Posts Tagged ‘Christmas’

Holiday Light Saver (Tangle-Free Christmas Lights Storage System) – A Marketing Review

For most people, late November and early December means that it’s time to haul the Christmas (errr, holiday) decorations out of the attic, basement, or garage, and to then decorate the house in an appropriate manner.

It’s fun, it’s entertaining, it helps spread the Christmas spirit (HOLIDAY!  I really meant to say holiday spirit.  Really.), and the larger number of lights that you use means the bigger your manhood.  Or something like that.  Whatever it really means, we all know that the more decorative lights that you use, then that much more time will be required to keep them all neatly stored and organized.

That’s what brings us here today.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) – (c) Warner Bros. – Clark Griswold needs some help untangling his Christmas lights.

For most people, the biggest problem with decorating for Christmas (Dang it.  That should really be “. . . decorating for the holidays“) is simply dealing with the Christmas lights (Holiday lights!!!  I should really pay more attention to my typing!  Somebody has probably become offended at this point.)  In January it’s very easy to pull down the lights and simply toss them into a plastic tub with the other strands of lights.  They’re then forgotten until late November when it’s time to decorate the house again.  That’s when we realize just how much we’ve forgotten that it’s actually frustrating and time consuming to untangle all of those strands of colorful lights.

Bob Rivers – “The Twelve Pains of Christmas” – original music video

It’s no wonder that “Rigging up the lights!” ranks as the second “pain” of Christmas in Bob Rivers‘s classic Christmas comedy song, “The Twelve Pains of Christmas.”  Sometimes it’s challenging enough just to hang up the lights *without* trying to untangle them.  Good grief!

Anyway, depending on your methods of organization and/or storage, dealing with the Christmas lights (HOLIDAY lights!  I’ll get it right at some point.) can be a breeze or a royal pain in the Arsch.  It’s just a matter of time before somebody, somewhere, creates a new method of storing those dang lights, a method that will (hopefully) make it so much quicker and easier to deal with the lights.

What’s this?

Holiday Light Saver website — www.HolidayLightSaver.com

The Holiday Light Saver?

Can this really be the answer to the problem of figuring out an effective way of storing Christmas lights (Whoops!  I really meant to say holiday lights.  Honest.)?

an older TV commercial for the Holiday Light Saver

Let’s take a look and review the advertising for the Holiday Light Saver.  In this case we’ll be using the TV commercial on display at the product’s website (www.HolidayLightSaver.com).  Does this look like a useful product, or does it look more like a scam?

Holiday Light Saver TV commercial – Decorating the house Griswold-style.

The advertisement for the Holiday Light Saver begins with an image of a house covered with Christmas lights.  At least, I’m assuming that we’re looking at Christmas lights here.  Neither the advertisement or the website specifically mentioned *Christmas* lights, but rather “holiday” lights.  Since this doesn’t really look like a Hanukkah or Kwanzaa display, I’m going to take a wild guess and say that it’s most likely for Christmas.

Anyway, using lights is a common way to decorate your home for the holidays.  It’s festive.  It’s fun.  And at night they usually look great.

But for many people, there’s a tiny little problem when it comes to Christmas (Yeah, I know, I know.  Holiday.) lights . . . Read more…

Testing Yourself For HIV Is A Christmas Event, Right?

At least, that’s how it appears to be presented in a recent television commercial for the product OraQuick.

OraQuick website — www.OraQuick.com

In a recent TV commercial for OraQuick, an in-home oral HIV test kit, the slogan says, “Let’s make this the Season of Knowing with OraQuick In-Home HIV Test.”  Although this particular commercial is not available on YouTube (I didn’t find it on YouTube, but it may have been listed differently), this same holiday slogan is used on the product’s website.  Near the top of the website it states, “This holiday season, the makers of the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test invite you to join us in making this the Season of Knowing . . . your HIV status.”

Is it just me, or is it odd that the advertisers are making this into a *Christmas* event rather than, let’s say, something that’s extremely beneficial to know year-round?  Last time I checked, knowing if you’re infected with HIV is a life-changing event, something that will change the way that you live for the rest of your life.  What difference does this make if you learn that you do or do not have HIV in November/December rather than February or May or July?

