I grew up in Coral Gables, Fla., in the late ‘50s. Only one other Jewish family lived on our street. While my family was still finishing leftover turkey, our neighbors were inflating plastic Santas. I sulked at this injustice until my father found a way to make the holiday meaningful for us.
Forum discussion: With apologies to Johnny Marks and Burl Ives: Ho, ho, ho. Ho, ho, ho. We are Santa s elves! We are Santa s elves, Making Artify swell, Cut and paste, fill and erase, Oh, we are Santa s elves. We work hard all day, But all our work is play. Chec
Scrounging up gift money when you might be out of work.
And then, of course, thereâs still that pesky COVID-19 pandemic.
We donât really need reminders as to why weâre under stress. And while minutiae of the holiday season is traditionally taxing given all we feel we need to squeeze in, 2020 has proven to be particularly challenging.
Fortunately there is music. Though it might not be a cure-all to solve all woes, the uplifting tunes and the comforting tones that help define the holidays provide at least a temporary respite from the troubles of the day.
In the spirit of the season, Iâm offering this list of personal holiday favorites. This is not intended as a definitive âbest ofâ list, the songs are not listed in any particular order of importance and the overwhelming majority are tied to Christmas (itâs hard to fight the onslaught from radio and the recording industry). Itâs just a list of songs I like, and I hope you do, as well.
Reindeer are the same as caribou
Rangifer tarandus to get technical about it and they are members of the deer family, according to the Center for Veterinary Medicine in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
They re called reindeer in Europe, and in North Amerrica they re called reindeer if they re domesticated and caribou if they are wild.
So here are a few more reindeer facts from the Center for Veterinary Medicine:
Unlike most deer species, both male and female reindeer grow antlers, and when compared to their body size are the heaviest antlers in the deer family.
A male reindeer s antlers can grow up to 51 inches long, while a female s can grow up to 20 inches.
Handshakes all around. Actually, make that elbow bumps.
Well, what
else are you going to do this Christmas?
You can t go Christmas shopping. You can t go to parties. You can t see the Rockettes, go caroling or take your ballet-crazy 7-year-old to see the Sugar Plum Fairy. All canceled by COVID. This Christmas, it s just you and the DVR. So line up those Christmas movies and old TV specials, and binge away!
But wait – you don t become curator just like that. It s a serious responsibility.
Ben Mankiewicz, the late Robert Osborne, all those personalities on Turner Classic Movies know a thing or two. They can tell you the backstories, the inside baseball, on each of the films they present. You don t want to be tongue-tied when your little girl asks you, Mommy, why was Lionel Barrymore cast in It s a Wonderful Life ? Because she will. You know she will.