X-Entertainment's Christmas Season & Advent Calendar, 2008.

12/15/2007: Dancing Linus, fruitcake and so forth.

EDIT: Advent #15 is up.

I’ve got a bit of a red wine slosh going as I write this, which I would normally welcome, but as I need to head into Adventland immediately following this entry…that extra glass probably wasn’t the best idea. Perhaps writing about Charlie Brown dolls and Atomic Fireballs will help sober me up? It’s worth a shot.

No holiday spread is complete without at least one weird decoration that dances while blasting music, and this year, we’ve got a new Peanuts sleigh to fill that quota. Though this isn’t the most productive use of a twenty dollar bill, there was just no resisting it after getting an in-store demonstration of how pressing one of Snoopy’s paws sends him, Charlie Brown and Linus on a merrily spastic dance adventure to the tune of various Christmas songs. In a neat touch, the Christmas songs (”Jingle Bells” and “We Wish You A Merry Christmas”) are mixed with traditional Peanuts themes to create mutant holiday music that you just can’t hear anywhere else.

The plush dolls look pretty cheap (Chuck in particular looks like something you’d win at a Guatemalan arcade), but their inner electrogizmos are top notch. They dance and move with as much vigor as can possibly be expected from plush dolls. In fact, that vigor was legendary enough to inspire me to create this video of the madness. Granted, they aren’t armed with a vast variety of dance moves, but I guess, when you’ve got two guys, a dog and a bird trapped together on a single sleigh, there are only so many body parts you can afford to move before things start to look obscene.

Fruitcake time — aren’t you excited? I’ve covered these “Holiday Fruitcakes” from Hostess on the site before, but only with passing mentions, and never with photos that weren’t blurry. Fruitcake’s reputation as a shitty and corrupt dessert is an opinion held in the United States alone, and even then, it’s been more than a little exaggerated by the entertainment industry.

Then again, I’m willing to admit that fruitcake is more fun to look at than it is to eat. Screw the taste…these things are pure art. I mean, how often to do you see those rare green maraschino cherries incorporated into anything? For that end alone, fruitcakes are worth celebrating. I wouldn’t have even known that green maraschino cherries existed if it wasn’t for fruitcake.

Growing up, I had this one aunt who would always bring gingerbread-style houses made of fruitcake to our Christmas Eve parties. The housecakes were enormous and ridiculous, mixing ingredients that should never be mixed, and taking up so much space that we couldn’t even put them on the dining room table. Whenever I flip through my family’s photo albums, all of the old Christmas pictures have the vague outline of a fruitcake/gingerbread house lingering off in the distance. Nobody ever seemed to eat them, and now that I think about it, I didn’t even realize that they were meant to be eaten until I was much older. As a child, my prime directive was coming up with some way to steal the fruitcake house and use it as a holiday-themed base of operations for my G.I. Joe figures.

The Hostess version of fruitcake is obviously dumbed down for mass audiences, but it’s got it where it counts: The cakes are absolutely saturated with everything but cake, from candies to cherries to nuts, and at least a few things that I swear are mashed up dead flies. As I find my palette growing more and more open to things I once found disgusting, I have to say, the stuff really isn’t that bad. I don’t know how anyone can eat more than a slight sliver of the stuff, but maybe that’s all we’re meant to eat.

I dunno. Holiday parties always include a few foods that have to be there regardless of the level of interest from the people attending those parties. Fruitcake is one of them. Even if it’s no more than a negotiably edible decoration, it’s still got its rightful part in the play.

This is the kind of coverage that provides X-E with its fringe and edgy reputation.

I’m really digging that I’m still finding new “official” stocking stuffer toys so close to Christmas. I don’t know much about Tech Deck Dudes, but they’ve unleashed at least one figure with a holiday thematic. His name? “Snow Ballah.” His game? Fucked if I know, but he comes with a little skateboard and he’s dressed like a snowman. I’m an easy sell; it usually won’t take more than that.

A little research tells me that the Tech Deck Dude figures are just extras, and that the real selling points are actually the little toy skateboards. “Fingerskating” is apparently a much wider reaching phenomenon than I’ve previously given it credit for, having raised its own weird subculture with annual competitions occurring on every continent. Just more proof that there’s a market for every idea. Look for X-E’s collection of “Speed Hats” to debut in Spring ‘08. Each set will include two hats and a scorecard. The goal is to put your hat on quicker than your opponent. Speed Hats will arrive in several colors and styles, and I’m gunning for the Winter ‘08 releases to include glued-on felt antlers.

Click here to see Snow Ballah in his neat little package.

Finally, we have a pair of those plastic-ornaments-filled-with-candy. They’re nothing new, but I can’t believe I found an Atomic Fireballs version. Fireballs! They were as good as cash among my fifth grade classmates and I, and I’ve long wondered why the more recent generations of children haven’t looked upon them with the same level of intrigue and respect as mine did. Sure, there are hotter candies out there. Sure, there are candies that taste better. There may even be a few candies that are somehow more red than these. But are those candies named after fireballs, much less fireballs of the atomic variety? I think not. What’s in a name? Everything, if you’re named after a atomic freakin’ fireball.

Think I’ll call it a night. Happy SNT, if you’re here for it. The Advent Calendar is technically up to date as of this writing, though I have a sneaking suspicion that #15 won’t be posted until after midnight. Better late than never, better good than early. Contrary to my hope shots, writing about candy and Linus hasn’t sucked the red wine from my bloodstream. I still feel like my new main goal in life is to melt into the couch with nothing but a throw blanket and my eyelids to shield me from the outside world.

Quick note: I’ve been doing a lot of blog entries this season, so much of our holiday coverage has already scrolled off the main page. If you want to see the rest, start here. If you want to see the breast, start here.

My brother loves fruitcake, me, not so much…he also likes SPAM, so I come from a pretty weird family, not that I find that bad or anything. Good conversation bits. Anyways…

I really want to see the new Advent Calendar entry RIGHT NOW. After yesterdays epicness of epic proportions I need to know what comes next. I’ll savor the day when I can read this as a complete peice and connect all the dots and search for all the hints in the past entries.

I stopped doing it two years ago because the well had run dry with ads I really wanted to cover, and it hit the point of just trying to find any commercials even a little bit Christmassy.

I have a ton of old (80 and 90’s) xmas tapes that I just put into DVD’s with a TON of ads (even the ronald ice skater one). I would have no problem donating them to the site for commercial viewing pleasure.

So what’s the subject tonight? Weird or favorite things eaten at Christmas time?

Just finished watching the Nightmare Before Christmas…still not entirely sure it belongs in the “Christmas movie” category, but, then, I disagree with the much of Blockbuster’s categorization.

I am now contemplating breaking out the vanilla vodka to use in my edible peppermint shotglass. And Matt, having grown up a decade or so after you, I am proud to admit that, in my family at least, Atomic Fireballs are among the most prized of candies.

