Happy Holidays!

Bruce,

Merry Christmas!!!!

Merry Christmas, movie houuuse! Merry Christmas, you wonderful old Building and Loan!!

I wish I could have gone down and visited your family again this week! Be sure and leave a drunken carol on my voicemail if you're still celebrating.

My Christmas was pretty low-key, but it was nice. I hosted everyone at my apartment this year! I feel like such a grown up!!! It was kind of fun....I spent all day on the 23rd cleaning and baking cookies, and I bought a big ol' air mattress and decorated and everything! The cats have been knocking my tree down almost every day since I put it up right after Thanksgiving, so it was pretty lopsided by the time the "big day" rolled around.

I have also been watching a lot of Christmas movies. I have always felt that the affinity you and I share for Christmas movies is one of the cornerstones of our friendship. I know we tossed around the idea of doing a "best of" list of Christmas movies, so I wanted to go ahead and list my top 5:


5. Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. This was a PBS Christmas special made in the 70's. My parents taped it off the TV when I was a kid and it was always my favorite Christmas thing to watch growing up. It starts out with everyone ice skating to "Feliz Navidad," and then Oscar starts teasing Big Bird that Santa couldn't possibly fit down the skinny little chimneys to bring presents. Of course, this causes major drama! It also includes a "Gift of the Magi" subplot with Bert and Ernie. I was thrilled when I found this on VHS at Goodwill. It's about the sweetest thing you can ever watch.




4. Miracle on 34th Street. The 1940's version, of course! This movie is a classic, and you can't avoid seeing it on TV every year when the holidays roll around. The best part is when the Macy's store manager gets his wife drunk so she'll let Kris Kringle stay with them over the holidays. "Helloooo? Yes, we'd LOVE to have Santa Claus stay with us for Christmas. Mmmm-hhmmmmm.........I think it would be SIMPLY CHARMING!!!" Whenever I watch this with Bruce's family, we all say that part together like it's a drinking game.





3. The Muppet Christmas Carol. When a cold wind blows, it chills you....chills you to the bone! I'll admit that when this movie came out I had my doubts. It was one of the first things to come out of the Muppet studios after Jim Henson died, and Disney had bought out the company. I didn't think for a minute that this movie could capture the spirit of the Muppets as they had once been. Thank god I was totally wrong! This movie is one of my favorite Christmas movies, and one of my favorite Muppet movies as well. Michael Kane makes a fantastic Scrooge, and the songs are all amazing.



2. White Christmas. This movie is required reading if you're going to hang out with Libby's family. Everyone knows it by heart, and we always find something new to laugh about every year. (You are welcome to purchase tickets and stay up all night in the, uh, clubcahr) It's sort-of, loosely based on Holiday Inn, another Bing Crosby classic, and uses the same hotel as the set. Bing and Danny Kaye have a famous broadway act, and they meet Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen in Florida performing at a nightclub, and follow them to a Vermont Inn where (gasp) there's no snow! (Isn't this Vermont, New England's winter playground?) I love musicals and I love this movie. Bing does a lot of improvising and throws in all this 1950's slang all over the place. Vera Ellen wears a turtleneck throughout the whole film.

1. It's a Wonderful Life. Classic! This is my Dad's favorite movie of all time. I watch it every year, and I can't watch it with people around anymore because it makes me cry so hard. Usually I start to tear up around the time George runs to the cemetery and Clarence says "You see George, you've really had a wonderful life." And by the time Harry gives the toast and says "to George Baily, the richest man in town," I am full-on doing the ugly cry. Oh god!! It's true, no man is a failure who has friends!!!!!!



So there you all have it. I'm not ashamed to say that Christmas movies are some of my favorite movies of all time, and there are plenty of awesome movies that didn't make the short list. I'm SO excited about New Year's, you can't even believe it! I have a good feeling about 2008...I think it's gonna be a good year.
See you this weekend!!
Love,
Brax