This Or That?

I’ve seen a couple bloggers I follow post this in one way, shape or form. I thought it would be a quick and fun thing to do. Two options are presented – you have to pick one. You are supposed to tag someone else to answer the questions, but I won’t do that. Feel free to chime in with whatever you want in the comments, if you wish.

UPDATE: After being tagged by Dave and Lisa (and seeing their responses), I thought I should go through and maybe expand on my brief answers).

Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

Christmas Eve has always been the bigger day in my family for as long as I can remember. I’m not saying Christmas Day is not as important, but Eve was just always the bigger celebration. We spent every Christmas Eve with my paternal grandparents. It was the Italian side of the family and there was always plenty of food, desserts and family.

We’d have an early dinner (and graze throughout the remainder of the night), and the adults would play pinochle while us kids played with toys, watched videos, or played video games. I would say many of my favorite Christmas memories stem from those Christmas Eves!

Real or Fake Tree?

I have never had a real tree. I know they smell wonderful, but the upkeep of them and the fear or a fire starting has me liking the fake one. When visiting family or friends with a real tree, I always thought they looked great. I was often wowed by the size of some of the trees.

The tree we have at our house now was left by the previous owner. Sam has been using it every year. It has lights on it already, but there is a short in the wires. So we just string a bunch of lights on it separately. For as old as it is, it still looks very full. We talked about getting a new tree this year, but once this one was up, I remember thinking it still looks good.

Snow Globe or Snowflakes?

I think snow globes are nice. We have one that plays music. However, nothing beats real snowflakes falling. I have always enjoyed watching it snow. There is something peaceful about it. Even when it is really coming down, I still find it calming. Unless, of course, I am driving!

Sledding or Ice Skating?

I tried to ice skate once. Once! I can’t do it. I can’t roller skate either. I love sledding. I love taking the kids around on a sled. There is a small hill near us that I can’t wait to take them to.

Before my divorce, we lived at the end of a cul de sac. When they would plow our street, they always just pushed it all to the end. This made a wonderful hill for the boys to sled down. There was also a big hill at one of the parks that we would go to and sled.

I need to go buy a good two person sled this year so I can pull the kids around on it, or ride down a hill with one of them in it with me.

Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?

Egg Nog hands down. I know a lot of people hate it, but it has long been a favorite of mine. I have blogged about this before, but my grandma used to by this instant egg nog in a pouch and make it. My brother and I loved that!

One year I found a custard egg nog that was absolutely delicious. I wish I could find it. It came in a container that looked like a nutcracker. The only thing I cannot do is low fat egg nog. There is something about it that tastes different.

Photo Taken In Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Do It Yourself Gift or Store Bought Gift?

I guess it depends. Gifts that were made by my kids will always mean more to me than store bought gifts. Either one works, as long as there is some though involved. My wife is the best gift giver and always seems to be able to find just the right gift for me. I wish I had that talent! I don’t know that my gifts to her, no matter how much I thought about it, are as good as the ones she has gotten for me.

Something Red or Something Green?

This is a stupid question. Christmas colors are red and green. A co-worker said “Green can be St. Patrick’s Day, so you have to pick red!” I don’t really know why you have to pick one at all. They go so well together.

Giving Gifts or Getting Gifts?

Personally, I think there is more joy in giving them than getting them. I have told my wife many times that I don’t need anything. I never really understood why my dad would say he didn’t want anything when I was a kid. Today I understand. While it is nice to receive a gift, I just get more joy out of actually giving one to someone.

White Christmas or No Snow?

White Christmas without a doubt. I think that snow just adds to the magic of the day. There is a certain sadness that I get when there is no snow on Christmas. I’m happy with just a dusting, or even flurries. There just has to be a little snow. I really don’t know how people in the south deal with it. When I hear “Let it Snow,” “Winter Wonderland,” or “White Christmas,” I immediately picture snow on the ground. Do they even play those songs in Texas or Mexico? LOL

Colored Lights or White Lights?

I think in certain situations white lights (or any other single color) can look very pretty. However, there is something about having the variety of colors that seems more festive to me.

I recently took the kids to Menards and walked through the Christmas decorations aisles. There are trees that look very nice with all one color – blue, green, or white. I am not sure I could do my tree that way. Perhaps I would do outdoor decorations that way, but on the tree they just have to be multi-colored.

