Holiday Challenge 2012 (1 Viewer)

[Michael Elliott]

I'm probably going to stick to shorts and a few features. I wasn't planning to start this so early but after a work-less 10-hour day at work, I had to break out the Netflix streaming. I'll post all the stuff I watched later but they have five volumes of a "Holiday Favorites" that contains a lot of shorts and other items. I went through volume one and they had things on there that I had never heard of (and one that's not listed on IMDB). So, with a really boring day at work, I ended up watching way too much.

 

[JohnS]

I'm probably going to stick to shorts and a few features. I wasn't planning to start this so early but after a work-less 10-hour day at work, I had to break out the Netflix streaming. I'll post all the stuff I watched later but they have five volumes of a "Holiday Favorites" that contains a lot of shorts and other items. I went through volume one and they had things on there that I had never heard of (and one that's not listed on IMDB). So, with a really boring day at work, I ended up watching way too much.

That's cool Michael.
I'll have to check that out in the next couple weeks.
Even though Thanksgiving is over, I'm still going to try and watch some Thanksgiving TV episodes.
There's a Friends one that is really funny where Chandler is in a box for kissing Joey's girlfriend.
I still need to watch the Community episodes.
Working Thanksgiving and having a six day work week and playing Black Ops 2 is really wearing me thin.
I'm going to start rolling out the Christmas stuff here starting Wednesday.
Calendar update!!!
Check the first post for all updates.
ABC will be airing Charlie Brown Christmas, Shrek the Halls and How the Grinch Stole Christmas starting next week.

 

[JohnS]

Watched a late Thanksgiving episode.
Don't Trust the B--- in Apartment 23 #204 "It's a Miracle..."
Since June can't afford to fly home for the holidays, Chloe persuades June to come to her parents house for Thanksgiving, which leads to alterrior motives.
James Van Der Beek works in a soup kitchen for a photo opp.
The cold opening of Krysten Ritter calling her married one night stands to freak them out during family time was funny and continues being a great bitch.
Good holiday fare.
Bob,
I checked your list out.
Great start so far.
How did you like Mixed Nuts?

 

[Michael Elliott]

