Dreaming of a Christmas----

Somewhere else?

25 Best Places To Celebrate Christmas

Entertainment Overnight -- Holidays Edition

Entertainment Overnight -- Holidays Edition, redux

Entertainment overnight

Happy holidays

Good to great things that happened this year

It occurred to me that actually there are quite a few good things that took place this past year. I thought I should make a list.  Herewith:

1) President Obama, the nation's first black president, was re-elected. That's pretty huge;

2) Mitt Romney, multi-millionaire and toady for corporations and the uber-wealthy, was defeated.  Magnificent;

3) The Koch brothers, then, and all like them and all they represent, were also defeated;

4) Money could not and did not buy this/these election(s) and they spent mightily;

5) More women were elected to the US Senate than ever before;

6) The American people have become tired of our perpetual Aghan war. It's important that take place;

7) More minorities voted than ever before. That's growth;

8) More and more equal rights--and acceptance--were gained for people of same-sex attraction;

9)  We finally, maybe, perhaps, have the will, as a nation, to address our national, repeated tragedy of mass slaughters of innocents with assault weapons.  Hopefully;

10) The world didn't end on December 21st.

May yet more good things take place for us all, but especially for the working class and the middle- and lower-classes.

Here's hoping.

Entertainment overnight

A Kansas City/Union Station Christmas

From local photographer Roy Inman today at his Facebook page: Don't forget the Kansas City Southern Holiday Express will be at Union Station Kansas City December 14~16. It is an all-volunteer operation and fun for children of all ages

Merry Christmas flashback

I actually found this last January and thought I'd put it up now. Merry Christmas, y'all. Happy holidays.

Entertainment overnight (for the holidays)

Another Christmas cartoon classic from 1939

Again, I found this last January, unfortunately, or I'd have put it up last holiday season.

Scary Christmas

I found this last January, too. The notes on the YouTube video say this: "Peace on Earth is a one-reel 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon short directed by Hugh Harman, about a post-apocalyptic world populated only by animals." Merry Christmas anyway, right?

The holidays are here

An "oldie" I found last January. Enjoy (I hope). I also hope you had a great Thanksgiving holiday with family and/or friends and that you'll have a great, relaxing, productive(?) weekend.

Timely Christmas and holiday idea

First up, stay away from Wal-mart.

Please.

Next, after that, just try your best to stay away from corporate gifts and stores, for that matter.

Start the whole process for gifts for family or friends, if you're doing it at all, with thoughts of how you can get them things that are handmade or that you make or from some local art store or artist, or whatever.

Get, be and stay creative and see what you can come up with.

The gift will be far more appreciated if it isn't corporate and/or made, cheaply, on some other continent.

Good luck.

And if you do it, thanks, in advance.

Cheap entertainment

Enjoy. Season's greetings.

Things I have right now because of Christmas

Things I have right now because Christmas was yesterday--things I don't usually--virtually ever--have: 1) ham in the refigerator; 2) turkey; 3) broccoli casserole; 4) apple pie (thanks, Myra!); 5) a new merona wool scarf (thanks, Sarah!).

Observations on a holiday

1) It's always great when Christmas is over (at least for me); 2) The sunshine this holiday was fantastic. Just one more gift; 3) There surely were some odd things about people yesterday; 4) It's always nice to be able to visit with people--family and friends--if even briefly; 5) I have no idea how my daughter knew to come up with the perfect gift for me; 6) The best part of the entire holiday is always--always--the Christmas Eve I get to spend with my daughter. If I can have that, I need no material gift. It's all I want; 7) I always cry at the end of the Christmas Eve church service when, at the end, everyone sings "Silent Night", acapella, each with our own lit candle. It's so beautiful; 8) If the minister knew this year, I think there were plenty in the audience who didn't, how right he was about "people hurting out there." At least he knew.

Silent Night...

God bless us, every one.

KC Southern Holiday Express Train at Union Station this weekend!

The Kansas City Southern Railroad's Holiday Express is at Union Station today--Saturday--and Sunday and it's free! It's definitely better at dusk or dark, and only open until 7:00 PM both days. Go check it out! Enjoy! And happy holidays! Have a great weekend! (Many thanks to Roy Inman, local professional photographer and train buff) for the "heads up").

Prairie Village: bigger Scrooges than even me

If anyone knows me, they know I'm not big on Christmas. If anyone thinks it's overblown and outrageously commercialized, it's yours truly. But besides the few, rare, wonderful "Christmas moments" or holiday moments, if you will, that can and still do occur, the one thing I'm always for is holiday lights. Okay, sure, call them Christmas lights if you want but that's one thing I think is terrific and fun and enjoyable. Coal-powered electric plants aside, I'm all for 'em. So along comes news of a bunch of spoil-sports out in Prairie Village that want to rain on a holiday lights parade, so to speak. This from KMBC 9 News today: Christmas Display Heats Up PV Neighborhood; Neighbors Meeting With Police To Discuss Traffic Congestion It seems the neighbors are complaining about one Mike Babick's Christmas lights display out at 7600 Falmouth (I always love saying Falmouth. Just because). Anyway, we've all been there, right? It's great. And sure, you have to wait through some traffic and go slow and it takes a while to get in and then get out. But what a gift it is. It's a rare, once a year gift. Mike's been doing this for MORE THAN FOUR DECADES. Get a clue, folks. It's not like the guy just moved to town and started making an unexpected nuisance of himself. Besides, he turns them off at about 10 pm each weekday evening. That's in the neighbor's favor. And on weekends he turns them off around midnight so that's accomodating, I think. I will say this, however--according to the article, Mike's a bit of a pickle in this way--Babick recently told the Johnson County Sun that he has even more animated figures for this year's display. "Once I get more complaints, it inspires me to do more for next year. It's a personal challenge, and I like a challenge," Babick told the newspaper. He's a little bit of a stinker in that respect. But hey--it's Christmas you old Scrooges. Lighten up. Link to original post: http://www.kmbc.com/news/25101612/detail.html

From the holidays