut Butter Cookies two years ago, when I was short on funds and trying to figure out ways to cut a few corners. I decided to try using a mix for one type of cookie and save flour for some of the more complicated ones. The resulting cookies were so delicious, this has been my go-to peanut butter cookie recipe ever since.
Switched to The Grand Budapest Hotel as I made the biscotti. Director Wes Anderson is known for his quirky and unusual comedies, and despite its historical setting, this one is no exception. In the 60s, a young writer (Jude Law) is told the story of the title hotel by its elderly owner (F. Murray Abraham). The owner was once a humble lobby boy named Zero (Tony Revolori) who was taken in as a protege by the Grand Budapest's beloved and persnickety head concierge, M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes) at the hotel in a small fictional European country in the 1930s. Gustave enjoys romancing the Grand Budapest's wealthy and aging clientele. When one of them (Tilda Swinton) dies, she leaves him a very important panting...one that her dastardly son (Adrian Brody) doesn't want anyone to get. M. Gustave and the loyal Zero find themselves running for their lives after Gustave is accused of her murder.
I've rented other Wes Anderson films, but haven't gotten to watch them for one reason or another. I really need to stop putting them off. I really enjoyed this multi-layered tale of mystery, romance, and dapper gentlemen in days gone by. It is rated R for a reason, though. There's a lot of swearing, especially from Gustave (for a guy who prides himself on elegance, he sure does love his curse words), some violence, and a little bit of sexuality in the beginning. A fun ride for adults who can handle the swearing and enjoy Anderson's brand of oddball comedy-drama.
I'm glad I got to the biscotti tonight. It's one of two recipes I make that take a little while. I don't make this like the hard rusks many of you dunk in your coffee. This simple recipe is pretty much butter, flour, baking powder, and sugar that I roll into Christmas shapes and cover with colored sugar or cinnamon candies. The rolling takes a lot of time, though, and the butter makes it very rich, which is why I don't make this more often.
Took a short bath after the movie ended. Ahhh, that felt really good. I'd been standing in front of a stove for the better part of a day. I read Christmas stories and listened to holiday jazz music. It felt nice and cozy, with the light rain sometimes going on in the background.
Finished the night with soup and Get Smart. The first season episode "Our Man In Toyland" lands Max and 99 in a department store, trying to figure out how CONTROL is smuggling weapons information out of the country. Even after they find out how it's being done, they may not live to tell the Chief what's going on when they're caught by the head of the department store!
Monday, December 15, 2014
The Gift of Books
For once, it was sunny and bright when I got up this morning. I ran cartoons as I had breakfast and did a few things online. A Pink Christmas is based after the O'Henry short story The Cop and the Anthem. Poor Pink Panther spends Christmas Eve searching New York City in the early 1900s for anyone who will give him a home-cooked meal. He tries being a department store Santa, but he's chased out. He's thrown out of a restaurant when he can't pay for a meal. He can't sneak into jail, either. He finally gets food after stopping a robbery...but discovers how good it feels to share what you have when a puppy wants some, too.
Scooby Doo's first of three Christmas specials was "A Nutcracker Scoob," from the early 80s show that featured Daphne, Shaggy, and the two dogs. Fred joins in the fun here as the kids prepare to help an orphanage's Christmas pageant. If they can't find a precious jewel before the show, a nasty old miser will close down the orphanage! The kids try to find out if he's teamed up with the Ghost of Christmas Nevermore who keeps appearing to scare them away, or if the ghost has its own agenda.
"A Scary Night With a Snow Beast Fright" brings Velma back as the gang head to Alaska to help out a friendly professor. When they get there, the professor has vanished, thanks to a huge creature known as the Snow Beast by the natives. Though the professor's assistant tries to warn them away, they're determined to get to the bottom of this cold mystery...especially after they discover oil on the ice near the native village.
We stay up in the Arctic with "Alaskan King Coward." Shaggy, Scooby, and Scrappy are prospecting for gold in Alaska. When Shaggy accidentally unleashes a huge dinosaur-like creature, he and Scooby do everything they can to escape it. Scrappy, however, think it's after their claim and wants to pummel it into the snow!
