Earlier this month when we were decorating the house for Christmas we heard a Christmas song called "Angie the Christmas Tree Angel." The Andrews Sisters singing about the Angel that sits atop your tree and basically cares for the tree and helps decorate your home so it's perfect for Saint Nick. She also arranges the gifts perfectly after he apparently leaves all of your shit in a pile on the floor. This must be how Santa visits all of those houses in one night. He outsourced "neatly arranging the Christmas Gifts" to yet another job illegal Angel from heaven. I imagined the board meeting for Sears & Roebuck or some other vintage department store giant, shortly after Rudolph was created my Montgomery Wards to drive Christmas sales.
"Sales were down 2% last season and we need a Rudolph. Bert here has this idea about a Christmas Tree angel names Angie. If we roll it out with the Andrews Sisters we should be able to get a TV special and kids everywhere will be singing about Angie the Christmas Tree Angel for years to come."
Yeah, not so much...
Then there's "Suzie Snowflake." I was reminded of this gem through the fantastic selection of Christmas music at my job. At first it felt like I had heard it for the first time just like this Angie bullshit but then I remembered the song.
Suzie Snowflake is brilliant actually. The songs reminds us that without this new "Legendary" Christmas character we wouldn't have any snowmen to call Frosty; nor would we be free to go for that sleigh ride. Suzy is the most fundamental character of Christmas.
My favorite failed random vintage Christmas character marketing attempt has to be "Tingle the After Christmas Depression." Admittedly a spoof from MAD TV it is brilliantly crafted. I ws immediately reminded of it when I learned about this Angie chick. I can't find anything about this sketch on the web. It was from an early season and would love if someone could email me a link or a copy.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
More Merry
There's a little more merry this year. I hadn't realized it until the past couple of days leading up to Christmas but as I look back, people have seemed to be a bit more merry this Christmas. I hear the words themselves a little bit more often than in previous years. Something is afoot.
Just last year people were censoring Santa Claus' "HO HO HO" catchphrase, in what I can only believe was an attempt at protecting the pride and respect of the average hooker selling her services for 20 bucks on the night stand and a some cocaine. Are we truly that concerned about whores and those who conduct themselves as such or did we confuse our kids by calling hookers hoes with no regard of what kind of questions it may raise in the month of December. If you're going to call your cousin a hoe in front of your child its your fault you child thinks Santa is standing on the street corner calling everyone that passes a hoe. This year though, there was none of that.
In my customer service oriented full time job, I encounter many people in my average day. Over the past several weeks more of these people have been using the specific "Merry Christmas" salutation. Is it the crashing economy forcing people to focus more on the true meaning of Christmas. When you have a limited budget to buy gifts with you tend to make the ones you do buy more special and remind yourself that what is most important is that you are able to spend quality time with loved ones.
Maybe people are simply sick and tired of the sterile "Happy Holidays" and the ridiculously contrived controversies over whether Santa is cursing or not. Maybe collectively people are beginning to reclaim the "Merry Christmas" affirming that most people are not offended when they hear those words.
I'm not sure I understand the "why" of it all or not but I will say it has been refreshing.
Merry Christmas and God bless us one and all.
Just last year people were censoring Santa Claus' "HO HO HO" catchphrase, in what I can only believe was an attempt at protecting the pride and respect of the average hooker selling her services for 20 bucks on the night stand and a some cocaine. Are we truly that concerned about whores and those who conduct themselves as such or did we confuse our kids by calling hookers hoes with no regard of what kind of questions it may raise in the month of December. If you're going to call your cousin a hoe in front of your child its your fault you child thinks Santa is standing on the street corner calling everyone that passes a hoe. This year though, there was none of that.
In my customer service oriented full time job, I encounter many people in my average day. Over the past several weeks more of these people have been using the specific "Merry Christmas" salutation. Is it the crashing economy forcing people to focus more on the true meaning of Christmas. When you have a limited budget to buy gifts with you tend to make the ones you do buy more special and remind yourself that what is most important is that you are able to spend quality time with loved ones.
Maybe people are simply sick and tired of the sterile "Happy Holidays" and the ridiculously contrived controversies over whether Santa is cursing or not. Maybe collectively people are beginning to reclaim the "Merry Christmas" affirming that most people are not offended when they hear those words.
I'm not sure I understand the "why" of it all or not but I will say it has been refreshing.
Merry Christmas and God bless us one and all.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
The End of the Act
"So I haven't written in this blog in a while" - I'm sure the most common sentence to appear on the internet. There I said it but didn't say it. In my case I also hadn't read it in a while. I'm surprised at how much the tone of the last post made me sound like I thought Hillary Clinton was a calculated bitch. Regardless of whether I believe that or not doesn't matter because I never intended for the blog to imply that being a calculated bitch was necessarily a bad thing. I just think the calculated bitch persona is better served in the Senate than the white house. I also do not intend there to be any gender distinction at all with the use of the word bitch. Male presidents can be bitches too, but man I have seen some good shit come out of Hillary at 2pm on C-span 2 in the Senate. I know I saw a speech of her flipping out at the audacity of President Bush to consider rushing into a premature war when he had already over spent by 3 trillion dollars in just the last six months. It was almost inspiring. I say lets keep her in the senate. I like her there. Let her do her thing. Let her vote for a war that she didn't believe in but speak up about it loudly in the months leading up to it. I am cool with that. In the meantime I'm going to try to figure out why I am so happy that she is not the presumptive nominee.