I can picture it now.  Somebody with a troubled lifestyle thinks that he may have been exposed to HIV, but for some reason or another he doesn’t want to get himself tested.  Perhaps he’s just going to stay in a state of denial, convincing himself that he really wasn’t exposed to HIV.  If he’s never tested, then he’ll never have to tell anybody about his behavior.  Whatever.  But along comes this advertisement and suddenly he’s motived to finally get himself tested, not necessarily for the sake of knowing right now, but because it’s the Christmas season!  It’s “the Season of Knowing!”  Yeah!

The fine print near the bottom of the website warns that, “A negative result with this test does not mean that you are definitely not infected with HIV, particularly when exposure may have been within the previous 3 months.” Read more…

Using A Car Title Loan To Purchase . . . Christmas Gifts?

Just the other day I saw a television commercial for Atlanta Title Loans, a company that provides cash loans for a car title.

Instead of the usual sales pitch, the commercial used an angle of acquiring a car title loan and some “extra cash” to help make a more joyous “holiday season.”  Oddly enough, despite featuring snowfall, a large Christmas tree, and even an elf, the commercial never specifies just which “holiday” it’s talking about.  I’ll go on a ledge and say that it’s CHRISTMAS even though the advertisers don’t have the guts to specifically say it.  Sadly, that’s the trend of today’s overly politically correct advertising, but that’s another topic entirely.

Anyway, the Atlanta Title Loans advertisement wants us to believe that people are willing to use a car title loan service so that they can basically afford to spend extra money on Christmas gifts.  A few years ago a different car title loan company advertised that people could use the service to pay for vacations.  The bottom line though is still the same — people needing to borrow money in order for luxury items, whether it’s for a vacation or for gifts.  Of course, we’re talking about borrowing money through organizations that normally charge steep monthly rates.

We’re talking about using not a regular bank loan or a special loan promotion through a financial lender, but rather using a CAR TITLE LOAN company to acquire the extra money.  Many car title loan companies are notorious for charging steep monthly rates when the people repay their loan.  When dealing with a car title loan company, there’s also the threat of the company repossessing the vehicle should the customer fail to repay the loan exactly as it’s stated in the loan agreement.

Normally companies such as car title loaners deal with people who need some quick cash for a variety of reasons, whether it’s for a medical bill, a car repair bill (for a different vehicle), a funeral service, or any other unexpected situation.  Those are legitimate situations as nearly all of them are unexpected.  Nearly all of us have been in a bind like that at one point in time, especially in our younger years of adulthood.  As they say, sh*t happens.  The difference though is how you handle it and prepare yourself should a similar situation occur again in the future. Read more…

The Christmas Spirit and How Quickly It Drops

It’s no secret that Christmas has become one massive, over-commercialized fiasco over the years.

Does the Spirit of Christmas still exist in this crazy, self-centered, egotistical world of ours?

Modern Christmas Timeline

September – These days the Christmas holiday begins in early to middle September.  That’s when you’ll start seeing Christmas decorations appearing in stores.  You’ll may even spy giant inflatable decorations and artificial Christmas trees for sale in Walmart.

October – Throughout October you’ll see more and more Christmas decorations and items for sale in the stores.  They may be on shelves past the Halloween decorations, but they’ll still be there.  Throughout the month you’ll also notice Christmas decorations appearing in the shopping malls.  Some of the department stores may even fully decorate their store with Christmas lights and other decorations.

November – This is the month when Christmas kicks into overdrive.

It seems to be standard now for Santa Claus to appear in the shopping malls on November 1, the day after Halloween.  That means that the kids are exposed to Santa from November 1st through December 24th, a total of 54 days.  That’s almost two full months!

Around the middle of November you’ll see more Christmas tree lots in parking lots, and some of your friends on Facebook will begin showing off their Christmas tree.  This was the first year where I saw several people showing off their decorated Christmas trees at least a week *before* Thanksgiving.  The common excuse was that Thanksgiving was late in the month this year and they wouldn’t have time to set up their decorations after Thanksgiving.  Of course, if you *really* wanted to wait and do it right, you’d arrange your schedule and find a way to set up the decorations when it’s more appropriate. Read more…

Movie Review – Santa’s Slay (2005)

Everybody knows that Santa Claus is a kind and friendly person who distributes presents on Christmas Eve to good little boys and girls.

But what if Santa was really an evil person who kills others, and the only reason he’s been nice for the past thousand years is because he lost a bet?  What if Santa was really a killing machine who was finally free to kill again?