Celebrating at Home or Celebrating Away From Home?

There is a similar question that asks whether you would rather host Christmas or go visiting. There are perks to both. I love being at home in PJ’s while the kids open gifts. I love being able to have breakfast and just watch them enjoy the day. At the same time, celebrating with family at a get together outside of the house is just as fun. Hosting is a bit much for me – too much responsibility.

Opening Gifts One at a Time or Opening All At Once?

We have always done them one at a time. I think it is important to see the receiver’s reactions to the gift they get. If everyone is opening all at once, you miss so much. Besides, I’m a picture taker. I like to capture reactions to gifts. One at a time makes that a whole lot easier. I also think that opening gifts one at a time allows the rest of the family to be joyful for you and what you received.

Gift Wrap or Gift Bags?

I suck at wrapping. I always let Sam do it. If I was responsible for wrapping – everything would be in bags! I think there is something to be said about a beautifully wrapped present under the tree. Wrap it is.

My mother was an amazing gift wrapper. I remember how she’d measure the paper on the box, skillfully slid the scissors along the paper to cut it, and used minimal amounts of tape to wrap something. My kids used to hate gifts I wrapped because I was using a LOT of tape. The corners were never perfect, the paper was never tight around the box, and it really was a shoddy job when I was the wrapper.

Wrap master – I was not.

Angel or Star Topper?

I am not sure we ever had an angel on the top of our tree. It was usually a star or no topper at all. Now, we have this cute snowman that sits on the top, which I really like a lot. I saw somewhere online a snowman topper that makes it look like the snowman is stuck in the tree. That would be very cool. I also saw on Facebook an ad for the Abominable Snow Monster from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer that you can put on the top of the tree. I’d get that too!

Wreath or Garland?

I don’t even know how these two relate to each other. My mom used garland all the time around the tree and would string it up on the walls and such. It’s pretty, but we don’t use it. I think a wreath can be very festive. I like them both.

We don’t have either at our house. The garland above isn’t the garland I remember. Mom and dad used to have gold or silver garland that was placed all over the house. Even little pieces of the stuff wound up somewhere. It seemed to be every where in the house.

Santa Wraps Gifts or Santa Leaves Gifts Unwrapped?

Growing up, gifts were always left unwrapped from Santa. The wrapped gifts were from mom and dad. I kinda like that. I know know why my folks were always so tired on Christmas morning. They were up the night before putting toys together! There were plenty of nights we didn’t get home from my grandmas until way after midnight. This freaked us out because all kids think that Santa comes at exactly midnight. If my dad had a dollar for every time he told us, “Don’t worry, Santa will come!” he would be a rich man!

Matching Pajamas or Ugly Sweaters?

As corny as it sounds, I think it can be very cute to have matching PJ’s. The kids had matching jammies for pictures. I think if we had extra money, we’d have bought matching ones for Sam and I. Ugly Sweaters are a party thing. I have one and I plan on wearing it to every ugly sweater party I every attend. LOL I need to get my money’s worth.

Cash or Gift Cards?

This depends. I know my son wants a video game this year. I can’t afford to buy it for him, but I will get him a gift card towards it. I think many folks would love cash, but I usually use any cash I get to pay bills. Not very Christmasy. “Hey, Pop. Thanks for helping me with the electric bill this year!” LOL

Mariah Carey or Michael Buble’?

Mr. Buble’! I love how he has brought back some of the great standards. I only really like the one Mariah Carey song, and they play it so much now it just drives me crazy. Buble’ has many great takes on holiday standards. He’s no Bing, Frank or Dean, but he still is one that I enjoy listening too!

Gloves or Mittens?

Gloves! I never cared for mittens. I never felt like my hands worked properly in them. LOL!

Grinch or Charlie Brown?

Charlie Brown! The Grinch song is over played. There are so many reasons why Charlie Brown gets my vote. Linus’ speech tops the list!

It was pointed out to me that the Grinch does come around and loves Christmas much like Scrooge does. True – but Charlie Brown still wins this battle.

Turkey or Ham?

Neither! On Christmas, it is always ravioli for me!! It’s a Christmas Eve Tradition!!