I finally got to the laundromat around quarter after 12. Good thing I got there when I did! Shortly after I arrived, it got much busier. I wasn't around for long, anyway. I had another small load. The soap operas were beginning as I jammed everything out of the dryer and into my laundry bag and rushed out.
When I got home, I threw on I Want a Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown while putting away my clothes, eating leftovers for lunch, and getting ready for work. Lucy and Linus' little brother Re-Run badly wants a dog, but his mother keeps saying no. He constantly asks Snoopy if he wants to come outside and play with him. He even tries to buy Snoopy at one point. When Snoopy's brother Spike visits, Re-Run insists that Spike stay with them. Spike and Snoopy finally show Re-Run how taking care of a pet is a big responsibility...one he may not be ready for yet.
Work was pretty much the same it has been for the past week - busy during rush hour, on-and-off steady otherwise. The nice day contributed to the quiet. It was sunny and beautiful by the time I hit work at 2:30. There were some rather cranky and obnoxious customers early on. Otherwise, there were no major problems. It was so quiet by 7:30, I was able to get out quickly without a relief.
Oh, and Lauren sent me one more box in the mail. This one was of books she's been picking up at book sales in the Pittsfield area for me. Most of them are American Girl (including the last four books I needed for Molly's series), but there was also a book of Cape May ghost stories and a Beanie Baby Handbook that included, for some reason, an extensive recipe section.
Scooby Doo's first of three Christmas specials was "A Nutcracker Scoob," from the early 80s show that featured Daphne, Shaggy, and the two dogs. Fred joins in the fun here as the kids prepare to help an orphanage's Christmas pageant. If they can't find a precious jewel before the show, a nasty old miser will close down the orphanage! The kids try to find out if he's teamed up with the Ghost of Christmas Nevermore who keeps appearing to scare them away, or if the ghost has its own agenda.
"A Scary Night With a Snow Beast Fright" brings Velma back as the gang head to Alaska to help out a friendly professor. When they get there, the professor has vanished, thanks to a huge creature known as the Snow Beast by the natives. Though the professor's assistant tries to warn them away, they're determined to get to the bottom of this cold mystery...especially after they discover oil on the ice near the native village.
We stay up in the Arctic with "Alaskan King Coward." Shaggy, Scooby, and Scrappy are prospecting for gold in Alaska. When Shaggy accidentally unleashes a huge dinosaur-like creature, he and Scooby do everything they can to escape it. Scrappy, however, think it's after their claim and wants to pummel it into the snow!
I finally got to the laundromat around quarter after 12. Good thing I got there when I did! Shortly after I arrived, it got much busier. I wasn't around for long, anyway. I had another small load. The soap operas were beginning as I jammed everything out of the dryer and into my laundry bag and rushed out.
When I got home, I threw on I Want a Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown while putting away my clothes, eating leftovers for lunch, and getting ready for work. Lucy and Linus' little brother Re-Run badly wants a dog, but his mother keeps saying no. He constantly asks Snoopy if he wants to come outside and play with him. He even tries to buy Snoopy at one point. When Snoopy's brother Spike visits, Re-Run insists that Spike stay with them. Spike and Snoopy finally show Re-Run how taking care of a pet is a big responsibility...one he may not be ready for yet.
Work was pretty much the same it has been for the past week - busy during rush hour, on-and-off steady otherwise. The nice day contributed to the quiet. It was sunny and beautiful by the time I hit work at 2:30. There were some rather cranky and obnoxious customers early on. Otherwise, there were no major problems. It was so quiet by 7:30, I was able to get out quickly without a relief.
Oh, and Lauren sent me one more box in the mail. This one was of books she's been picking up at book sales in the Pittsfield area for me. Most of them are American Girl (including the last four books I needed for Molly's series), but there was also a book of Cape May ghost stories and a Beanie Baby Handbook that included, for some reason, an extensive recipe section.
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Dolly Holidays
I spent most of the morning reading The Great Santa Search and didn't get to banana pancakes for breakfast until about 40 minutes before I left for work. The Great Santa Search is the last of the Santa Chronicles trilogy. This volume mainly forgoes the history for the tale of Santa joining a reality show that's supposedly going to find the real Santa...and have him become the spokesman for a line of shoddy toys. Santa's hoping to be the winner, but the nasty sponsor is backing an especially well-liked mall Santa who is only in it for the money.
