Take Me Home

"And if you believe in love, that will be more than enough
for peace to last throughout the coming year." John Denver and Kermit, singing "The Christmas Wish"

Well, gang, this will be my last entry until 2008. I know, I know. Dry your eyes. I’ll be back in January. See, I’m leaving on a (jet) plane tonight and heading back home to Chicago for Christmas. And despite the fact that it’s going to be cold and snowy, I couldn’t be happier about the trip. It’s the first time in almost a year that I’ve been back, so it will be a busy 12 days trying to catch up with family and friends and visiting all the old stomping grounds.

So this is my official “Happy holidays!” post. And on that note, I wanted to talk about my favorite Christmas album of all time: "A Christmas Together" by John Denver and the Muppets. No, I’m not joking. When I discovered someone had downloaded clips from the 1979 TV special onto YouTube last week, it was literally like receiving an early Christmas gift. (Thank you, whoever you are.)

Here’s the thing...no matter how old I get, the Muppets never fail to crack me up and warm the cockles of my heart. I still howl with laughter when I see Beaker "meeping" at Dr. Bunsen Honeydew or Statler & Waldorf heckling the performers. I also get a wee bit misty-eyed whenever I hear The Rainbow Connection. Like many in my age bracket, I grew up faithfully watching The Muppet Show, Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock. To date, I don’t think any other children’s show has ever been able to resurrect the same whimsical message of love and friendship that Jim Henson and Frank Oz brought us kiddies in those early days of programming.

That very message highlights "A Christmas Together," creating the perfect tribute to the holiday season. My family owns dozens of Christmas albums, including favorites such as Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby, yet the Muppets remains at the top of my holiday listening list every year. I don't know - it could be the nostalgia factor - but listening to the music transports me back to a simpler time, when I wore pigtails, adored a non-creepy Michael Jackson, made popsicle stick ornaments in class and pedaled my bike with the flowered banana seat around the neighborhood with friends. But I digress.

Not only is the Muppets-John Denver collaboration funny (I KNOW you did not get through "Little St. Nick" and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" without snickering!) but it's also heartfelt, thanks to gems like "Where the River Meets the Sea" and "A Baby Just like You." Check out these two clips - one humorous and the other more touching - as confirmation.





All in all, "A Christmas Together" expresses what I feel is the true sentiment of the season – peace on earth, goodwill to mankind and love of family and friends. As you can probably tell, I adore it as much now as I did when I was a kid. Now, if only Santa could grease the wheels a bit and get the powers-that-be to release this treasure on DVD. Please?

Either way, I’m hoping Jim Henson and John Denver are hanging out somewhere together right now, entertaining all the celestial revelers with festive carols. Guys, we miss you! Thanks for making this world a better place.

Happy holidays y'all. Be safe and I'll talk to you again in 2008!

I'd like an edible house to call my own

In recent weeks, I have seen some fabulous-looking gingerbread houses decorating various store windows. As I've made clear in a previous post, I love me some gingerbread...whether it's in the form of flavored coffee or the tasty ginger snap cookies gracing the shelves of the local Trader Joes. Gingerbread is definitely one of my favorite sweet treats -- and of course, it goes hand-in-hand with the holiday season.
Fortunately for all you calorie counters out there, a number of sugar-free gingerbread recipes are now available. Here are two, courtesy of www.Splenda.com.

Merry Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread Cake

And if you're worried about adding gingerbread to the list of other holiday treats, you can take comfort in the fact that ginger provides a number of health benefits. For one, it has a long tradition of effectively alleviating symptoms of "gastrointestinal distress" - i.e., it's a nice cure for that belly-ache. Modern scientific research has also revealed it has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor effects...all good news!
Another fun fact. According to the Guiness Book of Records, the world’s largest gingerbread man weighed more than 372 pounds and was made by the chefs at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Vancouver back in 2003. It was also nearly 14 feet tall and two inches deep. And while today's youth might not be familiar with the old Gingerbread Man fairy-tale -- remember? "Run, run, run as fast you can! You can't catch me, I'm The Gingerbread Man!"? -- they surely know Gingy from the Shrek movies.
Moving on, here's a pretty sweet video I found - utilizing a time-lapse camera - that compiles all the work done on the 16-foot gingerbread house built annually in the lobby of the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Created by Walt Disney World, it's apparently made using 1,050 pounds of honey, 140 pints of egg whites, 600 pounds of powdered sugar, 700 pounds of chocolate, 800 pounds of flour, 35 pounds of spices, tons of creativity, Disney magic and pixie dust. Woof-dee.

Tainted toys for tots

Just yesterday, I received an invite to a holiday party asking all guests to bring a gift to support the Toys for Tots program. This is a great organization and one that I would normally champion this time of year. However, after seeing the latest headlines about toys containing the date rape drug (a phrase I never imagined I would write), I've pretty much decided against buying any toys this holiday season. Sorry kids...I hate to be the Grinch but this is for your own good!
In case you missed it, the popular Aqua Dots is the latest Chinese-made toy to be pulled from the shelves. Distributed by Spinmaster Ltd. in the U.S., it turns out that if children happen to ingest any of the beads from this arts-and-crafts product, they could have seizures and slip into a coma. That's because the toy contains a chemical that converts into a date rape drug when ingested. Already, two children here and another three in Australia have been hospitalized because of the beads.
The recall serves as the latest blow to an already beleaguered toy industry. Statistics show that nearly 80 percent of the toys sold in the U.S. are made in China. Unfortunately, until change is demanded regarding China's toy production, I'm guessing we'll continue to see safety problems related to lead paint.
So now we're now less than two months from Christmas and it's possible that millions of children will soon discover that Santa Claus has skimped on the toys this year. After all, who needs a Barbie doll when there are nice, warm socks to be had?
I can't speak for others but I definitely won't be buying toys for any of my friends' children this year. I think I'll invest in some books so they can brush up on reading and writing skills. Imagine that!