There were many other choices, but I think that is enough for now.

How would you answer “This or That?” Do you have two choices you’d like me to answer?

Feel free to offer up yours …

Bells Are Ringing and Clowns Are … Laughing?

My grandma was no Clark Griswold in the outdoor Christmas Decorations Department. Inside, though, she used to really go all out. Well, at least she did before she moved to her condo.

She had a large mantle along the fireplace that she decorated every year. She had Christmas trees, reindeer, a Santa sleigh, angels, and more. On both sides of the fireplace, there were cement “pads” (really the only way I can think to describe them). She usually placed a small Christmas tree on each side and surrounded them with more trinkets. I know I had pictures of just the mantle somewhere, but can’t seem to find it. However, you get the basic idea from this cheesy photo of my brother and me.

One of the trinkets was a plastic mouse that had hair on the head. The hair made it look like one of those toy trolls. It never made sense to me as to why she always had that in there. I asked her one year and she explained that she had been sick or in the hospital one time and my folks sent her some flowers or a plant or something … from me. The mouse was part of the bouquet and she kept it. Sadly, it is one of the things that have disappeared and no one knows where it went.

As years went by, many of the same decorations were there. Note the Mrs. Santa Clause to the right of the Millennium Falcon box below. It always seemed to be out. This particular year, there was a set of shelves next to the TV. On top of it was her manger scene (behind my brother on the left). The silver star lit up above the baby Jesus. This may have been the manger set my mom made in ceramics, I can’t be sure.

For as long as grandma was in her house on Huntington, every Christmas she would hang these melted plastic decorations up on the wall. These were very popular in the 1970’s I guess. She had Santa in a sleigh being pulled by 9 reindeer….all Rudolph because that was all they made.

Those plastic decorations were something we had at our house, too. I remember the snowman, the Christmas tree, waving Santa, and the wreath. I did a search online and found that there were quite a bit of them. There were even some made for Thanksgiving and Easter.

In her front room, there was usually her big tree (eventually it was the ceramic one my mom made for her) right in the center of the front window and some garland around pictures. There might have been a wreath on the door, too. We didn’t go in this room much. It was the “fancy” room. Most of the breakable stuff was in there. Here are my grandparents in there around 1967-1968.

Bells and Clowns

I’m not sure what made me remember this particular decoration, but it was one of two very annoying things that grandma brought out every year. It was a simple, clear, red plastic bell that played music. It didn’t look anything like the bell in the video below.

I tried to search for it online and I found something similar to the one grandma had, but it isn’t THE one. Grandma’s was just a bell with a Christmas light inside of it that lit up in synch with the electronic music that was playing. I found this clip on YouTube which is almost the exact same music.

The missing holiday favorite from the clip is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Grandma’s bell played it and when it did the Christmas light inside blinked like it was a strobe light. It always made my grandma laugh. It made us laugh, too, the first couple times we heard it. After that it got annoying. She would turn it on and you’d have to listen to the first 7 or 8 carols before Rudolph played. When it did, she’d crack up. It was obnoxiously annoying.

The second annoying “decoration” she had was this scary looking clown doll. Now, what this clown had to do with Christmas I will never know. It wasn’t even dressed in Christmas colors.

This ugly thing would sit somewhere near the fire place among the rest of the decorations. Throughout each of our visits, grandma would walk over, pick it up and press the belly. Inside the clown was a “laugh box.” It would laugh for 20-30 seconds and it would crack my grandma up.

You can see the pure joy on her face in the above picture. To a degree, the laugh kind of reminded me of how my grandpa laughed, so maybe that is why she loved it so much. Every video I found on YouTube of the clown laughing, it sounds speeded up. I did, however find a video of just the laugh box and it plays at the speed my grandma’s clown laughed.

Imagine hearing that 4-5 times during an hour visit! I was always glad when that clown finally got put away!

As annoying as they were, I’d give anything to be able to go back to the days of that clown and that bell! So many Christmas memories involved my grandparents. Whether it was my mom’s folks …

… or my dad’s folks ….

I’d put up with those annoying sounds for however long I had to – just to have a few more minutes with them again!

