The spirit of William Penn seems to be appeased, at least for now. Since the little figurine was placed at the top of the Comcast building to restore Penn’s rightful perch at the tallest point in the city, it would appear that his wrath no longer curses the Philly sports scene. I need not remind anyone that the Phillies won the World Series, and even the Philly Soul won the Arena Football Championship. And while it hasn’t been the prettiest or easiest of seasons, the Eagles are officially in the playoffs by some stroke of incredible luck combined with one of the best moments in the history of the Eagles-Cowboys rivalry this past Sunday (that is, as long as you’re not a Cowboys fan).
After a rocky start, it looked as though the Birds were gonna pull off a miracle playoff run until having our hopes crushed a week ago by the Washington Redskins. The season closer against Dallas appeared to be futile for our own season, but we could at least play spoiler and knock them out of the postseason picture, too. Who’da thought both the Raiders and the Texans would upset to put us in a “win and in” position?
And oh how we won. It was embarrassingly wonderful. One of the worst drubbings we’ve ever dished out against our loathed rival. And now we’re still in the hunt, still alive in the battle for the Super Bowl. I can’t even tell you how many times I thought the season was over. To be in this position now is almost as denial-inducing as the pile of World Series Champion merchandise in my closet. But a long and difficult road lies ahead; only time will tell if the Eagles have what it takes to go all the way… Or just how generous old Billy Penn is feeling these days.
On a side note, I’d like to point out that T.O., who tends to see himself as a savior of sorts for whatever team he’s playing for, has not actually won a playoff game since he played for the 49ers all those years ago. Think about it: because of his broken leg in 2004, the only playoff game he was actually in that win-filled year was the Super Bowl. I don’t have to remind Philly fans who didn’t win that game. Better luck next time…
Christmas has always been one of my favorite times of year. I’m agnostic and not religious, but Christmas has a simple message that I can appreciate. When it comes down to it, the point of Christmas is peace and goodwill. How can you go wrong with that? Yes, it is celebrating the birth of Jesus, but too many non-religious people interpret celebrating Jesus’ birth as a representation of Christians believing everyone else is going to burn in hell. The holiday, to me anyway, is much less about celebrating the birth of a man than it is about celebrating the simple message the man represented: that we should strive to be good people and care about others. That’s all. Forget all that fire and brimstone crap, everyone should be on board with that sentiment.
And then there’s the nostalgia factor. Remember how exciting and magical Christmas was as a child? Sleepless nights thinking about Santa Claus, wondering whether or not it would snow (it did every once in a while for me growing up), listening to holiday music (the John Denver and the Muppets Christmas album was a staple in my household). Family, friends, parties full of cheer and trees decked out with multicolored lights and clever ornaments.
Some of my most vivid memories are waking up early on Christmas morning while it was still dark and tiptoeing downstairs to see if Santa had come. Then I’d grab my stocking and wait very impatiently for my parents to get out of bed.
I hope you create some lasting memories yourself this year and for years to come.
1. A Charlie Brown Christmas
This is it: the special that epitomizes the Christmas season. A classic that children and adults alike still look forward to watching every year. Charlie Brown doesn’t understand why everyone is happy at Christmas except for him; he likes getting presents and everything, but he just can’t put his finger on what the whole thing is all about and why he should be so damn jolly like everyone else. Linus comes to the rescue by doing something you aren’t likely to find in most Christmas movies or specials: he recites a verse or two from, *gasp*, The Bible! (What were they thinking? How dare you remind anyone that this is a religious holiday???)
But then Charlie Brown gets it for the first time. It isn’t about lights displays or Christmas plays. It isn’t about ice skating or catching snowflakes on your tongue (even if they’re not quite ripe enough yet). It’s about a simple message of love, peace, and hope.
The immortal soundtrack of Vince Guaraldi added a new song or two to the seasonal canon, particularly with “Christmas Time Is Here.” And this is still the best Christmas special ever made.
Honorable Mentions
There are plenty of quality films and specials that didn’t make my top 10, and I’d like to reassure them that they haven’t been lumped in the same category as “Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey.” Because that’s a special that makes me want coal in my stocking. And by that I mean hot coals in stockings that are actually on my feet.
4. Home Alone
I’m pretty sure one of the first VHS tapes I ever owned was Home Alone. As much as I loved the movie when I was little, I can say with quite a bit of confidence that I love it just as much as an adult. The perfect cast and a great score definitely help it stand the test of time. So many memorable lines are delivered throughout. “Don’t you know how to knock, phlegm-wad?”
3. A Christmas Story
Another great example of how the right cast can take a good movie to the next level, A Christmas Story is not as goofy as Home Alone, but instead goes straight for the nostalgia jugular. I’ve found that some people can’t really get on board with this movie unless they grew up watching it, and that’s always a little sad. If you can fully appreciate this film, you know exactly why it is such a holiday essential for so many people. You also know that “fra-gee-lay” must be Italian.
2. A Claymation Christmas
This is probably the most obscure selection on my list, particularly for being placed all the way up at #2. It used to air on the Disney Channel every year when I was a kid, and I’m not sure if it still gets played anymore (I have it on DVD so I don’t have to worry about it). But for all the specials I looked forward to, this one might have been the most anticipated of all of them by my family and me. The concept is pretty simple: claymation characters (created by Will Vinton) provide visual interpretations of various Christmas carols, with commentary provided in between by our two talking dinosaur hosts. But the result is almost my favorite Christmas special of all time.
