Tis The Season

I don’t know of any other time of year when we get to say ‘Tis and Twas so much. I notice as I scroll through the TV guide that many of the shows have to do with Christmas – of course. There is touching, funny, scary, sentimental, moralistic teaching, ….

Each year I have my favorites as do many of you. Number one, the one I stop no matter what I am doing to view, is National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation which is so extreme with Sparky‘s foolishness (Clark Griswold aka Chevy Chase) that it can only be enjoyed if you suspend any claim to reality. The first time I saw it twenty three years ago I decided it was too silly to ever watch again. I guess back then I had a more serious kind of humor. Anyway I fine myself watching it every time it comes on TV, cheering at the tree selection, the multicorded lights which illuminate one house and cause a nuclear plant reset, Uncle Louis’s rug and even the sizzling kitty.
It always amazes me to view complete destruction of windows and walls when the next scene shows everything cleaned up awaiting the next disaster.

This year G2 at four is in awe of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (even though he calls it Redolph the Rudenosed Reindeer) and G1 at nine is on the fence about whether he believes or not.  He made an extreme request for a computer of his own and something else that cost $500 and when I mentioned those were very expensive requests he said I shouldn’t worry because it came from Santa for free.  He has been notified that Santa does not bring computers to nine year old children.

G2 did turn a little pale when he received an email from the jolly fellow himself.  Isn’t the web wonderful? PNP is a great site and I had fun sending it to adults also!

There is one disappointment for me – so far anyway – and that is A Christmas Carol.  Sure it has been on a few evenings now but its just a poor copy of the original.  The original starred Alastair Sim – well to be perfectly honest it was a remake at that time also – in 1951 complete in black and white.  Part of the charm of the film is that in one scene Scrooge looks at himself in the mirror and if you are very quick you can see the camera man behind him filming.

This story has been filmed and remade so many times but for me there is only one true version.  Perhaps someone will show it this week.  I do have the movie on tape VHS – remember those?

I’ve been noticing TV story line trends for a few months now in my scrollings and so often, regardless of season, the story is about some big city man or woman who goes back to their small town for some reason and there finds true love that they had not noticed before.  How many twists can there possibly be?  Rather tiring I think.

Oh by the by..my new theme is an actual photo I took LAST winter..so far we have had no snow here in this part of Southern Ontario and I so wanted to feel the season so like many things through out my life I shall just pretend. HO HO HO

The Nothing Saturday AND A Spontaneous RAK

I had looked forward to this day for more than one reason.  It was going to be the first day with truly nothing to do.  You know there was lots that could be done but this day was to be a nothing day by choice.

When I awoke sans alarm at 8:30 am I lay for a while trying to get my head around the idea of nothingness.  I knew I would work on my book for a bit and do a little shopping but the when of it all was pretty vague.  I considered a morning in bed just reading having started Linden McIntyre’s ‘The Bishop’s Man’ the night before.

Then while out shopping I came across Stephen King’s 11/22/63 on a book shelf and could not pass it up.  This means I now have 2 books to read.  Decisions, decisions.

Prior to going out shopping I got a call from my sister in law asking if I wanted to get together for coffee tomorrow.  She was tied up today taking her grandchildren to the Christmas Parade in Cambridge.  Well immediately I thought…that’s something G1 and G2 should see, first because it is a night parade which I always think is nicer than day parades and because my brother was in the parade manning The Kitchener Ranger float and one of their grandfathers was also marching.

Well my day now had direction.  A little voice said but this is the nothing day..the nothing day.

‘Stop!’ I commanded, ‘a nothing day is nothing until something comes along, and really what could be better than a parade?’

So, at 3:50 pm we, the boys and I, were on the road.  It takes about 35 minutes to reach Cambridge while the boys tried to figure out exactly where we were going.  I had arranged to meet SIL at the McDonald’s on highway 24, otherwise known as Hespeler Rd.  We got there early and I decided the boys should eat.  Oh Lord, standing in line in a packed restaurant, with a million children and attached parents trying to make sense of orders, and nowhere to sit.  Gotta give the staff credit.   They handled it so well.  In addition outside the resident a huge trailer had been set up giving free hot coffee.  I have to tell you I have become very impressed with McDonalds.  Some people scoff that they are trying for a different market with their lattes and McCafes but I have to say I am impressed. (I have always felt their coffee was far better than Tim Horton’s – for those of you familiar with Timmies.)

Now this is where the RAK comes in.  We took our food to set up on the curb – best seats ever for a parade.  When we took our food, since there was no room in the inn for dining, we got a spot at the curb.  G1 asked how we were going to get our chairs (which were in the trunk of my car a block away).  I said I could not leave two young children in a crowd to get chairs at which point he said, ‘It’s okay Grandma I’ll get them.” And off he went through intimidating crowds, retrieved said goods and returned. There was an older couple who told me they were just out shopping and once they realized there was a parade they decided to stay.  Since the children were on the curb we had extra chairs which I offered to them.  The lady decided to sit and he stood behind her.  As the evening got cooler I took the blanket to wrap around her.  I never did get their names, but it doesn’t matter as they got to see the parade in relative comfort and my boys got an experience they did not expect.

My sister and I have become avid advocators of RAK’s and seek every chance to perform one.

The boys got to spend time with cousins they normally would not have, and I must say there is nothing like a wide eyed blue eyed cousin  2 years older to make G1 reach new heights of valor, sudden vision of sophistication and of course to call to Santa….all in all the best nothing day ever!