Watch “Frosty the Snowman” Online

The original Rankin-Bass animated production. Click on the graphic to go to the website.

Watch the Original “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” Online

Click on the graphic to go to the website:

 

Mending Broken Links

Since this blog has been around for going on five years now, a lot of the posts from Christmases past have broken links therein, as folks out there on the internet move stuff around, or forget to renew their domains, etc. YouTube video links, in particular, are vulnerable – you tube is like some insane carnival of the indigent, people coming and going, opening and closing accounts, various entities contesting copyright and having material removed, etc….

Anyway, I’m working to get as many of those bad links repaired and redirected to other sources of the same material, or at least redirect you to something of comparable interest. It’s a labor of love, to be sure, with nearly 340 posts.

Here’s a start: Every single link to online christmas karaoke videos in this post was broken. I’ve gone through and redirected every one that I could; those that I couldn’t find substitutions for are gone.

I’ve fixed some other stuff as well, this evening: Bing Crosby and Marjorie Reynolds are back singing “White Christmas,” while Cheech is telling Chong the Story of Santa and His Old Lady in yet another Christmas season.

On Donner, on Blitzen, on Chewy, on Tavo….

33 New Christmas Wallpapers for 2011!

That’s right – 33 more Christmas wallpapers have been added to our already large collection!

Check them out! As you mouse over a thumbnail, the tooltips for the new papers will read “2011paper.”

Enjoy!

A Victorian Christmas, 1840

“The Magic of Christmas,” 2011, Butchart Gardens, Victoria B.C.

• What: “The Magic of Christmas” – Tens of thousands of coloured lights combine with evergreen swags and wreaths of holly and winter berries to line walkways and festoon lamp posts. The ever popular Twelve Days of Christmas displays are tucked away about The Gardens…. [Website]

• When: December 1, 2011 — January 6, 2012

• Where: 800 Benvenuto Ave., Brentwood Bay, Vancouver Island, BC [map]

• Getting there: BC Ferries | Washington State Ferries (select ‘Sidney BC’ as destination) | Washington State D.O.T. “Traveling to Victoria” FAQ

14th Annual “Bright Nights,” Stanley Park, Vancouver B.C.

 

• What: In terms of what you get for your money (barring border delays and travel distance to Vancouver B.C.), Bright Nights is about the best regional bargain in the “Christmas lights/train ride” department.  Often called “the most spectacular lighting display in Canada,” the Christmas train winds through a display of  two-million Christmas lights, animated displays, and the amazing creations of the Mortal Coil Performance Society. New this year: North Pole featuring Santa and the Parade of Trees.

• Where: Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC [map]

• When: December 2, 2011 to January 2, 2012, Sunday to Thursday, 3:00pm – 10:00pm ; Friday and Saturday, 3:00pm – 11:00pm. Closed Christmas Day.

• Admission: Adult – $9.00 | Discount – $6.00 [Children & Youth (2-18), Seniors (65+)]

• For ticket information and further details, see the official website.

Outdoor Decorating with Garland

Amanda from Kansas asked for some ideas for outdoor decorating with something that the birds won’t eat up right away (unlike cranberry-popcorn garland). Below are some links to various projects the whole family can help with, creating garlands to make the exterior of your abode as festive as the the inside.

• Outdoor Christmas Decorating with Garland: Some great ideas for creating a homemade, natural garland that can be used to frame windows, line railings, and more.
• Christmas Ribbon Garland or Chain:  The idea here is to create a “paper chain,” but make it out of ribbon (red and green, for example) instead.
• Homemade Recycled Holiday Luminaries for Thanksgiving or Christmas: This version is made from ordinary used food cans. See video below, which illustrates the effect they create.
• This short instructional video outlines how to make luminaries to line  your driveway. These are strictly for outdoors in dry/non-windy weather, as they are made from paper bags and incorporate a votive candle in each bag. I had never seen them before (I live in the northwest U.S., where it is virtually guaranteed to be inclement in the month of December, which explains why luminaries are popular mostly in the south), but apparently they are made quite often, and give a very cheerful effect, as the photo below illustrates.

Whatcom County Holiday Season Kickoff Events, December 2-4, 2011

• Festival of Trees Winter Wonderland Walk, Dec. 2-3
• Holiday Port Festival & Gingerbread House Contest 2011 :This year’s Holiday Port Festival will be Friday , Saturday, and Sunday, December 2-4, 2011 at the Bellingham Cruise Terminal, 355 Harris Ave. Bellingham.
• Bellingham Yacht Club Lighted Boat Parade: Saturday, Dec. 3
• Lynden Sinterklaas Arrival and Lighted Christmas Parade, Dec. 3
• Ferndale Olde Fashioned Christmas Celebration, Dec 2-4
• Blaine Holiday Harbor Lights Celebration, Dec. 3
• A Victorian Country Christmas continues in Puyallup through Sunday, Dec. 5

For more local and regional holiday events, see Zvents

“The Common Welfare Was My Business.” A Poem.

Elaine stood at the window with her tea,
and watched the man next door,
bearing an armload of groceries,
fumble on the doorstep for his key,
a shadow-man, in the December rain.

She spoke. “I wonder if our new neighbor has people.”
“People?” John murmured, looking over her shoulder.
“Yes, people,” said Elaine. “So he needn’t be alone
at Christmas. I hope he has friends, just as
Providence blesses us;
It hurts my heart, to think of a soul in pain.”

John said, “He likely has family, either here or there.
Maybe he’s Jewish, his grocery bag overflowing
With chocolate Macabees, and Gefiltefish.
In any case, though, just because he lives alone,
doesn’t mean, automatically, that he doesn’t have people,
people of his own.”

Elaine frowned. “I guess there’s no way to know,
Unless one were to ask him, strike up a conversation
along the sidewalk, some day when it isn’t raining.”
John frowned, then, “So, now, shall we invite to Christmas
Each stray dog that happens in from the rain?
What business of ours is it, really, anyway?”

John was not a cruel man at heart, but Elaine took it cruelly,
and whispered, “The common welfare was my business…
So said the ghost of Jacob Marley, one Christmas Eve.”
“Good God!” John exclaimed, “now you’re quoting Dickens to me.”
“This is real life, my dear. It isn’t a fairy tale, a fantasy.”

Her fingertip captured the tear on her cheek, before John could see.
“To be sure,” she said, and falling silent
She closed the curtain; and in time,
The man outside the foggy window pane….
The shadow man in the December rain….
Was completely forgotten.