Christmas Holiday

Christmas Holiday is a 1944 film noir starring Gene Kelley against type as the bad guy and Deanna Durbin as his wronged wife. Robert Siodmak directs. The movie's title might fool you into thinking there's some hint of happiness here. Don't let it.

trailer:

TCM has an overview. Rotten Tomatoes has a critics score of 100%.

Christmas Movies

I love a good movie. I even love some bad movies. We spend many a happy hour here with a hot cup of tea or coffee in front of a DVD, and there are more Christmas movies than you might think. I have a list which includes more than 80 dating as early as 1898, many of which are available to watch online. Please check out my list and let me know if I missed any. Also, if you come across a video that doesn't work or a dead link, I'd appreciate a heads up either here or in a comment to the relevant film's post so I can fix it. Thanks!

The link to the list is here. I add to it as I watch more, and I'm always surprised that there are always more!

There are a couple of perennial favorites I can't stand: 1) Holiday Inn; 2) It's a Wonderful Life. I know everybody loves them, but I never have. There are plenty of others, though, so I don't feel deprived.

The cup at the top of the post is one of our Christmas cups. I'm not sure why we have fewer specifically Christmas cups and mugs than we have for other times of the year, but that is the case. We have a lot more for Autumn and Winter. This one was Mother's, and it's a treat to get it out.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth have a weekly gathering of T(ea) related links, and I'll be visiting over there a while. Join me?

You and Your Sister

You and Your Sister:

by Chris Bell, who died 36 years ago (on the 27th). He was born here in Memphis and is buried in Bartlett, a Memphis suburb. His death at the age of 27 is seen as significant by some. He died in a car wreck on his way home from a band rehearsal.

lyrics:

They say my love for you ain't real
But you don't know how real it feels
All I want to do is to spend some time with you
So I can hold you, hold you

Your sister says that I'm no good
I'd reassure her if I could
All I want to do is to spend some time with you
So I can hold you, hold you

Plans fail every day
I want to hear you say
Your love won't be leaving
(Run run, run run)
Your eyes ain't deceiving
(Run run, run run)

Fears will soon fade away
Smile now, don't be afraid
All I want to do is to spend some time with you
So I can hold you, hold you

And let me whisper in your ear
Don't you worry, they can't hear
All I want to do is to spend some time with you
So I can hold you

The Rendezvous

Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous restaurant has a long and storied past and is a Memphis mainstay. We are spoiled for choice where BBQ is concerned, and neither of us had been here in decades. The Husband and I decided it was time to go back. It's located in an alley across the street from The Peabody Hotel. We parked at Parking Can Be Fun and walked a couple of blocks east to get to the restaurant.

We each had the large order of ribs, slaw, beans and a drink:

We ate the ribs dry, of course, and they were delicious. We didn't need a to-go box. The photo is fuzzy, but I hope you can still tell how good they look. The total was under $20 each not including tax and tip. Atmosphere is half the fun here, and even though these may not be the #1 best ribs in town they are close enough; and you get to eat at the Rendezvous.

Yelp has a 3.5 out of 5 stars rating with 961 reviews. Trip Advisor gives it 4 out of 5 stars with 1,916 reviews. Urban Spoon has a score of 76%.

I think it's probably one of the BBQ restaurants that should be tried during any trip here.

Alias Boston Blackie

Alias Boston Blackie is a 1942 film about a wrongly convicted prisoner who escapes on Christmas eve. Paul Fix has a part in this. There's not much to it at just over an hour long, but the characters and plot are interesting.

Boston Blackie at the Movies: Alias Boston Blackie from The Radio Ghost on Vimeo.

TCM and MSN have overviews. Rotten Tomatoes has a 67% audience rating.

Merry Christmas from Chiron Beta Prime!

Oh, how I've loved this since it first came out back in 2006 (I think):

Chiron Beta Prime by Jonathan Coulton.

The joy never gets old for me with this one, and the rest of the family does tire of my glee (or perhaps of the constant re-playing of this video).

Lyrics:

This year has been a little crazy for the Andersons.
You may recall we had some trouble last year.
The robot council had us banished to an asteroid.
That hasn't undermined our holiday cheer.
And we know it's almost Christmas by the marks we make on the wall.
That's our favorite time of year.

Merry Christmas from Chiron Beta Prime,
Where we're working in a mine for our robot overlords.
Did I say overlords? I meant protectors.
Merry Christmas from Chiron Beta Prime.

On every corner there's a giant metal Santa Claus, who watches over us with glowing red eyes.
They carry weapons and they know if you've been bad or good.
Not everybody's good but everyone tries.
And the rocks outside the airlock exude ammonia-scented snow.
It's like a Winter Wonderland.

