"Remember, George: no man is a failure who has friends. "

I feel like I'm living in a Christmas Story, because 1. I live in Indiana, 2. it is snowing, and 3. people around me quote it constantly as, indeed, so do I.Here is the square in downtown Bloomington, in all its Christmas-y splendor. I've never seen trees wrapped so well! And it's not just the square that's bedecked. I had a haircut this morning and I go to a place which is in a Victorian house and already full of quirky wall colors and fun decorations (the foils they use for coloring are leopard print, for example), but they really went to town for Christmas. My hairdresser said they close for a day to fully decorate, and it shows--the stairs up to the second floor were completely turned into a Christmas village with houses and fake snow, mini-trees were on all the cabinets, ornaments hung from every doorway and ceiling, and gold ribbon was everywhere. I was in the small mall downtown yesterday, and it's the same thing there! The best was long strings of lights hanging from the ceiling--I had to duck to pass under them--and the ceiling is mirrored so it looked really cool.

It's been a very hard week for non-academic reasons, and I will be so glad to be home. As always, though, it had really nice moments, due to the fabulous people in my life. On Wednesday, to celebrate surviving our first semester, a bunch of us went to Grazie, the Italian restaurant on the square, and got to admire all those Christmas lights. What did I have? A campari and soda (the people in one of the mystery series I like drink those all the time), some Malbec, and gnocchi in a very tasty Gorgonzola sauce with a lot of spinach. All told, it cost about my entire weeks food budget, but no matter. Grazie is a really cool place--our server was great and the decor is classy but comfy. I'll definitely be back. Having sampled other people's dinners, the food seems to be uniformly tasty, too. After that we went to a dance party where there was ABBA records (I love ABBA and I don't care who knows it) and silliness and it snowed and snowed.

Which brings me to the title of this post, quoted from It's a Wonderful Life, a movie which I am ambiguous about. I spend so much of it being depressed, and then the ending is such a mushfest. When everyone brings the money so George doesn't have to go to jail and Harry Bailey says, "A toast to my big brother George: The richest man in town," I cry EVERYTIME. I honestly teared up just typing it. Which shows that I am a total sap, but also that Christmas movies, carols, and books are embedded in so many of my memories that I can't fathom a world in which I wasn't watching The Muppets Christmas Carol with my family on Christmas Eve, because that is what we DO.

One of the many reasons why I like this time of year is because I am a creature of ritual and tradition. It doesn't have to do with the religious aspects at all, really--it's more the fact that so many people experience it, and Christmas is such a good and convenient time to be happy and thankful. I've got a lot of Northern blood, but sometimes even for me the winters get too cold and dark and claustrophobic, and I need friends and family then, more than ever. And if there are cookies involved, so much the better!

So because I'm a grad student and really good at quoting other people, here are some of my favorite Christmas things. Most you probably know, but some maybe not. Enjoy.

"You - you said - what'd you say a minute ago? They had to wait and save their money before they even ought to think of a decent home. Wait? Wait for what? Until their children grow up and leave them? Until they're so old and broken down that they... Do you know how long it takes a working man to save five thousand dollars? Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you're talking about... they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn't think so. People were human beings to him. But to you, a warped, frustrated old man, they're cattle. Well, in my book he died a much richer man than you'll ever be."
--George Bailey, It's a Wonderful Life
[Jimmy Stewart is so cool. I wanted to be a senator after watching Mr Smith Goes to Washington as an impressionable youngster.]

"Whence comes this rush of wings afar,
Following straight the Noël star?
Birds from the woods in wondrous flight,
Bethlehem seek this holy night."
--"Whence Comes this Rush of Wings," which I think was originally a French carol
[if you don't know this carol, I would suggest looking it up. My grandmother has a sweet Christmas carol book from the Met, so it's got all these cool paintings in it too, and my sister and I have lately become enamored of this carol. It's got a lovely little dissonant bit at the end, and the bird imagery is neat.]

My mouth's bleedin' Bert! My mouth's bleedin!

"There was a line for Santa and a line for the women's bathroom, and one woman, after asking me a dozen questions already, asked, 'Which is the line for the women's bathroom?' I shouted that I thought it was the line with all the women in it.
She said, 'I'm going to have you fired.'
I had two people say that to me today, 'I'm going to have you fired.' Go ahead, be my guest. I'm wearing a green velvet costume; it doesn't get any worse than this. Who do these people think they are?
'I'm going to have you fired!' And I wanted to lean over and say, 'I'm going to have you killed.'"
--David Sedaris, "The Santaland Diaries," from Barrel Fever
[Not overly jolly, I suppose, but so true in so many awful ways. David Sedaris reading this is even more win, so do check that out here. It's not the whole story, but it'll give you a taster. For more Sedaris Christmas Wonderfulness, here is the text to "Six to Eight Black Men," which is the first essay of his I ever heard. It's great.]

Ms Sheilds, in Ralphie's dream: "Oh! The theme I've been waiting for all my life. Listen to this sentence: 'A Red Ryder BB gun with a compass in the stock, and this thing which tells time'. Poetry. Sheer poetry, Ralph! An A+!"
--A Christmas Story
[One of those movies that my family could probably quote in its entirety, as could so many other people.]

Oh, there goes Mr. Humbug
There goes Mr. Grim
If they gave a prize for being mean
The winner would be him
Old Scrooge, he loves his money
'Cause he thinks it gives him power
If he became a flavour you can bet he would be sour
Aside, vegetable: Yuck!
Vegetable seller: Even the vegetables don't like him!
--"Scrooge," from the Muppet Christmas Carol
[Again, my family could legitimately quote this entire movie. I also think every line from it is hilarious, and the songs are really very good, if you like Muppets. I especially love "Thankful Heart." Michael Caine will always be Scrooge to me.]

Kermit as Bob Cratchit. Genius, my friends.

"Dasher Dancer Prancer Vixen
Eisenhower Kennedy Johnson Nixon
Dasher Dancer Prancer Vixen
Carter Reagan Bush and Clinton"
--Bob Dylan, "Must be Santa"
[I bought Dylan's Christmas CD, Christmas In the Heart, last year when it came out and I'm still not sure why, as Dylan singing "Little Drummer Boy" makes the ears bleed. I think he had the proceeds go to charity, which is a nice deal, and "Must be Santa" is such good fun! The music video is GREAT. Any time I can see Dylan smoking a cigar while saying "ho ho ho," vaguely gesticulating in lieu of dancing, and wearing a myriad of hats, is time well spent.]

Flick? Flick who?

Rudolph: But you fell off the edge of the cliff.
Yukon Cornelius: Didn't I ever tell you about Bumbles? Bumbles bounce.
--Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer
[This movie transports me back to being 6 years old. And Hermey wants to be a dentist!]

Handel's Messiah. All of it.
[I only listen to it at Christmas, and I don't know why, because some of those arias should be heard year round.]

What are you favorite Christmas things, pop culture-y or otherwise? (I could write an entire post about lingonberries, rice pudding, korv, Janson's Temptation, glogg, pickled herring, pepperkaker and Bondost, but I don't want to make you all hungry!)

And whether you celebrate Christmas (religiously or not), Chanukah, Kwanza, Festivus, St Stephen's Day, the Winter Solstice, Boxing Day, or nothing in particular, I hope that you and yours are happy and healthy. Safe travels, and see you in 2011!!