Yeah yeah, I know, the holidays are WELL over (although, dead serious, I saw some houses in Nova Scotia with lights still on just two nights ago), but I wanted to share this video anyway. I promise that I’m almost caught up, so I’ll start sharing these videos AS they’re being posted for a change! XD
Tag: Rudolph
A Special Talk about Specials
Let’s talk about Christmas specials for a moment.
That intro? I killed it.
Now, I am sure there are lots of people out there who hate watching the same specials year after year after year…but I am not one of them. My husband and I love Christmas specials, and there are plenty that we watch every year, without fail. In the past couple of years that list has grown full of things like the Spongebob Christmas specials, the Sofia the First “holiday” special, and other such stuff, but those are just add-ons, things to entertain the little missy. These are some of the real important specials, the ones that have to be watched, or else it just feels like something is missing from the holiday:
Santa Claus is Coming to Town
This well-aged Rankin-Bass special takes some large liberties with the lore of Santa Claus, but it’s a cute take on the jolly old fellow’s origins. Fun fact: we have a copy of this movie-length stop-motion picture in high definition, and it’s so clear that you can see the strings everywhere. Kind of amusing.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
As a grown adult who is more aware of such things, this other beloved Rankin-Bass special has become known as the tale in which Santa is a total jerk and Prancer is totally sexist. That said, it’s a classic and I love it. And nowadays I get to hear my daughter exclaim over the arrival of the Bumble, which is just hysterical.
Garfield’s Christmas Special
Who doesn’t love this special, honestly? It’s right up there with the classics for sure, and one that definitely can not be missed in the Tobin household. It has such a cute story, in my opinion, and no matter how many times I watch it I never get tired of hearing Garfield sing the words, “electrical contracting”.
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Because of course.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Ah, the Dr Suess tale of nonsense words as read by Boris Karloff. So many nonsense words… Read by Boris Karloff… It just seems ridiculous somehow. But, of course, this is a wonderful tale to partake of near the holidays.
Christmas Vacation
Chevy Chase and his supporting cast really do an amazing job of encapsulating the wonders and woes of the holidays. And it’s funny as hell. I’ve watched this movie every year (sometimes two or three times in one year) since I was about seven years old, and yet the same gags crack me up every single freakin’ time.
Prep and Landing
What the- Oh, you thought I was just talking about classics, didn’t you? Well, I kinda was, because those ones are the best, but I wanted to mention this newer special because it’s so cute. It’s the CG-animated tale of the elves who help prepare each house for Santa’s arrival, and it has an adorable sequel that focuses on the importance of family.
There are a lot more specials that I could mention because we have quite the collection to work with, but those are just a few of my absolute favs, so I thought I’d share. 🙂
What about you? Do you enjoy watching Christmas specials each year? What are some of your favorites? Are there any that you absolutely can’t stand? Please share!
Gift Ideas for Christmas 2014: Toys Part 1
I’m gonna say one thing right off the bat: I’m a big child, and I love toys, and there are a lot of cool ones around these days, so it’s going to be hard to choose just a few. Therefore I’m going to do three of these toy posts to spread things out a bit. I’m also going to do my best to represent lots of different toy categories, including classic stuff, board games, video games, more affordable stuff, and more pricey stuff. So let’s get started!
I’m a huge fan of Build a Bear for numerous reasons. One is that their stuff is so well-made and nice-looking, not to mention being pretty resilient. Another is that they will re-stuff a previous purchase for free if it starts to get squished or worn down, which is just a nice service to have. A third one is that they make a bunch of licensed characters and they do an absolutely amazing job of making them look like the actual characters as they appear in their prospective cartoons/movies/whatever. Currently available in stores and online are a score of My Little Pony characters, all four modern-version Ninja Turtles, and Toothless from “How to Train Your Dragon”, amongst others. And right now you can even get Rudolph and Clarice from the Rankin-Bass stop motion Christmas classic. A single plush in any category averages between $25 and $30, which sounds like a lot for a stuffed animal, but they are a very decent size and very well-made. And if you want to really make the toy special, there’s a huge selection of clothing and accessories for your recipients’ little buddy. Just be warned: if you start delving into the clothes and accessories the price tag is going to rise very quickly.
Before you say anything, no, I am not bringing this board game up because I got it for free from Influenster. I’m bringing it up because I was genuinely impressed with it, and the fact that my daughter wanted to play it a million times in a row proves that it achieves its primary goal. This board game is a great way to introduce little ones to board games because it is easy to learn, and it is designed for the rounds to take around 10 to 20 minutes, so kids don’t get board or lose interest. There’s even a bit of an educational factor to it, since there’s counting involved, and you can use the game as a way to help teach your kids about money. At $15-$20, I personally think this is a great present that you and your little ones can enjoy together.
Confession time: I haven’t actually seen this thing in action, but I do think it’s a really cute, interesting addition to the LeapFrog family. The LeapBand looks a bit like a smart-watch, and features software similar to the LeapPad “Pet Pals” games. Kids choose from a number of virtual pets, who then guide the child through fitness activities. They’ll be asked to jump, run, hop, roll, and any other number of activities, while the band monitors their motion. By completing activities the child earns rewards for their pet, levels up, and unlocks more games and activities. At $50 it’s not exactly cheap, but if you’ve got a small kid who is already becoming a bit of a couch potato, this might be just the thing to get them up and moving!
Come back tomorrow for more toy gift ideas!
The 12 Posts of Christmas – Specials
I absolutely love Christmas Specials and, as can be evidenced by the massive number of them that he has accumulated, so does my husband. Every year he manages to find a few new ones, and it has come to the point where we have far more of them than we can reasonably watch during the holidays.
But there are, of course, a select group of specials that absolutely must be watched every year. The ones who come to mind right now are:
Garfield’s Christmas Special (tell me you don’t watch this every year, I dare you)
Home Alone (still, in my opinion, one of the best Christmas movies ever)
Rudolph, the Rankin-Bass version (absolutely classic)
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (there are some parts of this movie that just never stop being funny)
These are essentials, but there are quite a few others that we love to watch if we can, such as the other Rankin-Bass specials, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and (yes, I’m serious) the He-Man and She-Ra Christmas Special. This year things have gotten even more silly by the baby’s desire to watch the Ninja Turtles Christmas Special nine or ten times a day.
What I’m really saying is that if there’s anyone out there who watches more holiday specials than us, they may need to consider getting a life.
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