…as the days grow shorter and all eyes are on the calendar waiting to see if the Mayans were right. My guess is this is yet another ancient prophecy to pass without nary a whimper or shrug. Still…

Maybe it’s just me getting older, but every time I watch It’s A Wonderful Life I seem more attracted to the glitz and tawdry sizzle of “Potterville” more than boring, frumpy Bedford Falls. I especially like that lounge they show where the Hawaiian music is eminating from. My favorite part is when Sheldon Leonard, bartender of “Nick’s” (the Martini place in Bedford Falls) tells George Bailey and Clarence that “we serve hard drinks to men who like to get drunk fast”, then, calling them both a couple of pixies, asks that “the gentlemen” are “escorted out”. They’re then tossed out in the snow like yesterday’s trash and Nick starts ringing up angels on the cash register. Now that’s my kind of no-nonsense establishment!

I really like Alistair Sim in the b/w version of Scrooge, but this year I really enjoyed watching once again Henry Winkler in An American Christmas Carol. It’s a really great holiday film.

But the best thing about Christmas on DVD is watching the All Creatures Great And Small year 2 episode “Merry Gentlemen”. It fun, warm-hearted, and just a joy to watch:

This episode of All Creatures Great and Small has become a must-watch for my family during the holiday season because it gives us a chance to re-experience the taste of a Yorkshire Christmas, spiced with clever dialogue, excellent acting, and neatly interwoven subplots. The stories include those of a gypsy family, a beloved donkey, a near-tragedy for Mrs. Pumphrey and Triki Woo, and a mysterious skeleton in a locked room. The episode also involves a close call with tetanus for Tristan (and the donkey), a test of Siegfried’s miraculous cake-judging ability, a sample of his success at gruffly dispensing wisdom to family members and clients, and finally his efforts to arrange for all a “real, old-fashioned, Yorkshire Christmas.” In this neatly composed episode look for a surprise nativity tableau in a humble stable and stick around through the credits for a glimpse of Triki’s visit from “Santa.” All in all, it’s a particularly well directed segment (thanks,Christopher Barry) of a superior TV series.

Couldn’t have said it better myself. It really is a must see. The whole series was great, especially the first three seasons.

I’m actually torn about this. On one hand, people obviously have a right to express their opinion about things no matter how ignorant they appear to sound (hey, the nightly MSNBC lineup has made ignorance their specialty), but on the other hand I’m sick of people seeing everything and anything through the prism of race. I thought the 2008 election of Barack Obama was supposed to usher in a “post-racial America”; instead, it’s gotten worse – and primarily because of liberals who see coded words and racism everywhere.

One final political note: I’m sick of watching Republicans flailing around trying to negotiate with Barack Obama on avoiding the so-called “fiscal cliff”. Do they not understand he’s just playing them for fools and has no intention of doing anything but making them look even more foolish than they already look? For God’s sake, you clowns, just walk away and let it happen. Methinks Senator Rand Paul is right: let this President and his Democrat cronies own every single tax increase that comes down the pike. This is what American in their stupidity and ignorance voted for; let them see just what happens when the producers and job creators of this country cut back on producing and creating jobs. This country deserves the so-called “leadership” in Washington they voted for.