Merry Christmas from Chiron Beta Prime,
Where we're working in a mine for our robot overlords.
Did I say overlords? I meant protectors.
Merry Christmas from Chiron Beta Prime.

That's all the family news that we're allowed to talk about.
We really hope you'll come and visit us soon.
I mean we're literally begging you to visit us.
And make it quick before they [MESSAGE REDACTED].
Now it's time for Christmas dinner - I think the robots sent us a pie!
You know I love my soylent green.

Merry Christmas from Chiron Beta Prime,
Where we're working in a mine for our robot overlords.
Did I say overlords? I meant protectors.
Merry Christmas from Chiron Beta Prime.

The Story of the Birth of Jesus

according to the book of Luke, chapter 2 (RSV):

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.

But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Old Christmas

Old Christmas by Washington Irving is a collection of five writings on Christmas gone by, the quaint traditions of English celebration as seen by an American eye. It can be read online here and other sites online. You can listen to it here at Librovox.

from the first chapter:

The English, from the great prevalence of rural habits throughout every class of society, have always been fond of those festivals and holidays which agreeably interrupt the stillness of country life; and they were, in former days, particularly observant of the religious and social rites of Christmas. It is inspiring to read even the dry details which some antiquarians have given of the quaint humours, the burlesque pageants, the complete abandonment to mirth and good-fellowship with which this festival was celebrated. It seemed to throw open every door, and unlock every heart. It brought the peasant and the peer together, and blended all ranks in one warm generous flow of joy and kindness. The old halls of castles and manor-houses resounded with the harp and the Christmas carol, and their ample boards groaned under the weight of hospitality. Even the poorest cottage welcomed the festive season with green decorations of bay and holly--the cheerful fire glanced its rays through the lattice, inviting the passenger to raise the latch, and join the gossip knot huddled around the hearth, beguiling the long evening with legendary jokes and oft-told Christmas tales.

One of the least pleasing effects of modern refinement is the havoc it has made among the hearty old holiday customs. It has completely taken off the sharp touchings and spirited reliefs of these embellishments of life, and has worn down society into a more smooth and polished, but certainly a less characteristic surface. Many of the games and ceremonials of Christmas have entirely disappeared, and like the sherris sack of old Falstaff, are become matters of speculation and dispute among commentators. They flourished in times full of spirit and lustihood, when men enjoyed life roughly, but heartily and vigorously; times wild and picturesque, which have furnished poetry with its richest materials, and the drama with its most attractive variety of characters and manners. The world has become more worldly. There is more of dissipation, and less of enjoyment. Pleasure has expanded into a broader, but a shallower stream, and has forsaken many of those deep and quiet channels where it flowed sweetly through the calm bosom of domestic life. Society has acquired a more enlightened and elegant tone; but it has lost many of its strong local peculiarities, its homebred feelings, its honest fireside delights.

The story illustrations are by Randolph Caldecott, and I have included a few in this post.

The chapters are titled Christmas, The Stage-coach, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and The Christmas Dinner.

"Never did Christmas board display a more goodly and gracious assemblage of countenances."

Irving closes his book with this:

What, after all, is the mite of wisdom that I could throw into the mass of knowledge? or how am I sure that my sagest deductions may be safe guides for the opinions of others? But in writing to amuse, if I fail, the only evil is my own disappointment. If, however, I can by any lucky chance, in these days of evil, rub out one wrinkle from the brow of care, or beguile the heavy heart of one moment of sorrow; if I can now and then penetrate through the gathering film of misanthropy, prompt a benevolent view of human nature, and make my reader more in[159] good humour with his fellow-beings and himself, surely, surely, I shall not then have written entirely in vain.

There's a short video from Today.com here at their site that talks about the influence of Washington Irving on the celebration of Christmas here in the U.S. His work was an influence on Dickens, and he was one of the "inventors" of Santa Claus. The New York Times writes,

Washington Irving profoundly influenced the American Christmas. His melding of jolly St. Nick and an English commemoration of old into a wintry celebration of nostalgia attests to the rich cultural legacy bequeathed to us by this native New Yorker. Within a decade of the publication of Irving's "Sketch Book," New Yorkers were greeting each other with Christmas wishes, and stores on Broadway extended their hours to accommodate shoppers.

I love reading stories of older, more "traditional" holiday celebrations. They feel cozy to me. I enjoy the way our family celebrates Christmas, but I've always been interested in how things used to be done and how they are done by different people now.

