Santa and Me!

Christmas morning Nintendo 64!!!!!!!

Note: Video is in Flash format, so you may have to turn off your ad-blockers to see it.

Found this gem on YouTube, and you might just want to be ready with the volume knob. Two kids are opening their presents on Christmas morning... when they come to the Nintendo 64. Man, do they freak out, especially the little boy! I mean, the kid certifiably goes off the deep end. :D You'll probably start seeing this video everywhere now, I have a feeling.

Dating to around 1998, this clip isn't exactly vintage (for me anyway), I know, but the spirit, the unbridled excitement of kids on Christmas morning after Santa has come, is so timeless and universal in it, that I think it fits just fine here.

Sad thing is, I'm not kidding, this isn't far off from the way my brothers, sister, and I, reacted to our presents growing up. We fairly freaked out, too, when we came to the "big ones", so I can certainly identify with these kids. Hehe. I still have an old reel-to-reel audio recording of our family's 1979 Christmas morning gift opening, and the way my brother, John, freaks out when he gets his Bee Gees drumset, is still legend in our family! Just picture the kid in the above video yelling "I GOT BEE GEE DRUMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" over and over at the top of his lungs, and you'll have a good idea. I may just have to share that tape here sometime. If John will let me. :)

To you all...

For Santa

Well, with Christmas Eve now officially upon us, I take my leave, to spend the week with kith and kin (and to play lots of Battlefield 2 and Guild Wars online, hehe). So, as you can see, my milk and cookies are already set out for Santa (I just couldn't resist sampling one of those delicious peanut butter cookies), and I'm all set for a short winter's nap.

Like many of you, I'm planning to be away from the holy, blessed Internets for most of next week, but I may try to pop in here and there if I can later in the week, for the odd post or two--just to throw a log on the old blog fires to keep 'em all warm and toasty. But we'll hafta' see about that.

Either way, I'll see you all when I/we get back to business after the New Year! Thanks for all your visits to my weird little blogs all year long, and I look forward to having more fun with you in the coming new one! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! :)

Happy Holidays!!!
From Santa's lap,
Keith

Twas the Night before Christmas

"A Visit From St. Nicholas"

by Clement Clarke Moore
published, 1822

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

1942 Santa Letter

1960's

Vintage postcard

Elvis Presley - Blue Christmas

1968

Yes, I'm a big Elvis fan.

And his Christmas music was always synonymous with the holidays in my family, ever since I was little. We wore out his Christmas albums from Thanksgiving through to January over the years! And still do.

Anyway, here's a clip of Elvis performing "Blue Christmas" (one of my all-time favortie Christmas songs) on his 1968 Singer-sponsored NBC-TV Christmas season special (now referred to as The '68 Comeback Special).

No, it's not really explicitly Santa-related per se, but it is a christmas song and it does put me in a really nice Holiday frame of mind, so I'd like to see it up here. Indulge me. :) Hope you enjoy it, too!

Note: The above video is in FLASH format, so make sure you have that enabled to see it.

Vintage German santa photo.

Santa pet letter

Mid '80s

This was a letter my dog, Jacoby, got from Santa one year. Our other dog, Fergie, got one too, personalized to her. You should have seen how excited they were to hear from Santa. :)

1967

Christmas Eve, 1975 (via the web)

Elvis sings "Santa Claus Is Back In Town"

Las Vegas - 1970

Here's a little clip of Elvis Presley singing a very bluesy, loose version of "Santa Claus Is Back In Town" during a 1970 rehearsal session in Vegas. Done, of course, as only Elvis could do it (he mildly swears at one point, so if the kiddies are around, be aware).

Elvis was actually a huge fan of Christmas, and always decked out his Graceland mansion in a BIG way for the holidays. To get a taste of it, just check out a super-cool and swingin' post at the brilliant Exquisitely Bored in Nacogdoches blog. Some really nice swanky shots of Graceland at Christmastime there!

Note: The video is in FLASH format, so make sure you have that enabled to see it.

Christmas, 1972

Thanks to Karen, for this great submission! That's her there in the photo, with quite a freaky-looking Santa! Look closely at his face. He looks totally plastered. But maybe he was just tired or something.

Thanks again, Karen! :)

A Visit To Santa

Here's the strange 1960 cheapie short film, A VISIT TO SANTA, in full streaming format.

Note: The video is in FLASH format, so make sure you have that enabled to see it.

TV Guide Santa

1964 (via)

1965 (via)

The following via tvguide.com...

Dec 22, 1956

Dec 21, 1974

Dec 20, 1975

Dec 25, 1976

Dec 24, 1977

Dec 23, 1978

Dec 22, 1979

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus

Above is the actual original letter eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote to the editor of the New York Sun in September of 1897.

Below is the newspaper clipping of the Sun's response editorial to Virginia.

Santa art

December, 1970

Many jolly thanks and Merry Chrismases go out to Melissa, for this terrific photo of her (and her baby brother or sister?) visiting Santa!

Santa's face pretty much says it all. :)