You Know What I Mean?

 In 1984, I cast my first presidential vote for Ronald Reagan. In the elections that followed, I voted for, in order: George H. W. Bush (twice), Bob Dole, George W. Bush (twice), John McCain, and Mitt Romney. Are you sensing a pattern? Looking back, I don’t regret any of my choices. Based on the information I had available to me, and even with the clarity of history, I am satisfied with the choices I made. My GOP voting streak ended in 2016. As GOP candidates began their runs for the White House in 2015, I put myself firmly in the “never Trump” camp. I watched in disbelief as Donald Trump’s support started to swell and he began to take control of the primaries. I was especially dismayed to see that he was being endorsed by a number of Evangelical leaders while there were still viable and, in my opinion, more appealing candidates. I was baffled as to how these “men of God” could support a man whose life and rhetoric were so clearly the antithesis of the “Christian values” they claim...

Today would have been my mom's 86th birthday. Five years ago she passed away. Sometimes I can't believe it has been that long and other times it feels like she has been away forever. I have always believed that when you love somebody you never lose them. You will always have them in your memories. But even with my memories of her firmly in hand there isn't a day that goes by when I don't miss her. Below is some of what I miss the most: Her sandwiches (Perfection between two slices of bread) Watching her with my kids. Getting the occasional old school, snail mail letter from her ( She never did learn how to use email) Seeing how she reached out and ministered to people who could be difficult or overlooked. Christmas breakfast at her house. The way her face would scrunch up out of nowhere when she started to cry. Knowing that if I was watching a Giants game she was probably watching it too. In her last couple of years, hearing her tell same story she told...

Some of the movies on this list were instant hits. Home Alone , White Christmas , and Miracle on 34th Street were among the highest grossing movies the years they were released. Others like A Christmas Story and Planes, Trains and Automobiles took some time to find their audience and take their place among the classics. It's a Wonderful Life is considered  to be not only a classic feel good Christmas movie but is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made (#20 on the American Film Institutes top 100 movies). But, when it was released in 1946 it was a box office flop and looked to be destined for obscurity.  Fate had a different plan. A clerical error caused the movie's copyright to lapse which made it inexpensive for local televisions stations to broadcast, This resulted in stations airing it repeatedly especially during the holiday season and bringing the movie back into the public's consciousness. What they discovered was not a corny, lighthearted ...

Andy Bauer  weigh in on movie #2 on our list. I’ve written about  White Christmas  in this space a  couple  of  times , and truth be told, could probably fill a substantial volume writing about all it’s awesome sauce.  It’s one of those movies I’ve seen so many times I don’t even really pay attention to the plot anymore.  I spend my time looking in the background for all the little things I missed on the previous 100 viewings.  And boy is there some great stuff in the background.  Whether you’ve seen it dozens of times like I have or if this is the first time you’ve ever heard of it, do yourself a favor and watch the backup dancers during the  Mandy  routine.  It’s solid gold. For the ones that somehow aren’t familiar with this Christmas gem,  White Christmas  is the story of army buddies Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby) and Phil Davis (Danny Kaye) who team up after WWII to become a “boffo” song and dance act. ...

Do you remember that one Christmas gift you wanted more than any other? Maybe it was a bike or a Cabbage Patch Kid. Depending on when you grew up it might have been a video game system (Atari, Nintendo, Playstation...) or an Erector Set.  The specific gifts may differ from person to person and time to time but the dream is the same. We all went to bed on Christmas Eve hoping the morning would bring us joy tied up with ribbon. A Christmas Story taps into this universal longing with protagonist Ralphie's quest to get  a   Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model BB gun for Christmas. He seems to be thwarted at every turn. Whether it's his mother, his teacher or even Santa Claus himself he always hears the same refrain, "You'll shoot your eye out". Sprinkled throughout his pursuit are views into his everyday life.  We get to watch as Ralphie and his friends try to survive encounters with the school bully. We meet his parents (in particular The Old Man). We eve...

Here is  Andy Bauer's  thoughts on our #4 movie. As a 13-year old, I saw  Home Alone   in the theater when it was released in 1990.  For reasons explained  elsewhere , I did not go to the movies much as a kid, and persuading my mother to let me see the hottest new movie amongst my demographic in the theater was something of a coup. Some time later, a family member informed my mother, who still had not seen  Home Alone , about the bad attitude Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) has toward his family and how disrespectfully he speaks to his mother (Catherine O’Hara).  Mom pointed this out to me, as if I had been keeping it a secret from her.  I assured her I knew Kevin’s attitude was not acceptable, as I probably rolled my eyes while she wasn’t looking. A parent myself now, I can of course understand a little better Mom’s concerns about how a Hollywood movie might influence her child.  But, Kevin’s terrible attitude is of course ce...