Breakfast Casserole

We have a practice of tradition-accumulation. We do something, like it, then declare it a "new tradition". One that's continuing to go over well is Breakfast Casserole on Thanksgiving and Christmas mornings then delaying the lunch feast until 3 or so in the afternoon. The casserole works well when cooked the night before, refrigerated, then heated for serving in the morning. To be honest, I have trouble keeping up with this recipe, so I thought I'd share it here where I'll know right where it is:

Breakfast Casserole

1 1/2 pounds hot ground pork sausage
1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent roll dough
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

Brown sausage. Drain, crumble and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking pan. Lay crescent rolls flat in the bottom of the pan. Spread cooked sausage over crescent roll dough. Cover sausage with cheese. Mix beaten eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour eggs/milk mixture over the top. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until bubbly and rolls are baked.

This is what mine looks like:

Perfect with coffee and pears for Thanksgiving and with coffee and orange wedges for Christmas. The cup on the left at the top of the post was a present to The Husband from The Kids when they were little. We picked up the mug on the right many years later because we thought they would go together nicely.

Check out Bleubeard and Elizabeth's T(ea) Tuesday post to see what the others are sharing today.

Born Under a Bad Sign

Born Under a Bad Sign:

as performed by by Albert King in 1981. King died 22 years ago yesterday of a heart attack. He had moved to Memphis in 1966 and was signed with Stax until their end. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.

lyrics:

Born under a bad sign
Been down since I began to crawl
If it wasn't for bad luck
You know, I wouldn't have no luck at all

Hard luck and trouble
Been my only friend
I've been on my own
Ever since I was ten

Born under a bad sign
Been down since I began to crawl
If it wasn't for bad luck
You know, I wouldn't have no luck at all

I can't read
I didn't know how to write
My whole life has been
One big fight

Born under a bad sign
I've been down since I began to crawl
If it wasn't for bad luck
I say, I wouldn't have no luck at all
That ain't lie, ah, oh

You know, if it wasn't for bad luck
I wouldn't have no kinda luck
If it wasn't for real bad luck
I wouldn't have no luck at all

You know wine
And women is all I crave
A big legged woman
Gonna carry me to my grave

Born under a bad sign
I been down since I began to crawl
If it wasn't for bad luck
I tell ya, I wouldn't have no luck at all

Yeah, I'm a bad luck boy
Been havin' bad luck all of my days, yes

Murder for Christmas

Murder for Christmas is a 1982 book of 26 short story mysteries edited by Thomas Godfrey and illustrated by Gahan Wilson. There's a wide variety here, something for everyone, quick and easy additions to holiday reading.

from the cover:

Here is a perfect Christmas gift for the person who has everything -and plans to leave it to you. Murder for Christmas contains twenty-six tales of seasonal malice to keep you in the Christmas spirit all year round.

It has been said that Christmas brings out the best in everyone, and this has been especially true of mystery writers who seem to have been inspired to their best work by the holiday season.

So come to a unique yuletide celebration and rub elbows with such greats as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Dame Agatha Christie, Rex Stout, and Ellery Queen, while Georges Simenon and Dame Ngaio Marsh drop a few hot coals into your stocking. Master of suspense John Collier and Stanley Elkin will be on hand with a few terrifying tales to send shivers up your spine. Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens, and Baroness Orczy also will be present with some surprise contributions. There will be a few laughs, too, with Damon Runyon, Wyndham Lewis, and Woody Allen, as well as visits with old and new masters of the genre such as Margery Allingham, Dorothy L. Sayers, G.K. Chesterton, Edward D. Hoch, and H.R.F Keating. John Dickson Carr will favor us with a locked room story, while O. Henry contributes some Christmas criminality from the Old West. We'll even go Christmas shopping with Robert Louis Stevenson.

Best of all will be the presence of the great detectives of literature -Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Nero Wolfe, Lord Peter Whimsey, Albert Campion, Jules Maigret, Father Brown, Roderick Alleyn, and Bombay's Ganesh Ghote -all tacking the kinds of cases that made them famous.

Murder for Christmas contains something for every taste -lying, cheating, shoplifting, stealing, spying kidnapping, and murder- in short, everything to make the holidays bright.