For me, it’s the Gap ads, even though I don’t own many Gap clothing. And there wasn’t a Gap ad this year! I was very disappointed.

I love glace cheries! That fruitcake looks pretty good to me! So bright and cheerful.

13th? Probably not - My mom used to make a pretty good fruitcake back in the day - of course, she used about a half a litre of whiskey to make six fruitcakes

The breasts, more like

We used to get a fruitcake by mail every year from a relative, and for the longest time I never tried it because I thought it was gross, but now I think it’s tasty. That picture looks kind of ooky though.
Happy SNT all!

Atomic Fireballs must have been to Matt’s 5th grade class what Warheads were to mine. I don’t remember especially liking the taste of Warheads, but I had to eat them constantly, because they made me cool. There was one flavor that was more sour than all the others (I forget which now), and if you could eat it, you were legendary. I took great pride in my ability to eat that flavor, whatever it was.

Topic suggestion: What new traditions have you started this year? What did you do differently this year, on purpose or accidentally, that you absolutely MUST repeat in future years? Or if you didn’t start any this year, what’s the best one you’ve started since becoming an adult?

This year I started three traditions I will definitely be carrying out again next year. The first was making those candy cane cookies I mentioned in a previous thread.

The second was putting up our older, mangled but awesome artificial tree in my room. We can’t use glass ornaments or put out presents early in the living room because our pets will destroy or eat them. The pets aren’t allowed in my room, so I went all out on my tree: old-fashioned glass bulb lights, all the ornaments we can’t use on the other tree, and tinsel. I also put the gifts I’m giving out under it after I’ve wrapped them. Christmas just doesn’t feel right to me unless I get to stare at a pile of presents all month.

The third is that this year I mailed out extra gifts. See, I have this unruly mob of internet friends who live in various places around the world, and we’ve grown to be a family over the years. Previously I only mailed gifts to a friend whose family is Muslim and obviously doesn’t do Christmas, but this year I’ve gone all out and mailed gifts to nearly all of them. At first I didn’t think spending $20 to mail a $10 gift to Australia was worth it, but when I talked to my friends as they were opening their packages and flipping out over how much they loved them, it totally was. I will absolutely do this again every year I can afford it.

I would like to point out that I was just soaking in a bathtub full of gingerbread bubbles.

Hmmmm, I too suspect that that Charlie Brown sleigh is unauthorized. The green shirt is a dead give away; wouldn’t be surprised if it said PEEnuts on the label.

Having taught one year of 7th grade , I too have no idea what the attraction to the finger skateboards is but whatever.

I had my brother convinced for many, many years that fruit cake was really pound cake with Juju Bees stuck in it. He didn’t realize it wasn’t until he saw it featured on the Food Network.

As for commercials I actually look forward to … they are few and far between, as most holiday commercials are so God-awful. I guess I would have to say The Leather and Fur Ranch ads they run here in Jersey because they are on par with most Troma Productions. It’s like a group of semi-attractive adults doing a 60-second rendition of the movie “Mannequin” scripted by a slow class 3rd grader and shot with an old Hi-8 cam, if you can possibily fathom that. It’s craptacular beauty cannot be denied. I prefer it to all the over-produced, overly-sentimental, and over-played luxury car and crappy mall jewelry store ads.

You know, I saw that Snow Ballah guy at Target and thought “I bet Matt would like that…”

I feel the same tonight too: after 10 years (AH!) of teaching I had to take a day’s worth of tests to prove I knew what I was talking about because I moved to a new state. Go figure. So I’m lushing out with some Irish coffee and will probalby be in bed by 11pm. P-A-R-T-Y animal…that’s me

When you say “speed hat”, are you thinking of woolen winter hats, or baseball-type hats? Or something completely different?

The only Christmas commercial I can think of that still airs that I look forward to is the one with the ringing Hershey’s kisses. I love that.

Completely unrelated to the conversation at hand … but have you folks checked out the new crop of American Gladiators? Effin’ awesome (in that ironic, you-have-got-to-be-screwing-with-me kinda way)! Click on my name to behold the glory!

Jazzy, I remember when the Warheads were cool, and the bridge between the Atomic Fireball, and the Warhead, these “super,” candies imported from Japan, which came in several flavors, super cola, super lemon, super apple, and I think “Super Ume.” They were coated with this disgusting sour stuff, attempting to eat one would make my tongue bleed. I would do it in school, but if I had any leftover at home, they would be run under the sink before consumption.

Yeah Atomic Fireballs That was the one candy that made me feel like a bad ass if I could get through all hot with out taking it out of my mouth, It was viseral it made me feel alive.. at least till I discoverd cutting. hehe

I have a whole tree decorated with the candy filled ornaments. Love it! I have one ornament with the atomic fireballs, one with razzles and all kinds of stuff.

I just realized that I don’t really have any holiday traditions aside from the “light the chanukiyah/make latkes/play dreidel if anyone’s around” variety. Christmas? We make a nice dinner and call friends and family. Sometimes we go to the movies. Last year, we went to the Episcopal church, but my mother told us not to go back this year because we couldn’t keep a straight face because of this old woman screeching ‘O Holy Night’ off-key.

A Christmas commercial that doesn’t air any longer, but that we have on a tape so we manage to watch every year, is an old Target one from the eighties in which this woman soulfully wails (and wails and wails) “I’m never away for the HOLLLLidays/I’m bringin’ Chriiiiiiistmuuuuus Hooooome. TAAAAHGET! Bringin’ Christmas HOOOOOOME!”
I love that commercial.

Same with me. The valuable candy in 5th grade were Warheads, and when Middle School & High School came around, Air Heads took the claim as the most valued candy of them all. It’s still the sugary equivalent of Gold if you give out full-sized bars of them to Trick or Treaters.

As for Tech Decks…The finger skates (and at the same time, Finger Bikes) were more popular when I was in Middle School, a good 9 or 10 years ago already. Now they’ve fallen out of popularity, but still show some kind of small following, as we still see them being made, as well as the “Dudes” themselves. They’re supposed to represent your Thumbs, but then they grew limbs and I’m surprised an uprising hasn’t happened yet.

When you say “speed hat”, are you thinking of woolen winter hats, or baseball-type hats? Or something completely different?

Why not both of them? Collect them all! I imagine there will be several upon several varieties.

Last night I went to my Frat’s Xmas party…damn, that’s a good time. If you really want to see some fun, try packing about 30 or so frat guys (as well as one wheelchair-bound brother), with a few girls and dates, into a tiny room for a Gift Grab Bag.

I ended up with a bottle of Capt. Morgan’s! I don’t drink much (I had a shot of SoCo last night that I regretted having. My chest felt like it was on fire for 45 minutes), but this is something that I might actually try.

