The Weekend Grab-Bag: The Top 10 (and Feliz Navidad) Version

Merry Christmas internet friends. And no, I will not wish you a Happy Kwanzaa. Sorry. I am not a Kwanzaan. This I know. So friends, I was realizing today how much better Christmas is than Thanksgiving. And Halloween for that matter. It's simply the greatest holiday on the calendar. Thus, I give you the very first TOP 10 list in the WEEKEND GRAB-BAG's history (and in A RAMBLER'S RAMBLING's history too) and the criterion is as follows: The Top 10 Reasons Why Christmas is the Best Holiday (and remember folks, it's all unchronological - is that a word?). . .

10. PRESENTS - Come on, you knew it would be on here. Seriously though, I truly enjoy giving my family the present I got for them then receiving presents. Although that is nice too. This year I was blessed with not one, but TWO Steve Nash jerseys (home and away - thanks EBAY) as well as a SUNS long sleeved warm-up thing. I will be in full support mode for the second half of the season! I have now also completed my FRIENDS collection with the addition of seasons 5, 6, and 10. If you wanna watch a certain episode, I have it! I got some slippers (my first pair ever!) from my sweetie and a Batman steering wheel cover from Chels. Add all that up with money, certificates, and lots of socks (yes, socks) and I am very blessed indeed. I was happy to not get as much "stuff" this year - my pile at the end was much smaller than in the past. This actually makes me happy. Thanks to all who purchased for me this year - I am very grateful.

09. VACATION - Christmas is the only holiday where we get a real "time off". Now, the only reason I got out of work is cuz I got the last few days covered (thanks to Jacque, Desiree, and Stacy). For example, though, my dad is out of work for the last week and still has another week and a half. He's so giddy cuz he's home, and we're happy to have him around. My mom has off next week too. I'm out of school which is nice (even though I go back on the 9th or something like that - dangit) and it's just really laid back around here cuz everyone is on vacation. This is a plus.

08. NO TRYPTOPHAN - That's the stuff in turkey that makes you sleepy. No turkey at Christmas. No sleepy. Tonight we had ham, steak (I think it was prime rib - yes that's right) as well as the usual mashed potatoes, corn, and such. That's good eating. Also, lots and lots of cookies! Thanks Mom-mom!

07. MOVIES - Now, I'm aware that movies come out at Thanksgiving and the 4th of July and such, but it just seems like the motherload comes out at Christmas. Right now, there are no less than 3 movies that I want to see, (including MUNICH, FUN WITH DICK AND JANE, and THE PRODUCERS) 2 big movies that I've already seen, (CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, KING KONG - Which I'll review a bit later) and tons of movies that could be seen, either in the theatres or on recently released DVD. Plus, as the movie buff that I am, I want to stop at nothing to get in all of them. There's still some older movies that I haven't seen that I could catch at the good ol' Dollar Theatre. And because there's nowhere else to talk about it, here's my mini review of KING KONG: Incredible. Great CGI. Real. Breathtaking. Long. Not too long like some will tell you. Great performances. Jack Black. Dinosaurs. Sweet. Crazy. Kong rocked (the actual character). Top-notch. All-in-all, just a fun flick. Go see it! KING KONG - (A)

06. GREAT SPORTS - This is why: Football season is ending, giving us tense playoff races with exciting, meaningful games. Basketball season is heating up, which is my favorite sport of all. Christmas also gives us the highly-hyped games of the year, and this year was no different. We were treated to a Finals rematch (Spurs/Pistons) that was low-scoring and intense as well as a drama-filled matchup (Heat/Lakers) that truly lived up to expectations. I love sports! Pool note: I went 9-6 with Monday night's game to be played. It's ok, and I'll probably get my 10th win (almost for sure on that). I'll probably be in 4th or 5th going into the last week. I have slim chances on getting into that top 3, but I'll certainly do my best.

05. DESSERT - I love cookies, hot chocolate, cakes, and ice cream, all of which go with the season. I don't like pumpkin pie with Thanksgiving. It's just not me.

04. LIGHTS - We went out the other night to look at lights, specifically that street off of J-8 by AVC. Every house on the block has crazy cool lights up and there's always a line that moves along at a snail's pace. It's cool to look at though and usually does the trick at putting people in the Christmas mood. Christmas lights are just plain cool period.

03. COLDS - Now, this may seem like a bad thing. It is, but it wouldn't be Christmas without something that pisses you off, and in my case it's a cold. I have one this year, as does Pop and Caleb. Our house is so completely full (2 grandparents, an aunt and uncle, a total of 3 cousins, plus the 5 of us already here) that someone else is bound to wind up with it. Sorry in advance family. My grandparents and one cousin are heading home tomorrow, but 2 more grandparents arrive in the afternoon! It's crazy, but it wouldn't be Christmas without lots of family, and lots of chances to pass along germs, which we do. Ah-choo indeed.

02. HEATHER'S BIRTHDAY - This is Tuesday. Although I'm sure it's a pain for her, or at least has been in the past, I am excited about a lifetime of making sure I get separate gift things and showing how different the two occasions are. Man, I can't wait for Christmas when it's just the two of us! This is her favorite holiday too. She's so giddy this time of year it's hilarious. That girl just consistently makes me smile. So, I'm taking her out on Tuesday night to something that she doesn't know what it is. She says she knows I have tickets to something. What she doesn't know is that she has NO IDEA and that I have her so completely off course that she won't know what hit her come Tuesday night. Yes! High-five for being incognito and sneaky!

01. FAMILY STORIES - What I've noticed the last few days is how different Christmas is from the other holidays. After Thanksgiving, you normally clean up after dinner and then hit the couch, half-sedated and ready to do lots of nothing for a long period of time. Well, after Christmas dinner (and all the other times we were sitting around) we would chat. Take, for instance, Christmas Eve. Being sick, I fell asleep on the LOVE SAC around 1900 and woke up at 2100. I wandered into the living room, joining right in on the conversation, which was just reminiscing about old stories. We laughed, heard good jokes (mostly courtesy of Pop) and told great stories. This was my highlight of the Christmas-time with mi familia.

*HONORABLE MENTION:
- After-Christmas Sales: This is such a brilliant idea. That's all that needs to be said.
- New Year's Approaches: Yep, it's next week. Wow. 2006. That's nuts.

Well folks, that's my Christmas. I hope you and yours had a pleasant time this weekend and that you took some time to love each other and pay attention to those around you. Tell someone you love em. It's neat. And not in a queer way people (this isn't BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN - Sidenote: I'm curious about this movie. I wanna see it, but then I don't. Maybe a rental). Love up the family folks. It's only right. And it's only Christmas once a year, so cherish it. Yep. That's good enough - - -

- - - "God bless us. Every One."
- - - Good ol' Tiny Tim from A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Ho Ho Ho,

JUSTIN