Saturday, December 31, 2022

In Anno Domini 2022

These were a few of my favorite things.



First, how did the song, My Favirute Things, become a Christmas song? Billboard.com has the answer. "The tune was first heard in the Broadway production, which opened on Nov. 16, 1959. Although it wasn’t written as a holiday song, there were lyrical references to sleigh bells, snowflakes, silver-white winters and brown paper packages tied up with strings."

 Favorite Books: Each year at Christmas Time I reread Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol and/or Hogfather by Terry Pratchett. This year was no different except I added a few short stories including The Fir Tree by Hans Christian Andersen. Little Fir Tree is about a pine tree, as the title implies, who is anxioius to grow up. Once he does, is gravely disappointed. I can relate; Just the other day I asked (while eating icing straight from the container with on one to say nay), did I really trade a modicum of freedome for home cooked meals and safe shelter overhead?

“It feels like a fairy tale from one of those happily-ever-after books where the princess storms the castle, slays a goblin-dragon, and takes over the kingdom for herself. Except I am not golden-haired or fine-boned. I have no bones at all. I am a rag doll who married a skeleton king."
I found The Nightmare Before Chrstimas odd, but liked the southtrack enough to revisit it. I learned of the book Long Live The Pumpkin Queen by Shea Ernshaw after watching a review on YouTube or some such.

Precisely what I expected from a sequel; Sally's narration is poetic and sugary but not sickening sweet. It answered questions I had at the end of The Nightmare Before Christmas and more. My next read may be the childlren's abridged/unabridged version of Player One.

Finally, as a belated Christmas present my mom sent me my very own copy of Dean Koontz' classic #1 bestseller Chase. A novella originally published under the pseudonym K. R. Dwyer it has been criticized for being sexist.

Even by today's standards I believe quotes like this one,
'These days?' Wallace joked, exhibiting a disregard for the girl's feelings that Chase found disoncerting. (p13)
make that claim mute. I did consider him ageist:
This night at least, he hadn't been required to make polite converation with Mrs. Fielding as she posed coyly in one of her half-unbuttoned bousedresses, revealing the fish-belly-white curves of her breasts. He never understood why she chose to be so casually immodest at her age. (p17)
but you could attribute this to the main character's personal preferences, defininitely not a cub candidate, in this instance.

Regarding Henry is a favorite of mine. Though not on my radar when it hit the big screen this heartwarming film has becomea tradition for me. The Salt Lake City film society whows Christmas themed movies annualy at Broadway Centre Theatre, (In Salt Lake City, Utah) while offering wassail and waffles yum!

This year, though tempted to attend a showing of It's a Wonderful Life in Tucson, Arizona (on the big screen), got sucked in by a British rom-com Your Christmas or Mine? I can't say if it will become a holiday tradition or not but I did watch it twice.
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