10. Miracle on 34th Street (the 1947 original)
The 1994 remake was just so-so.
9. The Santa Clause
I know it’s pretty cheesy, but I still get a kick out of Tim Allen’s first Christmas movie. Stay away from the sequels, though
8. Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (the 1970 TV special)
I love how it kind of answers all of the Santa Claus questions I had as a little kid.
7. Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire (The Simpsons, Season 1, Episode 1)
The very first episode of the best TV show of all time just happens to be a Christmas special.
6. Frosty the Snowman
Watching this as an adult, I was a bit surprised that this is just a half hour show. As a kid, it didn’t seem like it was that short.
5. How the Grinch stole Christmas (the 1966 TV special)
The 2000 live-action movie was just O.K., even though it starred the wonderful Jim Carrey.
4. Marge Be Not Proud (The Simpsons, Season 7, Episode 11)
One of my favorite Simpsons episodes ever.
3. Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Very old-school, but I still love watching these stop-motion characters.
2. A Charlie Brown Christmas
A wonderful story about the true meaning of Christmas.
1. A Christmas Story
The family and I just watched this movie over the week-end (an annual tradition). If you’ve never seen it, you NEED to rent this, or better yet, buy it; you’re gonna want to watch it over and over. I TRIPLE-dog-dare ya!
Word: “Turkey Day” Usage: Used in place of “Thanksgiving”. Example: Conversation with a co-worker:
Him: “Hey, Bill, what are you guys doing for Turkey Day?”
Me: “Nothing, since there’s no such holiday. For Thanksgiving, however, we’re having dinner with my brother and his family.”
Please, everyone, don’t call it “Turkey Day”, “Spanksgiving”, or anything else cute or funny. It is supposed to be a day to gather with friends and family, to share wonderful meals, make memories that will last forever, and to think about and appreciate everything that you have. It is supposed to be both solemn and joyous at the same time.
It is NOT supposed to be diminished to a stupid, not-so-clever, unfunny phrase. It’s “Thanksgiving”, OK?
Number two in a continuing series I call Supporting Corporate Users Sometimes Exercises My Endurance
Or, ‘SCUSE ME? for short.
Ned* called the Help Desk the other day, saying his account was locked out. I looked it up and sure enough, he was in fact locked out. I unlocked it, and he was able to log back in just fine. Now, the only way anyone’s account can get locked out is to enter the wrong password three times in a row. Ned knows this, because this has happened before. It happens all the time. It even happened to me once when, in a blur of flying fingers, I tried to log in one morning (before my bucket of coffee) without realizing that Caps Lock was on. (Which raises an interesting question: Who does the Help Desk call for help? If the Help Desk unlocks accounts, who unlocks the Help Desk? This is a subject for another post.)
So aaanywaaaay, Ned apparently is one who will absolutely never admit that there is the slightest possibility that he may be, gasp, at fault. Our conversation went like this:
Ned: “So what caused this?” Me: “Well, the only way your account can be locked out is for the wrong password to be used three times in a row.” Ned: “But I know I entered it right. Could there be something wrong with the server?” Me (in my head): First, we have more than 200 servers altogether. Second, there is not a single server that is responsible for verifying your login credentials, there are many. Third, they are all working just fine. Fourth, even if they were all simultaneously off-line or malfunctioning when you were trying to login, it would not lock out your account, it would simply not allow you to login. Fifth, it’s O.K. to admit that you fat-fingered your password. You don’t have to try to blame the technology when you make a mistake. I know better, and it just makes me think even less of you. Me (out loud): “Maybe, Ned. Maybe.”
Sometimes, it’s just easier to agree.
* All real names have been replaced with names of Simpsons characters.