That’s basically the premise for Santa’s Slay, a 2005 comedy horror film that gives us an alternate version of Santa Claus.  Directed by David Steiman, Santa’s Slay stars professional wrestling icon Bill Goldberg as Santa Claus.  The rest of the cast members are mainly nobodies, but you will catch glimpses of Dave Thomas, James Caan, Fran Drescher, Chris Kattan and Rebecca Gayheart.

Santa’s Slay begins on Christmas Eve in 2005.

Santa’s Slay (2005) – (c) Media 8 Entertainment

The Mason family is bickering with each other as they sit down to a formal dinner.  Suddenly Santa Claus (Bill Goldberg) comes crashing down the chimney.  He stabs Mr. Mason’s (James Caan) hands to the table with a pair of knives.  Daughter Taylor Mason (Annie Sorell) faints and falls backwards onto the dogs’ fancy bed and accidentally impales herself through the throat.  Santa drinks a bottle of alcohol, lights a lighter, and then sprays the fire onto Mrs. Mason’s (Fran Drescher) hair.

Jason Mason (Chris Kataan) tries to fight Santa, but Santa easily kicks him into a shelving unit, knocking him unconscious.  The fire is out on Mrs. Mason’s head and she’s badly burned.  But that doesn’t stop Santa.  He drowns her in a container of eggnog.  Gwen (Rebecca Gayheart) pleads with Santa that she’s been good right before he bashes her head with one of the table’s legs.  Beth (Alicia Loren) tries to run away, so Santa takes the star off the Christmas tree and throws it into her back, killing her.

Santa then grabs a drumstick from the turkey and shoves it into Mr. Mason’s mouth.  He then rams his head against the table, jamming the drumstick into his mouth and killing him. Read more…

Movie Review – Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

“He’s up past his bedtime in the city that never sleeps.”

Back in 1990, Home Alone was a smash hit.  It seemed like there was a national obsession for the film.  Naturally, it was just a matter of time before Hollywood brought back the cast for a sequel.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York brings back the McCallister family for another crazy Christmas adventure.  Even though it was released two years later in 1992, the film itself takes place the following year.  An airport mix up sends Kevin McCallister to New York City while the rest of his extended family goes to Miami, Florida.  It’s a perfect solo vacation for Kevin until he encounters the Wet Bandits again.  It’s up to Kevin to stop the bandits from robbing a toy store’s money that’s destined for sick children in a hospital.

Like the first film, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York was directed by Chris Columbus and written & produced by John Hughes.  Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O’Hara and John Heard all reprise their roles.  This sequel also includes Tim Curry, Rob Schneider, Brenda Fricker and Eddie Bracken.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York begins a couple of days before Christmas in Chicago, Illinois.  The extended McCallister family is packing for another Christmas trip.  Instead of going to Europe, this time around the family is heading south to Miami, Florida.

Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) is in his parents’ room playing with a cassette recorder while his parents are packing for the trip.  He’s upset that they’re heading to Miami as it’ll be too hot for Christmas trees.  His mother, Kate McCallister (Catherine O’Hara), tells him to just decorate a palm tree instead.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) – (c) 20th Century Fox

In addition to preparing for their trip, the family is also dressing for the Christmas pageant.  Part of Kevin’s outfit is in the bathroom, but his obnoxious Uncle Frank (Gerry Bamman) is in there and taking a shower.  Kevin uses his cassette recorder to record his uncle singing in the shower.  Frank finally notices him and yells at Kevin to leave the bathroom. Read more…

Movie Review – Black Christmas (1974)

“If this picture doesn’t make your skin crawl . . . it’s on TOO TIGHT.”

That’s the tag line for Black Christmas, a 1974 Canadian independent horror film that takes place on a college campus during Christmas break.  This film has also been known by alternate titles such as Silent Night, Evil Night and Stranger in the House.

Directed by Bob Clark, Black Christmas stars Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder as two of the sorority sisters.  Supporting them are Keir Dullea as Peter Smythe, and John Saxon as police Lieutenant Kenneth Fuller.

Black Christmas (1974) – (c)Ambassador Film Distributors / Warner Bros.

Black Christmas begins one night at the start of Christmas break on a college campus.  As the sorority sisters drink and have a good time, we watch the point-of-view of a disoriented man as he climbs up the trellis on the side of the sorority house and enters the attic.  Shortly later the girls receive an obscene phone call.  Instead of being disgusted or scared, Barb Coard (Margot Kidder) provokes the caller, to which he replies that he’s going to kill her. Read more…

Movie Review – Gremlins (1984)

For the longest of times gremlins have been known as little monsters that like to destroy mechanical and electrical devices.