Table of Contents:

Back for Christmas -John Collier
Mr. Big -Woody Allen
The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle -Arthur Conan Doyle
The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding -Agatha Christie
Dancing Dan’s Christmas -Damon Runyon
Cambric Tea -Marjorie Bowen
Death on Christmas Eve -Stanley Ellin
A Christmas Tragedy -Baroness Orczy
Silent Night -Baynard Kendrick
The Stolen Christmas Box -Lillian de la Torre
A Chaparral Christmas Gift -O. Henry
Death on the Air -Ngaio Marsh
Inspector Ghote and the Miracle Baby -H.R.F. Keating
Maigret’s Christmas -Georges Simenon
To Be Taken with a Grain of Salt -Charles Dickens
The Adventure of the Dauphin’s Doll -Ellery Queen
Markheim -Robert Louis Stevenson
The Necklace of Pearls -Dorothy L. Sayers
Blind Man’s Hood -Carter Dickson
Christmas is for Cops -Edward D. Hoch
The Thieves Who Couldn’t Help Sneezing -Thomas Hardy
The Case is Altered -Margery Allingham
Christmas Party -Rex Stout
The Flying Stars -G.K. Chesterton
Mother’s Milk -James Mines
Ring Out, Wild Bells -D.B. Wyndham Lewis

I had no luck finding reviews online, and the book seems to be out of print. That's a shame, as the collection of themed seasonal stories sounds like a real winner. I know I enjoyed it, and I don't usually read short stories.

Links to the individual stories that I was able to find online:

The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle -Arthur Conan Doyle
A Christmas Tragedy -Baroness Orczy
A Chaparral Christmas Gift -O. Henry
Markheim -Robert Louis Stevenson
The Thieves Who Couldn’t Help Sneezing -Thomas Hardy
The Flying Stars -G.K. Chesterton

I, the Jury

I, the Jury is a 1953 film based on a Mickey Spillane Mike Hammer book. It's the first filmed adaptation of a Hammer novel. Biff Elliot (who has a Star Trek: The Original Series connection) is Hammer. Elisha Cook, Jr. (who also has a ST:TOS connection) has an uncredited role. I think Hammer is played as well here as anywhere else I've seen him. It takes place over the Christmas holiday season and is a fun change from the usual holiday fare.

via Youtube:

There's not much in the way of reviews online.

A Dixon Christmas

Isn't the main entrance to The Dixon gallery festive?

Coming up towards the entrance are several signs of holiday cheer.

The interior is also beautifully decorated, but I didn't even ask if photos were permitted; I always assume they aren't. I did find two photos at the Dixon website, though. This one of the living room:

and this one of the dining room:

They've done such a wonderful job of bringing the season to the space!

I also saw the Rodin exhibit -Rodin: The Human Experience- while I was there. The Dixon site says,

Auguste Rodin (1840–1917) was arguably the most celebrated sculptor of the nineteenth century, and was regarded as the greatest sculptor since Michelangelo. The remarkable works of Rodin will make their triumphant return to the Dixon Gallery and Gardens with Rodin: The Human Experience, an exhibition of fifty-one works in bronze.

Rodin: The Human Experience examines the artist’s multi-faceted explorations of the human figure in bronze, ranging from small scale sketches to the artist’s well-known monumental works. Alongside commissioned works of specific individuals will be Rodin’s sculptural experiments with the human figure, ranging in style from the classically-inspired to the gothic. Visitors to the exhibition will be greeted in Garrott Court by the monumental sculpture, The Three Shades, Rodin’s interpretation of the souls of the damned who stand at the entrance to hell in Dante’s Inferno.

I remember the last Rodin exhibit the Dixon hosted back in 1988 -The Passion of Rodin-, and his sculptures make a striking display. The staff has gotten less cranky over the years, which makes visits much more enjoyable now than they used to be. The Dixon is a great way to spend a few hours, whether you like art, or flowers and gardens, or both. I feel so fortunate that Memphis has this.

The Man with the Load of Mischief

The Man with the Load of Mischief is a 1981 detective novel by Martha Grimes and is first in the Richard Jury series, which is ongoing and currently at 23 titles. I saved this book to read this month because it takes place over the Christmas holiday season and begins on December 19. It was a quick, enjoyable read, and I think I'll look for the rest. I've been advised to read them in order.

teaser from the book:

Long Piddleton had always been wary of newcomers, but the quiet town was stunned when the first stranger was found dead, upended in a butt of ale in the cellar of The Man with a load of Mischief. Then the second body appeared, swinging in place of the mechanical man above the door of the Jack and Hammer.