My gift for the Grab Bag was inspired by X-E: 2 cartons of SoCo Egg Nog, plus a bottle of SoCo (the same one I took the shot from). The Nog turned out to be a smash hit, as everyone wanted to know what the heck SoCo Nog would taste like. Sadly, I didn’t try myself, but they told me it was good (it was spiked with some SoCo, so that might’ve influenced it)

Oh, and Santa on the Fire Truck came by my block this morning, so it’s officially Christmas!

When it comes to X-mas desserts, in my book, nothing beats a good plum-pudding! It doesn’t get more Christmas-y than that.

Also, Atomic Fireballs and Warheads are both gifts from the gods themselves. Not only are they delicious (I love spicy and sour stuff), but my cousin and I used to pretend that Atomic Fireballs gave you fire-breath!

Anyway, one holiday commercial that I absolutely love but they don’t seem to have this year is the “Christma-hana-kwanza-kuh” commercial.

OMGLMFAO - I just saw the last half of the He-Man and She-Ra Christmas Special!! I spent about 50% of the time going ‘wtf?!’ and the other 50% laughing my ass off. By the way, if anybody notices a disembodied ass around, can you give me a shout? Damn thing wandered off.

Anyways, it struck me as pretty interesting since I just read the X-E review of it yesterday.

Also, nice article. I’ve never actually seen an unwrapped fruitcake, so it was also enlightening. Still think I’ll avoid eating one though.

Hehehe. “I don’t like to feel good. I like to feel evil…” LOL, pouty Skeletor.

The problem with fruicake is that it tastes more like dry stale bread than cake. Even carrot cake tastes like cake, why can’t fruitcake taste like, you know, cake?

The only Christmas tradition we have is to go to a movie and eat whatever mom cooks in the crockpot that day.

A.) I must be one of those weirdo martian guys, because i can’t get enough fruit cake around the holidays. i practically live on the stuff from november to january

B.) Matt, take the night off, we can live without #15 tonight, and you sound exhausted(aka smashed)

My mother used to make candied fruit cookies. They tasted similar to vinyl with licorice-y bits. Wasn’t until we were in high school that every other family member was successful in getting her to stop making them.

My favorite Christmas commercial this year & last is the Sierra Mist Holiday Hawk ad.

1) Jim Gaffigan
2) Michael Ian Black
3) A Hawk that sings “Jingle Bells” in an operatic voice.

You know, probably the oldest commercial still running today is that Campbell’s commercial with the snowman that turns out to be a kid.

JLA — Would love to hear more about IAL. I love the concept, but for some reason I just haven’t been digging the previews.

Well, I haven’t been by since the Halloween countdown fiasco, and I find it odd that the Xmas countdown is so big in a year where the weather’s not that christmassy, but that was an excuse for the Halloween countdown being cut out, the weather not being right…

Not that it’s a problem, this advent calendar thing is great, and I was definitely ready for xmas this year, but Halloween kind of got the shaft. I had a great one and October in general, and was a little confused why it was thrown aside so badly.

Chris, I’m the king of bad excuses, but I don’t think I ever said outright that I wasn’t doing the Halloween Countdown because it was too hot out. It just didn’t click this year.

Also, I’m not so sure about the format. It’s actually more work to do the Advent Calendar than the HC, but the HC becomes an impossible scenario: Finding 30-40 things worth writing pretty long articles about almost every day. After so many years, I’ve exhausted a lot of the topics. I should’ve went with my instincts and made this year’s HC a blog-only thing, where the entry length didn’t matter. Some people might’ve gotten upset by that, but it would’ve been better than…well, no HC at all.

ABC just called, looking for strike-induced filler, and they’re heavily interested in this “speed hat” competition. I told them they had the wrong number and they wanted Matt.

I really don’t understand why people are still hung up over the Halloween countdown. So Matt felt like putting a lot of effort into the Advent calendar. So what? Halloween was nearly two months ago. This is December.

I really do wish the weather felt more Christmassy, though. It was over 80 degrees here today. Even in Florida, it isn’t usually that warm in December :/

I like the idea of a blog only countdown, Do articles when it works. Somtimes I prefer a bite sized, or fun! sized article to the mondo vareity.

Annette, I’ve always found that Campbell’s soup commercial, with the snowman melting into a boy bit spooky. I mean I keep thinking that the snowman could melt into something else. How did that kid become a snowman in the first place?

Man, just had an awsome night. Anyone out there who gets a chance should check out the Trans Siberian Orchastra. It started a lot like Matt when he had the dinasour ticket thing he wrote about, I really wanted to stay home and not go out but the family had already bought the ticket. Anyway it was an awsome show, I think anyone who like the jukebox would love the music plus the narrator sounds like the guy narrating from the grinch. We caught them at the Continental Arena (I refuse to call it Izod), and they play every year so Matt if you get a chance next year you shoudl really check it out.

Nice entry Matt. My group of friends like yours obviously took to the fireballs. We loved them and they were like gold. I actually still have a half bucket of them in my pantry left over from halloween. I tried to give out fireballs, double bubble and nerds this past halloween.

As an aside, we also had the warheads but we preferred the Lock Jaws too. They were super SOUR. MMM… my mouth waters just thinking about them. Matt where are you finding these candy filled ornaments, I have had zero luck at walmart and walgreens. And Target has been disappointing too for some reason. Maybe I am not looking in the right places.

I have 2 commercials that mean Christmas to me. First is the lame Folgers one where “Peter” comes home from college to surprise his family. I know it’s pure cheese, but it makes me feel all gooshy.
The other one is the Budweiser clydesdale horses pulling the sleigh. That one is really old!

I’m always surprised by people that feel like the Halloween countdown was some big horrible letdown. I mean, yeah, the daily updates thing went off the rails, but it’s not like the holiday was completely ignored. I guess it’s different if you’re more of a seasonal reader.
I’m interested in hearing about IAL too. I loved the book, but I’ve been watching a lot of Fresh Prince lately and I’ve been having a hard time picturing Will Smith in the role. The vamps seem a little too souped up for my taste too, but you can never tell with trailers.

I’m with the group that agrees with the ‘blog type’ entries….I actually like the Advent waaay better than it used to be -I love the reoccuring characters, story and such, and I never really cared for the Ad-vert thing like some others- plus, it was a summer Mega-Party that really drew me in, and that was all bits of blog entries….

Everyone needs a day/night/weekend/week/Halloween off now and then; we’re all just human.

First, if I happen to find one of those atomic fireball ornaments, I’ll have to pick one up for my dad, becasue he loves them.
Second, thanks for bringing up that Campbell’s soup commercial, Annette. I saw it a few days ago and was really surprised that it was running again, because I seem to remember a few years without it. I find the kid a bit creepy too, Tresjolie.