Work was steady when I came in, but it picked up later in the afternoon as people began to come out of the malls and head for football and holiday parties. By the time I was just about done, the lines were down the aisles. No one ever told if if I had a relief or not. Since none ever came in, I just shut down and left.
Since I really had no other plans for today and the Eagles-Cowboys game wasn't until 8:30, I decided I'd get the photos of my dolls and Christmas displays done. I love how they look when they're finished, but they can be a pain to pose at times. Most of my AG dolls are older, and their legs are loose and don't stand very well anymore. That's why several of them are sitting or leaning on something in the later solo shots. At any rate, here's this year's Riverside Rest holiday photos:
Christmas at the Riverside Rest 2014
Listened to the Dorothy Provine album I picked up during breakfast this morning. Oh You Kid! is pretty much the same thing as The Roaring 20's soundtrack, but this time, Provine is singing the music of the 1890s through 1910s and is backed by a male combo rather than a female one. Same deal as with The Roaring 20s soundtrack - if you like Provine or the music of the early 20th Century, these are worth looking for.
Ran children's holiday albums for the rest of the afternoon while taking the photos. I liked the second Disney's Christmas Collection even better than the first. The song "Celebrate" is fun, and the Disney characters' "Twelve Days of Christmas" is hilarious.
I have two Looney Tunes Christmas collections. Holli-Daze is four Christmas-related stories on a Peter Pan LP. "Bugs the Red-Nosed Bunny" has the rabbit taking over for Rudolph when he gets the flu. The title story takes Granny and Bugs to a small western town, where Sheriff Yosemite Sam mistakes them for bandits. "Santa Claus-strophobia" has Bugs and Daffy trying to cure millionaire Elmer of his believe that he's Santa. In the last story, Bugs interviews the other Tunes about Santa in order to prove to his nephew Clyde that the jolly old man in red does exist.
I picked up my Christmas With the Looney Tunes cassette from the Wildwood CVS somewhere around 2003. Though this more recent release doesn't use any of the original voices, some of the material is still pretty cute. I'm especially fond of Daffy's "All I Want For Christmas Is More, More, More," Bugs and Taz's take on "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," and "The Halle-Looney Chorus."
Peter Pan also provides a nice, condensed half-hour Christmas Carol. This one goes the fairly unusual route by having the opening sequence with Scrooge and Bob Cratchit and Fred in the counting house as short flashbacks, heard whenever Scrooge relates what the ghosts are telling him to how he treats the people in his life.
Christmas With the Chipmunks came from a yard sale about three years ago or so. I have a soft spot in my heart for "The Chipmunks' Christmas Song (Please Christmas, Don't Be Late)." When I was in third grade, this is the song my class sang for Cape May Elementary's annual school assembly the week before Christmas break. Two kids each were chosen to solo as Alvin, Simon, and Theodore. I wasn't one of the kids chosen, but I enjoyed learning the song and can still sing the whole thing to this day.
Switched to more family-oriented programming as I made baked rosemary chicken breasts in lemon sauce and roasted Brussels sprouts for dinner. I've had the CD for The Judy Garland Christmas Album since high school. In the early 90s, the Staples in Rio Grande had a display of inexpensive Laserlight holiday CDs and cassettes every year in the front of the store. I'd always poke around in there while Mom was present shopping. That's where my Glenn Miller Orchestra Christmas cassettes came from, too.
This is actually the soundtrack to Judy's Christmas special. If you're a fan of Garland (or of Jack Jones, Mel Torme, and Garland's daughter Liza Minnelli), this is worth seeking out. There's some nice moments - Liza does "Steam Heat" and "Alice Blue Gown." Garland duets with Torme on his "Christmas Song" and bobbles the lyrics (she was feuding with him at the time). Garland and her younger children Lorna and Joey do a cute "Consider Yourself" in the opening, and Lorna talks Jack Jones into "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town."
Oh, and darn it. The Eagles started poorly, but came back in the second half. Though the played better than the awful first quarter, they still couldn't get past the Cowboys 38-27.
