It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Musique - It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas by Bing Crosby

Just thought I'd share holiday pictures of some of my favorite classic film and music stars:

Princess Grace, Prince Albert, Princess Stephanie, Prince Rainier, and Princess Caroline


Clara Bow


Norma Shearer


Jean Harlow


Barbara Stanwyck and Dennis Morgan


Joan Crawford


Oh Bing, you're so dreamy!


The F. Scott Fitzgeralds


Mickey, Donald, and the gang


The Beatles


Myrna Loy


Louise Brooks


Oh Jimmy, you're so dreamy too!


Ann-Margret


Bette Davis


Carole Lombard


Loretta Young


Paulette Goddard


Mary Pickford

And why not?!  Here are some holiday pictures of some of my favorite stars from more recent years:

The Bouncing Souls!


No Doubt


Katy Perry


Sarah Michelle Gellar

Leighton Meester


Zooey Deschanel

These Are Some More of My Favorite Things

Musique - Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses

I'm back to count some more of my blessings, or rather, in this case, things I really, really love (and am blessed to have them in my life).

Old Christmas movies.  There's just something magical about old Christmas movies.  They really put me in more of a holiday mood than newer movies do (although I still loves me some newer holiday movies - Joyeux Noël, The Holiday, and Scrooged are some of my favorites).  They're a bit sweeter and more beautiful than newer movies.  I always fill my Netflix queue up with lots of old holiday flicks every December!

Old movies in general.  1920s and 1930s movies to be more specific.  If it's black and white, it's golden!  (Gone With the Wind is an exception - that is one outstanding color picture!)  I don't know what I'd do without Clara Bow, Norma Shearer, Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Crawford, Ruby Keeler, Joan Blondell, Jean Harlow, Frederic March, Gary Cooper, Miriam Hopkins, and sooooo many others to entertain me!  And I can't forget my favorite actress of all time - Grace Kelly!  While I lean toward the 20s and 30s, I definitely have a soft spot for her 1950s movies.  There's just something so glamorous about old Hollywood that I don't get from newer movies.  I am so blessed to have seen so many wonderful old movies in my lifetime!!

Punk and Ska covers of Christmas songs.  Most notably:

• No Doubt - Oi to the World (cover of The Vandals)
• Save Ferris - Christmas Wrapping (cover of The Waitresses)
• Bouncing Souls & Weston - Do They Know It's Christmas? (cover of Band Aid)
• Reel Big Fish - Mele Kalikimaka (cover of Bing Crosby)

Well, that's all for today - I'll try to keep my mind on the good in life and I hope everyone out there does too!!

I'll Fall Asleep Counting My Blessings

Musique - Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep by Bing Crosby

So, I was having a frustrating day and I was focusing on all that's wrong with my life right now and venting on Facebook and complaining (even though I am a huge fan of Louise Hay and firmly believe that your thoughts create your life).  So then I decided to take a break and made a list of some of my blessings and things I love:

My beautiful cats, Scarlett and Melanie.  Oh my GOD, do I love them!!  I got these two adorable black cats as kittens two years ago from a shelter.  They are seriously the closest thing to children I will ever have (because I don't ever want children).  They are the first animals I've ever raised on my own, so there is a special connection I've never had before with previous pets.  As a lover of all things Halloween, of course I had to get black cats, but these black cats were destined for me and I am so happy they are in my life.  I might sound like a crazy cat lady, but I don't care.  They show me unconditional love every single day and I will ever be grateful for them.

My beautiful PT Cruiser.  I've wanted one for some time because the design was inspired by 1930s cars.  I finally got mine in June of 2009.  It was obviously meant for me - black, only slightly used (it's a 2008), and under $10,000!  I love the way it drives and the way it looks and the little back trunk area that can hold stuff (or a person if it's too crowded in the cabin).  I love how I've adorned it with Bouncing Souls, No Doubt, Mad Rad, Germany, and Norway stickers (Belarus is next - I just need to find a Belarussian flag sticker and then the triumvirate of my ancestry will be completely represented on my car!).  It's super reliable and I love it lots!

