Random Notes (Christmas Edition)
It Happened on 5th Avenue has become one of my favorite Christmas movies. Frank Capra was all set to direct it but he decided to do It’s a Wonderful Life instead.
Speaking of: the New York Times has an interesting piece about the dark parts of It’s A Wonderful Life, featuring an interview with Karolyn Grimes, who played young Zuzu.
Fake Christmas trees are better than real ones.
I mailed out my Christmas cards on Monday. I don’t get a lot of cards anymore, but I did get one from my dentist.
It doesn’t look like CBS will be showing Christmas episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show and I Love Lucy this year as they have in recent years. That’s a shame. But there’s a new NCIS: Origins!
You think you’ve seen everything until you see the 40-year-old snowman.
There’s a new documentary on Capra titled Mr. America. Here’s the trailer.
“Underneath the Tree” is a better song than “All I Want For Christmas is You.” Sorry Mariah Carey fans!
Here’s where people can expect to see a white Christmas. (And here’s where people can see White Christmas.)
No, the characters of Bert and Ernie in It’s a Wonderful Life did not inspire the Sesame Street characters. (But wouldn’t it have been great if it did?)
Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year
It’s “polarization,” and at least that makes more sense than “demure.”
Old Books
I have a lot of books – many of them stored away in big plastic containers so I don’t remember what I have so I sometimes buy a book I already own – and a lot of them are old. I don’t mean “old” as in “Oh, I bought this 20 years ago.” I mean old as in “Out of print, a little yellowed, and musty smelling.”
But why exactly do old books smell like that? Girl Scientist has the answer.
“All My Love”
Dick Van Dyke had a busy week. He turned 99, he had to be rescued from his home because of the Malibu fires, and he appears in Coldplay’s new music video.
Uploaded to YouTube by Coldplay
Christmas Gift of the Week
Slippers that look like loaves of bread! You can combine them with a giant bread pillow and this pepperoni pizza blanket.
RIP Bob Fernandez, Diane Delano, Charles Handy, Michael Brewer, and M.J. Rose
Bob Fernandez was one of the last survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor. He died last week at the age of 100.
Diane Delano had regular roles on Northern Exposure, Popular, and The Ellen Show, and appeared on such shows as Days of Our Lives, ER, NCIS, and Joan of Arcadia. She died last week at the age of 67.
Charles Handy was a writer and business guru who predicted such trends as remote work and pushed for a more human way for companies to treat their employees. He died last week at the age of 92.
Michael Brewer was half of Brewer & Shipley, who had a hit with the song “One Toke Over the Line.” He died Tuesday at the age of 80.
M.J. Rose was a writer and a big believer in self-publishing. Her first novel, Lip Service, became a hit on Amazon after being rejected by several publishers. She died last week at the age of 71.
This Week in History
Great Fire of New York (December 16, 1835)
It destroyed hundreds of buildings (causing $20 million in damage) and killed two.
Tiny Tim and Miss Vicki Get Married on The Tonight Show (December 17, 1969)
No, not the Tiny Tim from A Christmas Carol. This Tiny Tim.
This Week in Saturday Evening Post History: Metropolitan Life (December 20, 1958)
This could be a Christmas card. And yes, the building is still standing on Madison Avenue (and shouldn’t be confused with the MetLife Building on Park Avenue).
Christmas Recipes
Drinks: The Pioneer Woman has a Mistletoe Martini, while the New York Times has a recipe for Mulled Wine.
Appetizers: Here’s some Stuffed Celery from Elise Lindstrom, a Pigs in a Blanket Wreath from Delish, and a Classic Cheese Ball with Spiced Pecans from Food & Wine.
Main Course: Here’s a recipe for a Juicy Turkey from Allrecipes (it says it’s for Thanksgiving but I’m sure the holiday police won’t mind), and here’s one for The Best Christmas Ham from A Pretty Life in the Suburbs. If you don’t like turkey but want something that sort of looks like turkey, try this Christmas Day Chicken from Taste of Home.
Sides: Salt & Lavender has these Easy Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Curtis Stone has Garlic and Herb Mashed Potatoes, and Simply Scratch has Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots.
Dessert: Smitten Kitchen has a recipe for Sticky Toffee Pudding, and while I’m perfectly happy with Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark (which should be the Official Candy of Winter™), some of you might like to try this recipe for Peppermint Bark from Sally’s Baking Addiction.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Next Week’s Holidays and Events
Winter Begins (December 21)
It starts at exactly 4:21 a.m. ET, so set your clocks.
Crossword Puzzle Day (December 21)
What’s an eight-letter word for “Seinfeld holiday?”
Festivus (December 23)
It’s the “Festivus for the rest of us.”
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Comments
Tiny Tim died about 30 years ago. Miss Vicky is still alive. I don’t remember her ever talking about her marriage to Tiny Tim.
As for Christmas songs, I like Bob Dylan’s “Must be Santa” though the video is quite strange. The Dropkick Murphys and Jill Sobule (she does a remake of a Robert Earl Keen song) do fun songs and are fun videos.
Merry Xmas, Bob!!!!!
I was only 8 years old and only remembered of Tiny Tim’s and Miss Vickie’s Wedding but never saw it until now. My thoughts were “Wow.” It took some real balls from both of them to have their wedding ceremony and nuptials broadcast live on what would have been the most watched late night show with perhaps the most famous host back in the day. My hat is off too them. BTW, are they still married (or alive for that matter) and where are they residing? Does anyone know?
Typo: I meant Miss Vicki’s wedding in paragraph 4, of course.
It’s nice to see ‘Random Notes’ back after a little hiatus. Fake Christmas trees are better than real ones depending on your situation, space and place. My mom certainly thought so after my artificial snow flocking semi-disaster (at 3 1/2) with the vacuum cleaner in reverse. I was just trying to help.
From then on it was the metal silver tree where the branches were inserted then bent outwards, and the ornaments added. It did have a Jet-Age look. She used that aerosol pine spray on it anyway, nary a real pine needle anywhere. It smelled great, and if it was something convenient in an aerosol can, mom loved every minute of it.
Bob, I thought CBS had stopped showing new colorized episodes of ‘I Love Lucy’ and ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show’ SEVERAL years ago; like 2019! I get why ‘polarization’ could/would be word of the year, but ‘demure’, no. Probably not much past the early 20th. To me it has a 19th century connotation, from the era of parlors, courting and gentleman callers.
Tiny Tim and Miss Vick’s wedding on The Tonight Show was fantastic then, and now. Thank you for including the wonderful link. Had the fates allowed, it would have made a wonderful Post cover in January 1970. I can creatively picture it in my mind right now, actually.
With the right image and tools (mainly the scissors–sorry computer) I should make one, but only if you think so. Best thou check with the Post editors first, see if they’d get a kick out of it. then get back to me with a yay or nay. As for the old book smell, never gave it much thought. They can sometimes smell a bit musty, neither good nor bad. Same with old magazines. A lot has to do with where/how they’re kept and stored, as much as their age otherwise.
Merry awkward mid-week Christmas, and don’t forget to read ‘Common Threads: Christmas Lights, The Most American of Inventions’ also brand new online, right here.