As with the other challenge: New in Bold, ratings out of 4.
The Christmas Orange (2002) :star::star::star: (Netflix stream)
Spoiled Anton gives Santa a 600-toy list of wants for Christmas but when he gets up that morning he sees that the red man has just given him an orange. Anton decides to sue Santa for breach of contract and this sets off a strange set of events. This animated short isn't going to be considered a classic but I think it's cute enough and charming enough to make it worth viewing. I think what works best about the film is the animation. While it's not beautiful, I think all of the characters were extremely well drawn and I thought each of them was very memorable. This is especially true for the dark lawyer with the wart on his nose. Even the Santa here is quite memorable with his jolly old laugh. Needless to say, the story ends up with a big message that I'm sure kids will get but the film is also entertaining enough for their parents.
The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas (1973) :star::star::star: (Netflix stream)
This animated short starts off in a bear community where the honey factory is about to close down so that everyone can hibernate. This doesn't sit well with one bear because he wants to know what happens on Christmas morning so he sets out to find it. After a somewhat slow start I was worried this one here was going to be a dub but it actually turned out to be quite good and I'd say the ending was highly memorable as well. I'm not going to spoil the twist at the end but I thought it was quite touching and it certainly managed to end the film on a high note. I also really enjoyed the section of the film taking a look at a bear's life inside the factory. I thought the honey plant featured some pretty good animation with a lot of imagination. I found the bear characters to be mostly memorable and especially the lead one who wants to go against his kind, refuse sleep and try to find out about Santa. I'm sure kids will enjoy the cute looking bear and the adventure he goes on.
The Fat Albert Christmas Special (1977) :star::star::half: (Netflix stream)
Fat Albert and his gang come across a poor family who find themselves without a house, work or anything else. The mother is also about to give birth so Albert lets them use the clubhouse for a while but the rich guy in town is threatening to tear it down so the kids have to find something that will work for everyone. THE FAT ALBERT Christmas SPECIAL is a mix between A Christmas Carol (the mean rich man) and your average episode, which of course always had some sort of social message to it. I must say that this short is pretty far from what most would want to watch on Christmas and I'd even say that most parents would probably find this un-kid-friendly these days. With that said, there were a few interesting moments and I'm sure bigger fans of Fat Albert will probably be entertained with it. I thought some of the best moments were early on with the kids in the clubhouse and threatening to be thrown out by the rich man. There were a few funny jokes along the way that at least made me laugh. The animation is good for what it is and there's no doubt that the great Fat Albert voice is put to good use.
One Christmas (1994) :star::star: (Netflix stream)
Made-for-TV adaptation of Truman Capote's short story about an 8-year-old boy (T.J. Lowther) who goes to New Orleans to stay with his estranged father (Henry Winkler). Soon the boy starts to realize that his dad is a con man and his ideas of what life is all about are changed. I'm not familiar with the short story that this here is based on so I really can't comment on how good or bad it is but it certainly didn't make for a very good movie. The movie really made me think of a story that might have had a major impact on Capote as a child but it's just important to him and there's nothing really in the story that is going to connect with everyone. From what I've read, the boy in this film is based on Capote's own experiences and I can see how this story might have played a major role in his life but to me there just wasn't much going on here. I found the various situations to be rather boring and never thought they really added up to much. We've basically got a child whose been told lies all his life and now he's having to face the truth and it's something he doesn't like. The con man father isn't much better because it's simply a role we've seen too many times before and nothing new is done with it here. There are a few good moments in the film including the ending but there's not enough to keep it entertaining throughout. I thought the performances were quite good with both Winkler and Lowther doing nice work and having a strong chemistry together. The one thing this film will be remembered for is featuring the final performance of screen legend Katharine Hepburn. She's not given too much to do but she gets a couple good scenes and it's certainly great seeing her. Those wishing to see Hepburn in her final role are going to be about the only ones who will want to sit through this as overall the film just never really adds up to much.
A Christmas Carol (1969) :star::star::star::half: (Youtube)
Highly entertaining and effective animated version of the Dickens' story is without question one of the better adaptations out there. By now everyone is familiar with the story itself so there's no real point in going into great details about it. It seems like each year I try to locate new versions of this famous story and each year it really makes me think that Dickens' original story has to be one of the greatest ever written. It's so perfectly mixes in so many emotions and comes across as being so real that it's impossible not to get caught up in it no matter how many times you've read it or how many versions you've seen. The animation here is certainly one of the high-marks as everything is drawn so perfect and with so much detail that it almost feels like a live action film. It also helps greatly that nothing is lost in the animation meaning that the characters still feel very much human and none of the stories power is missing. I was very much impressed with how much emotional connection you were able to have with the characters and especially with Scrooge. The film opens up at the grave site of his partner as the rich man throws a fit about having to pay to bury him. This perfectly sets up everything that's to follow. The four ghosts all have a terrific look and manage to be quite creepy as well. At 45-minutes the film goes by extremely quick and it never feels long for a single second. Fans of animation or the story itself should really enjoy this version.
Santa and the Three Bears (1970) :star::star:
Pretty bland animated film has two cubs sneaking out of their den and going to the home of the local forest ranger. Once there the ranger tells them the story of Santa Claus and when they return home they don't want to hibernate because they want to see the Jolly fat man. This causes their mother to get worried because she feels they're just going to be disappointed since there's really no such thing. At 46-minutes this film just goes on way too long and there's really not too many interesting things in it. Yes, the cubs are cute and yes there's a nice message to be had but I think most kids and especially their parents are going to be bored out of their minds. The biggest problem is the running time because there's so much stuff that happens here that could have been edited out without hurting the actual film or its message. We get way too many scenes where the cubs keep asking questions either about Santa or about other things and it just never really drew me into the story. The animation is nice and I thought the vocal performances were good but neither of these are strong enough to make the film worth sitting through.
Brightest Night (1952) :star::star: (Netflix stream)
While putting the Christmas tree together, the kids ask their parents about the birth of Jesus so they all sit around the tree and the parents explain the Nativity Story. If you've never heard of the Nativity Story then you might enjoy this more than others who are familiar with it. I say this because the actual filmmaking here isn't all that impressive so if you already know the story you're probably going to want to see a better made film and you can get that somewhere else. The biggest problem with this film is that there's really no energy in it and everything just comes off flat. It's certainly not a bad movie but it's just way too low-energy and I'd say the pacing isn't as good as it needed to be. The stuff with the parents is all live action but when it comes time for the story we get a series of drawings and paintings that "show" us the story. I really thought these photos were the best thing about the picture as some of them contained great detail and really jumped off the screen. The narration was also somewhat good but that spark of energy would have helped.
Starlight Night (1939) :star: (Netflix stream)
I know absolutely nothing about this 30-minute short other than it came from the U.K.. Outside of that, I had never heard of this thing until it was featured on a "Holiday Favorites" collection viewable on Netflix streaming. What we basically have is a story set in 1811 as Napoleon is gathering men to go into war. Eight years later Father Joseph Mohr sits down and writes the song Silent Night. Pretty much it takes 30-minutes for us to get to a scene where the actor playing Mohr sits down, says a few lines of the song and then we flash to other kids singing the song. Again, I don't know anything about the cast or who directed this as even the IMDb has no info but this film was really, really bad. To say it ran too long would be an understatement because I was pretty much bored at the one-minute mark. There wasn't any sort of pace, the performances were bad and there just wasn't anything interesting going on. Even the added bits of stock footage were just embarrassing. However, this thing does reach a "so bad it's laughable" level and that happens when it comes time for Mohr to write the song. Just watch how horrible the performance is as the actor tries to "think" the words of the song.