Holiday “Letters”

Today’s blog comes from a Daily Writing Prompt. I thought this was a fun idea. Some of my answers came immediately, while others I had to think a little bit. Here is the prompt: “Make an alphabetized list of the 26 best things about the holiday season, with one item for each letter. Choose your favorite thing and write a short paragraph about why you love it.”

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“A”

A Christmas Carol.

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Every year since junior high school I have read this amazing tale of Ebenezer Scrooge’s transformation by Charles Dickens. I also listen to Patrick Stewart’s wonderful audio performance, as well as watch the many movie versions. No matter how many times I hear this story, it always makes me happy.

“B”

Blessings.

The holidays are a time where we reflect on what we are thankful for, and a time for counting our blessings. In years past, I suffered from severe depression and often never really was conscious of those things. With the changes in my life, I am much more aware of how blessed I am. I have so many things to be thankful for and I am truly blessed in more ways than I can count!

“C”

Christmas Cookies.

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To borrow a phrase from Sesame Street – “C is for Cookie.” Every year as kids, my brother and I would wait for my grandma to ship us a huge tin can of cookies! She would make Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal, Sugar, Ice Box, and so many more. The cookies pictured above are called Pizzelle cookies. My grandma always made them at Christmas! My brother still has her pizzelle maker. Today, I still make the Chocolate Chips from a recipe she had in a metal index card box!

“D”

Dante’ & Dimitri

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My sons. Sharing the holidays with them means so much to me. I LOVE watching their excitement as they open their presents. I love spending time with them, whether it is watching TV, playing a video or board game, or just having a heart to heart talk. They continue to grow into fine young men, and I am proud to be their father.

“E”

Eggnog

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I LOVE eggnog! My grandmother always had it for us at Christmas. There used to be an eggnog mix that she would buy, but I can’t find it anywhere anymore. My brother and I used to drink this like water! I recently discovered a “custard” eggnog that was really good, too! All things eggnog – I like: McDonald’s Eggnog Shakes, Starbucks Eggnog Latte’s, and even the alcoholic eggnog! There was a place in Frankenmuth that had a drink called the “dirty elf” – it was eggnog with a shot of Fireball whiskey in it – SO good!

“F”

Family and Friends.

What would the holidays be with out them?! When I look back on holidays of the past, they are special because of the friends and family who were present! I look forward to the holidays each year because it means special times with these special people in my life.

“G”

Garland.

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When I think about Christmas, I always think about garland! My mom used to string it on the tree. She’d hang it on walls, wrap it around things, hang Christmas Cards from it – it was everywhere! We had gold and silver garland, thick and thin garland, and even garland with snowflakes on it. I don’t use it today, because I know our cats will just eat it.

“H”

Holiday Music.

I have blogged about this enough that you had to see this coming! I love Christmas music. There are so many wonderful memories connected to specific holiday songs. While there are some songs that bring tears to my eyes, the majority of them bring me so much happiness.

“I”

Italian Food.

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EVERY Christmas Eve – my grandma made ravioli. That was part of our tradition. We also had breaded steak with ammoglio (moy-gyoo) sauce. She always made an Italian feast. I have tried to keep this tradition going, even though my sauce is no where close to being as good as hers.

“J”

Jingle Bells.

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This is two-fold. First, the sound of jingle bells goes hand in hand with the holidays. To me, there is something about hearing those bells that makes it feel like Christmas. Second, it is one of those holiday songs that I love. It’s probably THE universal Christmas song. My favorite versions are done by Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Doc Severinsen & The Tonight Show Band, The Glenn Miller Orchestra, and SO many other versions!

“K”

Kris Kringle.

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Also known as Santa Claus. He’s the subject of many Christmas songs. Millions of children sit on his lap and convey their Christmas list to him. In one night, he delivers millions of toys to good little girls and boys!

“L”

Lights.

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I love Christmas lights. When I first got my driver’s license I would pop a cassette tape of Christmas music in and I would drive around looking at the lights. I remember driving around Jefferson Avenue where all these huge mansions were. They would have their lights done by professionals and they were just amazing. Walking through Wild Lights at the Detroit Zoo, or taking the Christmas train at Crossroads Village to see lights is also a treat! I love the way they look and enjoy them more and more every year.

“M”

Mail.