Suddenly, Long Piddleton had good reason to be wary of everyone! Its cozy pubs and inns with their polished pewter and blazing hearths had become the scenes of the most bizarre crimes. Who were the victims? And who was the murderer? A maniac? A stranger? Or the disarmingly friendly man next door?

quotes:

The English inn stands permanently planted at the confluence of the roads of history, memory, and romance. Who has not, in his imagination leaned from its timbered galleries over the cobbled courtyard to watch the coaches pull in, the horses' breath fogging the air as they stamp on dark winter evenings? Who has not read of these long, squat buildings with mullioned windows; sunken, uneven floors; massive beams and walls hung round with copper; kitchens where joints once turned on spits and hams hung from ceilings. There by the fireplace the travelers of lesser quality might sit on wood stools or settles with cups of ale. There the bustling landlady sent the housemaids scurrying like mice to their duties. Battalions of chambermaids with lavendered sheets, scullions, footmen, drawers, stage-coachmen, and that Jack-of-all-trades called Boots waited to assist the travelers to and from the heavy oaken doors. Often he could not be sure whether the floor would be covered with hay, or what bodies might have to be stepped over or crept past on his way to breakfast, if he slept in an inner room. But the breakfast more than made up for the discomfort of the night, with kidney pies and pigeon pies, hot mutton pasties, tankards of ale, and muffins and tea, poached eggs and thick rashers of bacon.
....
The Man with the Load of Mischief was no exception -a half-timbered, sixteenth-century coaching inn through the archway of which Melrose Plant now drove his Bentley, parking it in the unused stableyard.

....

They stood now in the low, dimly lit hall, hung about with sporting prints and stuffed birds, his aunt and Simon Matchett making small talk smaller.

Kirkus Reviews says, "Grimes is working in the grand old English-village style--successfully recalling (without lapsing into parody) the humor of Marsh and Allingham, the red-herring smorgasbord of Christie, and some of the richer textures of Sayers."

The Man Who Came to Dinner

The Man Who Came to Dinner is a 1942 film, directed by William Keighley. Monty Woolley (who was the professor in The Bishop's Wife) stars as the celebrity who falls on the icy front steps of the home where he's been invited for dinner. He's confined to a wheelchair and proceeds to take over the house. A more unpleasant guest one could never hope to host. And to top it off, he sues them! Bette Davis is his secretary. Billie Burke is the distraught lady of the house. Ann Sheridan is also in this. The movie takes place during the Christmas holiday season, and will make a fun addition to holiday-themed movie watching around here. I'd never seen it before watching it at the Internet Archive, but I've already picked up the DVD for annual viewing.

trailer:

DVD Beaver calls it a "delightful, lightning-paced farce". DVD Talk says, "It's dated but still mostly funny". Rotten Tomatoes has a critics score of 80%.

A Christmas Bowl of Smoking Bishop

This is the part of Dickens' A Christmas Carol after Scrooge's conversion when he's trying to make amends. He tells his employee Bob Cratchit what he's planned and says,

...we will discuss your affairs this very afternoon, over a Christmas bowl of smoking bishop, Bob!

A perfect way to work out relationship problems, make restitution for past mistakes, and start a better way forward with someone, I think. Yes! Invite them to share a seasonal hot beverage.

Smoking Bishop is described by Wikipedia as "a type of mulled wine, punch or wassail". The Husband is a teetotaler, so we drink mulled cider instead. Here's our recipe:

Mulled Cider

1 gallon apple cider
4 cinnamon sticks
1 1/2 teaspoon whole allspice
1 teaspoon whole cloves
Slices of an orange, as many as will attractively fit
Slices of a lemon, as many as will attractively fit

In a large pot, heat the cider with cinnamon sticks, allspice, cloves, orange slices, and lemon slices just to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 30-45 minutes.

We leave it on the stove, leave the spices and fruit in it, and ladle directly from the pot. We are a very informal family though, and you can strain it into a punch bowl and add fresh fruit -as we have done in the past- for a prettier service for a party. Serve with a cinnamon stick in each cup for extra flair.

Please join the T(ea) Tuesday festivities over at Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog.

Respect Yourself

Respect Yourself:

The Staples Singers - Respect Yourself from Soul Train from Domo on Vimeo.

by "Pops" Staples, who died 14 years ago this coming Friday 9 days before what would have been his 86th birthday, with The Staples Singers on Soul Train.

lyrics:

If you disrespect anybody
That you run in to
How in the world do you think
Anybody's s'posed to respect you

If you don't give a heck 'bout the man
With the Bible in his hand
Just get out the way
And let the gentleman do his thing

You the kind of gentleman
That want everything your way
Take the sheet off your face, boy
It's a brand new day

Respect yourself, respect yourself
If you don't respect yourself
Ain't nobody gonna give a good cahoot, na na na na
Respect yourself, respect yourself

If you're walking 'round
Think'n that the world
Owes you something
'Cause you're here

You goin' out
The world backwards
Like you did
When you first come here

Keep talkin' 'bout the president
Won't stop air pollution
Put your hand on your mouth
When you cough, that'll help the solution

