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Christmas Movies: Home Alone vs. White Christmas

Katie and I were talking about our favorite Christmas movies during a shopping jaunt yesterday. Everybody knows WHITE CHRISTMAS is my favorite. I’ve got my very own DVD of it, and every year, I sit in bed, propped up on pillows and watch it. Sometimes Katie will relent and watch it with me. I love the vintage costumes–Vera Ellen’s wasp waist–she reminds me of one of those tiny dancers on top of a music box. Rosemary Clooney in that dramatic black velvet gown in the “Love, You Didn’t Do Right By Me” number. Love it all. Perhaps my love for it comes from the fact that I grew up in St. Petersburg, FL and never saw real snow until I was 14 or 15, or perhaps because the movie was released the year I was born, 1954. I love that movie so much, when I wrote MIDNIGHT CLEAR, a Christmas mystery under my real name, Kathy Hogan Trocheck, I had a costumer friend make me a copy of the red satin Mrs. Santa outfit Rosemary wears in the movie finale. Katie, on the other hand, is a stalwart HOME ALONE(1990) fan. I was telling her about how I watched it Thanksgiving night, while Mr.Mary Kay dozed on the sofa, and how I was laughing out loud when Kevin clonks old Harry and Marv with everything from paint buckets to a steam iron. (Speaking of the old Mister, he has his own touching holiday ritual–watching DIE HARD and sipping bourbon on the sofa Christmas Eve, while I frantically race around trying to remember where the hell I hid all the stocking presents) Katie and I agreed that we loved the Home Alone house as much as the movie. And reminded each other that we’d actually seen the real house years ago, when the kids were little, on a trip to visit family in Chicago. I was doing a book signing at a store in Winnetka, and the store owner told me where the actual house was. We drove over, and the kids oohed and ahhed at the sight of so much magical mayhem. Katie hedged her bets by saying she also loves LOVE ACTUALLY, and can never get enough of watching THE REF. The Ref is a little too dark and cynical for a cornball like me. I’m still kickin‘ it old school. I like to reach waaaay back in the movie vault for goodies like THE BISHOPS WIFE (1943) with the gorgeous Loretta Young, David Niven and Cary Grant, or the original movie that provided the spin-off for White Christmas, 1942s’ HOLIDAY INN. I also adore the vintage screwball antics in CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT (1942) with Barbara Stanwyk as a magazine writer posing as an expert homemaker. Another Christmas movie I love is DESK SET (1957) with Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy–and the always reliable Gig Young and Joan Blondell. In the movie, Katharine is the head of a network research department, and Tracy is the computer whiz threatening to make her department obsolete with the introduction of a room-size computer called “Enerac”.

And the movie my kids agree we all love is CHRISTMAS STORY, released in 1983. Roaming around the internet, I found Moviefone’s list of 25 top Christmas movies of all time. I don’t know that I agree with their choices, but maybe you’ll find some you’d forgotten about. Or maybe you’ll share some of your favorites.

Holiday Giveaway!

I should have written a celebratory post about my 100th blog post. Or my 150th. But stuff happens. Life gets away from you like that, especially this time of year. But to make it up to my readers, I’ve got a giveaway now to celebrate my 156th post. Yay me. I’ve really come to love blogging over the past 18 months or so. Maybe it’s the recovering journalist in me, or maybe it’s my pathetic need for instant gratification. You may not know this, but when I finish a book it’s at least nine months before it comes out. Nine months without knowing how I’m doing. But with the blog, I know immediately how I’m doing. Or not. Sometimes I wonder if there’s anybody out there reading this stuff that comes streaming out of my fingertips. So here’s the thing. If you’re a reader, let me know. Leave me a comment. The crackerjack staff here at MaryKayAndrews Global Industries will assign everybody a number, and we’ll pick from the hat. Offer ends Sunday Dec. 14.The winner will get this swell book, GRACIOUS TABLES by Phyllis Hoffman, graciously donated by my gracious publisher HarperCollins. Here’s how Publisher’s Weekly described the book:
Entertaining doyenne Phyllis Hoffman shows how to prepare a stunning table for any occasion.
So many of the events of our lives, from the formal to the informal, are celebrated by gathering around a table. Whatever the occasion—whether it’s a holiday dinner, Sunday brunch, or a casual lunch with friends—the table is the place where we relax and enjoy each other’s company while savoring a great meal.
No one knows how to dress a table with elegance and flair better than Phyllis Hoffman, publisher of Southern Lady magazine, the quintessential resource for entertaining the gracious Southern way. Now, Hoffman draws upon her years of expertise to create Southern Lady Gracious Tables, the definitive guide to creating gorgeous “tablescapes” for every occasion.
Starting with the basics, Hoffman presents a series of breathtaking spreads for a whole range of occasions, from formal settings to casual get-togethers, and describes how to achieve each look, right down to the recipes—55 in total—for her mouthwatering specialties. Enjoy a lovely outdoor lunch of tasty Fried Green Tomatoes with Crab and Green Chile Cream Sauce, or finish off a dinner party with delectable Praline Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce.
Hoffman then builds a “wardrobe for the table,” navigating through the complex world of dinnerware, fine linens, and serving pieces. Each and every element of the table—from fruit saucer to lemon fork to water goblet—is covered in a friendly, helpful way.
Finally, there’s advice on adding that all-important personal touch, with instructions on how to craft flowers, family heirlooms, collectibles, and other unexpected treasures into the perfect centerpiece, place marker, or accent. All along, her advice includes refreshingly simple techniques for presentation and encourages the reader’s own creativity in playing with colors, patterns, and styles.
Complemented by lush photography and told in Hoffman’s accessible, encouraging, and deliciously Southern voice, Southern Lady Gracious Tables is a must-have for every aspiring hostess, south or north of the Mason Dixon. The perfect gift for any woman who loves to entertain, it has all the tools, tips, and inspiration you need to elevate the ordinary to the unforgettable.
Ya’ll come play, okay? Contest ends midnight, Sun. Dec. 14