Third, I was taking part in my Christmas tape listening ritual tonight, and it occurred to me that I should ask you guys if maybe one of you also had this one tape. “Santa’s Christmas Party” copyright 1987 Silver Bells Music.
It’s got an odd assortment of your standard songs: Jingle Bells (emphasis on the bells), Joy to the World, Rudolph, etc. Some kid vocalists (that are generally decent) and some adults, too. The last song is the March of the Toy Soldiers.

What makes it noteworthy to me is the rendition of The First Noel, which is interrupded by someone asking for a “Pat” by name. Doubt it was an accidental over-recording on our end, as I seem to remember it being there from the beginning and we didn’t know anyone named Pat until later.

The stranger thing is the version of the Twelve Days of Christmas- it’s sung like the Chipmunks, and the first five days are purely “a partridge in a pear tree.” Then they sing about days six, seven, and eight, in order, just the day-specific gifts, followed by the sixth day of Christmas (!?) with another gift of just a partridge in a pear tree. Then it ends. I can’t figure it out either. Weird as it is, it’s been a staple of my holiday season since the early 90s. Anyone familiar?

YES, I love the lame folgers commercial with Peter. Just ain’t Christmas until I see that one somewhere.

As for the ones who were let down over the Halloween countdown, your not true readers of the blog. You take the good with the bad, the sporatic with the consistant and enjoy the randomness and insight that only Matt can provide. I can’t tell you how many people have fallen in love with this site and all the memories Matt brings back to us all.

I’ve never heard of Atomic Fireballs. In my youth (God, I’m only 20) everybody was crazy about Warheads. Same concept: kids love foods named after anything similar to nuclear bombs.

Is it me, or do they seem just a bit too surprised to see Peter come home in that commercial? Is he supposed to be coming home from college, or somewhere else?

If I may throw my two cents in, Personally I prefer the Halloween Countdown to be separate from the blog. But, I certainly wouldn’t mind if the entries were “blog-sized” instead of full-length. Just a suggestion.

To be honest, alot of what you posted in the blog could have worked as countdown articles, in my opinion.

Anyway, I’m not too bent out of shape about this year’s countdown going unfinished. The truth is, I just wasn’t feeling the ol’ Halloween magic this year, either.

Tresjolie9: Yeah, I always just assumed he was returning from college, but what if he was in prison for armed robbery for 5 years? Or maybe he’s been wandering the streets, hitching rides from strangers in a drug induced haze? We’ll never really know…

I hate sour and hot candies. A lot of kids I knew in school were into them, but they were too much for me.

I do a lot of Christmas baking, regular cakes and cookies and breads, but I’ve never had or made fruitcake. It just looks scary. I’ll stick to my Molasses Cut-Outs and Italian Biscotti.

Rainbowfeet, I have fond memories of that “Santa’s Christmas Party” cassette. For years, that and two other recordings by the same company were the only Christmas music besides Mom’s old records my family owned. One of the other recordings was “White Christmas”; same deal, but with adult singers and more traditional music. I don’t remember the remaining recording’s title, but it was another kid-themed one.

I liked the Advert Calender but can live without it; frankly, the Advent Calender is far more fun. And as for the Halloween Countdown…well, I’m a far bigger Christmas fan than Halloween, so that’s no great loss for me, either.

I JUST realized I’ve NEVER tasted fruitcake. I’ve been very close to it but never close enough to eat it. I think the Hostess size will work splendidly. I remember when I was little we used to have a Hostess Bakery in the Bronx (New York for the uninformed) and my mom would always take us to pick a treat. I always picked the mini lemon pie.

I swear to God Matt!! EVERY TIME I visit here you stir up some crazy memory that stuck with me for some reason and only you bring it back to concious though. Thank you for all you do. Tomorrow I’m doing like six hundred dollars worth of shopping from Amazon and I’ll be sure to use your reference link.

Yes, Tresjolie: Prison. A Costa Rican prison, as a matter of fact.
And $.02 on the other thing: you can’t put awesome on a schedule.

And speaking of awesome, this year’s Advent calendar is the awesomest yet. In fact, it’s so awesome it’s roarmarkablous with a little Tim Curry sprinkled on top.

Someone mentioned our traditions as tonight’s unofficial main topic. I’d have to say these are my personal top three:
The Advent Calendar (this is my second one)
Wrapping presents on Christmas Eve while watching crazily inappropriate movies, like Aliens, The Last Unicorn, and the Big Chill.
Using the Christmas holiday get-together as an opportunity to drive my sister-in-law batshit crazy by quoting movies that she’s never seen.

Best part of Halloween this year ’round these parts? The F13 movie night…had nothing really to do with the countdown at all….

Racking my brain trying to figure out a commcercial…but I can’t think of one. Does it make me a Scrooge if most holiday commercials actually annoy me a bit??

I got my money’s worth out of the Halloween Countdown. No complaints. I get what the other Chris is saying, though I don’t think it’s Matt’s fault entirely. Matt’s built expectations so high for each year, it’s tough to meet em, I’d imagine. So my completely unsolicited advice would be to lower your expectations. haha

Really, though. This year’s Advent is so good it’s going to be impossible to beat it next year. I wish you luck, pal.

I’ve decided on a new tradition I’m starting this year: I’m going to watch Kiss Kiss Bang Bang on Xmas Eve. Or somewhere close to it, if there are family obligations that evening.
I’m starting to get panicked. Not so much about finals, I’ve gone past panic into a sort of serene resignation on that front. What I’m freaking about is the fact that I still need gifts for a cousin and my brother. I finally settled on a pair of Socker Boppers for the other cousin I was having trouble shopping for. Couldn’t believe they still make those things.
I love that Holiday Hawk commercial. I also like the at&t commercial with a gingerbread Norm McDonald (and Steve Buscemi as the dad, I think?).

Only Xmas tradition I can think of from recent memory is the X-Entertainmas Advent Calendar. I’ve been there ever since the one where Hare Winningham stole the last 3 days of gifts and got banished to Amalthea.

Has anybody seen Coke that comes in these ornament-shaped bottles? I think they are a Wal-Mart exclusive. Anyway, they had a whole bin of them before Thanksgiving and once they all sold out, I’ve never seen them since.

Starwenn, thank you! That’s great! I’m so glad that I wasn’t the only one with that cassette. (That and Billboard’s greatest Christmas hits from 1955-present were my two. Love the Billboard one.) I’d be interested to hear the other cassettes from the same company of I ever come across any, because as weird as this one was, it was surprisingly good.

Might as well weigh in with the Halloween Countdown discussion- I’m fine with what we got. Yeah, it would have been nice to have more, but I think there was plenty of content. We can’t really expect Matt to go above and beyond every year, because it’s just too much pressure. I do appreciate that he wants to improve the quality of things every year, but it’s okay if it can’t be done.

