From the “Oh NO They Didn’t” file: one of our favorite Christianist groups is seriously selling a light-up cross to display in front of one’s house during the holidays. I suspect this won’t sell well amongst the African-American contingency. (via email from MVS)
I warm my hands by the televised hearth. “The Yule Log” is always part of my Christmas tradition, having grown up in a New York City apartment. Typically, apartments are not equipped with fireplaces.
The Yule Log began broadcasting on WPIX-TV in 1966. The program would run anywhere between two and four hours without commercial interruption and include Christmas music in the background. The rising cost of commercial-free programming lead to the Log’s cancellation from 1990 to 2000. After a growing nostalgic interest in the log and the terrorist attacks in 2001, WPIX formally announced the log would return to the airwaves.
Here in DC, “the Yule Log” airs on WDCW-TV (WPIX’s sister station) and the background music is from WASH-FM, which plays nothing but Christmas music from Thanksgiving through Christmas.
Merry Christmas!
It’s after midnight on 25 December here in DC, and that means that it’s now Christmas. So ho ho ho and all that jazz. Whether you actually celebrate the holiday or just enjoy a day off to watch movie marathons or basketball, I hope it’s an adequate day for you.
I suspect that things will be relatively quiet here on the blog until 2008, so if you don’t hear from me before then, have yourselves a happy new year too.
In the meantime, I’m off to bed, with visions of Christmas specials — or at least those damn Rankin-Bass-esque commercials — dancing in my head.
Even as I inch closer to 30, I still enjoy watching those Rankin-Bass (Turn your speakers down for that link.) stop-motion animation Christmas specials. They bring a sense of intense nostalgia to me not only because they tell classic stories, but also because I’m instantly transported back to my childhood, when times were simpler for me and the world was still in analog.1 You know, the Lego bricks were real and not on my computer screen.
I guess I’m not the only one who feels that way. Take my beloved Food Network, for example. This year, the channel is airing “Season’s Eatings” bumps featuring six of its cheflebrities — Paula Deen, Giada De Laurentiis, Rachael Ray, Alton Brown, Bobby Flay and Guy Fieri — that are very Rankin-Bass-esque. (One blogger even refers to them as bobble heads. And seriously, if Food Network ever produced bobble head collectibles like this, I’d be all over them! Except for Rachael [who is not pictured below] and Bobby’s; I don’t really care for them all that much.)
I’m disappointed there’s no Morimoto.
And now it looks like Apple has also gotten into the act. It’s latest commercial in the Get a Mac campaign features Justin “Mac” Long and John “PC” Hodgman standing on either side of Santa Claus himself. Santa blows into a pitch pipe and the two begin singing a verse of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”
Maybe next year around back to school time we’ll see some take-offs on “School House Rock.”
1 This is my version of something my roommate’s been known to say frequently, “When the world was still in black and white,” referring to a time when color film, television and movies were a novelty. Never mind that he was born at a time when they were relatively commonplace.
So last night’s office holiday soirée was a good time. There was dancing, there was food, and there were people crawling around on the floor.
And apparently, when you mix lesbians and alcohol, they arm wrestle.
Every year in December, the Australian Embassy decorates their building with lighted outlines of a surfing Santa and several flying kangaroos. The lead kangaroo has a red nose.
I’m about to do something completely unheard of that I’ve never done before, ever. I’m attending my office’s Holiday Party™ (patent pending).
I’ve been with the organization now for over six years, and not once have I ever gone to one of our holiday parties. To be sure, I have done a couple of our summer outings — our 2006 white water rafting trip was probably the best one we had and I was sure not to miss it. How many chances does this city boy get to do something that awesome?
But as far as our holiday gatherings go, I’ve either been already gone for the year or I just didn’t feel like going. I’m also not big on socializing with people I work with. While there are exceptions to the rule — a couple of whom peek in on this blog from time to time — friendships with people I work with tend not to work out for me in the long run.
I have my reasons for going this year. And I’m not telling.
Just before my office closed for a winter break*, they held their annual Christmas Holiday party. Once again, I wasn’t in attendance — I had a prior engagement.
Regardless of one’s attendance, however, everyone on staff gets a gift at the end of the calendar year. A few years ago, it was a pen. Then a watch the next year. A throw blanket and two extra large coffee mugs — which is, to date, my favorite office haul.
This year? A gym bag and a 32-oz. water bottle.
Is this a hint?
* (HA! The joke was on them — I was already on a winter break.)