Work was steady when I came in, but it picked up later in the afternoon as people began to come out of the malls and head for football and holiday parties. By the time I was just about done, the lines were down the aisles. No one ever told if if I had a relief or not. Since none ever came in, I just shut down and left.
Since I really had no other plans for today and the Eagles-Cowboys game wasn't until 8:30, I decided I'd get the photos of my dolls and Christmas displays done. I love how they look when they're finished, but they can be a pain to pose at times. Most of my AG dolls are older, and their legs are loose and don't stand very well anymore. That's why several of them are sitting or leaning on something in the later solo shots. At any rate, here's this year's Riverside Rest holiday photos:
Christmas at the Riverside Rest 2014
Listened to the Dorothy Provine album I picked up during breakfast this morning. Oh You Kid! is pretty much the same thing as The Roaring 20's soundtrack, but this time, Provine is singing the music of the 1890s through 1910s and is backed by a male combo rather than a female one. Same deal as with The Roaring 20s soundtrack - if you like Provine or the music of the early 20th Century, these are worth looking for.
Ran children's holiday albums for the rest of the afternoon while taking the photos. I liked the second Disney's Christmas Collection even better than the first. The song "Celebrate" is fun, and the Disney characters' "Twelve Days of Christmas" is hilarious.
I have two Looney Tunes Christmas collections. Holli-Daze is four Christmas-related stories on a Peter Pan LP. "Bugs the Red-Nosed Bunny" has the rabbit taking over for Rudolph when he gets the flu. The title story takes Granny and Bugs to a small western town, where Sheriff Yosemite Sam mistakes them for bandits. "Santa Claus-strophobia" has Bugs and Daffy trying to cure millionaire Elmer of his believe that he's Santa. In the last story, Bugs interviews the other Tunes about Santa in order to prove to his nephew Clyde that the jolly old man in red does exist.
I picked up my Christmas With the Looney Tunes cassette from the Wildwood CVS somewhere around 2003. Though this more recent release doesn't use any of the original voices, some of the material is still pretty cute. I'm especially fond of Daffy's "All I Want For Christmas Is More, More, More," Bugs and Taz's take on "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," and "The Halle-Looney Chorus."
Peter Pan also provides a nice, condensed half-hour Christmas Carol. This one goes the fairly unusual route by having the opening sequence with Scrooge and Bob Cratchit and Fred in the counting house as short flashbacks, heard whenever Scrooge relates what the ghosts are telling him to how he treats the people in his life.
Christmas With the Chipmunks came from a yard sale about three years ago or so. I have a soft spot in my heart for "The Chipmunks' Christmas Song (Please Christmas, Don't Be Late)." When I was in third grade, this is the song my class sang for Cape May Elementary's annual school assembly the week before Christmas break. Two kids each were chosen to solo as Alvin, Simon, and Theodore. I wasn't one of the kids chosen, but I enjoyed learning the song and can still sing the whole thing to this day.
Switched to more family-oriented programming as I made baked rosemary chicken breasts in lemon sauce and roasted Brussels sprouts for dinner. I've had the CD for The Judy Garland Christmas Album since high school. In the early 90s, the Staples in Rio Grande had a display of inexpensive Laserlight holiday CDs and cassettes every year in the front of the store. I'd always poke around in there while Mom was present shopping. That's where my Glenn Miller Orchestra Christmas cassettes came from, too.
This is actually the soundtrack to Judy's Christmas special. If you're a fan of Garland (or of Jack Jones, Mel Torme, and Garland's daughter Liza Minnelli), this is worth seeking out. There's some nice moments - Liza does "Steam Heat" and "Alice Blue Gown." Garland duets with Torme on his "Christmas Song" and bobbles the lyrics (she was feuding with him at the time). Garland and her younger children Lorna and Joey do a cute "Consider Yourself" in the opening, and Lorna talks Jack Jones into "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town."
Oh, and darn it. The Eagles started poorly, but came back in the second half. Though the played better than the awful first quarter, they still couldn't get past the Cowboys 38-27.