Forgot to add my thought on the Peanuts (”Peenuts?”) sled video and the Speed Hats- thinking about them, even now, I’m still cracking up.

Oh, and the Fireballs/ Warheads topic- Warheads were hge when I was in sixth grade. I really can’t believe anyone got so excited over a candy. Someone upthread mentioned Airheads, too- those were big when I was in the lower elementary grades because they’d actually include one with the hot lunches maybe once a year. We used to freak over that. Also, I had my first Fireball earlier this year, and I can’t believe I actually had to remove it from my mouth because it was so hot. Atomic Fireball indeed.

And the unofficial survey topic- I really can’t think of any new traditions. Of course the Advent Calendar, and I did get together and bake cookies with my friends for a couple of years in a row- I’d like to do that again this year. Other than that, I really can’t think of anything. If I do, I’ll definitely be back to reply.

The Fruity Pebbles Christmas commercial is my all time favorite. My dad made us a bunch of Christmas tapes in the late ‘80, early ’90’s, so I still see it every year when I watch my old favorites. Has anyone else seen A Snow White Christmas? It’s so cheesy, but I think I’m still a little scared of the mouse-witch.

Apparently December 17 is National Maple Syrup Day; I just wrote an article about it. My new tradition is going to be wrapping presents and eating maple-covered everything. Not that I ever have presents this early, or there’s any maple syrup in the house.

Anyone know where to find the fireball ornaments? Haven’t seen any around here, but my dad and I both love them.

Finally got our power back, thank the holiday gods. Unfortunately, we lost my beloved beta fish, Spartacus, but he was at least 5 years old anyway and I’ve never known a beta to live that long. He had a good run. RIP, my little fishboy.

Jeff Mack: The BC Clark radio ads. All of the Oklahoma X-Eers know about this and we’ve babbled about on here before, but that is the epitome of holiday commercials for me.

Jazzy: New traditions started this year: a real tree (and the outing to get it), mistletoe, and, since this is my first Christmas with the fiance, we’ll be starting the tradition of having all of our friends and family over to our house for Christmas breakfast (a tradition that I’m hoping will last many, many years and will perhaps be our kids’ favorite early Christmas memories). This is also the inaugral year of the gag gift: every year from now on I will buy my fiance a gag gift in addition to the rest of his gifts (this year it’s a 4 foot long perch pillow… that’s right, a giant fish pillow, and it is so awesomely ugly, I just HAD to get it for him!)

Oh god… I can see “Speed Hat” becoming a new catch phrase around my house, right up there with “bow… bough… B-O-U-G-H!” and “Fuck you, let me have my moment.”

Annette: I love that commercial! They play it constantly on TBS, along with the commercial where the mom makes green bean casserole and the tree sneaks in the window to steal some and then becomes a bright and shiny Christmas tree!

DrummerJay: That Folger’s commercial makes me teary-eyed every frickin’ time I see it. But it doesn’t make me love coffee.

Does anyone remember that Coca-Cola Santa Trucks commercial? I miss that commercial and it doesn’t look like they have it on youtube.

I neglected to mention about the Peanuts Sled Thing. My CVS carries it and it’s the least noisiest of the Noisy Xmas Knickknacks that we sell on an endcap right in front of the registers.

The more annoying ones: A teddy bear that sings “White Christmas,” Santa riding a Motorcycle, a singing Penguin Trio (singing “Christmas Eve at The Old North Pole.” I had never heard this song before but it definitely sounds like the tune of “Good King Wencelas”).

But the most annoying one? A reindeer sitting in a rocking chair that (loudly) sings “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer.” Now I like this song, but it’s the one we have the most of, and it’s the loudest. So every middle aged housewife on Long Island has to try it out, even multiple ones for osme reason. The Annoying Little Kids are usually too short to reach it, so they compensate by activiating the other ones…simultaneously.

This still doesn’t beat KB, where we had more annoying Singing Decorations, with even more annoying Xmas Music playing over it. Now last year when the main Annoying Decoration was this giant Santa who sung this classic rock-sounding song with 2 Reindeer Backup Singers/Dancers, very loudly I must add.

As for other, recent traditions, I’ve said them already: Here, the advent Calendar (Been a part of all of em since 2003, started visiting the site not too long after 2002 was “finished”), as well as watching the Rankin-Bass Marathon on ABC Family on Xmas Eve. Oh, I just remembered another one: Checking the NORAD Santa Site to see where he is every hour. I’ve checked it every Xmas Eve for at least the last 4 Christmases.

Sorry some are not having their desired “Christmas weather”. Here in northern IL we are getting a heaping helping of snow tonight. So far we have gotten a couple of inches and it isn’t supposed to stop for a few more hours yet. We’re still a week and a half from Christmas, so for those that haven’t gotten it yet, don’t give up hope.

OK, onto the topic of new Christmas traditions. I am actually sad to say that I don’t really have any new traditions to speak of. Around six years ago it became a personal tradition that I had to watch A Christmas Story approximately 6.25 times during TNT’s marathon, but that is by no means exclusive to me. I have a feeling that 25% of the country is doing the same thing.

By the way, one of the dumbest things I ever purchased was a copy of that movie on DVD. I refuse to watch it at any other point during the year in an effort to make it as special as possible when it first airs on Christmas Eve, so owning a copy of it is pretty pointless. Oh well, it looks nice. I did like the documentaries and the inside look at the workshop that manufactures/sells leg lamps.

We’re in the middle of hailstorm at the moment, which is coming down so heavily that it actually feels more like a snowstorm. Outside sounds like popcorn.

Magic Toy: I’m very sad to have lost my Christmas Eve Christmas Story marathon tradition. We’ve done C-Eve at my sister’s for the past several years now, and the many kids in our family monopolize every TV set in their house. For some reason, they’ve got no interest in Ralphie. :/

A couple years ago my Mother got me “Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust” on DVD and last year she got me the first two books in the series.

This year, I read the third book in between X-mas shopping and watching X-mas movies.

Of course, Vampire Hunter D has nothing to do with Christmas. By all means, it should be a Halloween thing. I always try to work it into my Halloween festivities (promising myself I’ll watch both anime movies back to back in October etc.), but I never really get into it until Christmas-time, for some reason.

So, I guess I’ll let Halloween belong to 80s schlock horror and Lugosi/Karloff classics, and let everyone’s favourite Dhampir be my break between Christmas specials.

I found the Razzles version at 99Â¢ Only, hsc.
Luap, I haven’t seen those at all. I did make a trip to Walmart today to get another pack of 1899 bottles from the secret stash they’ve got going on.
Christmas Story is a fairly new tradition for me, I’d never seen it until a few years ago, prompted by “Ralphie goes to Hell”. I don’t know how I went through life so long without having seen it.
I was just thinking that Christmas weather is kind of a win-win for me. If it’s nasty then it feels like that’s the way it’s supposed to be. But I love when the weather’s nice. My sister and I would always bring up California Dawn from Babysitter’s Club and her oft-referenced 80Â° Christmasses.