Is your car broken?  Blame it on a gremlin.  Did an appliance recently break?  It was a gremlin.  The more that you believed in the creatures, then the more likely they would arrive and cause chaos.

In 1984, Gremlins brought those mischievous little creatures to life in a full-length film.

Directed by Joe Dante, produced by Steven Spielberg, written by Chris Columbus, and with music provided by Jerry Goldsmith, Gremlins tells the tale of the wicked little creatures wrecking havoc on a small town during Christmas.  The evil creatures are accidentally created from a mogwai when the rules required to take care of it are broken.  It’s up to two teenagers to stop the gremlins from completely destroying their town.

Gremlins begins as Randall Peltzer (Hoyt Axton), an inventor with good concepts but bad mechanics, is browsing through Chinatown when he meets the grandson of an antique shop owner.  Inside the antique shop, Randall tries to sell his latest invention, something called the Bathroom Buddy, to Mr. Wing (Keye Luke), the owner of a Chinese antique shop.  His sales spiel is interrupted by some strange noises.  When he investigates he discovers a little furry creature called a mogwai (voiced by Howie Mandel).

Gremlins (1984) – (c) Warner Bros.

The mogwai is a cute little creature and Randall thinks that it’ll make the perfect gift for his teenage son.  Unfortunately, Mr. Wing will not sell him the mogwai, even when Randall offers $200.  Mr. Wing claims that it takes a great amount of responsibility to keep a creature, and the mogwai is not for sale.  However, Mr. Wing’s grandson has a different attitude about the deal.  He has Randall meet him outside of the shop.  Outside, the grandson sells the mogwai for $200.  He claims that his grandfather is crazy.  Besides, the family could really use the money.

Before Randall leaves, the grandson tells him the three rules when caring for a mogwai.

1) Keep him in dark areas.  He hates light and sunshine will kill him.

2) Do not get him wet.  No drinking water and definitely no baths.

3) Most important of all, do NOT feed him after midnight.

It seems simple.  What could go wrong? Read more…

Movie Review – Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)

Back in the 1950s and 60s there was a boom in science-fiction films.

These films covered everything from exploring the Moon, Mars, and outer space to battles with alien invaders to horrific monsters destroying cities.  It was just a matter of time before that theme was combined with Santa Claus and the Christmas theme.

Released in 1964, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians was directed by Nicholas Webster.  As far as the cast, take note that Santa Claus Conquers the Martians is a relatively low-budget B-film.  The only semi-famous names that you may or may not recognize would most likely be those of Bill McCutcheon, Pia Zadora, and Ned Wertimer.

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians begins on a musical note with children singing “Hooray for Santy Claus.”  The sound quality and vocals sound just as you would expect for a children’s song from the early 1960s.

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964) – (c) Embassy Pictures Corporation

After that a news station, KID-TV, sends reporter Andy Henderson (Ned Wertimer) to the North Pole to interview Santa Claus (John Call) at his workshop.  The elves are all busy making toys in Santa’s workshop, but Santa is confident that everything will be ready for delivery on Christmas Eve.  Two of the latest toys are that of a toy rocket and a doll that looks like a green Martian.

Meanwhile on Mars, the Martian children are becoming more overstressed.  They’re not eating or sleeping like they should, and they’re spending their days watching too much Earth television.  This trend is making Kimar (“King Martian” — Leonard Hicks) more concerned about the future of the Martian race. Read more…

Movie Review – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

The Griswold family is back for another crazy vacation!

Instead of going cross-country to visit a theme park, or embarking on an all-expenses-paid trip through Europe, this time around the family is spending some quality time at home.  It’s Christmastime and Clark Griswold has some wild ideas about how to spend the holiday with his family.  It’s not just the immediate family this time.  Cousins Catherine and Eddie are back, and this time around we get to meet Clark and Ellen’s parents, too.