Saturday, December 13, 2014
This Is My Favorite Time of Year
It was sunny when I got up this morning and had cereal and half a grapefruit for breakfast. I watched a couple of short specials as I put Linda and James' package together. A Garfield Christmas Special takes the famous fat cat to Jon's parents' farm for the holidays. While Jon and his brother Doc Boy beg to open presents and read stories about Binky the Clown, Garfield bonds with ribald Grandma. Grandma's missing her husband, but Garfield's find in the barn may make her Christmas a little merrier.
'Twas the Night Before Christmas...and all through a small town, people and mice are stirring, worrying that Santa won't come. Their letters came back unopened, thanks to one intellectual mouse who sent him a letter saying he was a "fraud." A local clock maker made a fabulous timepiece that he hoped would bring Santa back, but it broke before Christmas Eve...thanks to the mouse's curiosity. The little mouse and his father do what they can to make things right, just in time for the famous poem to come true.
My first stop was the Oaklyn Post Office. I wanted to get Lauren's and Linda and James' packages out. I was there around quarter after 10. I thought the line would be a lot longer than it was. I got lucky. By the time I left, the line was nearly out the door of the small, square building.
Since I was already half-way to Collingswood, I decided to go the rest of the way. Lauren's parents gave me 50 dollars in a card along with the gifts from Lauren, and I wanted to deposit it at the PNC Bank on Haddon Avenue. They were also fairly busy, and getting busier even as I handed my deposit slip to the young woman behind the counter. I hurried out quickly.
Going to the post office was my only real plan for today. Since I was already in Collingswood and didn't have to work until 1:30, I decided to hang out there for a while. I had a nice little stroll on Haddon Avenue. I first discovered a brand-new store in the old Woolworth's building. Local Market and Cafe is just that - a small market and restaurant selling organic foods, the freshest produce they can get, and coffee shop dishes like baked goods and sandwiches. Most of it was too expensive for me, but I did try a brick-sized brownie. Oooh, it was yummy, moist and just rich enough.
(And it looks like they're going to have some competition soon. A sign in the long-abandoned International Market building across the street indicates that a market is going to be opening there within months.)
I headed across the street and checked out a few more shops. I didn't see anything at Duck Duck Goose (a toy store) or The Collingswood Book Trader (used books) I couldn't live without. Did better at the Twin Oaks Thrift Shop, despite the narrow store being so busy, I could barely walk around. Evidently, the Roaring 20s soundtrack went over so well, Dorothy Provine did another Roaring 20s-inspired LP, along with a third album highlighting songs from the 1890s and early 1900s. I found the latter, Oh You Kid!, in the box in the back with the other records. I enjoyed the Roaring 20s soundtrack so much, I thought I'd give this one a shot. I also picked up a cute bear ornament. The honey-colored resin bear wears a green coat and pink beret and purse and seems like she's ready to go out shopping.
When I got home, I had a quick lunch while watching a Christmas-themed episode of Laverne & Shirley. In "Oh Hear the Angel Voices" from the second season, Carmine talks the girls, Lenny, Squiggy, Laverne's father, and Mrs. Babish into helping him put on a show at a hospital on Christmas Eve. Shirley's not happy when they discover it's a mental hospital. It seems she's heard a few too many family stories about relatives who got tossed into them. Laverne's too busy flirting with patients to worry much.
Work was pretty much the same as it has been all week - busy during rush hour, otherwise on-and-off steady. There were no major problems other than some cranky customers who likely just came from the malls. It was already quieting down by 5:30. I was able to get out with no relief and no need for one.
Spent the rest of the evening watching Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol while eating a broccoli and cheese omelet for dinner. Columbia's most famous cartoon character takes on one of literature's most famous old codgers in this charming animated musical. The songs are by real-life Broadway composers Bob Merrill and Jules Styne. They did some wonderful work, including the rousing "We'll Have the Brightest Christmas" for the Cratchits and the bittersweet "Winter Was Warm" for Scrooge's former fiancee Belle. Fans of animated musicals, Magoo, or A Christmas Carol will find much to love here. It's on DVD and I believe was released on Blu-Ray about two years ago.
Friday, December 12, 2014
Turtles In the Half Dimension
It was still cloudy when I got up this morning. I once again spend the morning making cookies for friends who live out-of-town. This batch will go to Linda and James Young in Atlanta. They've been having a rough couple of years. I hope they both really enjoy them.