Matt - It’s funny you bring up losing your Christmas Story marathon tradition. This is the first year for me, since it began, that I may miss it as well. Sure, I may get to watch it around midnight or so, but there was something special about tuning in for the opening credits the first time it broadcasts. Usually I am at my parent’s house with basically nothing to do except drink wine and watch movies on TV, but this year I am being dragged (that sounds too harsh) out with my girlfriend’s family for their annual dinner out on the town.

Oh well… here’s to making the best of it and realizing that being with as many family/friends as possible is more important than watching (quoting line-for-line is more accurate) a movie, no matter how roarmarkablous it may be.

Regardless, I’m loving the AC, and think you are doing a hell of a job. Thanks.

I can’t believe I’m still up. And still planning to post #15 before I go to bed. I will see the sunrise!

Sounds good. I’m just relaxing, listening to Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away”. Hopefully I’ll get to check out the next AC before I “drift away” into dreamland, but if not I’ll do it over breakfast tomorrow.

There is no better time to be awake than the middle of the night (early morning?) when it seems like the rest of the world is sleeping. It is just so peaceful, and there is something inspiring about it. It may sound strange but I think my brain functions better at 2am than it ever could at 2pm. Of course it means that I rarely get a Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit from McD’s, as they don’t serve them at noon. Oh well, I’ll live - probably a couple of years longer actually.

Magic Toy I have to agree. I’m tired as heck right now, but I’m such a night owl I’m finding it hard to sleep.

I do my best writing 1) when I’m at work and supposed to be doing something important or 2) between the hours of 12 am and 6 am. I blame it on my mother who, when I was a small child, kept me up as late as possible in the hopes I would sleep in and let her sleep in. lol

Favorite Christmas Commercials? I always enjoy the local commercials, especially the ones that have the staff of the local station at the studio and in the offices wishing you a merry Christmas with Santa hats on and such. They are playing this True Value Commercial lately all the time that I swear was made no later then the early 80’s. Love it. But the products that they show I can’t tell exactly when because those products never change in design. Like rakes, and garbage cans.

Folgers Commercial with the son coming home
Hershey Kiss Commercial
Corona beer w/ the palm tree that has lights on it
I think there is a coke one they play every year but I am not sure. I know there are a couple rattling around up there, one with a real life Santa and one with a polar bear
M&M’s “SanTA?”
Ronald on the ice, I don’t care what Waiterbot says that Commercial is off the hook!
Ho ho ho I’m hu hu hungry

The list goes on but I don’t remember any more. Last weekend I think it was, I found on youtube Pee Wee’s Christmas Special. It’s funny, that is one of those things where I remember some of the gags from it, but I don’t remember specifically watching it. I guess I did who knew. It’s worth watching it’s about an hour. It has Oprah on it, Joan Rivers, other Celebrities and it’s very cheesy even for Pee Wee.

So, December 15th’s Advent entry is late (really late by now, it’s December 16!) because Matt got drunk?

Finger boards!? I thought those things died (gratefully), like, seven years ago!

YES!!!!! Camped at Target starting 9:30 last night! Reclaimed my Wii!!! I’ve been waiting like 4 months now since i had to sell the first one….got it baybeh!!!!

Let’s see…favorite commercials….I guess the Hershey’s Kisses one is my favorite. I also like the Corona commercial with the light up palm tree (even though I don’t drink the beer…)

My Dad and his college roommate (who is now my Godfather) used to have a thing with this Champagne commercial (can’t remember the brand but it features glasses clinking together to the Carol of the Bells). They would watch TV like a hawk as it got closer to Christmas and try to be the first one to see it. Whoever saw it first got the pleasure of calling the other person and bragging about it…

As for traditions:
Last year I started a tradition of watching the entire Extended Edition of the Lord of the Rings sometime before Christmas. I’m watching return of the king tonight, actually. I started it because the movies came out at Christmas time and for three years we looked forward to seeing them. So I thought Christmas was the perfect time to watch them all.

And (no pressure, Matt!) the Advent Calendar definitely ranks up there as one of my favorite Christmas traditions….

ugh…I’ve caught the disease that others here have had: I had an Advent/X-E related dream. And it was too weird for words; perhaps I should call it….a nightMARE??

Sorry, too little sleep, which apparently makes me very ‘punny’; dammit, there I go again. I too watched the sun rise for absolutely no reason….

And congrats Mandy, I still know people who are trying to get one for their loved ones and are actually angry they can’t find it. Bastards should have listened when I said buy the thing in July…my nephew will be going without because his dad was too lazy to go pick one up when I found it two months ago; swear he said “I’ll be able to find one at Christmas” I even told him to go early today and I doubt he did…but I digress….

Congrats Mandy on finding your wii, although I have not owned a gaming system since Colecovision® back in the 80’s. Probably just as well, as most of the games I enjoy playing are available on the PC, anyway…

Matt: IAL is a good movie. Will Smith is a good actor, although the mutants look like something out of a videogame. It does have a few legitimate scares, though. If I had to compare it to something think of it as a PG-13 version of “28 Days Later.”

I don’t know if any of you have WWE 24/7, but in the shorties section of it they’ve been having a “25 Days of Christmas” type-thing where a wrestler reveal their favorite match each day. That’s been fun to watch.

Speaking of wrestling and Christmas albums, has anyone checked out the new ITUNES album they put of Jillian Hall “singing” various Christmas songs. It’s been a hit, I hear. RD even covered it this week on Wrestlecrap.

I cannot say that I have ever tried fruitcake. There is a Norwegian fruit bread that my family always makes called Yulekaka that sounds similar, but it is very good so maybe not.
The Folger’s Peter commercial is my favorite Christmas commercial. I have not seen it this year, but I do remember it being around in very recent Christmases.
The last advent I have read is from the tenth I think. I am going to sit and do this today, or I am going to have to stop reading the blogs.

I don’t know why all companies (excluding dated things like cars, etc.) throughout the year toss up at least one retro/throwback commercial. Who wouldn’t want to see Mr. Speedy for ALKA-SELTZER or find out Where the Beef is???

In other news, E. Claire is running around the house dancing to and singing “LAST CHRISTMAS”.

Speaking of “Last Christmas”, has anyone heard the remake that came out this year by teenybopper Ashley Tisdale of “High School Musical” semi-fame? Thumbs-up or thumbs-down? I actually prefer her version to the Wham! one, but did it really need to be made?

I cannot possibly be more pissed right now. #15 just went up, but I finished it at 6 AM….and just when I was almost done editing, our FioS went out. And we just realized why. A god damned Christmas light strand outside our house shorted in the hailstorm and blew a fuse that we didn’t notice because it didn’t affect any of the inside lights. I will now murder Santa for demanding tribute in lighted form.

