Santa!! I Know Him!!!

As I sit on my windowsill looking at the snow falling down outside--- SCREECH!

It's not snowing outside and I am definitely not sitting on a windowsill. But that would be cool, wouldn't it?! No, I am on my lunch break on my last day of work before my L-O-N-G Christmas vacation and I just can not wait to be home. Christmas is only 4 days away and my 72 hour celebration is only 2 days away. (You read that right. 72 hour celebration. Word.) I know you, my readers, just love to get my sound and sage advice on just about everything so I will give you a present early: my Christmas Entertainment Survival Guide.

My favorite Christmas movies are 90% old classic cartoons and classic movies with a few newbies thrown in for good measure.

5. The Holiday- An instant classic, this holiday romance stars Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Jack Black, and Cameron Diaz. I think this might be some of their best acting (although Kate is always superb) and honestly it is very true how most people feel around the holidays. And you can always benefit from learning what a 'meet-cute' is and how to stage your own. I mean... whoops.

4. The Family Stone- Drama, drama, drama. The ensemble movie, lead by SJP, Diane Keaton, and Rachel McAdams, is a touching, hilarious, and sometimes brutally honest look at a big family dealing with life and the holidays. Need a good cry? This is your movie.

3. Elf- I honestly held off on this movie for a really long time. But when you work in a video store and it's your boss' favorite movie and he watched in on repeat for the entire holiday season (not kidding), you realize that you had been missing out on a great movie. Will Ferrel, you might be an anchorman, race car driver, and a step-brother but to me you'll always be Buddy the Elf.

2. A Charlie Brown Christmas- It's not the holiday season if I don't watch this movie. I need to hear Linus explain the meaning of Christmas and I need to see Lucy flirting with Schroeder over a piano. And who doesn't love Snoopy playing all the animals or Charlie Brown bringing everyone together over a sad, but symbolic Christmas tree? I don't want to meet that person.

1. White Christmas- The greatest Christmas movie of all time (sorry Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story, and It's A Wonderful Life) has all the best elements: Bing Crosby, singing, Vermont, a Christmas miracle, and snow, snow, snow! I can recite this movie by heart and it's not Christmas without it.

Now there are also some classic Christmas TV episodes that help me bide my time til Santa comes. Bones has a couple of good entries but the best is the season 3 episode "The Santa in the Slush" really hits the ball home. The Big Bang Theory won me over 3 years ago with "The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis" and I haven't looked back. Grey's Anatomy has two memorable episodes "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" in season 2 that sparked this quote "Why are you helping me?" "Because it's what Jesus would freaking do!" and a season 6 holiday mixture, "Holidaze" that packed an emotional punch. Glee also joined the season with two holiday themed episodes that features two albums worth of classic (and new classics) Christmas music. My newest classic is from the phenomenal comedy New Girl which is the gift that just keeps on giving in "The 23rd."

Some TV shows created their own holiday's such as Seinfeld's "Festivus". While not a fan of the show, I can appreciate this episode. But my favorite new holiday was introduced to me by The O.C. by Seth Cohen: Chrismukkah. With a holiday episode each season, my love for Jesus and Moses just grew like the Grinch's shrunken heart. (The Grinch is a classic with Frosty, Rudolph, Kris Kringle and The Night Before Christmas. I watch these back to back after Charlie Brown because we have them on a VHS tape. Yet, old school. Represent!) All I need to truly celebrate the holiday is my very own yamaclaus.

I also can't get through the holidays without a couple songs. I personally love all the Glee Christmas songs. I also own the Rosie O'Donnell Christmas CD's and there are some great renditions on those as well. And who doesn't love the N*Sync CD? Here are some other can't miss songs on my playlist:

-Baby, It's Cold Outside. (Pretty much any version but I am a fan of the Glee/Elf versions.)
-Christmas Shoes. (LOVE. Cry every time.)
-Last Christmas (Not the Wham version, it's too slow. Glee and most others!)
-Any Celine or Josh Groban or Michael Buble versions
- White Christmas (Best holiday song.)

I think that should keep you busy for the next 4 days, readers. Just remember that the holidays are better with the people you love and not the presents you get.

" 'And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.' That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

Your Love Is My Drug

I... can't... breathe. I'm sitting in a panicked state of frozen silence. There is a crippling sense of helplessness that won't dissipate.

I left my phone at home today.

This is a serious issue. My mind constantly wanders, thinking of all the important (i.e. Facebook updates and notifications) that I am not receiving as they happen. I will forget for a minute and when I look to my right to look for that shining light that means I have a message... nothing.

Clearly this is a bit dramatic. (Only a bit.) I had always laughed at people who would post on Facebook "Left my phone at home todayyy. What am I going to do?!!!?" (Yes, I realized that there is only one 'y' used to spell 'today' but this is how people talk. Irritating, isn't it?) I finally understand the emotion.

I can hear all the adults saying "Kate, you're at work. You shouldn't be worrying about your phone." I know, I know. But I can't help it. We live in a society where being connected 24/7 is the norm. People sometimes say they were born in the wrong decade or time period. Not me. This is my era, the era of instant gratification. And I am the reigning Queen.

If you have never hung out with me I can understand that you might not know my nickname: The Enabler. I can make any situation seem ok and plausible; especially when it involves food and purchases. Why? Because money is just money. When you die, what good will all the money do sitting in a bank? None. (Unless you thought it out and donated it or something cool like that.) I do think that a certain amount of your money needs to be saved for the more unpleasant spending events in life: college, a new car, bills, a house, etc. But the rest? SPEND IT. When I see something I want, I think to myself "Kate, do you need this?" "Yes." "Really?" "No." "Will it make your day better?" "Yes." "Go for it." (Just kidding Mom and Dad! ::skeptic look on my face::) I do weigh the pros and cons, but if I want it and can afford it out of my spending money then I go for it.

That might seem like an off-topic train of thought but if you think about it, society made me that way. They gave me vehicles to have whatever I want at my finger tips. TiVo (my first clandestine love) and its other family members, cell phones, Facebook, Twitter, and all other social medias. If I come home and my show isn't waiting for me, WATCH OUT. Not a happy camper. Feeling connected to all of my "friends", real and Internet, is a way to instantly gratify my need to be in the loop.

I thought about driving home at lunch today to pick up Jarvis. (That's my phone's name.) I decide to write this blog instead. Sacrifices have to be made sometimes.

Only 5 more hours til we are reunited. I'm counting the minutes.

No. Really.