Most of the songs are pretty goofy and funny, but “Joy to the World” is one of the more serious ones. It’s also one of my favorites because of how cool the visuals are:
Here I am in my first appearance in a real, genuine music video for “Turn the Other Way” by Shaimus. You can download the song for free currently from our website (shaimus.com). My brother Spencer also makes a brief appearance as a fellow office worker. If you’d like to send him some fan mail, I will forward it to him.
If you’ve ever worked in an office, you’ll appreciate this video. Let the catharsis begin:
7. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
I’m not gonna lie, I can more or less recite this entire special line for line. I’ve seen it so many times, but I still love it… The main reason: the majority of the characters act like complete douchebags throughout the entire thing. I’m talking about the head Elf, Rudolph’s father Donner, and old Kris Kringle himself. Complete assholes. And I will admit that when I was very little I used to cry when the Abominable Snow Monster came on screen. But I grew out of that a couple years ago.
Anyway, here’s proof that Santa acts like a jerk:
6. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Talk about a timeless classic… I still get so wrapped up in this when I watch that I am genuinely excited when his heart finally grows at the end. Great music of course, but my favorite part is when the circle of Whos swings open like a gate at the end when the Grinch “whizzes” with his load to give all the toys back. Also, I can’t help but think of Monty Python when I hear the music play as he lifts the sleigh above his head.
5. Rocko’s Modern Christmas
I always felt like this show was overlooked and underrated. The Christmas episode, also titled “Can’t Squeeze Cheer from a Cheeselog,” finds our wallaby protagonist searching for a little Christmas cheer in a world seemingly gone mad. This fits in very well with the show, which was often about Rocko looking for a little sanity in a crazy world anyway. But it especially fits in with the spirit of the holiday season, so this episode ends up being one of my favorite X-mas moments.
It seems pretty much impossible to find a good clip online, so this is all you get:
Every year, TV shows give us an attempt at a heartwarming holiday episode. Every year, movie studios crank out countless Christmas-themed movies, hoping to stumble upon another classic. We, their audience, have to endure the sappiness, the stupidity, and the embarrassments that are the vast majority of them. Luckily, every once in a while someone really does manage to squeeze a little Christmas cheer into a TV special or film, and I appreciate these moments by celebrating them annually. Here’s a list of some of these instances: ten Christmas specials and movies that don’t suck.
10. The Snowman
No dialog in this one, just beautiful colored pencil-style animation, a great soundtrack, and the story of a boy and his snowman. Sure, the snowman comes to life, but this is no Frosty. The whole thing feels like the kind of vivid dream you’d have as a child, and the ending will stick with you long after its 25-minute run time.
9. Merry Christmas Mr. Bean
I’m a big fan of the whole Mr. Bean series, but this is one of the finest episodes. I always loved the scene where he conducts the brass quartet playing Christmas carols in a variety of styles (all depending on how he swings the conducting baton, of course). Later, Bean gets his head stuck in a turkey so big that it could feed the entire country of Turkey for a day, and he has one final mishap that drives his “girlfriend” away, despite the fact that it was a rare display of good intentions on his part.
8. A Muppet Family Christmas
This one used to play on TV when I was a kid. It features the whole Muppet gang shacking up at Fozzy’s mother’s house for a big family-style Christmas. It’s hard not to get caught up in their puppety good will, and the hour-long special is topped off with a singing snowman, the Swedish chef trying to cook Big Bird, and appearances from the Fraggles and Jim Henson himself.
But that doesn’t stop me from pretending to play it every once in a while. Luckily, unless you’re an actual jazz listener/connoisseur, you probably won’t tell much difference, as I am at least half decent at faking the skill.
So in the spirit of the season, I’ve made you this video with my jazz guitar version of “Oh Christmas Tree.”
Additionally, with the playlist below you can hear the awesome full version I recorded a couple years ago (complete with solo section) and my acoustic recording of “Walking in the Air,” the main theme to the Christmas film classic “The Snowman.” If you’ve never seen that one, well… It’s never too late!
I did not just watch the Victoria’s Secret fashion show on CBS. I didn’t just waste an hour watching no less than 50 gorgeous women walking across a stage wearing next to nothing. I definitely didn’t say “I really want to change the channel right now, but I just can’t bring myself to.” And I most certainly did not have anything better to do from 10 to 11pm tonight.
The Daily Show does such a great job of providing comedy yet remaining sensitive while covering international tragedies. Last night’s reaction to the Mumbai attacks was a perfect example because it also contained a hefty dose of profane catharsis, making for a very satisfying bit.
The spirit of William Penn seems to be appeased, at least for now. Since the little figurine was placed at the top of the Comcast building to restore Penn’s rightful perch at the tallest point in the city, it would appear that his wrath no longer curses the Philly sports scene. I need not remind anyone that the Phillies won the World Series, and even the Philly Soul won the Arena Football Championship. And while it hasn’t been the prettiest or easiest of seasons, the Eagles are officially in the playoffs by some stroke of incredible luck combined with one of the best moments in the history of the Eagles-Cowboys rivalry this past Sunday (that is, as long as you’re not a Cowboys fan).