Awesome! I came in to see no calender update yet,so I read the entire blog only to refresh and see Matt has now said it is here! Now I can motivated for the day since my hangover has gone away.

And guys,you have got to remember when that Folger’s commercial came out in ‘84/’85,the only communication available was an exspensive ass long distance calling plan or that ancient thing called writing a letter with real ink and actual paper(lol),so yeah the parents probably were super surprised to find long lost Peter coming in from an out of state community college.
Man,I’m not but 28 and I feel so old when read comments on the blog sometimes. haha

Matt, can you hold off the murdering until I get my loot? I mean, timezone wise he’ll arrive here first anyway…

The worst part is that it sounds like a lie! How conveniently ironic that a short in our Christmas lights would preclude me from publishing something that has (a little) to do with Christmas. Truth is stranger than fiction.

Magic Toy, I did the exact same thing! I bought Christmas Story on DVD about 3 years ago, but I refuse to watch it any time other than the 24 hours it’s on Christmas Day. So it’s gone unopened and probably will stay that way.

Matt, it would have been worse if you had said that next doors inflatable Santa had been swept up in the hailstorm, danced merily in the air and then collided with your Christmas lights causing the Santa to heat up increasing the pressure inside until finally it exploded…knocking out electricity for three blocks and raining charred santa remains on a small orphanage of young children whose only wish is a visit from St Nick and maybe a candy cane to share between them.

That fruitcake looks absolutly disgusting. I’m not a fan of fruitcakes at the best of times, but that one looks plain inedible. Trust Americans to go putting sweets into something thats meant to be healthier than other cakes.

So, my fiance and I are housesitting for a friend and I used their DVR to record Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July. Has anybody else ever seen that one? I had it recorded off TV as a kid and used to watch it all the time, but I haven’t seen it since I was probably 9 or 10.

Oh, and on the Tech Deck skateboarder…maybe they could have picked a better name. I’m just sayin’ is all.

Guise -
Clerks is a classic. Are the films of Kevin Smith as popular in the UK as they are in the United States?

Has anyone seen that Verizon commercial with the girl who got a pony for Christmas, while her friends got new cell phones? I don’t know why, but I find that ad absolutely hysterical.

Maga mare perhaps, or there is a darker possibility! Kuse’s Mother-in Law!!!!! Last seen throwing Box across the room, I think.

To quote the Holiday Concert from grade 10…Things Santa and Fruitcake Have in Common.
Santa is round and podgey, Fruitcake is round and podgey.
Santa brings hockey pucks, Fruitcake may be USED as hockey pucks.
Santa has reindeer, Fruitcake may CONTAIN reindeer…

Old Jim, hard to say, certainly there are quite a few fans, but wouldn’t say there are as many die hards.

Matt, are you sure your Christmas fiasco wasn’t the result of some wascally wabbits?

I have to say something. I have been sitting on a piece of info almost since the very beginning of the Advent Calendar and I want to say it right now. I hope the person that I am addressing doesn’t get offended.

Shuanfu Here goes…Tigerboy reminds me of you. I dunno why. In my mind he talks like you? You and him stick in my mind together. Take care man

I’m so glad to see Kuse and Knacks in the same shot again. I loved them being best friends (which makes me a little resentful of Tigerboy), so the hug part was just great. I also like the part right after that, where Kuse is on the mission to find Hssxxxllo, and the camera angle tilts slightly for the next few pictures. I don’t know if that’s red wine or not, but it’s certainly dramatic. Thanks again for the Advent Calendar, Matt. I’ll have to dig up my Christmas
VHSs and put them on DVD for you

Fruit cake is awsome if you make it right. You have to put the cherries in burbon over night to let them soak up all the flavors and liqure. Then you put them in the mix and bake it , when your done you have a great tasting cake that gives you a nice buzz

Annette Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July is weird. Really weird. And long. Really long.

Very true, clumsyonice. My fiance and I watched it this afternoon and it certainly could’ve been a lot worse, but all the singing certainly didn’t help things.

Thanks Goob; why would I take offense? Wait, am I misreading Tigerboy than being nothing but awesome?

We got some of that hail last night, Matt. First freezing rain, then snow, then hail. And I was out clubbing til 2am and getting my fucking freak on. Came out and my friend’s car is encased in ice and then I had to de-ice my car to get home from her house. The roads weren’t even plowed yet, it was awful. And just as I pulled into town my windshield wipers froze up and stopped working. Nasty, nasty stuff.

Oh, and I agree with JLAJRC about IAL…it was actually better than I expected and didn’t go down a path a figured it would story wise -which is a good thing. It was an oddly quite movie too, which made it feel longer than it really was, but that could have been from lack of sleep.

Best part fo the whole thing? Walking out someone behind us said “that was good but really hard to follow!” If you’ve seen the movie, you’ll get why that was so funny to me

I saw on a t.v. show that marachino cherries are green before they get dyed red & have the flavor added. So that Fruit cake you have just has normal & altered cherries in it matt.

maraschino Cherries is a technique to preserve the cherry. it’s not a Cherry you can pluck off of a tree.

Shaunfu Tigerboy is nothing but awesome, but it seems like everytime I say something like that about someone they get upset. I thought you would be confused and wanting to get more info then that. He just reminds me of you is all for some reason.

Hey Matt: Just thought you should know that while the Jukebox link on the main blog page goes to the new, HTML version, the links within blog posts (for both Christmas and Halloween) still link to the old m3u version. Wasn’t sure if you intended that or not, but I thought I’d bring it to your attention anyway.

Is anyone else totally wigging out that Christmas is just a little over a week away? My shopping is done and everything, but my brain just will not accept that it’s this close already.

Ahhh, yes. The Folgers commercial. I believe at one point, earlier in my life, Peter was coming home from college. Before that, my father informs me, he was coming home from the Servcice. Which Service, I’m not sure, and it’s never really clear, but it was ran as “You’re home from the Service!” during both the Vietnam and Korean Wars. But I digress.

Oh, and the champaigne ads clinking to the Carol of the Bells? Andre champaigne. Matt featured the ad in the Ad-vert Calendar either last year or the year before.

I’m wigging out a little about the short time between now and Christmas. I still have some shopping to do, gotta pick up presents for my two main girls and I’m on a bit of a budget. Haven’t sent out my Xmas cards yet even. Still need to get to the cookie cutter shop in town. And waiting for the stuff I ordered the girls for my wiccan group to come. I ordered them the one thing every neo-pagan needs — a USB fragranced oil burner.

I’ve been watching “A Christmas Story” since way before they started doing the annual “24hrs” thing so I have no problem watching it anytime between Thanksgiving and New Years.

