My younger brother and his girlfriend Bev are presently watching football (NFL) as I type these words at 4:09 p.m., and thus my opportunity for this quick post attempt ─ I have even had a nap!
My brother came home alone last evening ─ he and Bev had arranged for him to pick her up around 11:30 a.m. this morning, and that afforded me the opportunity to tune in the 1945 short (22 minutes) feature Star in the Night. It was quaintly touching, and a nice Christmas morning pastime for two senior brothers.
No one in the short was familiar to me, although the name of actor J. Carrol Naish seemed to be.
My brother had to leave during the second movie that I tuned in. I will report on it another time, for I have yet to finish watching it.
I was first up this morning, shortly after 7 a.m., and discovering it to be snowing. It has never really stopped, although what is presently falling is so very fine that it might even be mainly rain ... but not necessarily so, for it is darned chilly out there.
I suppose we have three inches on the ground ─ the only time I went outside, though, was after getting up when I decided to turn on all of the Christmas lights ─ inside and outside.
My wife never came home, but she has texted and even phoned, saying that she intends to show up by 7 p.m., which is the estimated time my brother has given for the readiness of our Christmas turkey supper.
Both of my stepsons are present, and no doubt awaiting that turkey feast. They rose and made a simultaneous appearance around 1 p.m. at most, and that was when the general gift-giving ensued. The lads seem to have at least matched what I spent on them (which was not quite $40 apiece).
To be honest, I think they bested my outlay, and probably my brother's as well. The lads have been exceptional, I must say!
My wife will certainly have enough wine to drink (as well as a number of lottery tickets). I got her four bottles of various imported red wines, while my brother bought her a four-litre box of her current red wine favourite (Domaine D'Or Red).
She is presently celebrating Christmas at the home of her friend (and employer) where there is evidently a party in progress ... as there so often is.
Due to the NFL game, I have only had time to tune in one Christmas movie for Bev, my brother, and I: 2020's The Christmas Chronicles 2. Both Bev and my brother soon busied themselves with other matters, mostly relating to the feast preparations. Normally that distancing from a movie would have irked me, but I cannot blame them ─ it was something of a loser.
What made the movie especially unpalatable for me was when Santa (Kurt Russell) magically inspired a huge musical number in a 1990 Christmastime Boston airport. What was especially ludicrous was that Santa and a rather stern airline receptionist (portrayed by Darlene Love) were the lead and extremely energetic vocalists. Somehow, there was unbelievable dancing taking place by travellers and airport personnel, and too much else that was impossible to suspend belief could ever have been magically caused ─ even by God Himself, let alone Santa.
Hey, I can handle rival flying sleighs, daemonic creatures, elves, and on and on. But people suddenly losing themselves into professional-quality song and dance is beyond anything I can suspend belief over.
Nevertheless, Kurt makes for a magnificent-looking Santa, and his wife Goldie Hawn a most comely Mrs. Claus.
Say, that reminds me that last evening I watched with my brother a 2010 Scandinavian (Finnish) Christmas movie titled Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale. For perhaps the first half at least, it was almost a perfect horror movie; and then it became ridiculously fantastic with the silly and impossible 'derring do' of the boy (played by young actor Onni Tommila) who became the heroic lead character.
I followed that movie for my brother and I last night with a 1994 'spaghetti Western' featuring the acting duo Terence Hill and Bud Spencer; it was titled Troublemakers (also known as Botte di Natale, and also The Fight Before Christmas).
Terence would have been around 54 years old when this movie was released, Bud a decade older.
It was pure 'camp' escapism and absolutely unrealistic. However, I confess to being tickled to think that the mother of the two brothers (who were the main characters) resembled the purse-wielding spinster in the old Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In T.V. series ─ I thereafter discovered that it was indeed the same woman, Ruth Buzzi.
Okay, this has gone on long enough ─ it is now 5:17 p.m., and I must join my brother and Bev.
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