Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Happy Holidays! (from the archives)  
 
1. Sam loved giving her annual wish list to Santa. Yet some children are reluctant to climb into Jolly Old St. Nick's lap. Did you enjoy the tradition or were you shy? Or did you by pass it altogether -- either because you wrote him a letter or because your family didn't celebrate Christmas?  I would have preferred to write a letter. I felt I could have been far more specific for Santa by copying out page numbers from the Sears Christmas Catalog. But my mom got a kick out of seeing us with Santa, so that's what we did.

 

2. Are you currently on the Naughty or Nice list? How did you get there? I'd put me on the Nice list. I've worked at being a better person -- in classic film vernacular, I strive to be more Melanie and less Scarlett. I've done some good work for my client and been a good friend. Yes, Santa, label me Nice!

Every day I ask: WWMD (What would Melly do?)

3. Did you ship any gifts to friends and family this year? If so, which one traveled the farthest? Speaking of classic movies, I sent a copy of the shooting script of The Godfather to my oldest friend in Hesperia, CA. I picked it up last April while at the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood. It came home with me on the plane (1,740 miles) and then I mailed it back about 1,940 miles to Hesperia, courtesy of the USPS.

 
4. Did you buy yourself a gift this year? This past Tuesday, I bought myself a book and took myself to lunch. It was pricey, but I enjoyed it.

 
5. What's your favorite holiday-themed movie? Have you seen it yet this year? My favorite is Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. I watched it on YouTube.

 6. Thinking of movies, Christmas is lucrative for Hollywood. Have you ever gone to a movie theater on Christmas Day? No.

 
7. Have you ever suffered an embarrassing moment at the company Christmas party? It wasn't the Christmas party, but it was a work function and I'd prefer not to speak of it. Thirty years later and my cheeks still get hot.

 
8. What's your favorite beverage in cold weather? Bailey's Irish Creme.

 
9. Share a memory from last Christmas. Last year, was an intense Christmas. Henry was newly home from the hospital after his life threatening, October 2018 accident. I was thrilled to see him alive, and grateful that we could be together, but he really wasn't well yet. I'm looking forward to a merrier and more chill Christmas, as his condition has improved.

Enjoy your holidays, Everyone!

Settling in to watch

My DVR is whirring right now. I'm recording The I Love Lucy Christmas Special, which I will watch after I finish my laundry.

Purist that I am, I normally don't like colorization. But this is special. Ricky looks more handsome. Lucy's eyes are so very blue. And Santa suits are just better in red!

We are better than him

Some days, Donald Trump exhausts me and breaks my heart. He is routinely cruel, bullying people day in and day out. He lies all the time, about everyone from Barack Obama to Ted Cruz. He is completely transactional and devoid of empathy. (Just recall his comments about our neighbors in Puerto Rico after the hurricane.)

And yet this vain and vulgar man, this man who never apologizes, who insists he has never asked God's forgiveness, is the darling of evangelicals.

It's enough to make this old Christian gal cry.


I believe in signs. I believe God reaches out to me in the way I'll best understand. And today, on my day off, He did.

Doing errands on this unseasonably warm day, with Christmas carols playing in my headphones, I walked up a different street than usual. I was so happy to see the nativity on the lawn of the Catholic church that I crossed the street to get a closer look. I just wanted to be nearer to it.

Then I saw the sign.

 "Immigrants & Refugees Welcome Here."

YES! Mary and Joseph were immigrants. There was no room for them at the inn, so she had to give birth in a manger. Oh, I'm sure Donald Trump would try to keep them out with a wall, maybe cruelly separate the baby from His parents. But we celebrate them. We honor them. And we continue to welcome immigrants and refugees in His name.

Donald Trump doesn't really represent us. We're better than him.

My heart took off.

The Book of Matthew tells us: Whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.

Yes.

I wish we had a President who inspired rather than incited. And hopefully come January 2021, we will.

But for now, it's up to us to rise above our President. We can. We will. I know it.

All it takes is love.