Corprorate agenda quit fucking up Christmas!

Ok, I’ve stayed silent enough but tonight the gloves are off. I’ve seen Santa turned into an avenger this year.  I’ve seen has been hacks from Saturday Night Live playing moronic elves in movies.  Hell I even put up with Linus getting his blanket back in a “new” Holiday special.  This I can live with.

However what I cannot abide is  re-branding or should I say requisitioning of the holiday classics from my childhood to new corporate masters.  Yes I get that the classic Christmas shorts from our childhood are awesome property to acquire and license the fuck out of but why in all that is good and holy in this time of year would you turn a half hour cherished Christmas special into a miserable 60 minute shlock-athon  for Macy’s.

Really Macy’s you own it all in half of the country anyways, you have the parades the storefronts .  Do you really need Rodolph the Red Nosed Reindeer too?  Do we need to stop in between frames of duologue so you can shill medium grade cookware?

The season is commercial enough.  Just lay back like the whores you are, open your doors and have a fucking sale.  Don’t ruin Christmas for everyone, by having a damn commercial every three minutes in a children’s show in prime time.

I’m done, everybody carry on shopping.

Related articles

• My Favorite Kinda Messed-Up Christmas Songs (persephonemagazine.com)
• A Jewish parent’s guide to Christmas specials (denverpost.com)

 

Wishing You a Very Geeky Christmas!

Well people it seems that Christmas has finally come.  Here it is Christmas Eve.  The presents are wrapped, the stress level is finally starting to drop and Christmas cards are being opened and hung for everyone to see.

The subject of cards got me thinking about all the wonderful off beat Sci-Fi cards I had received over the years.  Here is a selection of the best from the net that I could find.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Rockin’ New Year!

A little something for a Dexter Christmas? (Via Cracked)

This first one strictly speaking is not a Sci-Fi themed card the from the guys at Cracked.com.  But more to the taste of a serial killer with a Martha Stewart flair!  Why not use Scotch brand tape to decorate your latest kill for the holiday season.  Yikes!  Better call out Scooby and the gang, old man Pederson is killing cheerleaders again!

Giving Back

I like to think that I am a very blessed individual.  I make enough money to have a good roof over my head.   I drive a newer vehicle and can afford to pick up most everyone a little something for Christmas this year.  However I don’t think that I will be taking any spur of the moment trips anywhere warm though.

I have to work hard for every dollar that I earn.  Getting up at 5 each and every day to be at the plant for 6:30 can be a grind, but it makes me appreciate each and every dollar that much more.  It also puts into sharp perspective the situations that many in our society are in.  With the economy in the crapper, times are tough for a lot of people.  Even those that may still have a job are relying more and more on the charity of others.

So with that in mind I and a group of like-minded people got together last night to give a little time and hopefully take a bit of the worry out of the Christmas season.  Every year in Winnipeg the Christmas Cheer Board takes donations from across the city and compiles thousands of hampers for the less fortunate.  Ranging from single moms, to low-income families these donations bring a little joy to what could otherwise be a bleak time of year.

With that in mind our little group met up and we broke into pairs to play Santa Claus for some down on their luck families.  My co-pilot Eric and I had never done this before and we were quickly sorted out by one of the helpful volunteers who work in the warehouse.   Picking an area that was fairly close to home gave me a familiarity with the streets but also a slight apprehension that we were heading into one of the rougher parts of town.

After receiving our care packages, GPS co-ordinates were plugged in and we set course for the heart of deepest Elmwood.  For those that are familiar with Winnipeg, Elmwood is one of those rough and tumble neighbourhoods that always seems to make the newscast for the wrong reasons.  Gang activity is on the rise as are incidents of violent crime.  Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think the people who live in that area are necessarily bad but there are some nasty elements that come with living in a low rent part of town.

Pulling up to the first set of apartment buildings I noticed that the streetlights seemed to be out on this particular block but undaunted we soldiered on.  A phone call was made and an eager young woman met us at the front door to the complex.  As boxes changed hands I noticed a pair of little eyeballs peaking around the corner.  Eyes filled with childhood wonder at the brightly wrapped package that sat atop the box of holiday food.

The mom seeing her young son peering out from behind the corner waved him forward to meet Eric and myself.  Sheepish hesitation was quickly replaced by curiosity as the boy quickly ran to his mother’s side.  His eyes never strayed far from the present that was obviously meant for him.

A Child's Christmas Wonder

We exchanged heartfelt Merry Christmas greetings and were on our way into the cold night to continue our rounds.  The rest of our deliveries went in pretty much the same fashion.  Young children hiding behind their moms and slightly older ones helping to carry what they were about to receive.  Everyone seemed thankful and if only for a moment the parents, Eric and I shared in the wonder of watching children’s excitement at the coming of Christmas.

Doesn't Every Child Deserve a Happy Christmas?

Now I could go off on a rant about how these parents should be ashamed of themselves and get out and find better work.  But speaking as one who has been in similar circumstances a time or two, I know now is not the time to judge.

This is the season for forgiveness and of family, of wonder in children’s eyes, and of giving.  Christmas time should be about sharing what we have. Digging deep into those pockets and supporting a charity or cause.  If my driving some presents and turkeys to help cheer up a deserving family is all it takes to put a smile on a child’s face then it’s time and money very well spent.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays Everyone!