Five Things: Christmas Albums

It's so nice to see the holiday spirit around everywhere! There is something so comforting and cheerful about listening to the Christmas radio station in the car and sitting under the light of the Christmas tree. Even better, I get to pull out my favorite Christmas albums and play them while I sip a nice hot tea or hang out with the little man. I already gave you my list of five favorite Christmas pop songs, so here are my five favorite full Christmas albums, in no particular order:

1. Merry Christmas, Maria Carey (old school) - here's a fun fact: news is that 18 years after it was released, my favorite song from the album (listed in the previous post), "All I Want for Christmas is You" has just broken into the top 40 on Billboard's Top 100, at number 29. Apparently it doesn't matter when the single is made, just what kind of play it's getting today. For various reasons it didn't make it when it originally came out. Now people have rediscovered it and it seems to be the top streamed holiday song this season. 
2. A Charlie Brown Christmas (The Music), Vince Guaraldi. Simply magical, melancholy but happy. One of these days I'd love to learn all the songs in the piano sheet music we found a few years ago.
3. A Very She & Him Christmas, She & Him. Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward: nothing could be more enchanting, really. It's everything soft, nostalgic, cozy and delightful in the holidays crooned into a lovely musical package.
4. Let it Snow Baby...Let it Reindeer, Reliant K. Rockin', festive and surprisingly touching. Christmas punk style.
5. I'm actually a little stumped on this one. I'd love your suggestions for a new favorite! For now, though - I'm going to go with the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to The Nightmare Before Christmas, or even Edward Scissorhands, both composed by Tim Burton-movie-standard Danny Elfman, weaver of musical magic. I don't actually own these albums, but I would love to someday.

Schmidt Love

Clearly my favorite cast member on New Girl is Zooey Deschanel. I mean, really. Jess is the awesomest. But although I give her many many humor creds, I might have to say that Schmidt might be (gasp!) the funniest person on the show. Max Greenfield is just hi-LAR-ious. Laugh-out-loud, tummy-hurting, ridiculously funny. He shines out in an already awesomely funny ensemble cast in which each character provides their own brand of hilarity. But with Schmidt, it just doesn't stop. I'm so happy to see that he's been so successful and popular, so much so that he's been branching out with little video features and even a book (which anyone is welcome to gift me, people who know me. And wait - Volume One?! Hilarious). Every time Schmidt's money falls into the Douche Jar, you can just about bet that I'm giggling helplessly on my couch.

So, mad props, Max Greenfield (do people still say that?). You truly are a comedic genius. No matter what the day brings, I can always count on New Girl to bring me back to Happyland. Especially after I watch an episode of the Walking Dead from my DVR. Who expects me to sleep after that?! Anyway, here's some Schmidt to make you smile (admittedly, more hilarious if you have the context of watching him before on New Girl - but still pretty funny if you haven't. And if you haven't - GO WATCH IT, IT'S FREE):

Giggles and Love, Actually

If I could be any female actress, I would be Zooey Deschanel. I have no trouble admitting that I have a giant girl-crush on her. I have repeatedly cut my hair like hers (yes, I take her picture with me to the salon). I want to dress like her and therefore swooned over her Cotton ad:

Give me your closet, Zooey! I want to ride a bike with a basket in a cute skirt and cardigan, and go antiquing and shopping for banjos and records, and compose sweet sweet songs in my pajamas (oh wait that's her iPhone ad) that I then sing to a smiling and swaying audience in a dimly-lit intimate venue full of knowledgeable music appreciators who approvingly nod at my indie style reminiscent of a young _________ (June Carter Cash/Nancy Sinatra/Linda Rondstadt/etc etc). I want to sing in an awesome duo like She and Him and make an awesome vinyl album that comes with an mp3 download that I can buy and enjoy. I like to point out that I liked her way before New Girl and watched just about all her movies, especially the small ones like Gigantic where she played a character named "Happy Lolly" or the ones where she played awesome supporting characters like in Almost Famous, and that I knew she was "adorkable" before that word existed. I was thrilled when Jess, her character in New Girl, was just about exactly how I imagined she might be in real life (personality-wise, since in life she is a successful actress and musician and not a broke unemployed teacher), and also before that when I confirmed my suspicion that she was related to another favorite actress with shockingly awesome eye color, Emily Deschanel of Bones. Hello, most awesome sisters in the world! And when Zooey made a guest appearance on Bones as Bones's quirky cousin? Best! Ever!

But, wait... wasn't this post supposed to be about giggles and Love, Actually? Or at least giggles and love - actually? It is it is! So while reading about Zooey in some magazine or web article (lady magazines - if you want me to buy every issue just keep putting her on the cover. I fork over the cash like it's my job), I discovered she had started, with some other ladies, an awesome website called Hello Giggles that I now happily subscribe to. It's pretty much the webpage manifestation of Zooey - and although the different parts are written by many different people, they are all on the lines of what Jess's blog might be like if she had one. There's a Panda Night Cam! Cartoons! Nail polish ! And "Old Lady Movie Night," which is originally what I wrote this post to share. You should read this hilarious and spot-on commentary on one of my FAVORITE movies and probably favorite holiday movie, Love, Actually (high-five, friend Kate!). Talk about "old lady movie night" - one of the shocking moments was reading that the kid who played Sam is in his 20s. What?! Sigh. If you haven't watched the movie yet, WATCH IT NOW and read the commentary after (there are spoilers) so that you can nod in agreement and laugh out loud at the right moments while you read it. Appreciate the calculated "un-calculated" writing style that's actually a speaking style and see why I like it (even if you don't). Then let's sigh, swoon and laugh together ourselves about Love, Actually over a steamy mug of cocoa or chai tea. BFF-style.