Monday, January 7, 2008
WHAT AN ACT!
If we didn't know it already, being a politician is very akin to being an actor.
You've got your campaign staff that resembles the staff of a television production with producers, stylists, and writers - Something tells me that Bush's writers have been on strike much longer than 6 weeks. John Edwards gets $400 haircuts, Guilianni stages accidental phone calls from his wife during speaking events (really what kind of ass doesn't turn his phone off when giving a speech while campaigning for president) Obama appears on Oprah promoting his newest summer blockbuster. Ronald Reagan was such a good actor he seemingly convinced every hardcore Republican out there that he was the best President ever. Well in case you haven't seen it, here it is, the most recent and vivid example of the act that goes into being a politician. Hillary Clinton gets choked up and emotional on the campaign trail in New Hampshire. Just watch and continue reading underneath:
...and the Emmy goes to........drum roll please! Come on. What is she thinking? Why would she do this? Did she think showing emotion might help her gain a few more votes in New Hampshire? If so I'm sure she didn't consider that almost crying during a campaign stop may not illicit confidence in the American people that she won't start crying during diplomatic talks with a hostile country. Is she really so tired and worn out from campaigning that she just can't keep it together long enough to answer a simple question? If so, one might worry about how she planned to keep it together over a 4 year presidential term. Something tells me that running a nation is much harder and more exhausting that running FOR running a nation. Is she truly that emotional and on edge because she sees her chances at being President again slipping through her fingers? I think so. I think this is the sign of a desperate woman. This is her Howard Dean moment. Whereas Howard Dean was pretty calm but broke down into a fit of rage, Hillary took a break from her fits of rage for a quiet moment of calm.
You've got your campaign staff that resembles the staff of a television production with producers, stylists, and writers - Something tells me that Bush's writers have been on strike much longer than 6 weeks. John Edwards gets $400 haircuts, Guilianni stages accidental phone calls from his wife during speaking events (really what kind of ass doesn't turn his phone off when giving a speech while campaigning for president) Obama appears on Oprah promoting his newest summer blockbuster. Ronald Reagan was such a good actor he seemingly convinced every hardcore Republican out there that he was the best President ever. Well in case you haven't seen it, here it is, the most recent and vivid example of the act that goes into being a politician. Hillary Clinton gets choked up and emotional on the campaign trail in New Hampshire. Just watch and continue reading underneath:
...and the Emmy goes to........drum roll please! Come on. What is she thinking? Why would she do this? Did she think showing emotion might help her gain a few more votes in New Hampshire? If so I'm sure she didn't consider that almost crying during a campaign stop may not illicit confidence in the American people that she won't start crying during diplomatic talks with a hostile country. Is she really so tired and worn out from campaigning that she just can't keep it together long enough to answer a simple question? If so, one might worry about how she planned to keep it together over a 4 year presidential term. Something tells me that running a nation is much harder and more exhausting that running FOR running a nation. Is she truly that emotional and on edge because she sees her chances at being President again slipping through her fingers? I think so. I think this is the sign of a desperate woman. This is her Howard Dean moment. Whereas Howard Dean was pretty calm but broke down into a fit of rage, Hillary took a break from her fits of rage for a quiet moment of calm.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
...AND THEY'RE OFF!
With the Iowa Caucus, today officially starts the next race for the White House and I couldn't be happier for these primaries and caucuses to begin.
First, there are too many of these assholes running at the moment. I can only handle so much rhetoric and bs and with about 15 Democrats running and upwards of 18 Republicans I've had enough bullshit thrown at me to fertilize the entire state of Iowa for at least the next four years. Add to that the list of Libertarian, Green, Constitution, Independent, and "Other" candidates and my head feels like its going to explode. My favorite "Other" party candidate by the way, is Cris Ericson from the US Marijuana Party. Now, I quit smoking pot a long time ago but mostly because it is illegal. Elect this gal for president and I would fall off the wagon faster than you can say gravity bong.
The second reason I am thrilled to see the race begin today is that I am quite frankly sick of George W. Bush being our president. I was certain that this guy would never be elected. Then I was certain that after his first 4 years he could not possibly get elected to another 4. Now, 7 years later I am ready for the nightmare to end. So let's get the ball rolling on finding a more tolerable asshole to run our country and in the meantime celebrate the end of an era by visiting Bush's Last Day - my new favorite website.
First, there are too many of these assholes running at the moment. I can only handle so much rhetoric and bs and with about 15 Democrats running and upwards of 18 Republicans I've had enough bullshit thrown at me to fertilize the entire state of Iowa for at least the next four years. Add to that the list of Libertarian, Green, Constitution, Independent, and "Other" candidates and my head feels like its going to explode. My favorite "Other" party candidate by the way, is Cris Ericson from the US Marijuana Party. Now, I quit smoking pot a long time ago but mostly because it is illegal. Elect this gal for president and I would fall off the wagon faster than you can say gravity bong.
The second reason I am thrilled to see the race begin today is that I am quite frankly sick of George W. Bush being our president. I was certain that this guy would never be elected. Then I was certain that after his first 4 years he could not possibly get elected to another 4. Now, 7 years later I am ready for the nightmare to end. So let's get the ball rolling on finding a more tolerable asshole to run our country and in the meantime celebrate the end of an era by visiting Bush's Last Day - my new favorite website.
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