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If I stay up this late again I WILL DIE.

Despite a tornado warning today (The hell? I live in New Yawk.), this past week's been a tribute to summer. Warm air, sunshine, T-shirts...I absolutely hate it. It's December, damn it. You folks out west might be okay with having a BBQ on Christmas Eve, but I feel stupid gazing at electric displays up and down the roads when it's warm enough to wear my tiki-print tank-top, formerly reserved for Independence Day and Independence Day only.

PS, I did watch A Charlie Brown Christmas on 11/28, and yeah, I mostly agree that it was a little too early for them to run it. It really wasn't that that early, but I think I would've preferred to anticipate my yearly SHUT UP LINUS, GET TO THE TREE PART shouts for a little bit longer.


Actually, it was fun. We were watching two of my nephews, nephews whose combined interest in A Charlie Brown Christmas weighed in at a heavy point blank zero. They spent the hour fighting over who got the computer while I sat like an asshole, video recording Charlie Brown with my digital camera's magic button. Every once in a while, though, they'd glance over and have to catch themselves being into it before stopping.

The special was loaded with Christmas commercials (and with commercials that the Kids of Now will someday associate with the 2006 holiday season, like let's say, a Nintendo Wii ad), and the Peanuts peeps continued to shine. Never once felt like I was watching it just because I "had" to.

Did a little Christmas shopping tonight. The local TRU is already a madhouse, so much so that I had to pass on buying these really awesome light-up lollipops shaped like icy blue snowmen, because even that ain't worth thirty minutes behind some bitch who "can't believe she's about to spend all this money!" I've had much more luck online. Found one of my nieces a "Baby Alive" doll, and everyone who finds this out freaks as if I'd stumbled onto a pit of oil. I swear, I've been getting the "We're Not Worthy" bows and everything. Is Baby Alive really such a hot ticket?

The Advent Calendar has been updated for December 2nd. Side note: At 3:30 AM.

Posted by Matt on 12/02/2006. E-mail me!



Discussion Thread: 48 comments

The Baby Alive doll seems like work rather than an actual toy. I guess I just don’t get the fun behind a toy that poops.

I saw commercial recently for this animatronic pony. It interacts with the kid based on how she pets him. It’s creative, but extremely creepy.

Chestnuts roasted by Dr. Acula @ 12/02/2006 2:08 PM

PS – Is anyone having trouble viewing the calendar? Explain the problem if you are. (May want to try hard-refreshing by pressing “F5″ first.)

Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 12/02/2006 2:26 PM

Is Baby Alive really such a hot ticket?

I work in a KB that doesn’t carry it so…yes.

BTW, anyone who waited til december to watch Charlie Brown Christmas can either 1) click on my name in my first post in the last blog or 2) click on my name here to go to myspace page to see it there in its entirety.

Chestnuts roasted by Invader Norbert @ 12/02/2006 2:55 PM

No way, Baby Alive is back?? Those things were creepy THEN, with early 1990′s technology. I don’t even want to think about what they must have become now.

This is the bad omen Mare was talking about….

Chestnuts roasted by Mars @ 12/02/2006 3:04 PM

I am in heaven, not only is it December but Knacks is now my MySpace friend, hooray! We are so going to PM each other poorly written poetry and talk about math class. Hells yeah!

Chestnuts roasted by Darth Poop @ 12/02/2006 3:18 PM

http://www.shaveeverywhere.com/
What has the Christmas advertising agencies gone to. This is hilarious but what kind of Christmas present is this? Man-scaping? I miss the old McDonald’s commercials that make you cry or the TRU with Geoffrey the Giraffe.

Chestnuts roasted by Bill @ 12/02/2006 3:36 PM

Thanks jazzy, you’re right, that is creepy as hell.

Chestnuts roasted by Mr. Boligarky @ 12/02/2006 3:36 PM

Baby Alive goes all the way back to the 70′s. The “food” was just scented powder you mixed into a translucent goo that smelled vaguely like peaches and strawberries. My sisters didn’t have it, but their friends did. Oldest Sis didn’t care for those kinds of dolls, and Army Sis didn’t get them after the one with growing hair got a haircut, and Baby That-a-Way tumbled down concrete stairs at our apartment building. She was more into figuring how they work than taking care of them. She grew up to be a good mom, though.

Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 12/02/2006 3:47 PM

I’ll give you guys another reason to love the West besides our temperate winters: Spanish-language infomercials for car dealerships where women in fishnet stockings, red bikinis and Santa hats frolic in front of minivans to encourage you to buy a car. Or maybe you have those back East too?

Chestnuts roasted by squee4242 @ 12/02/2006 4:04 PM

Bill –

I got an email from the company that said due to budget restraints they can’t hire anyone until after the new year. That’s fine by me…I’m currently studying for my GREs to apply to a doctorate program at Florida State University.

Chestnuts roasted by Jeff Mack @ 12/02/2006 4:09 PM

Did he say “an extra optical inch to his ****” or is that the result of the choppy playback of my browser. I’m going to go with the latter, for the love of god.

Let’s just say I didn’t stick around to see if he ever dropped the robe.

Chestnuts roasted by K- @ 12/02/2006 4:31 PM

Lol, more guys are “body grooming” than you’d probably think. It’s like my #2 requirement in a man, right below being at least 6′ tall. I’m loving the two Christmas balls in the corner. Excellent touch.

