Peppermint the Christmas Penguin

 It's Christmas time again. Several years ago, Craig, Scott, and George decided to try their hands at writing a Christmas story. It did not turn out exactly how Scott had expected when he started the story. In the end, it was each of the writers attempting to out-do the other. It is a fun story, even if it's not exactly very kid friendly. You've been warned. What follows is the full, unedited story by Craig, Scott, and George. It's just supposed to be a little bit of fun. It is dedicated to the memory of our brother, George, who wished he could celebrate Christmas year-round.

Peppermint the penguin was angry. This was supposed to be this time of year. The snow was falling and the shoppers were bustling about the busy streets of Los Angeles. Christmas was upon us. And here he was. Unemployed.

Trinity See: Peppermint the Christmas Penguin

It's Christmas time again. Several years ago, Craig, Scott, and George decided to try their hands at writing a Christmas story. It did not turn out exactly how Scott had expected when he started the story. In the end, it was each of the writers attempting to out-do the other. It is a fun story, even if it's not exactly very kid friendly. You've been warned. What follows is the full, unedited story by Craig, Scott, and George. It's just supposed to be a little bit of fun. It is dedicated to the memory of our brother, George, who wished he could celebrate Christmas year-round.

The Dads Must Be Crazy Ep. 30: The Start of Another New Year

The Dads Must Be Crazy is back after taking a couple of weeks off to celebrate the holidays. This week, we talk about our respective holiday celebrations, and the fact that we're in 2020. 2000 was 20 years ago. So was 1980. We discuss what the rules are for buying Christmas gifts for our spouses and what we look forward to in the new year. Also, be careful about letting your kids listen to this one. We talk about some of the legends surrounding Christmas. You know what we're talking about.

Howie Balaban: That Memorable Gift Experience

This week is Christmas and Hanukkah. In my family, we celebrate both.

And ever since I was three years old, I’ve been fortunate to be part of both holidays. Growing up, my parents would pack up my brother and I and we’d all drive up from Virginia Beach or east from Olean – never less than 7 hours in a car – and we’d spend a couple nights at my grandparents in Yonkers and then at my aunt and uncle’s house on Long Island.

Shenanigans Episode 112: The Shenanigans Butt-Sunning Christmas Special

The misophonia is strong in this episode. Rich thinks its just so special when he crunches, much to Craig's chagrin. We learned that Mr Rogers loved farting for his wife and that butt sunning is not for celebrities. Poor Josh Brolin. The British Health Service is back at it again with new methods of stress relief, and we learn that technical innovation continues to come from an odd source.

Reminiscing: Christmas Music

It’s that time of year where Christmas music is everywhere. My kids have the radio playing it on all night while they sleep. Something about sugar plums and fairies dancing. For me, it’s one of my least favorite parts of the year. It’s so rushed and crowded that it drives my anxiety right through the roof. Add the endless loop of Christmas jingles to it, and it adds up to less Santa and more Scrooge for me. But it wasn’t always that way. 

The Dads Must Be Crazy Ep. 29: It's a Rocky Christmas

The podcast wraps up its 2019 season with an episode about birthdays, Christmas lights, and what constitutes a Christmas movie. It was just Craig's birthday and he detailed the woes of having a birthday within only a few weeks of Christmas. Did your family used to drive around to see all the Christmas decorations when you were a kid? Bobby explains a little of Christmas while in the military. And Howie and Bobby are surprised at some of the movies Craig has not seen.

The Dads Must Be Crazy Ep. 28: A Very Star Trek/Wars Christmas

We open this week's podcast with a lot of talk about the Buffalo Bills and their win over the Cowboys on Thanksgiving. Bobby, as a Dallas fan, has a unique perspective on the teams. We all have our Christmas decorations up, and now it's on to shopping for the holidays. Guys definitely have a different view of Christmas shopping. Well, except for Howie. He is really into it. Meanwhile, we veer off into nerd talk when we discuss the upcoming Star Trek additions. We implore CBS to give us Captain Worf. We need Michael Dorn to get all Klingon with the brass to make it happen. That would be a great Christmas present for us.

The Dads Must Be Crazy Ep. 27: Christmas Lights & Decorations

It's Thanksgiving week which means we need to start thinking about Christmas decorations. We all agree that lighting the house and putting up the tree before Thanksgiving is a hard no. Craig's year-round lights came down during the last wind storm and it will take a Doc-Brown-In-A-Lightning-Storm reattachment to get them working again. We also discuss the doctor in Lancaster who would not let a girl join the JV wrestling team.