Oh, you cuss around women
And you don't even know their names
And you dumb enough to think
That'll make you a big ol man

Respect yourself, respect yourself
If you don't respect yourself
Ain't nobody gonna give a good cahoot, na na na na
Respect yourself, respect yourself
Respect yourself, respect yourself

A Christmas Accident

A Christmas Accident is a 1912 silent short. Sweet. Filled with the spirit of the season.

via Youtube:

I'll Be Seeing You (1944)

I'll Be Seeing You is a 1944 film that takes place during the Christmas holidays. It's directed by William Dieterle and stars Joseph Cotton, Ginger Rogers, Spring Byington and Shirley Temple. Ginger Rogers is on a special furlough from prison where she's serving a term for accidental manslaughter. Joseph Cotton is on leave from a military hospital where he's being treated for shell shock. They meet on the train, but hide the truth from each other. I really enjoyed this. The actors are very good, and the story is such a sweet one.

via Youtube:

DVD Verdict calls it, "a sweet story, nicely acted by its experienced cast" and recommends it "In the spirit of compassion and goodwill". Rotten Tomatoes has a 72% audience score.

The Enchanted Forest

The Daughter and I recently went to the Pink Palace Museum to go through the Enchanted Forest. When I was a child back in the 1960s, this was located in the Goldsmith's department store downtown. A winter wonderland with animatronic woodland creatures and penguins and elves that was a must-see for kids every year.

Eventually, Goldsmith's closed their downtown store, and the exhibit took a hiatus and then was moved out to the Agricenter. It's been at the Pink Palace for over a decade.

Here's a video walk-through from 2010:

It brings back delightful childhood memories to see it again.

Mr. Ives' Christmas

Mr. Ives' Christmas is a 1995 novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Oscar Hijuelos, who is better known for his 1989 The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love. Hijuelos died late last year of a heart attack at 62 years of age. He was a New Yorker, born and bred, of Cuban immigrant parents.

This book is the story of Edward Ives, a foundling adopted and raised in a loving home, and of his life through the years. Not a cheerful book, I find it filled with a deep sadness, though beautifully written.

favorite quote:

The fact was that Ives, uncertain of many things, could at that time of year sit rather effortlessly within the incense and candle-wax-scented confines of a church, like Saint Patrick's, thinking about the images, ever present and timeless, that seemed to speak especially to him. Not about the cheery wreaths, the boughs of pine branches, the decorative ivy and flowers set out here and there, but rather about the Christ child, whose meaning evoked for him a feeling for "the beginning of things," a feeling that time and all its sufferings had fallen away.

Ray Suarez at NPR describes it as "a Holiday hymn to New York" and says, "It is the story of Edward Ives, an adopted boy of uncertain ancestry raised by a loving father in Brooklyn, who grows to middle age in mid-century New York." Kirkus Reviews says the book "sails close to the shoals of sentiment but remains an honest, moving account of a man, his family, and the changing city they live in."

The New York Times has a review and offers this plot description:

Ives, in the Gospel phrase, hungers and thirsts after righteousness, but in spite of the Gospel promise he is not satisfied. Mr. Hijuelos shows us what Ives's lifelong hunger costs him and what it costs his wife, Annie, an artist turned English teacher, yet he makes us love the two of them...

The Adventure of the Wrong Santa Claus

The Adventure of the Wrong Santa Claus is a 1914 silent short about a burglar who dresses as Santa to steal the presents and the detective -who was supposed to "play" Santa for his friends- determined to catch him. This is a delightful and unusual little film.

via Youtube:

Cigarettes and Coffee

Cigarettes and Coffee:

such a sweet love song sung by Otis Redding, who died in a plane crash at age 26. His untimely death on December 10, 1967, along with most of the members of Bar-Kay, was hard on Memphis recording studio Stax Records. Now you can tour a museum on the site that is a replica of the original building.

lyrics:

It's early in the morning
About a quarter till three
I'm sitting' here talkin' with my baby
Over cigarettes and coffee, now

And to tell you that
Darling, I've been so satisfied
Honey, since I met you
Baby, since I met you, oh

All the places that I've been around
And all the good looking girls I've met
They just don't seem to fit in
Knowing this particularly sad, yeah

But it seemed so natural, darling
That you and I are here
Just talking over cigarettes
And drinking coffee, oh

And whole my heart cries out
Love at last I've found you
And honey, won't you let me
Just be my whole life around you

And while I complete, I complete my whole life would be, yeah
If you would take things under consideration
And walk down this hour with me
I would love it, yeah

People I say it's so early in the morning
Ooh, it's a quarter till three
We're sittin' here talkin'
Over cigarettes and drinkin' coffee, now, Lord

And I'll like to show you, well
I've known nothing but good old joy
Since I met you, darling
Honey, since I've met you, baby yeah

I would love to have another drink of coffee now
And please, darling, help me smoke this one more cigarette now
I don't want no cream and sugar
'Cause I've got you, now darling

But just let me enjoy
Help me to enjoy
This good time that we'll have, baby
It's so early, so early in the morning

So early, so early in the morning
And I've got you and you've got me
And we'll have each other
And we don't, we don't want nothing but joy

Please join the T(ea) Tuesday party over at Bluebeard and Elizabeth's blog.

