Christmas Season 2024/2025: The Fifth Day of Christmas - Setting Up. Santas

  Sunday, December 29, 2024

Set out the Santa collection this morning. Also,  rewatched Christmas in Connecticut this afternoon since I fell asleep during it last night. 

It's one I didn't become familiar with until my adult years and it's become one of my most favorite Christmas movies. 

Not only is it generally a great story but the script is tight, it's perfectly cast, and the editing and pacing are fantastic.  

Originally Bette Davis was to play the lead role of Elizabeth Lane and although I'm sure she would have been fantastic it's hard for me to imagine anyone else in the part but Barbara Stanwyck. S. Z. Sakall as Uncle Felix almost steals the show. 

Tonight Dale and I watched The Family Stone on the recommendation of Noel. The movie's almost 20 years old and I can't believe I hadn't heard of it before. It was hightly watchable and well done but I don't know that it's the kind of Christmas movie you'd haul out every year to watch like Christmas In Connecticut. 

Pre-Holiday Season 2024 - Warren

Saturday, November 30, 2024

Dale and I made our post-Thanksgiving pot pie and had Warren over to share it with us. We watched Holiday Affair. It's not my most favorite of Christmas movies but it's not bad and highly watchable.

                      

Released in 1949 it was one of Janet Leigh's earlier pictures and Robert Mitchum was cast, in part, to help rehabilitate his image after a marijuana bust. Warren and Dale had never seen it before. I've seen it once, maybe twice. 

Warren brought a Mexican salad he made himself and it was quite delicious. Pumpkin pie for dessert. 

Listened to Michael Feinstein during cocktail hour and appetizers. 

Holiday Season 2021 - The Bishop's Wife

Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Watched The Bishop's Wife tonight. In the grand scheme of things this is a more recent entry into our Christmas movie-watching cannon. I'd say it's probably about 10 years ago that Dale caught it on TCM during one of his summer months on Madeline Island. He recommended we watch it at Christmas of that year. I was surprised I'd never heard of it before. It's since become one of my most favorites. 

Everyone's in it. Of course, there's Cary Grant as the debonair angel, Dudley.

Loretta Young as Julia Brougham, the bishop's wife.

David Niven as Henry, the overworked and overstressed Bishop Brougham.

Monty Woolley as Professor Wutheridge. Woolley also appears in the Christmas themed movie The Man Who Came to Dinner. 

Elsa (Bride of Frankenstein) Lanchester as Matilda, the Brougham's housekeeper.

Gladys Cooper as Mrs. Hamilton. 

Karolyn Grimes plays little Debbie Brougham, Julia and Henry's daughter. Of course, Grimes also plays Zuzu in that other big Christmas movie, It's a Wonderful Life. 

However, Grimes isn't the only actor to appear in this movie from It's a Wonderful Life. Robert J. Anderson who played young George Bailey in the other film here has a cameo as the defense captain in the snowball fight scene. 

And then there's James Gleason as the charmingly optimistic cabbie, Sylvester. Note: Gleason also plays alongside Grant in Arsenic and Old Lace.

I've heard over the years that the parts of the film were shot here in Minneapolis. I've tried to do a little research and according to the Wikipedia page for The Bishop's Wife, "Location shooting was in Minneapolis, Minnesota." However, more specific information is not given. According to IMDB it was the snowball fight scene that was shot in Minneapolis. Other filming was done at the Samuel Goldwyn Studios in West Hollywood. 

Very evocative of Loring Park is the skating scene. Dudley, Julia, and Sylvester skate on what looks very much like what could be Loring Pond however I'm sure these parts were filmed on a sound stage. 

I can also very much picture the rectory, Mrs. Hamilton's mansion,  and Michel's Restaurant being in either Kenwood or the Loring Park area of Minneapolis. 

The themes of hope, renewal, faith, optimism, and transformation in the film resonate with me strongly. 

