“Christmas makes me schmaltzy. I’m proud to be level-headed, even a little tough most of the time. But once a year I like to believe that peace on earth may be possible and calories don’t count.”
Another early morning for me-this time it was 4 AM. I tried to go back to sleep but couldn’t so I decided to read then finally I just came downstairs lured by the thoughts of fresh coffee. When I let Miss Gracie out, I was amazed at how warm it is, 58˚ right now.
Okay, I admit that some, okay many, of the Christmas movies are far too sweet, but I tend to watch them anyway. I am a sucker for all things Christmas. At this time of the morning though the choices are quite limited, mostly repeats of repeats. I couldn’t find anything on regular TV so I checked On Demand and found some Christmas movies I’ve never seen and suspect I never will. The first, Santa’s Slay, is about the devil’s son forced to be nice and give out gifts for a thousand years. The thousand years, though, are up. The other holiday offerings were no better. The Santa Claus killer is awakened from a coma and stalks a clairvoyant blind woman on Christmas Eve or Silent Night 5 ( 3 & 4 are also available) when, “A creepy toy maker and his son are spending their days and nights constructing a series of ever more horrible booby-trapped toys, each one designed to kill whoever plays with them.” Ho Ho Ho and Merry Christmas!
Switching gears:
My mother gave us an Advent calendar every year, and each December morning we’d open a new door. For Christmas Eve, the picture was always a small manger scene. The rest of the days varied and were mostly toys or symbols of Christmas like angels or a tree. Each opened door got us closer and closer to Christmas, and we got more and more excited. My mother would tell us how many days until Santa’s visit, but we’d count the unopened doors to make the days real to us. I still buy Advent calendars for my sisters, my friend and me. This morning I opened the door to find a filled Christmas stocking. I counted only two unopened doors left until Santa.
Around this close to Christmas, we starting driving my mother crazy. School was out, the weather was often too cold to play outside and the wrapped gifts under the tree were almost too much for us to bear. The gifts were squeezed, pawed and shaken. Each had that small hidden hole made by my sister, and we all had correctly identified our new pajamas, destined to be opened on Christmas Eve. With nothing to do, we’d start the teasing which usually led to yelling and a push or two. When we were young, the mere mention of Santa stopped us in our tracks. When we were older, my mother would threaten to ship us outside if we didn’t stop. The cold was an incentive to behave.
It was Christmas time which taught me patience.
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: christmas horror movies, Christmas scenes, fighting, getting excited for Santa, new pajamas, Santa's Slay, warm day
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December 22, 2013 at 8:45 am
Not a holiday movie, but a pretty darn good video for a one of my favorite holiday songs. (Can anyone else relate?)
Hallelujah! Everybody say cheese!
December 22, 2013 at 9:23 am
im6,
Even though I can’t relate, it is also one of my favorite Christmas songs, and I am a huge Robert Earl Keen fan. I much prefer this version to the studio single. The crowd adds so much.
Great post!
December 22, 2013 at 11:22 am
Christmas is for kids and anyone who is young at heart. Although the Santa myth is somewhat based on a real person, St. Nicholas, the jolly, bearded character we now love was formulated in the poem “The Night Before Christmas”. Although we didn’t celebrate the holiday for religious reasons, when we were kids we anxiously awaited Santa’s arrival to fill our stockings with small treats. I remember watching the Christmas Eve local news to see our local weather man use the new fangled radar to trace Santa’s progress south from the North Pole. Even my kids when they were little fell into the myth of Santa until they realized that it was just as good to have Chanukah because they got eight nights of presents rather than one morning. I guess we start teaching our kids to become consumers early. I hope everyone enjoys my favorite Christmas song about Santa.
December 22, 2013 at 1:54 pm
Bob,
Thanks for this song, one of the worst but still anticipated every year just for a laugh.
I always though 8 nights of presents was to be envied because I though they’d be a haul each night then I realized that we got a good number of wonderful gifts on Christmas morning.