Chevy Chase is back in his role as Clark Griswold, along with Beverly D’Angelo playing his faithful wife, Ellen.  Supporting them are Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki as their children, Audrey and Rusty.  Randy Quaid returns as the wacky Cousin Eddie, and Miriam Flynn plays his wife, Catherine.  Look for Brian Doyle-Murray playing the role of Mr. Frank Shirley, Clark’s boss, Doris Roberts as Ellen’s mother, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Margo Chester, a snotty and upscale neighbor to the Griswolds.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation was released on December 1, 1989.  While parts of the movie are dated and some of the jokes don’t really work because of today’s technology, Christmas Vacation is still regarded as a modern Christmas classic.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) – (c) Warner Bros.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation begins with the Griswold family on an expedition for their Christmas tree.  On the road Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) gets harassed by some local country boys.  Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo) doesn’t want him to provoke them, but he ignores her advice.  Clark tries to pass them but gets his station wagon stuck underneath a tractor trailer.  Clark escapes but his car crashes into a giant pile of snow at a Christmas tree store.

Clark drags his family through the frozen wilderness as he searches for the perfect Christmas tree.  He finally finds it as his daughter, Audrey (Juliette Lewis), is nearly frozen stiff.  All seems well until Rusty (Johnny Galecki) asks his dad if he brought a saw.  Naturally, Clark forgot it back at home.  The family somehow digs the massive tree out of the ground with their bare hands, and then lug it back to their car. Read more…

Movie Review – Home Alone (1990)

Today we’re taking a look at Home Alone, a classic Christmas film from 1990.

Almost all of us have had a point in our young life where we thought that we were smarter than everybody else.  Sometimes this was added to feelings of invincibility and the ability to take on criminals and other evil people.  But most of those were just harmless fantasies and not reality.

The film Home Alone involves an eight-year-old boy who is accidentally left home by himself when his parents and family fly to Paris, France for their Christmas vacation.  All of the return flights are booked, so the boy is forced to rely upon himself to survive for a few days.  At first it’s fun, but then reality hits.  Things are complicated when a pair of burglars have his house set as their next target.  It’s up to the boy to prove that he’s smarter and find a way to defend his home.

Directed by Chris Columbus, Home Alone was both written and produced by John Hughes.  The film stars young Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, an eight-year-old boy left home alone.  Co-starring in the film are Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern as Harry and Marv, two burglars who intend on robbing the McCallister’s home.  Supporting them in the film are John Heard as Peter McCallister, Kevin’s father; Catherine O’Hara as Kate McCallister, Kevin’s mother; John Candy as Gus Polinski, a polka musician; and Roberts Blossom as Old Man Marley, Kevin’s older and mysterious neighbor.

Home Alone (1990) – (c) 20th Century Fox

Home Alone begins in Chicago, Illinois a few days before Christmas as the extended McCallister family is gathering before their morning flight to Paris, France.

The large home is filled with parents as kids as the excitement builds for their upcoming trip.  Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin), one of the youngest kids there, is continually picked on by his older brothers and sisters as well as one of his uncles.  Nobody has time for the boy, nor do they seem to want anything to do with him.

A local policeman (Joe Pesci) has a brief word with Peter McCallister (John Heard), but it’s just a safety warning about making sure that the home is secure to protect against burglars.  Peter assures the police officer that they have lights on timers and the doors will be locked tight while they’re away in Paris. Read more…

Movie Review – A Christmas Story (1983)

Back in 1983, one of the most beloved Christmas movies of all time was released to the movie theater.

While A Christmas Story wasn’t a major blockbuster in the movie theater, the film became a legend from the endless showings and repeat showings on networks such as TBS and TNT.  The film became so popular that by 1997, TNT began doing a 24-hour marathon of A Christmas Story beginning on Christmas Eve.  This marathon still continues today with TBS continuing the trend.

Part of what makes A Christmas Story so enjoyable is that it’s relatively safe for the entire family.  A Christmas Story has its humor, its moments of sadness, the feelings of joy, and of course, a boy gaining the courage and strength to beat up the neighborhood bully.  It has it all without any major vulgarity, acts of violence, or suggestive scenes.

Peter Billingsley stars as Ralphie Parker, the boy who faces the challenges of everyday life in elementary school and who desperately wants a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas.  Darren McGavin and Melinda Dillon play the roles of Mr. and Mrs. Parker, and Ian Petrella plays the role of Randy, Ralphie’s younger brother.  Zack Ward had the honor of playing the role of Scut Farkus, the neighborhood bully with yellow eyes.

A Christmas Story (1983) – (c) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

A Christmas Story takes place in the late 1930s / early 1940s in a small town somewhere in northern Indiana.