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In a world where most communication is done by phone, e-mail, or text messages, I really enjoy getting Christmas cards in the mail. I also love getting the “year in review” letters in them. I can never understand why people diss these letters, because I love to read about what my friends and family have done over the past year. I love when they include pictures from the past year, too. I also love family photo Christmas cards. I used to send them every year. Sam and I were just talking about how we need to get better at sending them.

“N”

Nostalgia.

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No surprise here, especially since 95% of this blog is about nostalgia! When the holidays come around, I get VERY nostalgic. I think of my grandparents, my mother, and remember the good times we shared. I remember past gifts. I remember past relationships. I remember good times and bad times. There are many memories connected with the holidays for me.

“O”

Ornaments.

One thing I love about Christmas ornaments is that when you put up your tree, as you unwrap each ornament, it brings back a memory. Every year, Sam and I go to Bronner’s in Frankenmuth and get an ornament that signifies an even from the past year. This year’s ornament is obviously about us expecting our baby. We have an ornament from when we got married and when we got engaged. I have a few ornaments that I brought with me when I moved in with Sam. One of those ornaments is from 1977! It was an ornament that we all got when we were in Catechism in 2nd grade. It is an ornament of the baby Jesus. It is the oldest ornament I have.

“P”

Presents.

When I was a kid, it was all about what presents I was getting. As an adult, and as a parent, your focus shifts. It becomes about what special gift you buy for someone else. What can I get that will make the boys smile? What is the perfect gift for my wife? What do I get for my dad, who seems to have everything? It truly is better to give than to receive, but it is also nice to get something special from someone, too.

“Q”

Quiet.

I know, this seems impossible! I would agree to a certain extent. Many holiday gatherings are noisy as hell, but I am speaking of a specific quiet. One of my favorite things is standing outside after a snowfall, just listening to the quiet of the neighborhood. There were many times I’d be out shoveling the walk, and stop just to enjoy the quiet of a winter day.

“R”

Rudolph

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Sure, I love the Rankin and Bass TV special! I, however, and talking about the above decoration. My grandma had these, and so did we! This decoration was made of melted plastic. Pinterest calls this a “melted plastic popcorn wall or window hanging decoration”. There was a Snowman, a Christmas Tree and a Santa in a sleigh decoration, too. My grandma hung 9 of these reindeer and the Santa in a sleigh on the wall every year! Man, do I miss seeing this every year!!!

“S”

Snow.

One of the things I love about living in Michigan is that we see all four seasons. The holidays without snow are very disappointing to me. If it is mid to late December and there is no snow, the song White Christmas really hits home. I NEED to have snow on Christmas! It is just one of those things that makes the holiday mean more. I love the beauty of snow on the ground and stuck to the trees … but, yes, I do hate driving in it!

“T”

The Tree.

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You can check out the blog I wrote a week or so ago entitled “Oh Christmas Tree” to read about why this means so much to me. For now, just know that it is one of the things I LOVE about the holidays.

“U”

Underwear.

I really didn’t have a lot of “U” options. I don’t like underwear for Christmas, but I put it here because of something I started seeing a few years ago. I guess you would call it a meme today. I see it posted on Facebook a lot and it makes me laugh:

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“V”

Vacation.

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Again, a two-fold answer. (1) Vacation time? Yes, I do get some time off during the holidays, but nothing real big. I wish I had the opportunity to actually take a few weeks off around the holidays, but that never is possible for me. (2) Christmas Vacation Movie? Who doesn’t love this Christmas film. There are so many great lines and characters in this film! Come on – you know any time you pass a house with a gazillion lights on it you call it the “Griswold house”!!

“W”

Wife.

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She makes EVERYTHING in my life special. The holidays are already a special time for me, but spending them with her make them extra special. There is not enough space on the internet for me to write about how much she means to me, how much I love her, and how happy she makes me. I am so lucky to call this beautiful woman my friend, my partner, and my wife. For Christmas this year, she is giving me the best present ever … she arrives in February.

“X”

X’s and O’s

Ok, it was hard to come up with something beside Xylophone for X! X’s and O’s are hugs and kisses. Hugs and kisses from friends and family during the holidays make the season special.

“Y”

Year Without a Santa Claus.

