Top favourite Christmas Movies

Well what can I say it’s December and unlike most adults I actually really love Christmas time. Sure the malls are packed, its cold outside, and having to spend money on presents for others instead of yourself really stinks. But luckily there are ways to help you get through the season without having to stab someone in the gall bladder.  Besides the snow, what I really love the most about this time of year is all the comfort food you can enjoy without having to measure your waistline because it’ll be covered up by sweaters.

Nothing beats a snowy night of junk food gluttony that’s accompanied by a good ol’ Christmas movie. So I’ve decided to name my favourite get-you-in-the-mood couch potato Christmas movies. Sure most of these films will have suffering and misfortune in them but like I always say, there’s nothing like other peoples miseries to make you feel good about yourself.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation: This one stars Chevy Chase and Randy Quaid; not only is it funny, but it also has a sexy model working at a mall. Bonus points for being made in Chicago.

A Christmas Story: I love this movie because a ginger bully gets his ass kicked.

The Ref: An awesome Denis Leary movie before he became a commercial sell-out.

Friday After Next: Worth it just to look at the hot chick working at the lingerie store, plus Terry Crews is in it.

Bad Santa: 2 words; Fat kid (LOL).

Scrooged: Such a great film, with Bill Murray at his best. Bonus points for Santa fighting off terrorists.

Die Hard 2: Though I loved the 1st Die Hard, number 2 was my favourite because I love airports; plus Bruce Willis had hair.

Driven From Within; Michael Jordan

Title:  Driven From Within

Author: Mark Vancil

Publisher: Atria

Driven From Within was released around the same time that the Air Jordan XX sneaker hit retail stores.  At the time, the book reflected on the 20 years since the Air Jordan line had been created.  It not only talked about the past and future of the brand, but went deeper by providing exclusive interviews with the people that helped create the brand.  The book also comes with 2 foldout posters, various inspirational quotes by Michael Jordan, and numerous pictures including sneaker sketches.  The combination of Tinker Hatfield interviews and pictures of his sneaker sketches is my favorite part of the book.  Tinker Hatfield has been the lead Air Jordan sneaker designer since the Air Jordan III and has designed most of the sneaker line.

In his interviews he provides a detailed background as to where he got the inspiration for all of his designs.  In one interview he talks about the day when he first showed Michael the Air Jordan III, at a time when Michael was unsure of whether to extend his contract with Nike.  His design was so amazing that Michael decided to stay with Nike, and thus Tinker was credited with saving the Air Jordan line, and more importantly Nike. In another interview he talks about what went into designing the Air Jordan XI.  Here you could see how creative Tinker can be by taking inspirations for the XI’s design from things such as high-end backpacks, the Denver International Airport, and even a yellow lawn mower.  It’s one of those books that really remind me of how much I love sneakers and especially Air Jordan’s.  This book does a nice job of describing how each Air Jordan sneaker was created and I highly recommend it as a must read for any Air Jordan fan.

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Driven-Within-Michael-Jordan/dp/B001SAREBE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1292464167&sr=1-1

Christmas Ornaments: Eric Cartman

I have to be honest I’m not a big South Park fan.  I mean I started watching it in the beginning, and was only able to compare it to the Simpsons.  Naturally I didn’t like it, I hated the art work, I hated the storylines, and I hated how offensive it could be.  However I started watching it again a few years ago, when there was nothing else on.  A lot of the stuff that I used to hate about the show were upgraded, the artwork, the storylines, and although they were still very offensive, I found them to be more driven to have a message.

One character from the show which I love and I absolutely hate is Eric Cartman.  He’s racist, sexist, homophobic, mean, and very selfish.  Yet I can’t help but laugh whenever he’s on the show, pair him up with Butters and I’m crying in laughter.  Last year for Christmas I went to my local drug store and noticed they had a Christmas ornament of him.  I didn’t think anyone would buy him, so I waited until after Christmas to buy him when I knew he would be on sale.  Fortunately this decision paid off and I was able to buy him at half price.  The ornament was made in 2009 by American Greetings.  It is a Christmas version of Eric, and he is wearing a blue sweater that features a Christmas tree and some snowflakes.  He also doesn’t have on his beanie which makes him a rare collectable.  From the looks of it, I assume it is made from vinyl.  The paint job isn’t that great, but it still looks amazing on my Christmas tree.  Here’s hoping Eric will make Santa’s ‘nice’ list this year.

American Greetings:

www.americangreetings.com

YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uoO_e0vb7w

Converse All Star Chuck Taylor

I guess you can say this is the sneaker that started it all.  The Converse All Star was first introduced in 1917.  Back in those days, tire and rubber companies were the first to introduce basketball sneakers into the market.  It’s amazing that a sneaker that old is still popular today.  I guess it goes to show you that something that is simple and well made will always be a classic.  Yet admittedly the company did see dark days during the late 90’s, which resulted in Nike buying the company in the early 2000’s.

While it was good that Converse sneaker would survive, Nike ownership also meant that the sneakers would now be made in China and with less quality materials.  It seems as though contemporary Nike is more concerned with profit, then with quality (but that’s just beating a dead horse).  The last time I wore a pair of Converse All Stars was back in the late 90’s.  The shoes look amazing on feet, yet they’re painfully horrible on your feet.  Swollen feet, calluses, bloody toes are just a few of the symptoms that I experienced when I used to wear them.  Oh and since I grew up in Canada, I also hated how my feet would always be wet because of the snow or rain.

So what made me come back to these torture feet chambers?  Well, looks and style of course.  I just love how they look on my feet.  Paired with a nice denim or khaki these shoes are classy.  And while I still hate the pain these caused me, I now remedy this problem by wearing insoles, and using them for only a couple of hours at most.  With the pain now gone, and so many styles and colours to collect, I will be able to wear the Converse All Star for years to come.

Converse:

www.converse.com

YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5hug9FgDOQ