Some Enchanted Evening

South Pacific was….magical. My plane landed at LaGuardia at 11 a.m. Sunday. I cabbed over to the Omni Berkshire, dropped my bags, and trotted over to Lincoln Center (ok, actually, I cabbed there too. It was frickin’ cold!) I managed to buy one of the last tickets available for the 3p.m. matinee, nearly choking at the price. But this was, as my friend Beth would say, a from-me-to-me early Christmas gift. Like Nellie Forbush, I’m as corny as Kansas in August, and I just adore musicals. My mother loved musicals too, and always took us to see movie musicals like Gypsy, Sound of Music and The Music Man. I think the first song lyrics I can remember came from the cast album of My Fair Lady. But Mom had never been to New York, or seen a show on Broadway, until four or five years ago, when my older sister Susie and I, and Katie, took her to New York as a Mother’s Day gift. We had tickets to see Gypsy with Bernadette Peters, and we went to see a cabaret act at The Algonquin, lunch at Tavern on the Green, and dinner at Sardis–all the things she’d always dreamed of doing in New York. She had emphysema by then, and couldn’t walk much, so we even hired a car to pick us up and take us to and from the theatre. The weather that weekend was sunny, but a little cool, and Mom was so excited to be in New York, we even got her to walk down Fifth Avenue and window shop at Tiffany’s and Bloomingdales. She dined out on stories of that trip for months afterward, and when she died a little over a year later, we were so glad she’d finally gotten to see New York. For this trip, I decided if I could only see one Broadway show, South Pacific, in its first revival since the original Broadway run ended in 1954 (the year I was born) would be the one. After I bought my tickets, I still had a couple hours to kill, so I took myself over to P.J. Clarke’s across the street, for a leisurely lunch. It was so much fun watching the holiday crowds at the theatre. Ladies wrapped in mink, shod in Prada, ginormous Louis Vuitton bags casually slung over their shoulders, important big girl jewelry twinkling in the lobby lights. I knew I’d bought an expensive ticket, but it wasn’t until the usher showed me to my seat that I realized I was in the fourth row center, orchestra! When the house lights dimmed and the overture began, I got a huge lump in my throat, thinking about how much Mom would have loved being there. And when David Pittinger, the actor playing Emil de Becque launched into Some Enchanted Evening, with that gorgeous baritone voice of his, I found myself fighting back tears. Sure, the song was unbelieveably romantic, but I was thinking of my dad, and his favorite knock-knock joke, which went like this: “knock-knock.” Who’s there? “Sam and Janet.” Sam and Janet who? “Sam and Janet Evening…” Daddy was the king of corn. So I shed another silly little tear, then I sat back, and let the music and the acting sweep me away to that far away south sea island.

It was dark and cold outside when the show ended, but I decided to walk the twenty blocks over to Times Square to try to buy tickets to another show. Alas, White Christmas was completely sold out. So I walked over to a lovely Italian restaraunt near my hotel, Il Corso, and I toasted the evening, and memories silly and sad, with a couple of glasses of prosecco and some pasta. And it truly was an enchanted evening.

