Favorite Seasonal Movie
Bill Murray's "Scrooged." It's a retelling of "A Christmas Carole" that's wrapped around the story of a television production of the same story. I'll probably watch it this weekend.The script was written by the late Michael O'Donaghue, of "Mr. Mike's Least Loved" bedtime tales, from the old Saturday Night Live. See this movie just to hear Bill Murray deliver the line "The b*tch hit me with a toaster!"
Song You Most Enjoy This Time of Year
Darlene Love's "Winter Wonderland." They're playing it a lot on Steve Van Zandt's Underground Garage, on Sirius Satellite radio (thanks again Kim!). It was produced by Phil Spector-- Darlene Love "was" the Crystals. Looking her up, I found out that she had an acting career. She played Danny Glover's wife in all four Lethal Weapon movies. The first one was so bad, it remains the only one I ever saw.
Holiday Greeting
Since I have friends of just about every religion, and I'm not religious myself, I just say "Happy Holidays." Generic, but I strive not to offend.
Decorate, inside, outside
A little. I put some of the ornaments on the Christmas tree. I'm not excessive about it.
Oh, I put a Christmas hat on our Halloween skeleton. That was about 4 or 5 years ago. We just leave him up all year.
My son Adam added some snowflakes a couple of years ago.
This year I may add a Champagne glass, so we can add New Year's to the holidays he celebrates.
I haven't figured out anything for Kasamir Pulaski Day yet.
I'm pretty certain this is a Chicago-only holiday.
Do you make a list, if so how many people are on it?
No-- all in my head.
How up to the last minute do you shop?
Not at all. This flummoxes my hyper-organized wife-- that I'm so casual about everything else, but so ahead of the curve on Christmas shoppping. I start shopping in the summer. I am the Deal King-- I watch for deals on stuff I know I will want to get. It goes back to when it was just my son and I, and we had no money. I bought the last of my holiday presents yesterday.
When do you open your gifts?
All over the place. Since both my wife and I share custody of our children with our respective ex's, it varies. We'll open some Christmas Eve morning-- my ex gets my son on Christmas, I get Christmas Eve. Then he and I will go to Tennessee and open some more there on the 27th. Stepdaughter will open some with her stepbrother on Christmas Eve, some at her father's house the same day, some with Mom on Christmas and some with her mom's parents up in Minnesota on the 27th.
Whew-- you never realized that this blended family thing can be so complicated, did you?
Holiday food you most savor?
Big honking helpings of turkey-- mostly dark meat, with smashed potatoes and broccoli.
Favorite Holiday Book?
Polar Express. My old friend Garret, the one who served in Iraq for a year, gave it to my son when he was born, as part of a holiday tradition from his own family. I hope some day he finds the right woman and has his own child to hand that tradition to. He's a stand-up guy.New Years Resolutions?
Occasionally. And I occasionally try to keep them.
I won't be a tag-nazi. I tag anyone who wants this one.
7 comments:
Ah, Scrooged, I'd forgotten about that! Giggling Carol Kane as a violent Ghost of Christmas Present. I'll have to give that another viewing this week.
The only thing I have approaching resolutions is I get up, no matter how hung over I am, and go for a run on New Years morning. Even if the weather's horrid for the next two months and I don't run outside again that whole time, I feel better.
Big bonus in that movie, Bubs-- David Johansen as the cabdriver/Ghost of Christmas Past.
"Go back ta Jersey, ya moron!"
Good tradition. Good hangover cure!
We don't have a Kasime Pulaski Day in Savannah, but he is most revered and honored in our city of Savannah! A square, a monument(just recently renovated) his grave.
Yeah, I knew he was a Revolutionary War hero-- I couldn't remember the details.
We have a street here in Chicago named after him. It runs the length of the city north to south. You can tell the age of people by what they call it-- a lot of the old folks still call it by its old name, Crawford Avenue.
It becomes Crawford again once you cross Howard Street into Evanston, so a lot of suburban people call it Crawford too.
Yeah-- all those damned streets change their names. It took me weeks to figure out Evanston's geography when I subbed up there.
I love your Christms skeleton. He embodies ... (well, I guess he actually does NOT embody, does he) but he certainly captures a certain irreverance that is critical to a happy Christmas.
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