Living in West Seattle.  It's glorious living in a beach town, especially one filled with such nice people as West Seattle.  It seems like everyone's a bit more polite here and a bit healthier too.  Plus, my apartment is across the street from the water, so I can look out my window and see the Puget Sound!  There's also a very nice spot a few minutes walk from my place where I can go and sit on some stone steps and watch the waves come in and out.  This is my favorite spot and I go here a lot when I need to clear my head or get happy.  It always calms and relaxes me and puts me in a better mood.  In fact, another one of my blessings is that in midst of writing this blog post, I realized that it was time for me to go home (yay!) so I drove home and as I saw the beautiful Puget Sound ahead of me and decided to take a few minutes to sit by the water.  The bad day I'd had was still sitting heavy on me, so this time to just sit quietly and contemplate the vastness and beauty of the water and hear the little waves come in and out calmed me right down and made me feel very peaceful.  And now here I am, back at the blog post. :)

My family.  This is us back in the early 80s.  Gee, I loved bows on my head even back then. :)  They are the best and most supportive family ever.  My sister is my best friend and my parents are ALWAYS there for me - no matter what.  I have been ridiculously blessed to have them be my family.

Top 5 Holiday Movies

Musique - Happy Holidays by Bing Crosby (Beef Wellington remix)

I love the holidays!  And I love movies!  So, needless to say, I love holiday movies!  Every year around this time, I fill my Netflix queue with holiday movies to watch (and re-watch) to get me in the holiday spirit.  Here is a list of my 5 favorite holiday movies of all time:

5.  White Christmas (1954)
But of course - many people's holiday favorite!  I have loved this movie since I was little, given that they play it a LOT during the holidays. I have always had a crush on Bing Crosby and he's incredibly dreamy in this movie.  The songs are all amazing and the romance is delicious.

4.  It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Another holiday favorite for the masses.  But it is a favorite for a reason - it's an amazing movie!  A movie that restores your faith in humanity and in being nice to your fellow man.  A movie with an amazing cast (Jimmy Stewart!  Lionel Barrymore!  Donna Reed!).  I also have a crush on Jimmy Stewart and he and Donna Reed make a pretty adorable couple.  I don't think I could personally be happy tied down to a family (kids are a definite NO for my future) and a job I wasn't passionate about, but I do love that the main message of this movie is to be happy no matter what life brings you - especially when you're as loving and loved as George Bailey.  It makes me tear up every time.

3.  Scrooged (1988)
Another of my favorites from my childhood.  I loves me some Bill Murray and he is spectacular in this movie.  It's funny and touching and totally 80s.  I always shed a tear or two at the end of this movie too.  Oh, and that Annie Lennox/Al Green cover of "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" is a heartwarmer for sure!

2.  Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
I never even saw this movie until last year - a travesty!  I love Barbara Stanwyck (as evidenced by several of my posts) and so I was bound to love this movie, but I love it even more than most Barbara Stanwyck movies.  The whole movie is just so amazingly wonderful - it really takes me back to that time (well, as far as I can make out that time to be like, having not been alive then) and has such a wonderfully indescribable feeling to it.  I found myself pulling really hard for Elizabeth and Jefferson to get together (yes, I know, it's an old movie - of course they're going to get together) and was so happy when they did.  It's one of the very few Christmas movies I own.

1.  Joyeux Noël (2005)
I first watched this movie only last year, but after one watching, it quickly became my #1 favorite holiday movie of all time.  Set in WWI, it's a fictionalized account of the Christmas Truces that occurred all over the Western Front that first Christmastime during the war.  It's heartbreaking to see people having to kill other people that they don't personally have anything against.  And then it's heartwarming to see them break the rules of war and come together in the Christmas spirit and be friends.  It makes me cry every time I watch it - in a really, really good way.  It restores my faith in humanity.

Bette's Classic Movie Survey

Yes, another survey!  You might as well try it - these things are fun!  This one comes from Bette's Classic Movie Blog.