Chestnuts roasted by Mystie @ 12/02/2006 5:00 PM

I was actually kindof shocked to see it up by noon. Wish I would’ve been online at like three. I was up, but chose to watch “Keys To The V.I.P.” while folding jeans….for some reason.

I believe this is the first year that I’ve been trying to keep up with calendar, and I must say its nice.

Matt, I was wondering if you’d watched A Charlie Brown Christmas, but figured that you had. I have to say, Christmas Time is Here is by far my favourite Christmas song (carol?). I’m irritated by the fact its rarely covered on like…Heart and America’s Christmas records.

In any case, I plan to buy the soundtrack when I make my $300 dollar excursion to HMV next week. Maybe try and get some sheet music too.

Does anyone else think “Baby Alive” looks like the baby dionosaur from “Dinosaurs”?….. “Baby”.

Chestnuts roasted by Tutsuro @ 12/02/2006 5:05 PM

Good for you Jeff. FSU is warmer anyway.

Chestnuts roasted by Bill @ 12/02/2006 5:53 PM

squee4242: I totally remember the Babysitters Club. I don’t really remember Dawn talking about 80 degree winters, but then we have them here in Florida sometimes, so it wouldn’t have fazed me enough to be worth remembering.

Chestnuts roasted by jazzy @ 12/02/2006 6:37 PM

That ‘pony’ thing is actually creepier in person.

I used to have a black Baby Come Back, even tho I’m Heinz 57 white…I thought she was much cuter than the white version of the doll. Of course, I did live in a small Midwest town at the time, so I did get other kids asking about my doll using the n-word. She unfortunately ended life in a landfill after some batteries leaked inside her. :/

BTW, Baby Alives don’t do well when you feed them chocolate chip cookies. :D Yeah, I did that to my sister’s! Same year I accidentally locked her in our bedroom by using a hairpin as a ‘key’… Boy, when I was four, I was a little stinker! :D

Chestnuts roasted by Moony @ 12/02/2006 10:05 PM

OMG!!!!!!!!! BABY SITTERS CLUB!!! They were my best friends through my friendless adolescence…
Kristy Thomas
Mary anne Spier
Claudia Kishi
Stacy Mcgill
Dawn Schafer
Mallory PIke
Jesse Ramsey

I had about 8o of them i think? don’t know how many were made though……omg…what i would’nt have done for those girls to come to life and take me back with them to Stoney Brook Conneticut

I used to dream we were all friends and stuff…im actually tearing up as I type this because they were SUCH a pivotal part of my life growing up….you have no idea how it is to be lomely and no friends slightly over weiht with glasses and a love for books.

Chestnuts roasted by mandy_Reeves @ 12/02/2006 10:57 PM

Mandy, I was also a big Babysitter’s Club fan in the early 90s. My reading ability actually grew out of them before I did. I could read two a day, sometimes three. I stopped reading them when I got sick of my mother fussing over my not reading more “difficult” adult books, but I’ve since regretted bowing to her wishes. Whether or not they were too “easy” for me, I really liked those books and the girls themselves.

I didn’t watch “Charlie Brown Christmas” on ABC, but it’s not a huge loss, as I have it on DVD. I do miss those once-a-year-with-commercials events sometimes, but not enough to get cable for one.

And the Advent Calender is still brightening my frustrating day. I feel so much better knowing Knacks, Kuse, and Mare will be questioning the meaning of today’s gifts after a hard day of listening to 2,000 obnoxious Camden families and old people whine because the sale they wanted ended yesterday.

Chestnuts roasted by starwenn @ 12/02/2006 11:19 PM

Back around Halloween I mentioned how they were playing It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown on the video screen before a Carolina Hurricanes game here in Raleigh…well, I was at tonight’s game, and they were playing a Charlie Brown Christmas on the screen before the game.

Oh, and the Canes won. :) Have you ever seen Rod Brind’Amour on a bubble gum card? I’ve never seen Rod Brind’Amour on a bubble gum card. Have you? Hmm?

Chestnuts roasted by mjf7583 @ 12/03/2006 1:28 AM

Yes, Baby alive are a hell of a hot ticket, I should know because i work a Toys r us in los angeles and have the displeasure of telling customer after annoying, needy and helpless customer that “sorry we’re all out, and no i don’t know when we’re getting any more”.

why the ugly toy is so popular is beyond me. I don’t even know what it does.

Chestnuts roasted by Ash @ 12/07/2006 4:42 PM

I’ve killed it. Everything I touch gets ruined…

Chestnuts roasted by Mal @ 12/08/2006 7:45 PM

This is one of my christmas favorites.

I mostly just wanted to take the time to Thank you Matt for bringing us this great website. It’s one of my favorite websites on the whole internet and you’ve done a great job with it. It’s the closes thing to a real time machine that we may ever see.

Thanks for the public service you’re doing here and for giving us back our childhood memories. In the nostalgia there is a recapured sense of the magic that a person loses over time as they become an adult that deals with the pains of life wich can force cynism into ones personality.

So I really just wanted to say, Thank You. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. May you be blessed!

Chestnuts roasted by DJ @ 12/20/2006 3:33 AM

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This entry was posted on Saturday, December 2nd, 2006 at 4:45 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.