The film begins with a bunch of children gathered at a store’s corner window and its elaborate Christmas display.  The hottest toys are interacting with one another, but to Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley), it’s all meaningless.  His sights are locked on the Red Ryder BB gun in the back of the display.  The only problem is that Ralphie has to somehow convince his parents that he’s mature enough for such a gift. Read more…

Movie Review – Bad Santa (2003)

Christmas-themed movies are normally geared towards families, and they often have a pleasant view of Santa along with a happy ending.

Those types of movies generally shy away from violence, vulgar language, smoking / drinking, and sexual activity.  This is especially true if the movie involves Santa Claus as one of the main characters.

And then along comes 2003′s hit comedy movie, Bad Santa.  This film breaks every rule concerning Santa Claus and what not to put in a Christmas-themed movie.  Bad Santa is full of profanity, it has violence, there is some nudity, and the main character is a horrible role model for any child let alone the one in this movie.  When you add it all together, Bad Santa is one hilarious movie definitely made for the adult audience.

Bad Santa stars Billy Bob Thornton as Willie T. Stokes, an alcoholic robber who poses as Santa Claus in department stores.  Tony Cox plays the role of Marcus, Willie’s helper elf and accomplice with the robberies.  Supporting them are Lauren Graham as Willie’s girlfriend, John Ritter as the mall’s manager, Bernie Mac as the mall’s security chief, Brett Kelly as the Kid, and Cloris Leachman as Kid’s senile grandmother.

Bad Santa (2003) – (c) Dimension Film

Bad Santa begins on Christmas Eve as Willie T. Stokes (Billy Bob Thornton) and Marcus (Tony Cox) are working in a department store.  Willie clearly has no respect for his job (or himself for that matter) as he verbally abuses the children and proceeds to drink some alcohol.  Willie leaves with the last of the customers as the store closes for Christmas Eve.  Marcus, disguised as a snowman, runs over and quickly disables the security alarm before it’s activated by the guard.  He lets a drunk Willie back into the store, and the two of them rob the place and collect over $100,000.

Willie, Marcus and Lois (Marcus’ girlfriend; played by Lauren Tom) go to a bar to celebrate their successful heist.  Willie tells Marcus his dream of taking his share of the money and heading down to Miami to open his own bar.  Marcus laughs and tells Willie that it won’t work and he’ll be thankful to work as Santa again for next Christmas. Read more…

Best Buy’s Disturbing Apple Christmas TV Commercial

Recently I caught sight of Best Buy’s TV commercial featuring Apple products and the Christmas theme.

It’s one thing to advertise your selection of products in a store.  It’s another to demonstrate the products in such a manner that children are indirectly placed in grave danger.  At what point does an innocent TV commercial become a parent’s worst nightmare?

This commercial for Apple products at Best Buy tries to be innocent with Santa Claus as the person that the boy is trying to meet.  We see how easy it is for a child to try to not only find a person’s address (Santa Claus in this case), but also book a flight (or at least attempt to), send that person an e-mail, or even conduct a video chat with that person.  When you take into account the dangers of child predators and deranged people who intentionally alter their identity online, with the goals of deceiving and trying to harm others, all of a sudden this Best Buy commercial is quite disturbing.

Best Buy TV commercial – “Gifts That Do: Finding Santa”

Best Buy TV commercial (2012) – Gifts That Do: Finding Santa

The Best Buy TV commercial starts out innocent with a Best Buy worker telling a mother that their store has all the latest Apple products, and you can do anything with those gifts.  This gets the attention of the mother’s son and the commercial goes downhill from there. Read more…

Christmas — Good Will To Man

Christmas Eve has finally arrived.

Later this evening children will be tucked into bed, trying desperately to sleep before the arrival of Santa Claus.

Tomorrow morning will involve the unwrapping of presents and watching as joy is spread between families and friends.

In today’s modern times, it’s easy to forget just how fortunate we are to be able to celebrate such a holiday.  Here in the U.S., times are peaceful.  It’s not like artillery barrages are flattening buildings, or massive armies of soldiers are sweeping through the countryside, killing everybody who stands in the way.

One of my favorite examples of humanity and the Christmas spirit dates back to December 25, 1914 in Belgium. Read more…

Christmas — A Forbidden Word

Take a look or listen to advertisements on TV, the radio, and throughout the Internet from late November through late December.

Notice in particular how most companies and organizations refer to a certain holiday on December 25th, but oddly enough, such a major and worshiped holiday, and its appropriate greeting, are rarely mentioned these days.