One Special Night

One Special Night is a 1999 made-for-tv Christmas movie starring James Garner and Julie Andrews as opposites who attract during the holidays. The movie begins on Thanksgiving Day. Very sweet, a fun holiday movie.

via Youtube:

Rotten Tomatoes has no critics score but has an audience rating of 84%.

Vincent Price Narrates A Christmas Carol

Dickens' A Christmas Carol:

narrated by Vincent Price. Even though severely abridged into a 25-minute live action film adapted in 1949 for television, this version still manages to make the point. Vincent Price is a delight. Jill St. John plays one of the Cratchit children, and Taylor Holmes is Scrooge.

Books That Take Place During the Christmas Season

Specifically fiction books for adults that I have read (or plan on reading) that take place during the Christmas season:

written in the 1300s:

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight


written in the 1600s:

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare (online here)


written in the 1800s:

The Night Before Christmas (1832 short story) by Nikolai Gogol
A Christmas Carol (1843) by Charles Dickens
The Chimes (1844) by Charles Dickens (online here)
The Cricket on the Hearth (1845) by Charles Dickens (online here)
The Last Dream of Old Oak (1858 short story) by Hans Christian Andersen (online here)
Framley Parsonage (1861) by Anthony Trollope (online here)
The Mistletoe Bough (1864) by Anthony Trollope (online here)
Christmas Day at Kirkby Cottage (1870) by Anthony Trollope
Little Women (1880) by Louisa May Alcott (online here)
Christmas at Thompson Hall (1894) by Anthony Trollope (online here)
The Other Wise Man (1895) by Henry van Dyke (online here)


written in the 1900s:

The Gift of the Magi (1905 short story) by O. Henry (online here)
The Wind in the Willows (1908) by Kenneth Grahame (online here)
The Flying Stars (1911) a Father Brown mystery by G.K. Chesterton (online here)
The Dead (1914) by James Joyce (online here)

written during the 1930s:

The Thin Man (1934) by Dashiell Hammett
Hercule Poirot's Christmas (1938) by Agatha Christie
Christmas Holiday (1939) by W. Somerset Maugham
The Sister of the Angels (1939) by Elizabeth Goudge


written during the 1940s:

Calamity Town (1942) by Ellery Queen

1950s:

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) by C.S. Lewis
Maigret's Christmas: Nine Stories (1950) by Georges Simenon
A Child's Christmas in Wales (1955) by Dylan Thomas
A Christmas Memory (1956 short story) by Truman Capote
The Finishing Stroke (1958) by Ellery Queen

1960s:

A Long and Happy Life (1962) by Reynolds Price

1970s:

A Clubbable Woman (1970) by Reginald Hill
Red Christmas (1972) by Patrick Ruell (aka Reginald Hill)
Gravity's Rainbow (1973) by Thomas Pynchon
Rest You Merry (1979) by Charlotte MacLeod

written during the 1980s:

Death of an Englishman (1981) by Magdalen Nabb
Murder for Christmas (1982) short stories, various authors
Jerusalem Inn (1984) by Martha Grimes
A Raven in the Foregate (1986) by Ellis Peters
A Rare Benedictine (1988) by Ellis Peters


written in the 1990s:

Not a Creature Was Stirring (1990) by Jane Haddam
A Season for Murder (1991) by Ann Granger
Doomsday Book (1992) by Connie Willis
A Stillness in Bethlehem (1993) by Jane Haddam
Morality Play (1995) by Barry Unsworth
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (1997) by J.K. Rowling
The Last Resort (1998) by Alison Lurie


written during the 2000s:

The Sibyl in Her Grave (2000) by Sarah Caudwell
Skipping Christmas (2001) by John Grisham
Say When (2003) by Elizabeth Berg
December Heat (2004) by Luiz Alfredo Garcia Roza

written during the 2010s:

The Holiday Murders (2013) by Robert Gott
The Mistletoe Murder (2014, posthumous short stories) by P.D. James

*******

There is another list of stories and books suitable for the season here.

