No flotsam this week. Instead here's the poem 'Christmas' by Sir John Betjeman: The bells of waiting Advent ring,The Tortoise stove is lit againAnd lamp-oil light across the nightHas caught the streaks of winter rainIn many a stained-glass window sheenFrom Crimson Lake to Hookers Green. The holly in the windy hedgeAnd round the Manor House … Continue reading Christmas
Christmas
‘Twas the Dark Knight Before Christmas
The YouTuber It's Just Some Random Guy was, for me at least, a staple of the early and high days of the superhero renaissance. Entirely using action figures, he'd put out comedic sketches where a DC and a Marvel character compare notes on their latest films (e.g. the first round was Superman Returns and Spider-Man … Continue reading ‘Twas the Dark Knight Before Christmas
Friday Flotsam: Class Values and Rudolph
1. Something many people forget or miss is the fact that different social classes or castes or what have you have different value structures. This isn't the same as having different values as such: the same religion and the same moral ideals are liable to be preached across all classes. Rather, it's a difference of … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Class Values and Rudolph
A Couple of Christmas Thoughts
-Christ’s birth as a child, a baby, is the supreme sign of God’s good will toward men. This is what all those horrible passages of the Old Testament must be read in light of, along with all the horrible things that happen to us men in this world. It seems like God is cruel, or … Continue reading A Couple of Christmas Thoughts
Yes, Virginia, ‘Die Hard’ is a Christmas Movie
My latest piece is up at The Federalist, and it's all about the Christmas classic Die Hard and what makes it a Christmas movie. Since the question hinges on there being a difference between a Christmas movie proper and a movie set around Christmas, it seems that a Christmas movie proper is a film that has some … Continue reading Yes, Virginia, ‘Die Hard’ is a Christmas Movie
The End of Multiculturalism
The Pagan religions were, in many ways, fine things. Though far more prone to cruelty and depravity than our squeamishly tolerant modern minds like to admit, there was a nobility to them. They were the fumbling, crude efforts of man to render worship to the unknown and hidden powers that govern the universe. From before … Continue reading The End of Multiculturalism
My Little Pony Touches on the True Meaning of Christmas (Yes, THAT True Meaning)
I’m repeatedly amused at the thought that, this time last year, I’d barely given a thought to My Little Pony, and now it’s one of my all-time favorite animated shows and keeps compelling me to write about it. Among the many pleasures it's brought is that I now have another favorite Christmas special to watch. MLP … Continue reading My Little Pony Touches on the True Meaning of Christmas (Yes, THAT True Meaning)
Christmas Carol at Catholic Match
In my latest CatholicMatch essay, I talk about love and A Christmas Carol: Coming from the master of the caricature himself, Charles Dickens, the story takes one of Dickens’s typical villains—a loveless, greedy old man—and casts him as the protagonist, while Dickens’s typical heroes—the honest, cheerful young gentleman and the hardworking family man—are relegated to supporting … Continue reading Christmas Carol at Catholic Match
The Star Wars Holiday Special
One of my personal holiday traditions is to open the season with a viewing of The Star Wars Holiday Special, courtesy of Rifftrax (I’m not insane enough to watch it ‘pure’. People have died that way). In case you haven’t heard of it, the year after the first Star Wars became a sleeper hit, someone … Continue reading The Star Wars Holiday Special
A Christmas Concert
Merry Christmas to you all! I beg leave to present for your enjoyment a brief Christmas concert made up of some of my favorite Christmas songs. Most of these are classics, but a few are more on the quirky side. With that said, let us open with one of those classics: the great Bing Crosby … Continue reading A Christmas Concert
Serpent's Den 