The DVD is great! It has alot of fun bonus features and no commercials. It’s worth your time even if you do watch it while TBS is already playing it.

2. I’m kind of afraid this might be the last advent calendar. Is it? Cause beating this one is gonna be hella tough to do. Thanks man, appreciate all ya do, and again, loving the AC.

I just caught up on the last 10 days of the Best. Advent. Calendar. Ever. You’re rad, Matt.

I’ve bought most of my favorites on DVD myself, even if I only watch them once a year, because I don’t have cable or broadcast TV.

I can see not having cable, but not having broadcast TV? How is that even possible? All you need is a set of rabbit ears - unless you live somewhere hundreds of miles from the nearest TV station…

Sorry for those who don’t have the weather to match up with the X’mas feeling but here in the NorthEast it’s a merry, freakin white winter wonderland! Got to be at least a foot or more of snow. Spent today by the fireplace with a real fire while watching old christmas movies. My better-half was out there shoveling for an hour so I decided to surprise him with something warm to drink - and made my first ever Hot Buttered Rum! Found a recipe from Emeril on foodtv. Yummy, Yum, Yum! He said the 3 oz of rum in it made him temporarily super smashed after drinking it. It does warm you right up and makes you even start sweating - really! It’s no polite-not-even-taste-the-rum drink like Egg Nog…Hot Buttered Rum is a kick you in the pants drink!

Actually, I do live at least a hundred from the nearest broadcast station. But here’s the odder thing - the TV I bought last year didn’t come with an antenna of any kind. I was kind of hoping it would, so I could try and see if I could get at least one station…which wasn’t all that likely anyway, being as I live in a tiny valley and radio can be iffy at times, too. My old TV had one, but it was somewhere in the depths of my storage…if the ex-roommate’s husband didn’t throw it out instead of pack it for me.

Old Jim, I don’t have broadcast television either. Honestly, I would never even watch it except for maybe the news or something, which I can get on the internet. Though I would like to get some kind of digital-y antenna thingy eventually, since they’re not going to be using the old standard anymore.

Magic Toy Did you know that the guy who bought the house in cleveland that they filmed “A christmas story” in actually sold leg lamps in order to raise money to buy it? fun fact. also, you can go on tours of the house and be taken to a local chinese restaurant where they have all of the people play along and act as un-PC as possible by singing “fa-ra-ra-ra-ra” and serving “chinese turkey”. I think i might try and go up there sometime soon (since i am done with school until i start the grad school application process next fall.

Matt, why is good God’s name is your 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime still in the box?! Open him man!!

This is just a test message, to make sure that this thing is still working, as the last comment was posted over 10 hours ago… Also to say that until this conversation thread, I didn’t know that there was more than one version of the Folger’s coffee “Peter” commercial.

Monday blues? Advent #16 going up in a few hours. #17 hopefully before midnight so we can end this “entry the day after its official day” madness.

Double G: Not keeping him in the box on purpose…waiting till I have a chance to redo my office, lest Optimus just be thrown into one of the many dusty piles that aren’t doing anyone much good.

Old Jim, glad you did that as I was sure Goob posted something today about Hand Energy that seems to have vanished (like an old oak table)…

Shit, did she? E-mail me if you notice any missing comments. (Or just repost them.) I was fiddling around early this morning. Sorry if anyone lost anything!

I only remember Goob’s because of the idea of making our pictures with hand energies and a link to a photo example. It was weird, I had the image open in a browser and then couldn’t find the comment, thought I’d gone crazy…well, hm…crazier…

The HC is still a topic? The holiday just didn’t click with what seemed like most people here, including me. We had a good run, though, I thought it went well enough. I can barely find time to enter “8″ on my time card every day, fucked if I had to write something worthy of being thrown out in front of an audience who reads it for free anyway.

My neighborhood still has no power, so it’s Mom’s couch for the time being… Meh..

Sorry about the fish, Special K, at least you’re home again, though. 5 years is one hell of a run! According to this, the average lifespan is 2-3 years. YouTube is blocked at my work, and until I can go home I can’t say for sure, but I’m thinking I was able to find the Santa Pack (Coke truck) Christmas commercials. I did find a couple of home videos of the trucks driving through Germany that looked pretty awesome. If you haven’t seen those, you might want to take a look.

Do green marachino cherries taste different than red ones? I’ve always seen the jars while grocery shopping, but I’ve never taken that huge $2.69 plunge and tossed ‘em in the basket.

I have a few Christmas commercials I look forward to every year. #1 being B.C. Clark’s Anniversary Sale, but also the Hershey Kiss “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” bell jingle. I also like the Lexus December to Remember commercials because the setting is always a in snowy, pure white Christmas atmosphere.

Despite being forced to bunk up on my Mom’s couch for who knows how many more days/weeks, Christmas spirit has really hit me this morning. I am in a great mood and cannot wait to finish up my Christmas shopping this weekend. Which this friday being a payday where no bills are due or upcoming, I’m free to spend whatever I want. It’s also going to be when most of my shopping is done, all I’ve bought so far was a DS for my little brother. Best Buy will have Wiis this Friday, both my Dad and other younger brother want one, so I might try to get 1, or 2 if I can find someone willing to wait with me.

Not being home, I have fallen behind on the Advent Calendar. I think I’ve read up to the 11th or 12th, so I’m going to get busy on that now.

1-Week until Christmas Eve, guys, it’s almost here. It’s almost a bit sad thinking that the Advent has reached and passed it’s halfway point.

Hey all, I’ve been reading this page for years but never left a comment before. Figured it was about time.

And yeah, X-Mas really did seem to just spring up on us this year. One week left and so much good cheer left to spread (or presents to buy; same difference).

Shit on a shingle, I forgot one of my favorite Christmas commercials of all time. The Folger’s “Peter!” commercial that aired from the mid-80s up until just a couple of years ago.

If it still aires, I haven’t seen it, but I have the full version saved on YouTube, so I’m happy.

I’ve got so much crap to do before I leave for home this weekend it’s not even funny. Dammit, Christmas has sneaked up on me FAST this year….I guess that’s just part of being older…

I hope you’re being facetious about the green maraschino cherries having a pepperminty taste - anyway, I believe the cherries in most fruitcakes are not the same as those in jars, but are rather *candied* cherries, thus not the same taste or consistency as those found on the top of an ice cream sundae. In the case of the candied ones, the green ones tasted exactly the same as the red ones.

Old Jim: Yeah, I’m talking about the jar versions. :) Those definitely have a pepperminty taste.

Matt Seriously dude your server has a love hate relationship with me that is what is going on. Eventually I will kick the living shit out if it in pent up frustration.

Goob, I may pay for you to do that someday. I too have a strained relationship with the server. I always envision is as some kind of anthropomorphic cable modem with arms and legs, annoyingly dancing while saying “nyah nyah.”