One More Movie to Show

Okay, one more Christmas movie story. Last December I read about the Finnish, fantasy horror movie, Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale. After watching the trailer on youtube, I knew I had to see it. But the only way I could buy a copy of the DVD was to purchase one from an international seller on Ebay. Unfortunately, the movie didn't arrive until mid January. I cannot stand watching Xmas movies after Dec. 25, so I had to wait 11 months to watch it. I recently tore off the clear plastic packaging, and I watched the movie with fellow obscure film fans, Boris and Tim.

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is now number 2 on my Christmas movie list. http://www.rareexportsmovie.com/en

Holi-Déjà vu

Just like Thanksgiving, Charlotte woke up in a good mood, but by 11:00 a.m. we could tell she wasn't feeling well.

For one thing, Char gets very polite when she's running a fever. She answers every question with a whispery, "No, thank you" or "Yes, please." She's not a rude child, but those responses are not in our everyday dialogue.

Secondly, Daphne and I can just tell when she's sick. It's a bit hard to describe. Her eyes get glassy, but there's something else there, too. I guess it's just a parent thing. You spend so much time taking care of someone that you can instantly feel when things are off. My mom can still tell when I'm not feeling well before I know it myself.

Sadly, no Christmas Eve service for us, and Char's snazzy Xmas dress is hanging silent in her room. As for Char, she's in our bed, sleeping off her fever with her mom.

Man, I hope she feels better tomorrow. I don't want our little girl to miss her Christmas entirely.

One Day to Go, One Movie to Show

Do you have a favorite Christmas movie? Here's a list of 100 to pick from: http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/movie-pages/movie_christmas.html

For many, 1983's A Christmas Story tops their list. And after 30 years, the movie's popularity show no signs of waning:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-57560638/reliving-the-holiday-favorite-a-christmas-story/

I really enjoy director Bob Clark's A Christmas Story, but I like his other Christmas movie better. In 1974, Mr. Clark directed what is now considered to be the first slasher horror film. "Black Christmas finds a sadistic killer making threatening phone calls from -- you guessed it -- INSIDE THE HOUSE. And a sorority house at that. Still terrifying to this day, it makes Christmas the creepiest holiday this side of Guy Fawkes Night." about.com

My high school celebrated Christmas (in the 80's you could say "Merry Christmas" in a public school, and you wouldn't raise an eyebrow), and on the last day before Christmas Break we would all watch a movie in the performing arts center. Since the closest movie theater to Rock Valley was an hour away, watching a movie on a big screen was an exciting treat.

Renting an actual Christmas movie during December was too expensive for RVHS, so the movies didn't have a holiday theme, and they were all from the 50s and the 60s. But no one cared. Any movie was better than school. I remember seeing The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Around the World in 80 Days, and The Mummy. 

We watched The Hound of the Baskervilles during my sophomore year, and that was a bit of a surprise because the weekly schedule posted near the office listed the Christmas movie as Black Christmas. My sister later told me she had heard that the school had indeed rented Black Christmas, but the teachers were horrified when they previewed it.

Watch the trailer, and you'll soon see why: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfiLviAMlwU The movie's almost 40 years old, and there's no way I would show it in my classroom. But home alone (did you see what I did just there?), I find this slice of classic horror thoroughly enjoyable.

Scary Christmas movies aren't a new idea anymore, and the holiday genre is pretty derivative, but Black Christmas is one of the first and certainly one of the best. Watching it isn't a tradition I plan on sharing with my daughter, but she goes to bed at 8:00. After "Santa" fills the house with kid-friendly gifts, I'll be in my room watching this.

Two Days to Go, One Clip to Show

This cracks me up every time I watch it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZQOLv85C68

Three Days to Go, One Recipe to Show

I found this recipe in Popular Plates Magazine's BBQ edition. It's pretty gutsy to say a recipe cannot be improved, but I've made this corn pudding a few times (I halved it), and this recipe delivers the goods.

Daphne recently lost her grandmother, and because Grandma often made ham balls for Xmas, Daphne is going to prepare them in her memory. I think that, along with corn pudding, is going to be a Monson Christmas staple.

It's one of the cool thing about starting a family of your own. You can pick and choose your own family traditions.

Four Days to Go, Three Cards to Show

2010

2011

2012

Just like Charlotte, my excitement for Christmas is growing and growing. Best wishes to you and yours this holiday season.

