The top 5 animated/clay-mation shows...

5. Frosty The Snowman

When Jimmy Durante is the guy doing the narration, you know this special has been around a while. Based on the popular children's song of the same name, we are treated to a half hour of Frosty coming to life, romping through the town with the kiddos, realizing global warming is taking its toll, taking the train to the North Pole, warming up Karen, running from Professor Hinkle, taking shelter in a greenhouse, being melted by said greenhouse, coming back to life with the help of Santa and the wind, scolding Professor Hinkle for melting Frosty and flying back to the North Pole aboard Santa's sleigh.

Now that's one heck of a day.

I have a strange recollection of many parts of this show. The way the little kid says "Oatmeal!" when they ask what they want to name Frosty. The way one of the kids says "Uh huh!" when asked if they saw Frosty come to life. The over-produced sound effects of the train depot ticket guy when he wakes up and messes up the tickets and when he finds out they don't have any money for a ticket to the North Pole. (The same over-production is used when Hinkle jumps from the train down the mountain. The effects continue after he is done falling.) The way Hinkle says "Messy, messy, messy." And the best line of all...

"He was the fastest belly-whopper in the world."

I almost didn't put this in the top 5 because of the 2 horrendous sequels; "Frosty Returns" with Jonathon Winters narrating and John Goodman as Frosty. Goodman sings through his nose the whole show as Bill Murray's brother, the one with the very scratchy voice tries to peddle his snow-be-gone product to the town because they hate the snow. It turns into a big quagmire which eventually leads to everyone hating the multi-conglomerate which is as it should be. (rolling eyes) Also, "The Legend of Frosty The Snowman" with, brace yourselves, Burt Reynolds narrating. It is as terribe as you are imagining. Words cannot describe the agony of this "special". I won't try.

I do love the original Frosty though. And it is always a perrenial favorite in this most wonderful time of the year.

Heaven...I'm in Heaven...

This is what I spend the year wating for. It's 35 degrees outside. The wind chill makes it fell like the 20's. As I come through the door, I am greeted by my children yelling "Daddy!" with some sort of Christmas outfit on. The Christmas tree lights are in full force lighting up the room. Not to be outdone, the roaring fire easily makes the remaing dark succumb to the light of the flames.

I slip into my warm wool socks, flannel lounge around pants and a long sleeve t-shirt. I will take my place by the fire for a viewing of "It's a Wonderful Life." I have seen it 3 times this year but the kids have been spared. Tonight, they get baptized.

It's just different this time of year. No matter what is going on in the real world, this is my oasis. Filled with joy, song, laughter and love.

Christmas truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

A Christmas story for those having a bad day...

When four of Santa's elves got sick, the trainee elves did not produce toys as fast as the regular ones, and Santa began to feel the pre-Christmas pressure.

Then Mrs Claus told Santa her Mother was coming to visit, which stressed Santa even more.

When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two others had jumped the fence and were out, Heaven knows where.

Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of the floorboards cracked, the toy bag fell to the ground and all the toys were scattered.

Frustrated, Santa went in the house for a cup of apple cider and a shot of rum. When he went to the cupboard, he discovered the elves had drank all the cider and hidden the rum. In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the cider jug, and it broke into hundreds of little glass pieces all over the kitchen floor. He went to get the broom and found the mice had eaten all the straw off the end of the broom.

Just then the doorbell rang, and irritated Santa marched to the door, yanked it open, and there stood a little angel with a great big Christmas tree.
The angel said very cheerfully, 'Merry Christmas, Santa. Isn't this a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me to stick it?'

And so began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree.

What The 12 Days of Christmas really means...

For those of you who think "The 12 Days of Christmas" is a horrible Christmas song, as I do, these facts may change your mind. They didn't change my mind but who knows...

It is said that the traditional Christmas carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written as a secret teaching tool to instruct children in the meaning of the Christian faith. From 1558 to 1829 Roman Catholics in England were, apparently, forbidden from openly practicing their religion. So, this carol was devised to get the message across without upsetting the Protestants. Here is the broken code:


Passage/ Hidden definition

My true love/ God
Me/ The Christian
Partridge in a pear tree/ Jesus
Two Turtle Doves/ The old and new testaments
Three French hens/ Faith, hope and love
Four calling birds/ The four gospels
Five gold rings/ The first 5 books of the bible
Six geese a-laying/ The 6 days of creation
Seven swans a-swimming/ The 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit
Eight maids a-milking/ The beatitudes
Nine ladies dancing/ The 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit
Ten lords a-leaping/ The 10 commandments
Eleven pipers piping/ The 11 faithful disciples
Twelve drummers drumming/ The 12 points of the apostle creed

Believe it or not...

this is a Christmas post. It just has a little political twist to it.

The first story is about a toy. The second story is possibly the greatest example of irony ever.

Bratz dolls, this is the doll who's only purpose as far as I can tell is to show little girls how to dress like hookers, are no more. Madison liked these dolls but knew I did not so never asked for one. Now, we won't have to worry about it.

