A Thank You for My Wife

Christmas is much more to me than presents, but I wanted to use this post to thank my wife. Being unemployed limits most non-essential purchases on my part. So Christmas is also the one time of year (other than my birthday) where I might receive some of the things I wasn't able to purchase throughout the year.

My wife did an awesome job this year. I know it's hard for her. She hates getting a list from me. She'd rather come up with original, surprise treasures.

I've always been a collector. Some would correct that statement and say I'm a hoarder.

When I was eight years old, He-man toys hit the scene, followed shortly thereafter by the cartoon series. Both were firmly cemented into my childhood. Nothing makes me as effectively nostalgic as Masters of the Universe.

A few years back, Mattel announced an adult collector's line that is only available online for one day a month offering only one or two items per month. Little did they know, the one day time frame would shrink to around one hour due to demand. Most of these action figures sell out in about 45 minutes, and getting on Mattel's website during that time is a nightmare. Add in my before mentioned unemployment, and any hopes I had of collecting this new line quickly vanished.

Heidi stepped up and bought me two of the lynch pin characters for Christmas this year with He-man and Skeletor.

I also received the Wolfman remake on Blu-ray. As a fan of the original Universal films, I was skeptical when I heard they were remaking this one. I was surprised to find it was appropriately updated with effects, small story adjustments that made total sense, and the acting was spot on. The film stars Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins.

I finally have a Joe Hill novel in my possession. Hill is a pen name. He didn't want his famous father's name to drive his career. I'm not so sure you can escape a name like Stephen King however, especially in the horror novel business.

I also have Stuff Christians Like, a funny look at stereotypical Christian behaviors.

Our parents and siblings went a bit overboard this year too. The best part about the special day was getting to spend time with everyone. No one had to work. We didn't rush from house to house. There was warmth and familiarity.

Horror Fans and the Holidays

There are tons of Holiday themed horror flicks out there, but few are actually worth watching. None work on both levels, though some of the holiday movies being produced today could easily qualify as horrifying (Santa Paws anyone?).

If the monster in a horror movie is a snowman, Jack Frost, or Santa Claus, prepare yourself for the silliest wastes of time you've ever encountered. Some folks are into that type of thing, movies that are fun to watch for their unintended laugh factor. The movie where Michael Keaton plays a deceased father that turns into a snowman enabling him to learn the value of his surviving son is scary in description alone.

If I had to recommend a few movies, I'd have to push the following:

1972's Tales from the Crypt features a young Joan Collins in its first segment. She plays a wife and mother who gets away with the perfect crime… in a way. This might make you think twice about teaching your kids about Santa Claus or teaching them how to open doors and windows.

The original Black Christmas from 1974 is a perfect horror movie. Pre-dating the slasher onslaught of the eighties, the film avoids most of Hollywood's trappings and delivers a film that's not afraid to leave a bit of mystery in its mayhem. It's also a great 'who done it.' More holiday chill than cheer and full of seventies Christmas decorations and fashions. Avoid the 2006 remake at all costs. They attempt to take all of the mystery away in a very, very lame way.

Let the Right One In isn't exactly a holiday themed film. I caught it in the summer of 2009 at my local Art Institute. The beautiful Winter cinematography plunges you into the film's stark setting perfectly. If you haven't caught this one yet, wait for the rumored upcoming DVD re-release with the original subtitles. They add a little nuance that might be lacking from the current DVD. Note the photo of the fire angel - ouch.

Randomness Inspired by My Weekend

• One thing I won't miss about my children's early years: Their irrational fear of hair cuts.
• There's a great place out in Imlay City that cuts hair for $5.
• At one point yesterday my outside thermometer read 45˚. I had to shovel the driveway already this morning. I'm not sure I could live in a more predictable state.
• Moved Gage into a 'big boy bed.' We got tired of hearing him fall out of his old bed. Cribs that claim the ability to work as toddler beds aren't good ideas. Gage started crying Saturday night. Heidi went up to find him half way under the crib. He had fallen hours earlier, fallen back asleep, and then rolled - the wrong way.
• I had forgotten that 'Oh Crap! This might hurt' aspect of sledding.
• My cousin, Michelle lives about an hour away. She invited us out to her place for sledding Saturday. When we got there (Owen will kill me later in life for sharing this), he says, "That took so long to get here I have to go poop!"
• It was great to spend time with the extended family like that and see them enjoy the company of my kids so much. Kids have the power of joy. I wish I had that power.
• Favorite quote from the movie Appaloosa: "Life has a way of making the foreseeable that which never happens… and the unforeseeable that which your life becomes."
• Also, Renée Zellweger always ruins everything. Just look what she did to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise. Okay. Matthew McConaughey didn't help either. That was a scary movie for totally other reasons than the rest.
• The second Twilight movie was better than the first, but that's like saying that eating ice cream is better than a root canal. Ed Wood's creations were more movie-like than the original Twilight movie.
• Why is it that American remakes of foreign movies always lack the things that made those movies great? I know the answer! They have to make room for their Hollywood flourishes which often leads to cutting out the less formulaic, unique qualities for time purposes.
• To the horror fans out there: Quarantine was a fine horror movie. It disturbed me because I have an unnatural fear of rabies. Rec is the Spanish movie Quarantine was based on, and it's much closer to a horror masterpiece without any mention of the 'R' word.
• Our church, Wildwind Community Church is moving, getting their own building. They've always rented space. Ownership is exciting. Check out the website here: www.wildwindchurch.com
• Tiger Woods.
• Sorry, just wanted to jump on the band wagon.