 

[JohnS]

Amazon has Home Alone 1 & 2 on bluray for $11.99
I'm almost done with work and I feel like opening a carton of eggnog and watching "The Ref"

 

[John Stell]

001) 11/21/2012 Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

1/2

I didn't realize when I went to see this likely Oscar nominee that it had holiday elements, but the climax takes place December 28. A man suffering from bipolar disorder is released from an institution thinking he'll be able to reunite with his estranged wife. To that end he hooks up with his best friend's sister-in-law who has her own problems. Terrific performances carry this deft blend of comedy and drama which resorts to formula only during the final act.

002) 11/22/2012 A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)

1/2

Charlie Brown has to deal with preparing a Thanksgiving meal for Peppermint Patti and friends. Amusing Peanuts holiday entry is enjoyable but doesn't compare to the Christmas and Halloween specials.

003) 11/22/2012 Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987)

1/2

Steve Martin hooks up with John Candy as he tries to make it home in time for Thanksgiving. Incredibly funny film holds up very well after 25 years. Ending is surprisingly touching.

004) 11/23/2012 Garfield's Thanksgiving (1989)

1/2

Garfield's owner, Jon, invites the cat's vet over for Thanksgiving dinner. Amusing enough holiday special with great voice work by Lorenzo Music.

005) 11/23/2012 Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

Woody Allen's terrific comedy drama charts the lives of three sisters, book-ended by family Thanksgiving gatherings. Flawless performances and very upbeat story for Woody Allen.

006) 11/23/2012 The Ice Storm (1997)

1/2

Over the Thanksgiving holiday several families, residing in 1973 Connecticut, deal with infidelity, sex games, and their children's burgeoning sexuality. Well acted film builds inevitably to tragic ending.

007) 11/24/2012 Black Christmas (1974)

1/2

Simple but genuinely unnerving thriller about a psychopath who takes up residence in the attic of a sorority house over the Christmas holidays. This thriller features the most chilling crank phone calls ever presented on film, and inadvertently established several slasher tropes (point of view shots, final girl, simultaneous discovery of bodies). But the bottom line is this film is downright scary.

 

[Michael Elliott]

I'm going to try and catch SILVER LININGS sometime today or tomorrow as long as I can get over this cold. I always loved THE ICE STORM, although it's a bit too depressing to watch on a regular basis.
I've always been really torn on BLACK CHRISTMAS. I enjoy it but at the same time I think it would have been better if "where" the killer was was kept a secret. I actually enjoyed the remake more simply because of how perverted, how wrong and how disgusting it was. It really had some guts in doing what it did.

 

[JohnS]

The Cleveland Show #403 "A General Thanksgiving Episode"
Holt uses and pays Cleveland son Rallo to pick up girls. Cleveland and his friends open up their favorite bar at the local airport.
It pretty much was a general episode. But there was a funny duet song sung by Rallo and Holt titled "I pay a five year old for sex" with a cameo by Family Guy's perverted old man.
I watched The Ref
A great Christmas movie I love watching every year.
Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis play a great bickering couple on the verge of a divorce when they are taken hostage by escaping burglar Denis Leary.
Christine Baranski brings her family along for a night of dysfunction. Denis Leary poses as a marriage counselor "reffing" the entire family to hide his identity.
Back in 1994, this Christmas movie came out in March. Also at the time Kevin Spacey was still a newcomer, so the movie pretty much fizzled at the box office.
Not to say the movie is bad, it's not. It's very funny with great lines of dialogue. Even if you're not a Denis Leary fan, you should still watch this holiday comedy.
Still awaiting a Blu-ray release. I had to keep this on the DVR when it aired on Showtime HD back in October.
Don't forget that Home Alone 5 debuts tonight on ABC Family
Has anyone seen the Christmas Vacation Old Navy commercial with Chevy Chase?