This next story is...well I don't know how to describe it. Just look.

Gift certificates to an abortion clinic to give as gifts to honor the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

You can't make this stuff up.

Christmas Trivia...

To get the answers just mouse over the Answers link at the end of each question. There is no need to click on the link. The answer will appear magically. Kind of like the way the chimneys appear in "The Santa Clause" or how Zuzu's petals show up again in George's pocket.

1. In the song "Jingle Bells", who is seated by my side? Answer

2. What is the name of the department store in "Miracle on 34th Street"? Answer

3. What country created eggnog? Answer

4. Who said "God bless us everyone."? Answer

5. What state has the tallest living Christmas tree?Answer

6. What is the most popular item to put on top of a Christmas tree?Answer

7. How many wise men were there according to the Bible?Answer

8. What does "advent" mean?Answer

9. How much does Lucy charge for her psychiatric services?Answer

10. What is the biggest selling Christmas single of all time?Answer

11. What is Scrooge's first name? Answer

12. "Greensleeves" is another name for what Christmas song?Answer

13. Where does "It's a Wonderful Life" take place?Answer

14. Where was the Brady Bunch Christmas tree placed?Answer

15. Who wrote "A Christmas Carol"?Answer

16. What Saint is widely accredited with the introduction of Christmas carols?Answer

17. What state was the last to declare Christmas a holiday?Answer

18. Who speaks words to the pregnant Mary that have become a part of the Catholic Church's "Hail Mary"?Answer

19. Which Gospel(s) speak of the events surrounding Christ's birth?Answer

20. In a dream, an angel tells Joseph to name his child Jesus, for it was prophesied that a virgin would give birth and call her son Immanuel. What does Immanuel mean? Answer

21. In what country did the Christmas tree tradition originate?Answer

22. Where was the original Santa Claus born?Answer

MFCSC...

Disclaimer: This is my list, though not in order, and some of you may have never even heard of some of the songs on it although I'm confident you have. Your list will differ so let me know how.

This is the songs by a choir version.

Right click on any link and select Open Window in New Window to keep hearing the music.

Push play on the music player thingy.

This is "Carol of the Bells". This particular arrangement is done by the Robert Shaw Chorale. Who is Robert Shaw? Glad you asked. He is only the Tiger Woods of Choral Directors. Bad comparison. Maybe the Jack Nicklaus of choir directors. He's old school. He was the greatest of his generation. Still widely considered to be the greatest. Holds all the records: most tenors to hit a high C, most sopranos to shatter glass, most basses to fall off the risers. He was a true pantheon of choral conductors. Kelly's dad has a man-crush on this guy. Not in the same way I have a man-crush on Baldwin from NYPD Blue. His is purely professional.

Anywho, this is a great song to listen to as well as sing. I always get a mental picture of Quasimodo, it's him only because I don't know of any other famous bell people, up in his bellfry pulling the ropes and making the bells chime. But in this case, it's voices doing the chiming. Which may frustrate the beejeebus out of Quasimodo seeing as he does not know where the voices are coming from causing him to go mad and fall from the bellfry...I need to do a little less stream of consciousness.

I timed out the post to match the end of the song. So a few more words here and there sould do the trick. I love the tenor part here. If you clicked on the link above, the timing is probably off; but if you did not, the song should pretty much be over now. Or not.

Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming

The next song on the list over there.

This is just a beautiful song. The fact that the tenor part is the one that holds the whole thing together is just the icing on the cake.

I don't have much else to say about this. Mostly because Kelly hurt her back this afternoon and I am taking care of the kids and they seem to be tearing each other apart in there.

Gotta go.

Enjoy the Music.

Choirs are what Christmas is all about. If you haven't heard The Messiah done at Christmas time, you haven't lived.

My Favorite Christmas Songs Continued...

Disclaimer: This is my list, though not in order, and some of you may have never even heard of some of the songs on it although I'm confident you have. Your list will differ so let me know how.

The Little Drummer Boy - Johnny Mathis

Push play on the You Tube video before reading.

When I was a boy I would listen to this song over and over and over. One time, I had my sister Katy lift up the needle from the record after each line so I could write down what was sung. I memorized the song this way. That Baby Jesu line was a real head scratcher.

I know this is a very repetitive song. Some would even call it mundane. Some would, not me. I don't know why this song has always meant something to me. I love it for it's ultimate "it's not the size of the gift that matters it's the thought that counts" attitude. Here was a little boy who had nothing to give except the gift of music. And with that, he made the Christ-child smile; at least that's what the song says. I dare to think every time I attempt to give the gift of music somewhere the Christ-child is smiling.

Youtube is the greatest thing ever. I found "The Littlest Christmas Tree" and now Johnny Mathis singing "The Little Drummer Boy". I have the version with Bing Crosby and David Bowie all ready to go on the music player, which isn't a bad version at all, but I needed to hear Johnny.

The next song on my list:

Skating - The Vince Guaraldi Trio

After listening to Johnny, hit the play button on the music player. It's the triangle pointing right.