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You should have saw this coming, too! Last year, many characters made a Christmas blog and this year I wrote an entire blog on it. I HAVE to watch this every year! I also have to listen to the Miser Brothers songs in the car during the holidays.

“Z”

Zzzzzzz’s.

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Yet another stretch, but Holiday Zzzzz’s are something I certainly look forward to! In Twas The Night Before Christmas they talk of a “long winter’s nap”. In my opinion, any time I can grab a nap over the holidays, it’s a good thing!!!

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That was a fun blog to write! Now it’s your turn. What are your “holiday letters”? I’d love to read them …

My Top 20 Favorite Christmas Characters

Growing up, I loved watching all of the various Christmas specials that were shown on TV every year. With the availability of almost all of them on DVD, we can watch them whenever we want – even if it’s not during the holiday season! My brother and I would sit in front of the TV and watch Jimmy Durante tell us the story of Frosty the Snowman, Fred Astaire delivering mail while telling us about Santa, and Burl Ives shared the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I don’t care who you are or how old you are, if you have kids – it’s still just as special watching these specials together. I even know some people my age who have no children – they find themselves watching them on TV, too!

Technology has come a long way from when these TV specials were made! Today, the cartoons and animation are above and beyond what these classic specials had. While some of the specials were animated – most of the favorites were done by Rankin and Bass and were done in stop animation. It had to have taken a long time to shoot these specials for sure! What make these so memorable are not only the stories and songs, but the characters and the people who voiced them.

There were some pretty talented voice actors and big stars who provided voiced for these iconic characters! They had many memorable lines, too. Here now, are my Top 20 favorite characters from the Specials of Christmas Past (and Present):

20 – Jingle Bells (The Year Without a Santa Claus)

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Jingle Bells (right) is the #1 elf at the North Pole. He is partnered up with Jangle Bells (left) and they remind me of a Laurel and Hardy type team. Jingle is the smart one, Jangle – not so much. Together, they get in some trouble while trying to find some Christmas Spirit. It’s Jingle who suggests they call Mrs. Claus for help.

19 – Sally Brown (A Charlie Brown Christmas)

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One thing that I loved about the Charlie Brown Christmas special is that the voices are done by real kids. As someone who has had to record children for commercials and such, I can tell you this is no easy task. You often have to feed them lines one at a time and edit them together. This is obviously what happened with the girl who plays Sally. Listen to her say – “Will you please write a letter to Santa Claus for me?” next time you watch it … you can hear the edits.

I love Sally because in her letter she gets on Santa’s good side by asking how his wife is and then goes on to say she has included a list of things she wants and for him to “note the size and color” of each item. LOL! When Charlie Brown questions her – she tells him that she just wants her “fair share”

18 – Doc Bobbin (The Year Without a Santa Claus)

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Santa is sick, so Mrs. Claus calls the doctor. This guy is just miserable! He’s cranky and angry! He’s an example of someone with no Christmas spirit. He tells Santa he’d be surprised if anyone still believed in him and is just plain rude. His appearance is a short one, but my favorite line from him is “Nobody cares a hoot and a holler for you (Santa) or Christmas!”

17 – The Grinch (How The Grinch Stole Christmas)

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The Dr. Seuss classic – not the new one or the Jim Carrey one! This guy reminds me a lot of Ebenezer Scrooge. He’s a mean one, as the song suggests, and yet in the end, he finds the true meaning of Christmas and he is a changed Grinch. It’s a bonus that the great Boris Karloff is the narrator for this cartoon.

16 & 15 – Mr. and Mrs. Claus (The Year Without a Santa Claus)

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Mickey Rooney and Shirley Booth! What’s not to like? Mickey played Santa in Rankin/Bass’s Santa Claus is Coming To Town and did and amazing job. It’s a treat to hear him revisit the role – his vocal inflections (while acting like he has a cold) are perfect. The playfulness of Shirley Booth as Mrs. Claus is just as good. She is our story-teller and plays and all important part in the story.

14 & 13 – Rudolph and Hermey

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Now, to be honest, I wasn’t going to include Rudolph in this list. However, when I thought about Hermey (the elf who wants to be a dentist), I felt that Rudy should go with him. These two are here because they are truly a “couple of misfits”. They are different and you know what? That is ok! Be different!!! Be spectacular!