Shenanigans: Episode 59: The Christmas Special

Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah. Happy Holidays. Yes, this is the Shenanigans Christmas Special! For the first time, we have an episode that is entirely family friendly and safe for work. We discuss some odd Christmas traditions from around the world, and we talk about our own holiday traditions. There is a little Christmas movie debate, of course. All of us from Shenanigans and Niagara's Watercooler wish you a very happy holiday season.

Book Reviews Reloaded: Real Santa

This article first appeared on East Niagara Post on January 13, 2015. It is repeated here as I work to put all my book reviews in one place. They will be posted on Thursdays or Fridays and only be altered from the original in that I will add publisher information and pages. Hopefully, by revisiting these reviews, other people might find a book they'd like to pick up for their own enjoyment.

Real Santa -- William Hazelgrove

Koehler Books

244 Pages

Real Santa by William Hazelgrove is the story of George Kronenfeldt, a divorced father with a new wife and family. His youngest child is nine years old and she is starting to question the validity of Santa Claus. He wants her to hold onto that childhood dream for as long as possible. As an engineer, he decided that he would give his daughter, Megan, a Christmas Eve visit from the jolly man in red. Intensive planning ensues, drafting the assistance of his elderly father who is also an engineer.

Reminiscing: Lights Up Main Street

Last week, I wrote about how we couldn’t put up Christmas decorations until after my birthday. I made mention of liking to drive around to see the decorations. So, I figured I would expound upon that thread and give you another Reminiscing article. Besides, it’s Christmas time, so it’s the best time to write about it. Although, next week, I may write about summer because I’d rather it be warm.

On the Homefront: December is My Comfortainment

Lists.

We love lists. We argue over lists. We spend too much time dissecting who is on a list and where they are placed on the list. Or whether a person or thing was snubbed from the list.

This time of year is no different as from as early as Nov. 1, we are bombarded with Christmas music on multiple stations and a variety of holiday movies on numerous channels. And there never fails to be a list generated by someone somewhere ranking the best songs or movies of the season.

Reminiscing: It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

I just had my birthday this past Thursday. In the broad scheme of things, it really means nothing, but I do thank all the people who took the time to wish me a happy birthday. Also, I want to thank Paul Oates for making sure all the listeners of WLVL knew it was my birthday. However, in my household, my birthday is a big deal. And it has nothing at all to do with my day. It has to do with Christmas decorations.

Scrooge Fills the Palace With Song and Dance

How do you know that it’s Christmas season in Lockport? Is it the 42 inches of snow we got in the last four hours? Nah. Is it the beautiful decorations lining Main Street? Maybe. Most likely, however, it is the annual appearance of “Scrooge: The Musical” at the Historic Palace Theatre. Despite it being in the mid-50s the evening we went to the show, there was definitely a feeling of Christmas around the city.

Reminiscing: It's in the Cards

A couple of weekends ago, our nephew, Luke, asked if he could spend the night at our house. Since we normally seem to have more than our own children around for sleepovers, this was no big deal. It’s cool that the kids want to sleep over at our house, even if it is extraordinarily annoying when there are groups of girls giggling late into the night.

A Thanksgiving Retrospective

I know the first question many of you have is, “Where the heck have you guys been?” Well, it’s holiday time and things have been quite hectic. Writing time (and reading time) have been limited by preparations for everyone to come over for Thanksgiving. Now, I helped out quite a bit, but I’m sure Wendy would like me to do more. I try, though. With a big family and numerous siblings and cousins on her side of the family, we need to make sure everything is well picked up to fit everyone comfortably into the house.

From Niagara's Watercooler to All Of You

From Wendy, Craig, George, and Howie, we all wish you a very Merry Christmas.

As part of a new holiday tradition that we at the Cooler would like to continue for many years to come, we present you with the full text of "A Visit from St. Nicholas." Better known as "Twas the Night Before Christmas," it was first published anonymously in 1823. It has been commonly attributed to Clement Clarke Moore, after he claimed authorship in 1837. Members of the Livingston family believe that their relative, Henry Livingston, Jr., penned the poem. In any case, the poem has long been a classic Christmas tradition. In it's entirety, ready to be read to your children, is that famous work:

I Wish It was Christmas Today

The domain of Christmas and the holidays, at least with regard to those of us at Niagara's Watercooler, belongs to George Root and Howie Balaban. They live for the holiday season, especially George. Me? Not so much. I far prefer Independence Day as my holiday of choice over Christmas. Think about it. It's warm, sunny, and easy to hang outside with some beers and friends. December in Western New York is cold. 

And To All A Good Night...

Christmas has always been a very important day to me. I know we are supposed to re-start our internal clocks on January 1, but I always looked at Christmas Day as the end of the year. Once Christmas Day was over, everything went back to square one and we started all over again. It is a cleansing, and it always feels good.