Sunday, December 25, 2005

Recommended Reading

Today's New York Times magazine section has a couple of nice articles about folks who passed away in 2005. Here's one on Thurl Ravenscroft, here's a piece on Sandra Dee and here's a remembrance of comedian Gene Baylos.

• Posted at 7:57 PM · LINK

Briefly Noted

A couple of folks have e-mailed to ask where they can find my Christmas story of the time I didn't meet my favorite singer, Mel Tormé. It's right where it's always been.

• Posted at 11:39 AM · LINK

Recommended Reading

Frank Rich comes through with a timely column about the nonsense of "the war on Christmas."

• Posted at 10:25 AM · LINK

There's No Such Website!

In lieu of buying any of you gifts, here's a seasonal version of the best game around that doesn't involve Howie Mandel and 26 models. Yes, it's the Holiday Edition of There's No Such Website! Pick the webpage we made up and don't try to exchange it for something you want more.

• Ugly Christmas Lights - Think every home looks good decorated for the holidays? Some people don't. Here's a collection of photos of homes calculated to scare Kris Kringle away.
• A Jimmy Dean Christmas - And your tree will look yummy when you do like these folks and decorate it with ornaments made of pure pork sausage.
• Christmas Letters to Christopher Walken - Have you written your annual Christmas letter to Christopher Walken? If so, you may find it on this site.
• Scared of Santa - Few things in childhood are as traumatic as being taken to sit on the lap of a bearded stranger. Here's a gallery of small children and how much they didn't like it.
• Chrismahanukwanzakah - Let's get rid of different seasonal holidays and just merge them all together into one hard-to-pronounce one.

Merry Whatever you celebrate. And don't let anyone tell you there's a "war" on Christmas. When someone wishes you Happy Holidays, that's either shorthand for the whole season or an attempt to be inclusive. Interpreting it as some sort of plot against anyone's faith is...well, I'm not sure what it is. But this sure ain't the right time of year for it.

• Posted at 2:13 AM · LINK