You’ll hear all about “holiday” sales, “holiday” meals, “holiday” trees, and “holiday” everything else, but in virtually all of the talk and advertisements, it’s obvious that those companies and organizations aren’t talking about Hanukkah or Kwanzaa.  It’s all about Christmas.  But thanks to our overly sensitive and very politically correct society, mentioning “Christmas” or merely wishing somebody a “merry Christmas” is taboo.

Forbidden.

Eliminated.

Rejected.

It’s all “Happy Holidays” these days, and not “Merry Christmas.”

Can it be true?

Have we become so overly sensitive as a society that the mere act of wishing somebody a merry Christmas could make said person cower away in fright? Read more…

Best Buy’s War on Santa

The Best Buy advertising campaign for this year’s Christmas season is a bit disturbing.

And arrogant.

And just plain mean.

While the famous store is trying to show off its supposedly low prices for certain items and price matching guarantee, the way that the shoppers rub it into Santa’s face in the commercials is downright awful.

Best Buy TV commercial — Game On, Santa — Gifts Under $100

The commercial starts with a shopper and Best Buy store worker talking about all of the trendy gifts priced under $100.  No problems there.  But once the store worker mentions that, “Santa better watch out,” things take a serious turn.

The commercial then cuts to Christmas Eve and Santa arriving in the shopper’s home, surprised to find that the stockings are already filled with presents.  Standing in the doorway and watching is the same woman we saw shopping in the store.  Instead of greeting Santa and being glad that he’s paying her home a visit, she instead becomes a bitch and belittles him, commenting that she didn’t leave any room for his presents in her family’s stockings.

Oh, but she does offer Santa some advice.  Her little puppy is holding a tiny stocking, and she tells Santa that he’s more than welcome to fill his little stocking.

What . . . a . . . bitch!

It’s a wonder that Santa didn’t rip her stocking off the mantle and fill it with reindeer droppings. Read more…

The Santas of Northern Atlanta’s Shopping Malls

It’s that time of the year again.

Time to take those darling, never misbehaving, always polite children to the shopping mall to get that precious picture with Santa.

But with all of the Santas throughout the northern metro area, how do you know which malls have the best displays for that all-important and holiest of holiday photos?  Just which mall (or store) should you visit?  (DISCLAIMER — Those are all just Santa’s HELPERS as we all know the REAL Santa Claus is busy monitoring the toy factory in China, err, the North Pole, and he’s also checking that naughty list one more time)

The other week my girlfriend and I visited many of the Santa locations in northern Atlanta.  We couldn’t hit every single one, but dammit, we saw plenty of malls, a$$hole drivers who can’t back out of parking spots, and plenty of self-centered, ADHD parents pushing their way through stores.  Our pain is your benefit.

Get ready.

Here we go.

“Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, right down Santa Claus Lane . . .”

Town Center Mall;  Kennesaw, GA

Right off the bat, this is by far the absolute WORST Santa meet-and-greet in northern metro Atlanta.

What kind of crap is this?  Semi-translucent, color changing trees?  WTF?!?  A wide open area of, well, nothing?  Wow.  Maybe next year the people will actually TRY to have a pleasant Christmas display that Santa would be proud to call a temporary home.

Town Center is still a busy and lively mall, too.  It’s better than Gwinnett Place and safer than Cumberland Mall.  It’s just amazing that so little effort went into Town Center’s utterly craptastic Christmas display. Read more…

The Ruining of Christmas — Early Santa Claus and Penguin Decorations

“Ho, ho, ho!  Merry Christmas!”

Yes, folks, that time of the year is right around the corner.  Well, it’s still a month and a half away, but if you visit a few shopping malls starting tomorrow (at least here in the metro Atlanta area), you may just happen to see Santa Claus himself greeting parents and children alike.

Wait a second!  Just hold your horses, pal.

Santa Claus?  Christmas?  Now?!?  I mean, today is only November third.  We’re not even talking about Thanksgiving yet, and Santa is already going to be in the malls and being visited by snot-nosed, germ spreading, sugar-fed kids with attention spans shorter than their ADHD, cell phone addicted parents.

Now don’t get me wrong.  I’ve got nothing against Christmas, Santa, or any of that stuff.  I went to visit Santa when I was young, and I’m sure that my mom still has blackmail pictures to prove it.  It’s just that Christmas is being pushed on us WAY . . . TOO . . . EARLY!!!

Read more…