Castaway, and loving it

On Wednesday, I made a quick run down to Tybee to check on progress on my own personal fixer-upper, The Breeze Inn. While there I stayed in yet another luscious Mermaid Cottage. This one is called The Castaway, and it’s a Jane Coslick original. I felt as though I were living in a Key West fruit cocktail, with all those limes, turquoises and coral colors. Quite a treat when everything at home in Atlanta is cold and gray and chilly. The weather was warm enough to leave my coat in the car. But then it was right back to Atlanta to get ready for a business trip to New York. I’m flying up Sunday and if I can swing it, hope to get to a couple of Broadway plays before meeting with my editor and the marketing folks at HarperCollins. I’m a sap for musicals, so I’m hoping to catch a matinee and evening performance–would love to see WHITE CHRISTMAS and SOUTH PACIFIC. Don’t forget to stay tuned for next week’s giveaway details.

We have a winner….

Actually, THREE winners. Just to ensure impartiality (and get myself off the hook) I asked Kevin Callahan, HarperCollins guru for all things online, to judge the contest. Kevin and I agreed that all of you were outstanding, however, we only have three extra ARCs, so here are the winners. Drum Roll, please:
Amy from Montgomery, AL
Suzy from Hampton, VA
Anita from Iowa.
You guys rock! If you’ll email me your snailmail addresses at MaryKayAndrews@aol.com
I’ll forward those to Kevin and he’ll send your prizes–as soon as they’re printed, which will probably be after Christmas. In the meantime, through the generosity of Kevin and HarperCollins, everybody who left a comment–all 14 of you, will receive a copy of BLUE CHRISTMAS in time for holiday reading or giving. So if you left a comment, email me your snailmail at above address and we’ll get your prezzie on its way.
Come back tomorrow to see pix of the adorable house I stayed at on Tybee this week, and to find out about next week’s fab giveaway!

Don’t Forget Your Fixer-Upper Catastrophes

Wow–I thought I had some horror stories! Dead dogs, cat piss, falling naked into the garage–now that’s what I call some drama. Entries for the best/worst Fixer-Upper comments close at midnight tonight. Three winners will receive Advance Readers Copies of my next novel, THE FIXER-UPPER. Book publishes in June, but you’ll have your own advance copy months earlier!

You Know You Want One…

This is one of my sister-in-law Laurie’s adorable aussiedoodle puppies. They’ll be ready for adoption in time for Christmas. Find out more here.

In the meantime, don’t forget to post your worst fixer-upper story for a chance to win a free Advance Readers Copy of THE FIXER-UPPER. The book won’t be out ’til June, but three people will win ARCs, giving them a sneak peek months before anybody else.

I’m Thankful for Young Love

Thirty-two years ago today, I became Mrs. Mary Kay. We were 22 and the ink was barely dry on our college diplomas. We had one car, a 1972 Capri, an envelope full of wedding cash, and high hopes. On our wedding day in 1976, it was 86 degrees in St. Petersburg. We drove up to the Blue Ridge Parkway to stay at a romantic lodge. In the middle of the night, I had an asthma attack so severe that he had to drive me down an ice-slicked mountain to an emergency room in Virginia.
We had jobs in Savannah–he working as a surveyor, me as a reporter for the Savannah Morning News. Our weekly combined take-home pay was maybe $300, and we lived in a three-room apartment on the top floor of an old house on East 48th Street. Our deal was that we would live on my paycheck and bank his because the plan was for him to return to school–Georgia Tech–to get an engineering degree. The plan worked. He got his degree. I got another job–as a reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Along the way God blessed us with two beautiful children, Katie and Andy. The road hasn’t always been smooth, but it’s never boring, and mostly fun. So I’m thankful for this marriage. For my children and other family members, far and near, friends who’ve become extended family. I’m thankful for Diet Coke in the morning, the pecan pie we’ll have for dinner, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this morning and for the junk I’ll pursue tomorrow. I’m thankful we have not just jobs, but work that fulfills and sustains us. I’m thankful we had parents who took us to church and made us stand up straight and pledge the flag. I’m thankful for this flag of ours, and hopeful that we can all remember that no matter our political or philosophical beliefs, we all pledge to stand for liberty and justice. For all.

Busy Hands, warm heart

This is me, getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner, only not. I wish I did have a festive apron like this, crisp organdy kitchen curtains, salon-fresh coiffeure. Instead, I’m wearing sweats, and my hair looks like the back-end of a poodle. I do, however, have some very spiffy kitchen curtains made of old linen dish-towels. Our family will be dining with friends tomorrow, and tonight, we’re joining posse member Susie’s family for their traditional night-before feast featuring oysters, lobster and other yummies. My contribution will be brunswick stew, made with the pork butt Mr. Mary Kay smoked last night, the quails he and Wyatt brought home this morning, some venison sausage from Boomerang Boy’s stash and fresh veggies.