1. Favourite Actor?
Without a doubt - Gary Oldman.  I know he's not a classic film actor, but I don't care - he's amazing.  He's perfect!

2. Actress?
Grace Kelly

3. Judy Holliday: love her or hate her?
I've honestly never seen a Judy Holliday movie ever.  I'm more into 20s and 30s movies than 40s and 50s.

4. Steve McQueen, Errol Flynn and Laurence Olivier. Who out of the names listed do you think would be most likely to don a sword and shield and confront a dragon?
I'm going to go with Errol Flynn

5. From dragon slaying to sheer madness (not that much of a leap), which crazy movie do you like best: Sunset Boulevard or Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?
Wow, that's hard.  I really liked both, but I guess I was more creeped out at the thought of William Holden sleeping with Gloria Swanson (no offense to her, I LOVE her) than I was at the thought of Bette Davis.  I also like the twist at the end of WHTBJ, so I think I am more able to enjoy watching that one.

6. What do you think is the best movie book ever made?
Gone With the Wind. Sure, they left out parts, but I'm cool with Scarlett not having her two kids before Bonnie.  It makes Bonnie that much more special and sad when she dies.  Plus, they cast it perfectly.  It's just an amazing, amazing movie.

7. Who do you think is the most attractive male movie star?
Gary Oldman!  Again, I know - not technically a classic film star, but he definitely would have been had he lived back then!

8. Female movie star?
Again, Grace Kelly!

9. If you had to be a maid/butler (?) to someone, who would it be?
Clara Bow, because she really got along well with her hired help and I would have liked to have been there to protect her from Daisy DeVoe!

10. Who do you think Cary Grant worked best with?
Well, I might be biased, but I say Grace Kelly!

11. Do you like black and white movies more than colour movies?
Well, since my favorite movies are from the 20s and 30s, I'd have to say yes, I do prefer black and white.

12. 1930s films or 1960s films?
Do you even have to ask?  1930s!

13. Who would you rather be: a Margo Channing or an Ilsa Lund?
I'm going to go with Ilsa - I think Humphrey Bogart is dreamy.

14. Is there ever a film you have seen that you thought would be funnier if meerkats played the leads?
No, I have never thought that.  But I'm sure there are many where that would be true.  How about My Man Godfrey?  I love Carole Lombard, but man, is her character irritating in this movie.  I honestly wondered how Godfrey possibly fell in love with her.  I bet with meerkats, this movie would have been more tolerable to me.

15. What is your favourite "Oh my goodness" phrase from a movie?
Crystal Allen from The Women: Thanks for the tip. But when anything I wear doesn't please Stephen, I take it off.

16. Favourite "Yee Haw" classic movie phrase?
Jerry Martin from The Divorcee (after her husband has cheated on her and then she cheated on him): I've balanced our accounts.

17. You and your family have to agree on a movie for a night in. What will it always be?
It's a Wonderful Life

18. Doris Day: Dramatic or Frothy?
To be honest, I haven't seen many Doris Day movies, so I don't really have an opinion on this one.

19. What male team did you think did a great job in a movie, but never made another one together?
Frederic March and Gary Cooper in Design for Living.  Sigh, to be Miriam Hopkins in that movie!

20. You have been asked by your friend to chose your favourite movie title. What is it?
Just the title?  I'm not sure about that.  I don't usually pay attention to the titles of movies.  Although, I did once watch The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse just because the name was funny.

21. This is just out of curiosity... have you at some point experienced rivalry on a I-have-seen-that-and-you-haven't level?
No.

22. Most romantic film you have ever seen...
I know it's more of a romantic comedy than a straight up romance, but I really love Christmas in Connecticut.  I really root for those two to get together!

23. What was the film that really got you into old films?
Well, I always liked Wizard of Oz and and got into Gone With the Wind in junior high, but I'd have to say that reading and watching High Noon in 8th grade really got me into Grace Kelly, which really got me into old movies.