 

[Michael Elliott]

Home Alone 4 (2002) :star: (ABCFamHD)
Made-for-TV sequel has Kevin McCallister (Mike Weinberg) getting left home alone in his father's new girlfriend's "smart" house and sure enough Marv (French Stewart) and his girlfriend show up to rob it. While watching HOME ALONE 4 I was thinking that it was just a cheap remake of the first picture and then came a scene where Kevin and Marv talk and talk about their "previous" meetings. At this point I realized that the producers were really trying for this to be a follow-up to the two Culkin pictures and then I had to scratch my head and wonder why the Kevin here was so much younger than the one played by Culkin in the first two films. That there should have been a dead give away that this here was trash but if that didn't convince you then the rest of the film should. I'm really not sure if this or part three were worse as they were both bad but this one here just comes across as extremely lazy and boring. Perhaps young kids might enjoy this since they really wouldn't know any better but parents are going to see this thing for what it is and it's just a cheap, lazy and poorly executed movie. There's no laughs, no adventure and nothing else really. Once we get to the scenes of the burglars getting their heads beat in you're going to either already be asleep or simply not caring what happens. Even the stunts here are pretty poor. Weinberg isn't that bad in the role of Kevin but the screenplay gives his zero help. Stewart is incredibly annoying in his role and none of the other supporting players really help much. HOME ALONE 4 put a death nail in the series (at least for a decade) and it's easy to see why.
Home Alone: The Holiday Heist (2012) :star::star: (ABCFamilyHD)
The fifth film in the series takes the approach of the third one and features no Kevin. Instead, Finn (Christian Martyn) moves to a new house with his family and believes that it must be haunted by the gangster who previously lived there. The little boy sets up traps to catch the ghost but soon realizes that it's three burglars (Malcolm McDowell, Debi Mazar, Eddie Steeples) who are actually trying to break in and steal a priceless painting. HOME ALONE: THE HOLIDAY HEIST doesn't come close to either one of the Culkin pictures but it's certainly miles better than the previous two installments. With that said, there's still a lot of problems with this movie but I suspect kids should really enjoy it since they're the ones this here is really aimed at. This is one of those movies that wasn't aimed for adults as everyone in the film acts pretty silly and this includes the thieves and the parents. The only mature ones are the kids, when it counts, as they have to protect the house. The gadgets here aren't all that memorable but there are a few funny moments for the thieves including a glass a glue and Mazar's butt slapping was actually done well. Martyn is certainly a step up from the previous two kids and for the most part I thought he was fine. I thought McDowell was pretty good in the role of the burglar as was Mazar and even Steeples for that matter. They certainly can't match Pesci and Stern but who could? While the film remains slightly entertaining, there's still no question that there wasn't a real reason for this to be made. It doesn't improve on anything from the first two films but I'm sure kids might enjoy it.

 

[John Stell]

My early Christmas gift - Maria, born 11/26/12 7lbs 12oz.

 

[Michael Elliott]

Congrats on the new addition John!!! I'm not sure if you've got any other kids with birthdates around Nov/Dec but welcome to the crazy world of getting a birthday taken care of and then being hit with Christmas right around the corner. I kid you not but Dylan ended up having three birthday parties and it wasn't two hours after the third that he started asking about Christmas gifts!

 

[Radioman970]

I'm Dec 13th. My mom always managed to make it fun, even though I'm now 46. Honestly, she just told me "We'll do your birthday when you come up to see The Hobbit with me."

 

[BobO'Link]

My early Christmas gift - Maria, born 11/26/12 7lbs 12oz.

Congratulations! Those are pretty nice gifts!

One of my granddaughters has a birthday in a couple of weeks and my dad is late December (just a few days after Christmas) so I've dealt with holiday birthdays my whole life! It can be quite challenging... *especially* for the little ones!

 

[BobO'Link]

Bob,
I checked your list out.
Great start so far.
How did you like Mixed Nuts?