Santa made Christmas fun and exciting. It wasn’t a blow to find out he wasn’t real. I got to play along with my little sisters.
I knew Clement Moore’s view became our Santa, and I’m glad for it. He is a, “right jolly old elf.”
December 22, 2013 at 11:55 am
I can’t stand most of the Christ,mas movies, especially not It’s a wonderful life 🙂 It’s just awful! But I was tempted by some of the on demand folms You mentioned 🙂 🙂 🙂
There was no use in threatening me with Santa not coming since I was terrified of him and gladely wouyld trade all my presents so I didn’t have to meet him 🙂 🙂 🙂
Almost nothing Christmasy on tv here yet, they won’t start properly until Christmas eve and most channels won’t show anything interesting until after they have shown Donald Duck here 🙂 No use really when over half the population watch that proigram.
I need to go to the super market tomorrow morning to buy mustard for the ham, can’t have Chrstmas ham without a crust with Mustard. Strange really since I really don’t like mustard 🙂 The storm is still hoiwling outside and I do hope it has passed till tomorrow, I’m a bit tired of storms right now but the good thing is thatbthey bring warmer weather 🙂
Have a great day!
Christer.
December 22, 2013 at 1:57 pm
Christer,
I like It’s a Wonderful Life, and I even watched it this year for the first time in a long while. The end makes me misty eyed.
It’s just that way-some kids are terrified, especially the smallest who usually cry. My brother wouldn’t sit on his lap, but I did.
The TV is filled with Christmas and has been for weeks. I don’t mind and have watched several movies.
I need dog and cat food tomorrow, and a prescription for me but that’s about it. I love ham.
The weather is warm here!
Have a wonderful evening.
December 22, 2013 at 11:57 am
Hi Kat,
im6’s video reminded me that I forgot to buy egg nog when I was in the grocery store yesterday. Oh well. I have time.
Or I could make it from scratch. What an original idea. 😀
We didn’t do Advent Calendars. I was probably in my teens before I ever saw one.
The only Advent thing I remember is the Advent wreath in church. Each Sunday an additional candle would be lit. We could see how many church services we had still to attend before Santa came.
I managed to stay abed until a civilized hour today. The dreary weather and complete lack of visible sun was probably to blame.
It’s damp and cold up here. Back into the normal winter temperatures after the lovely solstice respite.
Enjoy the day.
December 22, 2013 at 2:00 pm
Hi Caryn,
I bought the best egg nog. It is from a dairy in Milton and comes in a glass bottle. It is creamy and delicious. This is the first year I’ve ever seen it.
We had those calendars from the time we were little until my mother passed away then I gave them to my sisters to keep up the tradition. We once in a while had the Advent wreath with the candles and lit new one every Sunday during Advent.
It is dreary here but nice and warm out. The wind is pretty sting and the pine trees are swaying.
Have a great evening!
December 22, 2013 at 4:49 pm
Maybe I will check out Whole Foods to see if there is some of that egg nog in there.
My best friend’s father used to have a New Year’s Eve tradition of making the egg nog. It was a performance piece for him. The whipping of the cream, the beating of the eggs, adding them together, testing for correct amount of spice and sugar and, finally, the whisky. Never rum. I don’t know why not rum.
I hadn’t thought about the egg nog performance until just now. 🙂
December 23, 2013 at 11:03 am
Caryn,
I love some of the store egg nogs, especially the new ones I found this year. They are so creamy and tasty and my kalhua and brandy add just the right touch!
December 22, 2013 at 12:53 pm
Even old kids like us need an advent calendar 😉
Today I found a chocolate elf, which is not really traditional in our Christmas folklore. We mainly got to know them from US movies.
December 22, 2013 at 2:01 pm
Birgit,
I totally agree that we all need an advent calendar.
My mother had ceramic elves when I was a kid. They had pointed hats and red outfits. Ceramic was big for decorations when I was growing up. I have many pieces I got over the years and put them out for decorations as a reminder of my childhood!