Work was also more-or-less the same as it was yesterday - steady the entire afternoon, and never worse than a little busy. As one of the managers pointed out, most people are probably at the malls. It won't really pick up until next weekend, when everyone's minds turn to what they're going to make for Christmas and Hanukkah dinner. Once again, other than some cranky customers, I had no problems getting in or out.
It was starting to pick up a bit when I did my own grocery shopping. And I had a lot of it to do! Next week is baking week. From Sunday through the week of Christmas I'll be making five kinds of cookies, two kinds of quick bread, Red Velvet Cupcakes, and a pumpkin pudding pie. The cookies and the cranberry bread are on the to-do list first. I want to get the cookies done in time for the Acme's Christmas Employee Luncheon next Saturday. The cranberry bread is for my neighbors and new landlords. I'll do the cupcakes, pumpkin bread, and pudding pie next weekend and early Christmas week.
I bought small bags of unbleached and whole wheat flour to replenish my supply. Restocked cranberries, grapefruit, eggs (the Acme's generic brown eggs were on sale for $2.99 - the same price their white eggs are regularly!), canned soup (went with Italian Wedding this time), no salt added Acme tomato sauce, parchment paper, and vanilla extract. Bought I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, maraschino cherries, and coconut for the cookies. Bought a large container for the Acme's cookies. The front porch's light bulb and one of the two over the medicine cabinet in the bathroom blew out. I decided it was time to join the 21st century and bought three CFL bulbs to replace them and the other medicine cabinet light.
Other than a few more hours and earlier hours, next week's schedule is more-or-less the same as this week's. I do have relatively early days on Sunday and next Friday, but nothing later than 7:30, thankfully. Tuesday and Wednesday are my off days. That'll give me tons of time for baking and getting to the libraries.
When I got home, there was a package sitting under the mail box for me. It was from Lauren, my best friend in Massachusetts. We always send each other boxes of presents at Christmas. I hauled the box and my groceries upstairs.
I changed into regular clothes, then finished out the Turtles set while eating sauteed spinach and mushrooms and leftover meatballs for dinner. Ironically, they never got to the episodes mentioned on the back that involved "the Fugitoid," who was mentioned a few times but only seen briefly. The closest they got was the last four episodes on the disc. "The Big Brawl" has the quartet and Splinter competing in an intergalactic martial arts tournament taking place between dimensions. While Michelangelo and Raphael beat up on creatures from across the galaxy, Leonardo crosses swords with a samurai rabbit with a strong sense of honor, and Donatello tries to figure out what's going on with the alien who runs the tournament and his none-too-trustworthy son. The son has a grudge against Leonardo, while his cloaked mentor definitely doesn't like Splinter.
I generally preferred some of the stand-alone episodes from earlier in the season. "The Golden Puck" felt more like an episode of the 1987 series. Casey Jones is not a happy sports fanatic when a couple of Texas cowboys steal the trophy from his favorite extreme ice hockey tournament. He gets the Turtles to help him retrieve it. "Junklantis" has Donnie and Mikey using their new submarine to explore under the Hudson River to find out what's been causing a series of boat wrecks on the river. They encounter a city made entirely of salvaged parts...and an old adversary who wants to settle a score.
I finally unwrapped the presents from Lauren when I went online and we got on chat together. She's truly the best friend anyone could have. She gave me two hand-made doll outfits from a bazaar she went to in her area, a cassette copy of Disney's Christmas Collection II (which I've been looking for in any form for years - I have the first one on CD), and a pile of rare movies she'd picked up from a collector (most of which are either not on DVD or only available through the frequently expensive Warner Archives).
My big gifts were four items from American Girl. Samantha got her last remaining dress I wanted from the August historical release, the very accurately titled Frilly Frock. Jessa, my modern Asian doll, needed a coat of her own. She got Julie's new purple Coat & Hat. The Sweet Spring Dress was on sale for months. It's a cute pink and beige knit dress that'll be great for Jessa or Whitney for Easter, or Valentine's Day with leggings. I also got a pair of purple glasses. Molly can finally have a decent pair after I stepped on her old ones and had to buy cheap replacements.