Recently there have been rumblings about the lessons taught by this Christmas special, and in all honesty, the talk is annoying to me. Something offends everybody and everybody is offended by something these days! Hey! Get a grip! In order for the wonderful ending of this tale to mean anything – there had to be mean reindeer and a mean elf!

12 – Professor Hinkle (Frosty the Snowman)

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Here is a nasty man. He is a crappy magician and he has no idea how important his hat really is! He’s on the list because he is voiced perfectly by Billy De Wolfe. One of my favorite lines of his is: “When you’re grown up, you’ll realize that snowmen can’t come to life!” Oh, how wrong he was!

11 – Lucy Van Pelt (A Charlie Brown Christmas)

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Lucy is a real piece of work. She bosses everyone around, has an opinion about everything, and is a know it all. She’s also kind of a jerk. So why is she on the list? Because of all the things I just mentioned and this quote: “Look, Charlie Brown, we all know that Christmas is just a big commercial racket. It’s run by a big Eastern Syndicate, you know?!”

Maybe it is not run by a syndicate – but one thing is for certain – Christmas is, and continues to be, a big commercial racket!

10 – Santa Claus (Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer)

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Ok, yes … Santa is already on the list. That, however, is the Mickey Rooney Santa. This Santa is different and is played in a whole different way. I agree, he was a jerk to Rudolph. However, he does come around at the end and Rudolph saves the day. Why is he #10? He says one of my favorite lines: “Every year I shine up my jingle bells!”

Take that however you want.

9 – The Head Elf (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer)

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Just like the above Santa, this guy was kind of a bossy jerk! Think about it, how many bosses have you had that were jerks? That is what some bosses are good at – being jerks.

At any rate, this guy gives Hermey a hard time. Not only does he have a workshop to run, but he also has to run Elf Practice! I mean – how else are elves gonna learn how to wiggle their ears, go “hee-hee” and “ho-ho” and “important stuff like that”? He was probably thankful that Hermey’s dental practice was able to get him in so soon after Christmas……

8 – The Winter Warlock (Santa Claus is Coming To Town)

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Voiced by Keenan Wynn, the Winter Warlock is yet another character who has a change of heart. He is a mean man who is frigid and cold – that is, until Kris Kringle gives him a toy. The ice and cold melts away to show he is really a gentle old man. He tells Kris he really is a mean and “despicable creature at heart” and tells Kris how difficult it is to “really change”. Kris tells him that changing from bad to good is “as easy as taking your first step” which leads into the great song “Put One Foot In Front of the Other”

7 – Linus Van Pelt (A Charlie Brown Christmas)

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Linus is Charlie Brown’s friend. He is often there to give him insight on issues that he is dealing with. He often prompts Charlie to think about things a little differently. It is Linus who says the crappy little tree that Charlie Brown picked out isn’t so bad and just needs a “little love”.

It is also Linus who gives an amazing little speech about what Christmas is all about quoting from the King James Bible Luke 2: 8-14. Linus, who carries around his security blanket at all times, does something really unique while reciting these verses. To the casual observer, it may go unnoticed, but I think it is amazing how this kid who needs this blanket so badly, drops it when he says “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy”. That’s powerful.

With so many people offended by things, I am truly amazed that there isn’t an uproar about this special because of Linus’ speech.

6 – Sam the Snowman (Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer)

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Voiced by one of the familiar “voices of Christmas”, Burl Ives, Sam the Snowman tells us Rudolph’s story. He’s like a gentle old grandpa telling us the story. Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without hearing Burl’s version of Holly Jolly Christmas – which is just one of the songs he sings in this special.

He tells us the story with bits of info (First castle to the left) and humor (“haven’t you ever seen a talking snowman before?”) Even though he is telling a story, he still is frightened by certain parts of it (the Abominable Snow Monster of the North), enough so that he hides under his umbrella!

I have to admit, I often find myself singing lines from Silver and Gold every year when I trim the tree. As a kid, I remember making a snowman and then sliding behind him, making a trail – so it looked like he glided into place …. just like Sam.

