Good mom and dad

(A&OL is a holiday movie in my family, because the first Christmas my Mom was in the hospital undergoing chemo, Dad and I stayed up really late decorating the tree. A&OL was the late-night movie that was on.)

Some time in college (or possibly after college), when my brother still lived here, every Christmas Eve the family went to my grandparents' house, and then after dinner and gift-opening mayhem, he and I would drive around looking for all the tackiest-ass Christmas lights we could find (which is not hard), often take pictures of them and try to not get busted by the homeowners because we were laughing so hard, and then we would rent The Blues Brothers. So it always feels like a Christmas movie to me.

We're introducing my mother to People of Walmart. I may regret this.

I love Love Actually. Also, that episode of Bones.

In unrelated news, i finally watched the first four episodes (my first ever) of SPN and i might be in love with Dean.

i might be in love with Dean.

::nods sagely::

Stephanie, I'm going to start in on SPN over the holiday if I can scratch out a few days off. Can't wait to join the SPN party now that I done crashed the FNL soiree!

My three Must Watch Every Year holiday movies are Home for the Holidays, Nightmare Before Christmas and The Ref.

I've become so disappointed in Bones that I can't even remember what I used to love about it. Maybe a rewatch of season one is in order.

Amahl! That one had slipped my mind. I went to school with a guy who had sung Amahl--several years before I met him. I tracked that version down, and it's always been my gold standard.

Anytime is good for A&OL.

I'm sure this has been asked and answered in Music, but what cheesy favorite recordings make up your list of Christmas music, or holiday music?

We had a four-hour reel-to-reel tape with some of the songs from Amahl, some Charlie Bird, Glen Campbell, Julie Andrews. But Tennessee Ernie Ford and We Three Kings and Oh Come, All Ye Faithful announced the holiday season in our house.

but what cheesy favorite recordings make up your list of Christmas music, or holiday music?

On the cheesy end, I grew up with the Harry Simeone Chorale's Little Drummer Boy LP that my folks bought at the gas station.

But that does have Thurl Ravenscroft doing all the low stuff, so that's cool.

Of course, now I've got a berjillion xmas records and make mixes of just things like Beatnik Exploitation Christmas Songs. (Seriously. I made that mix).

I, uh, really don't like Love, Actually. That's as mildly as I can put it.

Ayup. (My feelings towards that film can best be summed up as "STAB STAB STABBY HATE STAB")