Perspective

The three of us were trying to have dinner last Saturday night. An overtired Charlotte had decided she did not want "macky cheese", and instead she wanted to cry and yell as loud as she could. Which she did.

For all I cared, Char could have been singing. I could see the muted TV over her shoulder and the news coverage coming from Newtown, Connecticut.

Every child is irreplaceable, and I don't think I'm equipped to handle that kind of a loss.

God, I feel for those people.  

Three Picture Book Review

Then is Now

When I read about the book Recycling & Repairing 1912-1948, I thought it might make a cool Christmas gift for Daphne's Grandpa. I pride myself in be able to find quirky gifts that will connect with people, and this book looks like a great fit for him.

In 1978, Keith Daniels of Lost Data Press published a book full of ideas that were previously published in how-to magazines. In his introduction Mr. Daniels writes, "This collection of articles on how to do things (when all else fails), came from magazines published between the years 1912 and 1948. The articles were selected because I think that they convey unusual and useful points-of-view on how to solve problems or make things... The goal of Lost Data Press is to collect, preserve, index, and publish all those forgotten ways of doing things before they are lost forever... This book is full of basics and essentials, little and big, that no one thinks to show you."

Daniels ends his introduction with the line, "Reality was a little bit different back then." And when you see Joseph Goulart's solution to all your butter problems, you'll probably agree.

But don't be too quick to write off this book. Even though the youngest of the ideas in here is 65 years old, many of these solutions are marketed today. Here, let me show you.

Then:

Now:

Then:

Now:

Then:

Now:

Then:

Now:

"Innovative |ˈinəˌvātiv| adjective, (of a product, idea, etc.) featuring new methods; advanced and original: innovative designs"

The Hose Blocker is an innovative, but simple device? You're the one hosing me, Blocker.

I used to teach Romeo and Juliet to freshmen. In Act 1, Scene iv, a group of drunk teenage boys are stomping through the streets of Verona, yelling out songs and beating on a bass drum. Eventually a student would ask me, "Why are they doing that?'

I'd reply, "They're guys. They're trying to draw attention to themselves."

"That's kinda stupid," was the typical response.

"Really? How is that any different from a kid in a car blaring his car stereo with his subs thumping? What's he trying to do?"

Insert the sound of crickets here.

The people living 65 - 100 years ago didn't have the internet or iPhones, but that doesn't make them any less sophisticated, interesting, or complicated than us. It probably just makes them smarter. 

The people in this program sure think so: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/view/

Signs of the Season

Even without snow on the ground, there's a lot going on at home to keep up my Christmas spirits.

Sure they're old video tapes, but Charlotte doesn't care about clarity. She just likes Snoopy and Mickey. A Charlie Brown Christmas special is right at Charlotte's speed, in fact, you'd be hard pressed to find anything on TV with a slower pace. And every time Donald pulls his sled uphill, Charlotte laughs and asks me, "What's that duck doing, Dad?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLfTr7DKEBk

Char went to her first Good Time Gang class, and she made a craft all by herself. It's too bad she dropped it before she got home, but I still think her reindeer antler hands are cool.

Daphne does 99.9 percent of our decorating. My one contribution is framing my favorite Xmas record and hanging it up in my room. 

Recorded in 1959, The Surfers' Christmas From Hawaii is full of traditional Christmas songs, great harmonies, and bongos. I found the LP on a mp3 on a "sharity" site back in 2008, and I liked it so much I went out searching for my own copy. I checked Ebay, and fairly clean copies were going for $100. I did a "save search", and an affordable copy came up for sale in May of 2009. 

Yes, you can now buy the Surfer's mp3s at Amazon for a whole lot less, but you won't have anything to hang on your wall. I really like "Here Comes Santa in a Red Canoe" (http://www.amazon.com/Here-Comes-Santa-Claus-Canoe/dp/B001HDYY24), and I'm not the only one.

Charlotte wasn't alive when those kids were singing at their mall, but we did take her to the "Tuba Christmas" performance at our Merle Hay Mall's food court:

Our other "kids" are also represented. Both Maggie's and Brody's stockings are hung by the chimney with care.

But they won't be the star of our show. Come Christmas Eve, the headliner will be wearing red and white - size 4T.

I thought Santa was real the last time Christmas was this much fun.