Classic TV Christmas: Green Acres: "An Old-Fashioned Christmas"

Watch "Frosty the Snowman" Online

Frosty The Snowman (Rankin Bass) by theperminator

Watch the Original "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" Online

Click on the graphic to go to the website:

"Caroling," Reprise: Christmas Karaoke Online

On December 2nd, I wrote a post here making a case for renewing the tradition of home-caroling - that is, the singing of Christmas carols to celebrate the season. I realize that in many quarters, this has probably fallen on deaf ears; if so, c'est la vie. Nevertheless, I'm bringing it up again.

Sometimes there's a good reason for singing on Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day, just as there is for playing Christmas games. Because if you don't, it can be bloody boring. You eat, you open presents, you sit around and chat (and maybe you get pickled) but there are a lot of hours to pass, especially if folks are staying over.

But it's not only that. Singing is enormously useful in bringing a body out of its insular little world of needling concerns that continue to play in the back of the mind. Singing absorbs and occupies, and if you let it - if you put some enthusiasm into it - it cheers. That's why humans started doing it in the first place, umpteen millennia ago.

I can almost hear some of the grumbles out there. "Freakin' Pollyanna, going on about Christmas Carols..." If you're one of those, refer to the previous paragraph, first two sentences. Grinches. ;)

Well, I've said my piece. It's entirely up to you, as you well know. Just in case you decide to give it a try, but have no musician on hand, here's a list of links to Christmas Karaoke online. Instead of gathering around the harpsichord or the piano as in olden tymes, you may now gather around the computer.

SECULAR:

• Rudolph the Red-Nosed-Reindeer


• Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow


• O' Christmas Tree


• Deck The Halls (very fast)


• The Christmas Song


• Jingle Bells


• Blue Christmas


• White Christmas


• The Twelve Days of Christmas

RELIGIOUS:

• Good King Wenceslas


• Angels We Have Heard on High


• Go Tell it on the Mountain


• O' Come, All Ye Faithful


• Silent Night


• The First Noel


• God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen


• What Child is This


• We Three Kings of Orient Are


• It Came Upon a Midnight Clear


• Hark, the Herald Angels Sing


• Away in a Manger


• O' Holy Night


• O' Little Town of Bethlehem


• Here We Come a Wassailing

"Make a Flake," online

Here's a fun little online flash utility, for making a digital snowflake. The program folds it for you, and you cut it out with digital scissors. It may take a few trys to get the hang of it, but "undo" and "start over" buttons are provided. Kids will really enjoy this.

http://snowflakes.lookandfeel.com/

After creating and saving your flake, you have the option of saving it in .JPG format, or as an .EPS file (opens in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator), for further editing. You may also e-mail it to a friend directly from the website.

Don't forget to view the gallery! There are literally thousands of snowflakes there, and they are all downloadable.

Here are two I just created (click on thumbnails to enlarge):

Watch 101 Full Length Christmas Specials Online

"Greedo" over at Fanpop has done quite a piece of research in locating 101 feature length Christmas specials that you may watch online. All the good stuff is there, including It's a Wonderful Life.

Tested by yours truly. I can't guarantee that every link is good, but all the ones I tested are.

http://www.fanpop.com/spots/christmas/soapbox/64