the bell

Well, it’s almost that time of year again..cuddling up in front of the fire place, sipping some Korbel and watching the ankle biters have at it, tearing their way through some princess garb, and Lord forbid, the super-sized make-up kit I got them- complete with not one, but four bottles of glittery nail polish. Hello. Why would a mother do such cruel things to herself you might ask? Beats me. I already have no less than three purple splotches on my carpet from that yuck. But it’s done. It’s wrapped. And I know they’ll love it. It is an all out fact that I have gave birth to a duo of the girliest girls that ever lived on this planet. It's funny, when I was a tyke, my perfect day was to saddle up my dog with our lunch and a good book and go traipsing off into the forest. I don’t think I combed my hair until I was seven. Such are the mysteries of life, I guess.

It’s also that time of year for me to go on ad nauseum about something that has inspired me during this cedar-fied extravaganza. My fave movie in the whole wide world, It’s a Wonderful Life, which so happens to also be the holiday movie, is as important to the Mags Christmas Eve as bread, butter and booze (not in that particular order, mind you) and I could go on and on about it, but I've been there, done that last year. Ditto for my fave holiday tuneage. It's weird; I sorta dig making lists, whatever that might mean regarding my psychosis. I’d list up my best holiday moments, but since my family quit celebrating Christmas when I was six or so (oh, don't be too sad as Mama's splendid acting abilities would lend itself toward weaving some rather elaborate stories at Show and Tell about what gifts I received), I don't really have enough of those quite yet. But I'm sure making up for all that lost time by driving my three other Mags completely nutso with my picture snapping and over-the-top holiday traditions. I’m a sucker for all that is hokey, teary and just plain ole huggy-touchy-feely, what can I say? Yep, down underneath all my pork, there's a little Cindy Lou Who just dying to come out...except with feet and a bigger schnoz. So this year I will push that full tilt and babble about an animated flick that was released four years or so ago, The Polar Express. Hey, I’m old and behind the times, okay? I still haven't seen Pan's Labyrinth- the Foriegn Academy Award winner from '07 (and another Oscars in the Ozarks is coming up soon.. Agh! I'm so behind! Go Heath!)

I highly recommend this fab film for all of you out there, including those of you who don't even have kiddos. Oh, don’t be embarrassed or emasculated (you macho dudes, you)...just mellow out with your big, bad mopey selves and ditch that Will Smith movie you were thinking of renting tonight, or that end-of-the-world Keanu piece of crap and warm up the ole ticker a little, for goodness sake. It won’t kill ya. Yeah, yeah, I know..what with the recession, foreclosures up the yin-yang, higher than a cat’s back groceries, crooked Chicago politics and an automotive industry that’s in the toilet, times are hard but we still gotta have a little joy and magic. We all deserve it! We can get right on back to our depressions after the first of the year. In the meantime, this Zemeckis animated ta-doo with Hanks doing four or five of the voices is a delight. We bought our own copy this year and Geez and I are just as enamored with it as are our munchkins. I even laid down an extra couple of buckaroos and got the 3-D disc thrown in, with goggles for four. There I go again with the ‘why-would-a-mom-inflict-a-tossed-up-dinner-and-a-splitting-headache type of thing on herself’, but what the heck.

Its story follows a little boy who isn’t quite sure if he believes or not but once aboard a magical Pullman, he discovers many things about himself, about others..about life. Lessons for all of us crazy kids about leading, learning, counting on, depending on and believing. This magical adventure unwraps our greatest gift- friendship, teaches us that the invisible stuff is where it's at and most importantly, it isn’t the destination that matters but the courage to get on board and go! Plus, the Big Red Man shows up and lays it down in only the way he can. Sharing this with the babes has been a highlight for us, especially after last holiday when I wasn't quite sure where the train that we were on was gonna take the four of us. Props go to my two doves, who've taught me that the true spirit of the holidays lies in the heart and not in a box and for showing me time and time again that no matter how old I get, I can always hear that bell, it's simply a matter of wanting to.