Of course "Linus and Lucy" is the big song from "A Charlie Brown Christmas Special" but I like this tune as much if not more. It's like "Whip It" by Devo or "Shout" from Tears for Fears. Everybody knows those songs. The people who follow Devo or Tears for Fears probably never listen to those songs because they are overplayed. And we can't understand why people can't just see the greatness that is Devo or Tears for Fears and listen to some of their other masterpieces.

Enter "Skating" by The Vince Guaraldi trio.

Listen to the melody. Listen to the piano. It sounds like snow falling. Then the piano interlude where the notes quickly ascend in three separate allegretto entities. Close your eyes. You can actually see someone with their hands clasped behind their back skating leisurely on a frozen pond somewhere...where the ponds freeze. I prefer to think of it as Minnesota, from where Charles Schultz hails, or New England since to me that is the epitome of Christmas.

You can't help but lose yourself in the meditative freedom expressed in this arrangement, like the Peanuts characters in the movie, gliding so freely, smoothly and gracefully on the frozen pond in the pristine greyness of winter. Boy, that sounded pretentious. I'm keeping it anyway.

This is one Christmas Album I listen to all year. It's simply good jazz music.

My Favorite Christmas Songs...

Disclaimer: This is my list, though not in order, and some of you may have never even heard of some of the songs on it although I'm confident you have. Your list will differ so let me know how.

The Littlest Christmas Tree - Red Skelton

This is not really a song but a spoken tale. Listening to this with my brothers and sister is one of my fondest Christmas memories. Surprise, surprise we can all still quote many lines form this "song". I guess the only reason Iconsider it a song is because it was on an LP, 33 1/3. Those were the days.

"The time...Christmas Eve. The place...this room."

It is a story about a little tree in some family's home who is wondering about his purpose for being there. In the forest, the birds would build homes in his branches and the wind would blow making music along with the chirping birds. They were the sounds of the earth. A symphony unwritten.

Santa comes and explains to him he is making music now with the laughter of the children. Little did we know when we listened to this as children there was quite an anti-communist propaganda agenda going on here. I have to say it worked. The reindeer being knocked out cold, "No. Yes.". No Christmas trees to help light Santa's way. The swelling music.

"Daddy, what's a ration card?"

It's all good.

Now, some may have a tendency in this PC age to dismiss this song. Not me. I say good for Red. In the early 50's when this story was told, there was no greater threat to the American way of life than communism. I like to think Ronald Reagan and this song were ultimately responsible for the collapse of the Iron Curtain.

The end of this story still makes me mist up. With the tree saying Merry Christmas while Santa fly's away. The music swells to it's climax while the tree seems to be fading into the background. Well done production for 1951.

I love this story.

Without further ado...The Littlest Christmas tree.

What is it about Christmas time?...

You sense it too, right? There's just something different about every day at this time of year. Things you would not normally do on a weekday night you do. Mornings before work don't seem so early. It's just a completely different milieu.

Friday we spent the day putting up the tree and watching Christmas movies. We watched, "The Grinch", "A Charlie Brown Christmas", "Frosty", "The Polar Express", "Miracle on 34th Street", "White Christmas" and "Fred Clause". Normally we watch "It's a Wonderful Life" to cap the day but I knew the kids would be bored to tears after watching "The Polar Express". Earlier in the day when we told Madison we would be watching "White Christmas", she said, "It's not all black and white is it? It has color, right?" So I knew my favorite holiday movie would have to wait. Unfortunately, there was a UCLA debacle game on so I watched that instead. Big mistake.

Saturday we had to shift it back into Thanksgiving mode for my family's dinner. Good times had by all. It was nice and chilly. Just the way I like it. When we got home we turned on the Christmas tree lights, lit up a fire and played with the train. We went to New Mexico and Arizona to deliver presents.

This led me to an idea. Ever since I was a kid, I had a hard time believing Santa could carry a bag big enough to hold all of the presents he had to deliver. What if he had a train yard at the North Pole that would dispatch trains filled with presents to points all over the globe? They would go to their designated stops and Santa could just stop by the depot and fill up the sack again and keep going. He could have elves on each train that loaded the sack in no time and he'd be back on his way. I think this is a very plausible idea. One I will ask him about the next time I see him. Besides, there is a movie in there somewhere.

Last night was the Hanging of the Green service at church. As you know I am not a Sunday night guy but at Christmas it's different. Carols are sung, soloists perform and the garland and wreaths that adorn our stage are hung, hence the name. It is always a nice way to start the season. Singing the carols are the best. That let's you know there is no turning back.

Sam, our preacher, yesterday said Christmas is like an old shoe or an old shirt; it's comfortable. It fits. It's easy to get into. Then he went on to say some other stuff about Jesus and the living God or some such but I wasn't really listening I was thinking about how good that comfortable shirt feels.

All in all it was a great kick-off weekend to the Christmas season. Except for UCLA looking like Charlie Brown trying to kick a field goal with Lucy holding the ball.