A Happy Holidays Entry

1 - Happy Holidays, everyone.

2 - My little sister dominates Christmas every year. She comes up with thoughtful gifts for everyone and when it's time to handout the presents for the family she does an awesome job. No one is more excited to don a Santa hat and pass out gifts than my little sis.

She easily stole the show tonight, too. She made my brother a blanket and she gave me a picture to hang with four pics of the family cats, Boo and Misfit. I love it. I couldn't ask for a better gift.

3 - Speaking of Boo, he ate well tonight.

I had to give him to my folks when I moved, but I'm proud to say I raised him well. When I got him he was only a couple weeks old and the size of a fist. By the time I had to give him over to the parents he was the most social cat you've ever seen in your entire life.

He's like a friendly little dog if dogs didn't typically suck. He loves attention from anyone and everyone. He'll follow you around wherever you go. His favorite room in the house in the kitchen. Hell, he'll fetch.

Before he was even six months old I could let him outside my apartment while I grilled and he wouldn't run away. He'd walk around the courtyard and look in windows and doors while the rest of the cats that others' owned sat there and watched from behind the glass. I'd bring him outside while I read on a picnic table and he'd just stroll around or chill.

One of my neighbors told me once that I was the envy of the complex because of the little guy.

He's now three and playful and awesome as ever. Tonight at the table we had six seats made up at the dinner table. Myself, my folks and my two siblings and one for Boo. He sat there while the rest of us ate. Every once in a while I'd cut up some lobster or steak for the little guy and he'd wolf it down. Then he'd paw at me until I'd give him some more.

He got a good amount of lobster; I'm not really a seafood guy anyway.

4 - Tonight at the dinner table, though, I did feel a good amount of sadness.

Steak and lobster. That's the usual holiday or birthday meal in the King household. There's typically a good amount of scraps left over for the pets and tonight, when I was finishing up, I started putting together what would be left for our dog Bo. Only I quickly realized that Bo wasn't with us anymore.

This was the first Christmas in 15 years that Bo wouldn't be helping out with the leftovers and it hit me like a truck. I'd write more about my feelings on that tonight but nothing seems worthy of his memory.

#5 My Top 10 Christmas Flicks:

10 - Gremlins
Uhh, one of the first movies I remember watching and I love it and all...but...it's a horror flick.

9 - Bad Santa
The fact that there's a holiday movie where the best line is, "You ain't gonna shit right for a week" is a testament to how shallow this list is.

8 - National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
"Play ball!"

7 - Love, Actually
There's a damn porn scene in this one. Great flick, but I won't be showing it to the kids one day.

6 - Die Hard
Probably the second best flick on the list, but as a Christmas movie this is as high as I can put it. Yippee-k....

5 - George C. Scott's A Christmas Carol
It only took five movies to get to the first serious holiday flick...

4 - Home Alone
...and then it's fucked up by that kid who yells and sets traps for robbers.

Great flick, though.

My dad has only taken my brother and I to two flicks in our lifetimes. This was one of 'em. The other was Rambo III.

3 - Mickey's Christmas Carol
God damn I loved this 25 minute masterpiece.

2- A Charlie Brown Christmas
Words won't describe the greatness when Chuck and the gang hang around outside the tiny little tree at then end. Hell, even I start singing.

1 - It's a Wonderful Life
I could recite this flick but I still well-up when Mr. Gower realizes George saved lives in the drugstore.

I chuckle when they dance over the pool.

My heart sinks when they vote to save the savings and loan but only if George sticks around.

"I'll love you 'til the day I die."

Donna Reed beaming when the town comes to help George at the end of the flick and his brother toasting to his wonderful life.

The perfect flick.