Thanks! I'm trying *very* hard to watch at least *one* Holiday themed film or TV episode per day. I need to update my list again...
I *really* like Mixed Nuts. It's one of my favorite "dark" comedy films and has several laugh-out-loud lines. I don't see the flaws many critics and other viewers see. If you take it for what it is, a totally whacked out goofy and disturbed group of misfits that got thrown together one night, it's highly enjoyable. I don't care much for Adam Sandler's "songs" but at least it's a short segment. It's one of those films that, IMHO, just seems to get better with each viewing. My only regret is the copy I purchased was after Sony discontinued the WS/FS flippers so mine is a FS (blech) copy, but it really doesn't look too butchered from the process (but I've never seen it in OAR so I have no basis for comparison).

 

[Michael Elliott]

These two are VERY light on actual Christmas stuff but the first has some lights shown and the other brings up Christmas so since points aren't being tallied I'll count them.
I would post a PM I got from a Lohan fan but it's certainly not Santa friendly.
Silver Linings Playbook (2012) :star::star::star::half: (Theater)
Excellent performances highlight writer-director David O Russell's story of Pat (Bradley Cooper), a mentally unstable man who moves back in with his parents (Robert DeNiro, Jacki Weaver) after being released from a stint in an asylum. Once out he plans on trying to get back with his ex-wife but the restraining orders keeps him from doing so until he meets an equally disturbed young woman named Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence). SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK contains some of the best performances you're going to see this year and it's great to see a film that's main focus is acting, writing, story and direction. It seems these things are awful overlooked in today's time but Russell does a very good job building up some extremely likable and believable characters and we got a terrific cast that really brings everything together. I think the main thing that makes this movie so memorable are the performances from Cooper and Lawrence who are simply wonderful. I thought the two of them did a terrific job playing disturbed without falling into any sort of stereotype. Both of them are so believable in their parts but what really caps it is the chemistry they have together. Whether it's romantic, fighting, annoying or just being calm, the two of them really deliver. DeNiro is also very memorable in his supporting bit as the father. I thought this role gave the actor a chance to do both comedy and drama and it's certainly one of his more memorable roles as of late. Weaver, Chris Tucker and Julia Stiles are also good in their supporting parts. Russell offers up a terrific atmosphere of working class Philadelphia just like he did with the setting of Massacusettes in THE FIGHTER. The only thing I'd say working against the film is that it's a tad bit too predictable and it takes a long time getting to where it's going but this here isn't all that bad since we enjoy spending time with the characters.
Liz & Dick (2012) :star::half: (LifetimeHD)
Made-for-TV film about the up and down relationship between Elizabeth Taylor (Lindsay Lohan) and Richard Burton (Grant Bowler). That's pretty much all you need to know in regards to the story. If you don't know who Taylor and Burton were and just tune into this film then you're going to come away that they were both spoiled, drunk idiots who fought and had sex a lot. LIZ & DICK is a pretty poor movie that has some very good stuff in it but there's just no getting around some incredibly big and fatal flaws. The biggest flaw is the casting of Lohan, a talented actress, who is simply in way over her head. I really don't blame her horrible performance on her, I really blame the producers for casting her just to get some press and ratings. It's clear their trick worked but it really ended up killing the film because there's not a single frame where one will believe her as Taylor. The performance from Lohan is just bad and all over the place. Even embarrassing when it comes times for Lohan to re-enact some of the famous scenes from Taylor's movies. You can even call the performance lazy as the film covers twenty-plus years yet Lohan never ages. The film also goes over Taylor battles with gaining weight yet Lohan remains 100-pounds if that. Even worse is Lohan keeping her exact voice and not even trying to do Taylor's. Bowler, on the other hand, does a pretty good job capturing the voice of Burton and he handles the dramatic scenes much better. The film never tells you much about either person other than they drank too much and we never even get any knowledge of the films they made together. This is basically just a sleazy tabloid piece that goes for ratings and very little else. The film remains watchable because of the train wreck of a performance by Lohan but thankfully neither Taylor or Burton lived to see this.

