Sappy Holidays!

I have a confession to make: I love cheesy made-for-TV holiday movies. Yes, it's true most of them are poorly written, overly emotional and feature B-list actors in performances that will not bump them up to A. But I can't help myself. I love them.

There are, of course, the classics. A Charlie Brown Christmas. Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer. It's a Wonderful Life. A Christmas Story. It's an annual ritual to inaugurate the season with these tried-and-true heart-warmers. I love to snuggle up on the couch with some hot chocolate and watch the Peanuts gang do their crazy dances.

But I also love the newer ones. There are basically two story lines: A. Boy meets girl, boy and girl get in a fight, Santa saves the day and boy and girl are reunited. And B. Down-and-out-but-adorable kid has hit a rough patch and loses faith in humanity until Santa steps in and makes things better and daddy comes home/sister gets well/homeless guy gets a job.

I caught parts of a new one on ABC Family the other night. I can't remember what it was called, but it featured Patricia Heaton and the mom from My Big Fat Greek Wedding. It was plot A. A heartwarming tale of feuding Italian families who reconcile in the end and Patricia gets to marry the cute guy from the rival family. Not the best holiday movie ever, but they threw in lots of fun Italian exclamations and there was a wise and funny grandmother in the mix.

As the holiday season gears up, I can only assume there are more sappy but fabulous holiday movies to come and I am ready. Bring 'em on! I've got plenty of Kleenex. Stay tuned for more reviews.

Take Care, Hon'

Those were the words of Lianne Hansen to Puzzle Master Will Shortz at the end of a segment on Talk of the Nation today. Lianne Hansen called Will Shortz "hon." It was so weird. I mean, sure, they are probably pretty good friends after all those years of doing the puzzle together on Weekend Edition Sunday. And I call my friends "hon" sometimes. But none of my friends are Puzzle Master Will Shortz and none of our conversations take place on national radio programs.

I will admit, after the initial shock wore off, it actually made me love Lianne Hansen a little bit more.

I feel pretty, oh so pretty!

Today is the first really cold day we've had since I moved here. It's sunny and beautiful (after a day of wind and rain and nastiness yesterday!), but cold cold cold. It's the first day that I've needed my hat and scarf.

My favorite thing about cold weather right now is that I get to wear my favorite coat. I have this great brown wool coat that is a little bit retro-looking and I just love it. I am also wearing two of my other favorite things today: my sassy red heels and my new sparkly earrings that I bought a couple weeks ago. It's funny how these particular things just always make me feel a little bit sassier. I love things like that.

Auntie Mame, Ramona, faithful reader(s)...what are some of the things that make you feel pretty (or handsome, as the case may be)?

Where's my Chris in the Morning?

I've been watching old episodes of Northern Exposure, courtesy of Netflix. This is definitely my favorite show ever to be on television. So clever, so funny, such wacky characters.

I am in love with Chris in the Morning. He's the local DJ on the show played by John Corbett of Sex and the City and My Big Fat Greek Wedding fame. He's cute, he's smart, he's well-read. He's funny and sensitive and also a bit of a bad boy. He rides a Harley. He waxes poetic and philosophic. He became a minister by answering an ad in the back of a Rolling Stone, so he officiates at all of Cicely's weddings and funerals and such. In my favorite episode, he flings a piano through the air with a medieval trebuchet (oddly enough, "trebuchet" is also the name of this font) as performance art.

I want to find a man like Chris in the Morning. Who will write me love letters comparing me to a Harley? Who will build me a medieval war machine? Who will read Call of the Wild out loud to me? Sigh...