5 – Charlie Brown

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How many of us can relate to Charlie Brown – not just at Christmas, but all year round? He tells Linus, “I’m just not happy. I don’t know the way I am supposed to feel.” While this is a real issue for many people, Linus tells Charlie Brown that he is the only kid he knows that “can take a wonderful season like Christmas and turn it into a problem”.

He’s a “blockhead”, but he means well. He tries and he fails – but he never stops trying. He is the director of the Christmas play and louses up the production, but in the end, it all comes out ok. He buys a scrawny tree, and his friends make it something special they wish him a Merry Christmas.

Charlie is a simple kid and we are all a little bit like him.

4 – Burgermeister Meisterburger (Santa Claus is Coming To Town)

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Voiced by the great Paul Frees – this guy is a presence on screen! Just what the hell is a Burgermeister? Well it is a sort of mayor – he is an executive. Our Burgermeister is the head of Sombertown (why would anyone want to live there?). He makes it clear that he hates toys and children too, apparently!

The story could have gone very differently, as the baby Claus shows up on his doorstep and he orders his soldier to “Get the brat out of here!” Good thing the soldier, Grimsley, loses the baby on a sled and it shows up at the Kringle house…..

He isn’t all bad – he does love playing with a yo-yo!

3 – Yukon Cornelius (Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer)

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How can you not love Yukon Cornelius’ sense of adventure!? Here is a guy who is out looking for gold and silver! He is on the hunt with the mindset of striking it rich! He knows no fear! He makes his own rules! He isn’t afraid of that Abominable Snow Monster of the North, whom he downplays by calling him Bumbles, and actually attacks him. Sadly, he goes over a cliff with the monster during the attack.

He is a scene stealer and there is a sense of sadness when he tumbles off the cliff, but he is friggin’ Yukon Cornelius! He shows up later with Bumbles to everyone’s amazement! How did he survive? Well…..Bumbles Bounce!!

2 – Heat Miser (The Year Without a Santa Claus)

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He’s Mr. Green Christmas! He’s Mr. Sun. He’s Mr. Heat Blister. He’s Mr. 101!

To me, when you talk about the Miser Brothers from The Year Without a Santa Claus, everyone knows Heat Miser first. Some would say that he should top this list. I can see your argument and it’s a good one – but a close one.

Voiced by George S. Irving, Heat Miser obviously doesn’t care about Santa. He asks Mrs. Claus is Santa is “out doing another commercial” for his brother. He describes Santa a “traipsing around in that stupid sleigh of his! Stirring up cold winter breezes and causing everyone to think fondly of snowball fights and – urgh – ice hockey!”

Not only does he not like Santa, but he certainly does not care too much for his brother!

1 – Snow Miser (The Year Without A Santa Claus)

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He’s Mr. White Christmas. He’s Mr. Snow. He’s Mr. Icicle. He’s Mr. 10 Below!

The Snow Miser tops my list. He’s just a bundle of energy and damn funny! Voiced by Dick Shawn, he conveys a carefree attitude and is just a fun dude. When he is summoned by his mother (Mother Nature), he and his brother are arguing and they are told to stop. His response is “If I can’t have any fun, I might as well leave.” While he and his “hothead” brother don’t get along, he loves Santa and Mrs. Claus. He tells “Mrs. C” to make sure she brings him with her next time she comes and they’ll have “a blizzard”. He is a friendly, loveable, and fun guy who loves “chilly humor”.

I have always been amazed that when radio stations play Christmas music, they will play songs from various Christmas specials, but they never seem to play the Miser Brothers songs….and that is just sad! You mention the Miser Brothers and the first thing that happens is someone starts singing their songs!

Closing thoughts

As I look at this list – there are some good guys and bad guys. Maybe there are more bad guys than good … I don’t know, I didn’t count. Here is an observation, though that fits into what’s going on today.

Without bad guys, there can be no heroes. You kind of need bad guys, bullies, and jerks to make the end of the story a happy one. Good conquers evil! Good wins over bad! Sure, the bad guys may be doing things that we don’t agree with, but they are necessary to the plot to get us to the happiness at the end! Imagine A Christmas Carol without Scrooge! Imagine It’s a Wonderful Life without Mr. Potter! It feels better and more special when the good guys come out ahead….doesn’t it?

What characters are your favorites? Who is missing from my list?