Work was also more-or-less the same as it was yesterday - steady the entire afternoon, and never worse than a little busy. As one of the managers pointed out, most people are probably at the malls. It won't really pick up until next weekend, when everyone's minds turn to what they're going to make for Christmas and Hanukkah dinner. Once again, other than some cranky customers, I had no problems getting in or out.
It was starting to pick up a bit when I did my own grocery shopping. And I had a lot of it to do! Next week is baking week. From Sunday through the week of Christmas I'll be making five kinds of cookies, two kinds of quick bread, Red Velvet Cupcakes, and a pumpkin pudding pie. The cookies and the cranberry bread are on the to-do list first. I want to get the cookies done in time for the Acme's Christmas Employee Luncheon next Saturday. The cranberry bread is for my neighbors and new landlords. I'll do the cupcakes, pumpkin bread, and pudding pie next weekend and early Christmas week.
I bought small bags of unbleached and whole wheat flour to replenish my supply. Restocked cranberries, grapefruit, eggs (the Acme's generic brown eggs were on sale for $2.99 - the same price their white eggs are regularly!), canned soup (went with Italian Wedding this time), no salt added Acme tomato sauce, parchment paper, and vanilla extract. Bought I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, maraschino cherries, and coconut for the cookies. Bought a large container for the Acme's cookies. The front porch's light bulb and one of the two over the medicine cabinet in the bathroom blew out. I decided it was time to join the 21st century and bought three CFL bulbs to replace them and the other medicine cabinet light.
Other than a few more hours and earlier hours, next week's schedule is more-or-less the same as this week's. I do have relatively early days on Sunday and next Friday, but nothing later than 7:30, thankfully. Tuesday and Wednesday are my off days. That'll give me tons of time for baking and getting to the libraries.
When I got home, there was a package sitting under the mail box for me. It was from Lauren, my best friend in Massachusetts. We always send each other boxes of presents at Christmas. I hauled the box and my groceries upstairs.
I changed into regular clothes, then finished out the Turtles set while eating sauteed spinach and mushrooms and leftover meatballs for dinner. Ironically, they never got to the episodes mentioned on the back that involved "the Fugitoid," who was mentioned a few times but only seen briefly. The closest they got was the last four episodes on the disc. "The Big Brawl" has the quartet and Splinter competing in an intergalactic martial arts tournament taking place between dimensions. While Michelangelo and Raphael beat up on creatures from across the galaxy, Leonardo crosses swords with a samurai rabbit with a strong sense of honor, and Donatello tries to figure out what's going on with the alien who runs the tournament and his none-too-trustworthy son. The son has a grudge against Leonardo, while his cloaked mentor definitely doesn't like Splinter.
I generally preferred some of the stand-alone episodes from earlier in the season. "The Golden Puck" felt more like an episode of the 1987 series. Casey Jones is not a happy sports fanatic when a couple of Texas cowboys steal the trophy from his favorite extreme ice hockey tournament. He gets the Turtles to help him retrieve it. "Junklantis" has Donnie and Mikey using their new submarine to explore under the Hudson River to find out what's been causing a series of boat wrecks on the river. They encounter a city made entirely of salvaged parts...and an old adversary who wants to settle a score.
I finally unwrapped the presents from Lauren when I went online and we got on chat together. She's truly the best friend anyone could have. She gave me two hand-made doll outfits from a bazaar she went to in her area, a cassette copy of Disney's Christmas Collection II (which I've been looking for in any form for years - I have the first one on CD), and a pile of rare movies she'd picked up from a collector (most of which are either not on DVD or only available through the frequently expensive Warner Archives).
My big gifts were four items from American Girl. Samantha got her last remaining dress I wanted from the August historical release, the very accurately titled Frilly Frock. Jessa, my modern Asian doll, needed a coat of her own. She got Julie's new purple Coat & Hat. The Sweet Spring Dress was on sale for months. It's a cute pink and beige knit dress that'll be great for Jessa or Whitney for Easter, or Valentine's Day with leggings. I also got a pair of purple glasses. Molly can finally have a decent pair after I stepped on her old ones and had to buy cheap replacements.
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