Holiday Countdown Day 25
DAY TWENTY-FIVE
Movie
The movie, is my all time favourite. While many of you watch "It's A Wonderful Life" every year, this perfect Christmas movie is what I watch every year (usually more than once). The magical performances of Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, and a very young Natalie Wood, this 1947 classic "Miracle on 34th Street. There are so many things worth mentioning about this film that I'll try to stick to just a couple. The Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in the movie is the real parade from 1946. Since they knew that there would be no pausing or retakes they had cameras all over the place filming the parade. In fact, with the crowds unknowing saw Edmund Gwenn (who plays Kris Kringle in the movie) was that years Santa and even did the Santa speech at the end of the Parade. Maureen O'Hara did not want to do this movie. The War had just ended and she had just gotten back to Ireland to see her family (which, obviously, she couldn't do during the war). She was forced to do this role but had a complete change of heart after reading the script. The part where Santa talks Dutch to the little girl? That's real Dutch (though with a very heavy American accent) going back and forth (the little girl says she doesn't want anything, that she got her gift by being adopted by her new mother). Both the actual Macy's and Gimbels department stores were approached by the producers for permission to have them depicted in the film. Both stores wanted to see the finished film first before they gave approval. If either store had refused, the film would have had to been extensively edited and reshot to eliminate the references. Fortunately at the test viewing, both businesses were pleased with the film and gave their permission. This movie was a huge success (interestingly, the movie was released in July, not around Christmas, with the thoughts that summer movie goers would want to see a movie about snow during the hottest month of the summer) and was made into tv movies and was remade... but all of them failed. The magic of this production has never been able to be reproduced and after seeing the movie, you'll see why. (Also, watch the movie with the commentary, it is AWESOME.)
Book
I had read this story when I was in fourth grade. My teach knew the man in the story and he had given her a signed copy. "A Christmas Story" by Jay Frankston. It's a true story about a Jewish man who would go to the post office and read Santa letters. At the neediest letters he would go on to their place on Christmas Day with a gift or two for them. This story makes me cry every damn time. It's wonderful. You can read a condensed version of it online here. The printed book has more to it, so if you're able to get the book, buy it. It is a book everyone who celebrates Christmas should have. Many many many thanks goes out to CRHallmark on twitter. I was looking for this story and she found it for me.
I know that I mostly just put in one book for the recommendations and was planning to only talk about the Jay Frankston book. But I couldn't leave this book out. "Letters From Father Christmas" by J. R. R. Tolkien. Yes THAT J. R. R. Tolkien. People forget that he wrote other books. This is another wonderful book that both you and the little ones will love.
Song
"Do You See What I See" is a wonderful song. I love it. Though I have to be honest. There are Christmas songs that I can listen to many different artists and enjoy (some I don't, it just how it goes). I've tried to listen to this song by other. They just never stack up to the version by Bing Crosby.
Click to viewThis is the other Muppet Christmas Carol song I told you I love. I really really love this song. Perfect for today. Sorry it has such a long introduction but it was the best one on YouTube. Skip to 1:50 if you want to skip most of it.
I am including this one because my gal likes it.
I had to include this song, the version by Judy Garland is the best. (I tried to embed a clip from the musical movie Meet Me in St. Louis but it won't let me. So if you want to see the movie clip of it go here.
Craft and Recipe
"Cinnamon Doughnut Muffins" is the perfect treat for today. It won't last long believe me. Perfect to make and leave on the counter for people to grab as they come by with good wishes.
Uh oh. You have champagne for tonight's Christmas dinner toast, but nothing special for the kids. Never fear! "Sparkling Shirley" by Sandra Lee is quick and something a little special for the kids to enjoy.
No craft for today. Today is the day to play/read/watch/fiddle with whatever you got and go into a food coma.
Christmas Facts
According to the National Christmas Tree Association, Americans buy 37.1 million real Christmas trees each year; 25 percent of them are from the nation's 5,000 choose-and-cut farms.
America's official national Christmas tree is located in King's Canyon National Park in California. The tree, a giant sequoia called the "General Grant Tree," is over 300 feet (90 meters) high. It was made the official Christmas tree in 1925.
California, Oregon, Michigan, Washington, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and North Carolina are the top Christmas tree producing states. Oregon is the leading producer of Christmas trees - 8.6 million in 1998.
Christmas trees are edible. Many parts of pines, spruces, and firs can be eaten. The needles are a good source of vitamin C. Pine nuts, or pine cones, are also a good source of nutrition. (But not the fake trees. Please don't try to eat those.)
Christmas trees are known to have been popular in Germany as far back as the sixteenth century. In England, they became popular after Queen Victoria's husband Albert, who came from Germany, made a tree part of the celebrations at Windsor Castle. In the United States, the earliest known mention of a Christmas tree is in the diary of a German who settled in Pennsylvania.
Cultured Christmas trees must be shaped as they grow to produce fuller foliage. To slow the upward growth and to encourage branching, they are hand-clipped in each spring. Trees grown in the wild have sparser branches, and are known in the industry as "Charlie Brown" trees.
Greeks do not use Christmas trees or give presents at Christmas. A priest may throw a little cross into the village water to drive the kallikantzari (gremlin-like spirits) away. To keep them from hiding in dark, dusty corners, he goes from house to house sprinkling holy water.
Originally, Christmas decorations were home-made paper flowers, or apples, biscuits, and sweets. The earliest decorations to be bought came from Nuremburg in Germany, a city famous for the manufacture of toys. Lauscha in Germany is famous for its glass ornaments. In 1880, America discovered Lauscha and F.W. Woolworth went there and bought a few glass Christmas tree ornaments. Within a day he had sold out so next year he bought more and within a week they, too, had sold. The year after that be bought 200,000 Lauscha ornaments. During the First World War supplies of ornaments from Lauscha ceased, so American manufacturers began to make their own ornaments, developing new techniques that allowed them to turn out as many ornaments in a minute as could be made in a whole day at Lauscha.
Theodore Roosevelt, a staunch conservationist, banned Christmas trees in his home, even when he lived in the White House. His children, however, smuggled them into their bedrooms.
Fanfiction
Oh look! There is no fic for today!... you don't believe me do you? *sigh* I tried to avoid this. I even sent calls out on twitter asking for Christmas fic recommendations, but no one helped. I even mentioned that if I can't find one I would have to use a fic I wrote... bad idea. I got NO help then. Brats. So, here is today's fic. "A Little Help" is a fic written by me for the Devil Wears Prada Secret Santa Exchange back in 2008 (I think that's the year). Once you read it, you'll see why it was on today's list. Enjoy it! (Hopefully. Brats.)
Art/Photos
