Ah yes, the holiday season is upon us. Only a month until Christmas Eve, and you can bet your snow boots it’ll be here before you know it. Out here in our Arizona subdivision, I’m kinda surprised at the lack of Christmas lights up on the houses – it seemed like last year there were more houses with more lights early in the season.

What do I like about the holiday season? Frankly, not much. My shopping’s done, so at least I don’t have to worry about the hordes of frantic shoppers that will fill the Kohls, Walgreens, and Wal-Marts between now and the New Year.

* Christmas movies are always a nice tradition. Unfortunately, all our Christmas movies are on VHS, and ever since we got our Dish Network, our VHS player doesn’t VHS play. So it looks like no Christmas movies this Christmas. My favorite Christmas movies of all time?

1. A Christmas Story
2. Scrooge, with Alistair Sim
3. It’s A Wonderful Life
4. Jaws (OK, so it’s not a Christmas movie, I’m gonna watch it anyways)

…And my favorite Christmas movie quotes?

Mr. Parker: “Ra-gee-lay. That must be Italian.”
Mrs. Parker: “Uh, I think that says FRAGILE, dear.”
Mr. Parker: “Oh, yeah.”
– A Christmas Story

Ebeneezer Scrooge: “You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of underdone potato. There’s more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!”
– Scrooge

Nick: “Hey look, mister – we serve hard drinks in here for men who want to get drunk fast, and we don’t need any characters around to give the joint “atmosphere”. Is that clear, or do I have to slip you my left for a convincer?”
– “It’s A Wonderful Life

* Christmas music is always a great topic to debate. This year, I’m thinkin’ Phil Spector’s Christmas Album, Frank Sinatra’s A Jolly Christmas, and The Martini Kings. No more Mannheim Steamroller for me – after ten years of them, the shine has kinda worn off, ya know what I mean?

* The best part of Christmas, of course, is the time spent with my family and friends back east, which I’ll be doing the day after Christmas through New Year’s Eve day. Hopefully, like last year, I’m back in plenty of time to toast in the New Year with my sweetie and a bottle of Veuve Cliquot. Hopefully, unlike last year, I won’t return to find out we have to have one of our pets put down, as happened with our cat Sparkle. Not the greatest way to kick off a New Year, fer shure…

Of couse, any holiday season post would not be complete without wishing everyone out there a happy, safe, and healthy holiday season from all the Goodboys and Goodboys Nation Blog!