Santa Claus (1959 film)

Santa Claus is a 1959 Mexican film. From his home in outer space Santa Claus battles Lucifer's demons to make sure Christmas hope and joy prevail. A fun enough movie and very sweet, as long as you're not expecting anything like great cinema.

via Youtube:

DVD Verdict calls it "jaw-droppingly weird" and says, "Santa Claus isn't just a bad movie, it's a deeply bizarre one. With its images of the underworld—which includes "devils" in red body suits and pantaloons doing Jerome Robbins-style dance numbers—and creepy vision of Santa's home/office set up, it almost works as a Christmas horror fable." TCM has some information.

The Thin Man (book)

I thought I'd try to find some books to read that take place during the Christmas season. The first sentence in this book:

I was leaning against the bar in a speakeasy on Fifty-second Street, waiting for Nora to finish her Christmas shopping, when a girl got up from the table where she had been sitting with three other people and came over to me.

There! A Christmas book!

The Thin Man is a 1934 mystery novel by Dashiell Hammett. This is the last novel he finished. It's the basis for the William Powell/Myrna Loy film series. The book is an easy breazy read, although some of the social conventions of the day are disturbing in retrospect.

from the back of the book:

Nick and Nora Charles are Dashiell Hammett's most enchanting creations, a rich, glamorous couple who solve homicides in between wisecracks and martinis. At once knowing and unabashedly romantic, The Thin Man is a murder mystery that doubles as a sophisticated comedy of manners.

The Wall Street Journal says, "a careful reading of this novel ... reveals a still-sparkling comedy of manners within which lurks a vision of human affairs as grim as any social realist's." The Crime Segments says, "The core mystery is entertaining, and despite the twists and turns in the story, Hammett's writing is direct, witty and to the point" and concludes with this: "Highly and definitely recommended." GreatDetectives.net says, "it's amusing mix that features Dashiell Hammett's talents at his peak" but seems to like the movie better. MysteryFile.com says,

It would have been nice to come back to this fresh, not knowing the ending, just to see how well Hammett constructed this tricky mystery, a tale so well put together that one scarcely knows where to look among a cast of cleverly conceived (and, for the most part, sympathetically observed) suspects — or just what it is we’re looking for.

The Night Before Christmas

The Night Before Christmas is a 1905 silent short film which fairly closely follows the Clement Clarke Moore poem. This is the poem's first film adaptation. Watch this! It's only 11 minutes long, and you get to see Santa feed live reindeer and watch the adorable children have a pillow fight while they're supposedly "nestled all snug in their beds".

Love Actually

How cozy! Watching a Christmas movie while drinking a hot cuppa. Just when I think I've seen all the Christmas movies evah, I get introduced to one I've never seen. The Husband loves funny movies with happy endings, and The Daughter told me to get Love Actually for him. I find some of the plot-lines depressing and others beyond unbelievable. The Rickman/Thompson marriage was incredibly sad.

It has a large cast of well-known actors: Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightley, Martine McCutcheon, Bill Nighy, and Rowan Atkinson.

trailer:

and if you don't mind spoilers, the Honest Trailer people sum it up pretty fairly:

I do realize most folks love this movie and think it's cute, but it's not making it onto my Actually Love holiday watch list.

The Telegraph gives it 1 out of 5 stars and opens with this: "Love? Actually, no. More like disappointment, and, at times, hatred." Salon.com calls it "the worst Christmas movie ever". Rolling Stone gives it 2 out of 4 stars, but I'm not sure what the 2 stars are for as there's precious little positive in the review. The Atlantic calls it "the least romantic film of all time". Roger Ebert gave it 3 1/2 out of 4 stars. Rotten Tomatoes has a critics score of 63% and an audience rating of 73%.

Please share your T(ea) thoughts over on Bluebeard and Elizabeth's blog, where the weekly tea gatherings often focus on artistic endeavors and where our hosts are making tea-stained watercolor paper.

Christmas in Memphis

Christmas in Memphis:

a 1985 song that has been quite popular here as you might well imagine.

lyrics excerpt:

Once Again It Didn't Snow
And I Turn on My Radio And "Blue Christmas" Plays.
When the Clock Rolls Past the Twelve
We Put Time Up On a Shelf Just For a Day.

Chorus:
It's Not The Presents Or The Lights Up On The Tree
It's Not The Santas Ringing Bells Out In The Streets
It's That I'm Home and There's No Place I'd Rather Be
Because It's Christmas in Memphis
Christmas in Memphis
Christmas in Memphis, Tennessee