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    Mahjong Xmas

    Mahjong Xmas

    Games and Education

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    The object of the game is to remove as many tiles as possible from the playing board. Tiles are...

A Christmas Story (1983)
A Christmas Story (1983)
1983 | Comedy, Drama, Family
Timeless!
A friend recently reminded me in 1983 when this film was released it only managed to make just over $19 million at the US box office. Movies that beat it in 1983 included High Road to China, Class, My Tutor and Two of a Kind. Ever heard of any of those? Didn't think so.

So how, 35 years later, does this film still endure so much it is played on a 24 hour loop and several US TV stations the few days leading up to Christmas?

Plenty to love. Relateable, enduring characters. Is Santa real? Cute and fun. Not politically correct. Lots of memorable scenes and unforgettable moments.

I would say there is a very short list of holiday films I try and make time for annually, but this is definitely one of them!

  
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Awix (3310 KP) Dec 6, 2018

Pretty sure I've seen Class (if it's the movie with Andrew McCarthy and Jacqueline Bisset) and definitely seen High Road to China at least twice...

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Kevin Phillipson (9970 KP) Dec 19, 2021

I've seen high road to China once but never class

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
1992 | Family, Sci-Fi
Christmas With Muppets
A different spin on the classic tale, its the same story but it adds more to it. It adds the muppets to it and Micheal Caine as Scrooge. Which he was perfect in this film by the way. Thank you Jim Hanson and disney for producing this film. Also Jim Hanson's son Brain directed this film.

I love the muppets and their were excellent and perfect in this film. Their make you laugh, cry, smile, happy and more, the muppets make you really care.

The Plot: The Muppets perform the classic Dickens holiday tale, with Kermit the Frog playing Bob Cratchit, the put-upon clerk of stingy Ebenezer Scrooge (Michael Caine). Other Muppets -- Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear and Sam the Eagle -- weave in and out of the story, while Scrooge receives visits from spirits of three Christmases -- past, present and future. They show him the error of his self-serving ways, but the miserable old man seems to be past any hope of redemption and happiness.

Whos my favorite muppet you may ask well its Kermit the Frog then Beaker then Rowlf the Dog and then Fozzie Bear.

A excellent christmas movie for the whole family to watch.
  
The Dangers of Gingerbread Cookies
The Dangers of Gingerbread Cookies
Laura Levine | 2010 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Star Crash
Jaine is visiting her parents in Florida for the holiday. In between watching her cat being spoiled rotten and her dad try to get his horrid gold Christmas tree set up, Jaine attends the community's Christmas play. At the end, the leading man is supposed to float off the stage, but instead he falls to his death. Considering he was a horrid womanizer, the suspects are plentiful. But who actually wanted him dead?

Outside of e-mail exchanges in every book, this is the first time we've met Jaine's parents, and I got quite a hoot out of meeting them. The series is comic in nature, and that comedy continues here. The plot kept me guessing until the end. The story was mostly populated with people we haven't met before, but they all seemed real enough to make me care about the outcome.

Do note that this is a novella, originally about 100 pages. Keep that in mind when you sit down to read it.

Also note that this was originally published in the anthology Gingerbread Cookie Murder, so check that you haven’t read it already.

But if you haven’t picked up this story yet, you are in for a treat when you do.
  
An Amish Christmas Love: Four Novellas
An Amish Christmas Love: Four Novellas
Beth Wiseman, Amy Clipston, Ruth Reid, Kelly Irvin | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am always in the mood for a good Christmas story, and it's always a bonus when I get to sit down and read more than one in one book! So, it never fails when I get a new book with Christmas themes, that I fall in love with them. This is no exception! 

This anthology contains four heart warming stories centered around the Amish. Each story pulled me in, hooked me and took me on a wonderful sleigh ride through God's amazing graces. These four authors know exactly what their readers like and how to keep them engrossed. Their characters are finely chiseled and real to life and their messages from God are beautifully woven into each story. 

I can't pick just one favorite though! All four stories held me captive equally, all four stories ones that I would recommend to all. But, Ruth Reid's and Amy Clipston's stories never fail to bring me so many emotions, from happiness to love. They take me on ups and downs, and ins and outs with their moving stories, and I love their writing styles. Ms. Wiseman and Ms. Irving have beautiful styles too, and their stories are vivid and tender. 

If you love Christmas, beautiful characters and wonderful writing, then this book is the one you want to read this holiday season. These authors will hook you! I highly recommend this book with the highest of 5 stars! Hats off to some very talented ladies.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
  
Murder in Season
Murder in Season
Jessica Fletcher, Jon Land | 2020 | Mystery
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
‘Tis the Season to be Murdered
Jessica Fletcher is looking forward to spending Christmas in her fully restored house, including a visit from nephew Grady and his family. The final work needing to be done on her house is a new septic system. When the workers start digging, they find human remains. It is quickly determined that one of the bodies is centuries old, but the other is much more recent. The investigation looks like it ties into the founders of Cabot Cove. What secret might the founders have been hiding that is worth killing for today? Meanwhile, in a bit of horribly bad timing, a tabloid TV reporter is in town to do a story about the high murder rate in Cabot Cove. What complications will that produce in the investigation?

Next to the Cabot Cove episodes of the TV show, the episodes with Grady were always my favorite, so I was thrilled to get to spend time with him here. Some of the other regulars seem a bit off to me, but that’s been how I’ve felt with the last few books, the only books in the series I’ve read. The mystery was good. I do struggle at times to get into mysteries that are set years before the characters we are reading about, but this book did a good job of tying the past into modern activity to make me care about the outcome. The ending was a bit abrupt, but it does answer our questions. The Christmas scenes were wonderful and put me in the mood for the holiday. This is a Christmas treat for fans of the series.
  
Mrs. Claus and the Santaland Slayings
Mrs. Claus and the Santaland Slayings
Liz Ireland | 2020 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Murder at the North Pole
April’s life changed completely when she learned Nick, the man she had fallen in love with, was Santa Claus. Now, she’s spending her first Christmas at the North Pole as Mrs. Claus. However, the stress of the holiday is nothing compared to the death of an elf. Giblet Hollyberry was not an especially popular elf, but his death comes the day after he had a very public fight with Santa. While the rest of the Claus clan doesn’t seem that concerned, April worries that the evidence is pointing toward her new husband. The North Pole isn’t normally a hotbed of crime, but it seems someone is doing their best to put Santa on the naughty list this year. Can April keep that from happening?

At its heart, this book is a cozy mystery, and it is a wonderful one. There are enough suspects, secrets, and clues to keep the reader engaged the entire way through the book. It’s the setting that makes the book stand out, and it is wonderfully done. It took me a bit to get the pictures from countless specials and movies out of my head, but April’s new world soon came fully to life for me. The characters, whether they are human or not, are very real, and I enjoyed meeting them here. And the book is overflowing with Christmas cheer – so much so that I had to start listening to some Christmas music while I was reading it. This book definitely deserves a place at the top of your nice list. I’m already looking forward to the sequel.