 

[JohnS]

Congratulations John Stell on the new baby. Hopefully when the age is right, you'll be sharing the experience of Halloween and horror challenges to her.
Here are a few things I watched the last few days.
TV SHOWS
The Cleveland Show #404 "Turkey Pot Die"
Cleveland and Junior go to a turkey farm to kill their Thanksgiving dinner but Junior forbids against killing the turkeys.
For some reason Fox gave us two new Thanksgiving episodes for the last two Sundays.
I actually liked this Thanksgiving episode more than last weeks Thanksgiving episode.
The Office #210 "Christmas Party" when the office throws a Christmas party and par takes in secret Santa, Michael switches gift giving to "nasty Christmas"
when he gets a crappy Christmas gift.
A great office Christmas episode that I love watching every year. Creed's secret Santa gift to Jim with Creeds documentary answer makes me laugh every time.
This is my least favorite Office Christmas episode, but still very funny.
Chuck #211 "Chuck Versus Santa Claus"
The Buy More gets taken hostage on Christmas Eve by a fleeing car chaser. Chuck soon realizes that the hostage taker isn't the only threat.
This episode has a few fun nerd references. The lieutenant played by Walking Dead's Michael Rooker plays a character named Lieutenant Mauser (Police Academy reference) Burbank cop is played by Reginald VelJohnson basically playing the same role he did in Die Hard. And the hostage taker's character name is Ned Ryerson (Groundhog Day reference) This episode is fun to watch during Christmas. It's also the episode where Chuck sees Sarah do something he wish he didn't see.
More Christmas shows to put on your calendars.
The first post (which has the calendar list) has been updated
Friday 11/30 8pm PST
NBC- Christmas in Rockefeller Center
Saturday 12/1 8:30pm PST
NBC- It's a Wonderful Life
Monday 12/3 10pm PST
NBC- Blake Shelton's Not So Family Christmas
ABC- Castle (A man named Kris Kringle is killed)
Thursday 12/6 9pm PST
NBC- The Office (this is the final season and its final Christmas episode)

 

[Ockeghem]

John,
Congratulations!

 

[JohnS]

Today I watched A Charlie Brown Christmas.
ABC played the UNCUT version.
I think this was the first time I've seen the uncut version.
This is my favorite Christmas special.
There are so many great moments.
Music really puts you in the mood.
And I love every snoopy moment from 'booing' Charlie Brown to mimicking Lucy and dancing on top of Schroeder's piano.
They only drawback is the when I was a kid, I use to watch this when they aired Dolly Madison Charlie Brown commercials during commercial breaks.
And I really miss that.
It will soon be December 1st.
Anyone putting up Christmas decorations or their tree?
What about eggnog?
I've started drinking some eggnog.
I've also been brewing some "holiday" coffees.
Don't forget to keep checking the calendar in the first post for more holiday things to watch.
I'll be making an update late tonight.

 

[Mark-P]

This year I will be watching:
A Christmas Carol (1984 version Blu-ray)
Babes in Toyland (1961 version Blu-ray)
and on Christmas Eve:
The Polar Express (Blu-ray 3D)
Miracle on 34th Street (1947 Blu-ray)

 

[BobO'Link]

Today I watched A Charlie Brown Christmas.
ABC played the UNCUT version.

There's a *cut* version of this!?! Why would they cut up a classic (of course I'm assuming to add more commercials)? Just *what* was cut? Since it came out on DVD that's what we watch.

I think this was the first time I've seen the uncut version.
This is my favorite Christmas special.
There are so many great moments.
Music really puts you in the mood.
And I love every snoopy moment from 'booing' Charlie Brown to mimicking Lucy and dancing on top of Schroeder's piano.
They only drawback is the when I was a kid, I use to watch this when they aired Dolly Madison Charlie Brown commercials during commercial breaks.
And I really miss that.

Other than CDs from The Monkees the soundtrack for that special is the *only* intentionally purchased (i.e. didn't come on a collection of misc. songs) TV music in my collection (800+ albums, 1400+ CDs). It gets regular play every Christmas season.

It will soon be December 1st.
Anyone putting up Christmas decorations or their tree?
What about eggnog?

My wife started dragging out the totes to start decorating last Saturday. We have enough stuff to fully decorate the house 3 times over! She puts out different stuff every year decorating both our Living Room (upstairs) and Den (downstairs) with a full size tree, not to mention the Kitchen, Dining Room, and Guest Bedroom. Right now the house is a mess because she's almost done in the upstairs areas and is about to start the Den.
Mom tells me I loved eggnog as a kid (of course non-alcohol version). I don't remember having more than a cup or two since I was 12-13... may have to remedy that just to see if I still like the stuff.
Updated my list post.