And another qwinessential qwistmas is behind us.
( If you read that in the voice of a cartoon character, I am in a Hanna Barbera frame of mind--explanation to follow)
Seriously, I love this season.
It is stress-free for my tribe, so we do things like enjoy lights we didn't have to string up, eat meals we didn't have to prepare, and enjoy classic carols we didn't have to write..er..scratch that last one.
And of course, we have our movie marathons and Asian cuisine, even 'though we have to be extra cautious in the theater because of Omicron.
We started our movie marathon on Thursday night(because that's when Christmas begins for MOTS) with a movie that's getting lots of Oscar buzz, but nobody warned us that the buzz might as well have come from those killer Giant Asian Hornets that menaced the residents of Washington State last summer.
The movie is getting buzz for its star, Marion Cotillard(who I usually like, especially in "Contagion")but we both agreed it was one of the worst movies we've seen in decades.
You will like "Annette" if you like pretentious movies about unpleasant people who raise a marionette as their daughter.
Oh, and it's a musical..with forgettable lyrics and worse music.
Flash forward to Christmas Eve, where the roads were empty and so were our bellies until we sated them with delicious Indian cuisine and then watched a very under-rated film on Netflix.
Don't look up reviews..they're undeservedly negative, and there I go again with my sledge hammer subtlety, Adam McKay's political satire with the same name as the three opening words of this paragraph is terrific satire. It's an allegory for climate change, and Jim said it reminded him a little bit of "Dr. Strangelove."
Plus, it has Meryl Streep as Donna Trump. (not the real name of her character, but you will be calling her that too after you see the film, which you SHOULD)
And finally, there was Christmas Day itself, a little toned down since gatherings were via ZOOM but fun nonetheless.
We saw one of the best releases this season, "American Underdog" with Zachary Levi as Kurt Warner. I'm not a big fan of sports movies, but I am a fan of good family films, those feel good movies that make you laugh and make you cry and warm your soul when you learn that they're based on a true story.
A simply marvelous movie. Schmaltzy, but the kind of schmaltz that makes your chicken soup extra delicious.
We couldn't complete our total MOT experience, as our favorite Chinese restaurant would not seat us. They wouldn't take reservations for a party of three but said we'd be okay if we got there at five and even 'though we're regulars here, they could not seat us.
And no, I did not ask to speak with the manager, which I seem to always mistype as manger these days, which meant I'd be in luck, since there were plenty of MANGERS to talk with on our route home.
I would not have been the first.
We wound up at Gangas, a terrific Asian fusion place that we frequent quite often, and then tuned in to see the latest Jim Gaffigan special and c'mon, who doesn't laugh at a pandemic obsessed foodie, especially when you're one yourself?
After lots of good food and entertainment, we joined our friends for ZOOM Game Night, where the laughs never stopped.
"Scattegories" is the perfect ZOOM game..and anyone can play..and do well. It generates camaraderie and laughter, which is more important than racking up points.
(Says this Karen who won almost every round)
In case you haven't played the game in awhile, it's all about coming up with legitimate answers that your opponents will accept, but something not too common because if you match another player, you don't get points.
The category was a cartoon character with the letter "L", and Jim and I, having both grown up on a steady diet of Hanna-Barbera in the 60's. both thought of that goofy lovable lion, Lippy the Lion, only my nutty husband typed in LIMPY the Lion, which made me make the obvious joke:
"I guess his sidekick Hardy Har Har was jealous of playing second fiddle all the time, so he gnawed off one of Lippy's paws?"
Hoping everyone had an enjoyable Christmas, whether you're a MOT... or not.
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