Holiday Season 2021 - Miracle On 34th Street

Sunday, December 19, 2021

Dale and I had quiche for dinner and watched Miracle on 34th Street tonight. I think we watched it just last year  but seeing it again was fun as always. I remember back in high school Sharon Berry and I saw it together at a matinee at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. 

Back when Dad was alive and after Dale and I took over turkey making duty we'd watch Miracle on 34th Street while the bird was in the oven. When finished we'd transport it over to Mom and Dad's at the house on Stevens.

Holiday Season 2021 - Meet Me In St. Louis Part 2

Sunday, December 12, 2021

Tonight we finished Meet Me In St. Louis. 

Last night we stopped it just before the Christmas part so that's what we watched tonight. 

This scene really captures the joy, excitement and anticipation of Christmas Eve. 

Holiday Season 2021 - Meet Me In St. Louis Part 1

Saturday, December 11, 2021

Dale and I stopped at Kowalski's after our second trip to Mom's place to pick up dinner. So full were Dale and I from our Brunch at Heather that we decided to just pick up salads. While eating our dinner we watched Meet Me In St. Louis. 

I've been watching this film since 1986. If you average out how many times I've seen it I'm guessing it would be getting close to around once per year and I've yet to tire of it. 

Dale and I were pretty beat from the previous week and we decided to head to bed just as the Christmas part was about to begin. 

Holiday Season 2020 - First Day of Christmas Vacation: In the Good Old Summertime

Saturday, December 19, 2020

This is gonna be a much less busy holiday season than usual. That's not necessarily a bad thing although I am missing getting together with folks. With the slower pace and extra time I may try to get watch more Christmas movies and specials this year. I never seem to get through all the ones I'd like to. 

Tonight we made a quiche for dinner and watched In the Good Old Summertime with Judy Garland and Van Johnson. I love it an haven't seen it for a few years although sadly I fell asleep about halfway through. The same thing happened with Christmas in Connecticut last weekend.  Oh well, no big deal. I've got time on my hands so rewatching won't be a problem. 

Despite falling asleep I woke up at a couple of my favorite spots. The first being when Judy sings Merry Christmas in Mr. Oberkugen's shop. It's a song you actually don't hear too often during the holidays although Bette Midler has a lovely version of it on her Christmas album. I also woke up at the end just in time for little Liza's cameo. 

Bloody Mary for cocktail hour (see above top). Made sure I had lots of stuff for the garnish: gherkins, pickled pear onions, cheese and olives (not pictured). 

My serving of pumpkin pie for dessert which begs the question:

I'd say I'm at a 3. 

Christmas Season 2017/2018 - New Year's Eve

Sunday, December 31, 2017

As I write this I'm sitting on my couch in my cozy living room with Dale sitting next to me reading the paper. Athena is lying peacefully across from me on her doggie bed beneath the television. It's bitterly cold outside. It was -15 degrees this morning and is currently -7 at 5p.m.

Cocktail hour is in full swing so my Beefeater martini is at my side and I'm listening to Ultra Lounge Christmas Cocktails Vol. 4 which  is a very worthy collection of xmas tunes. The red and white lights of the Christmas tree are casting a lovely warm glow over everything. There's no place I'd rather be right now than here. 

I made a chicken pot pie tonight for dinner. The gravy was made by Mrs. Kowalski which is sooo much better than the bottled stuff. 

My martini, sitting near me on our kitchen counter while I put the pot pie together, was accidentally knocked by Dale to the floor where it shattered into a million little pieces. Thank God I didn't have any drinking buddies in the glass. They would have been traumatized.

While Dale worked on stir frying the broccoli I made myself a new martini. We're listening to Abba: The Album which is so 1977.

During dinner we watched When Harry Met Sally which has a very significant New Year's Eve scene. Dale's never seen the movie, only certain parts. Although I've suggested watching it the past few new years, he's never had a real interest in seeing it. This year he agreed and admitted it was much better than he thought it would be.  I think it's a classic that really holds up. 

For dessert I had some of the left-over chocolate torte from Noel's gathering. Dale didn't partake.