Ten on Tuesday

Ten Favorite Holiday Shows

1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas. This is my favorite, hands down, always has been, always will be. Little-known fact, at least little-known to anyone who's never watched Grinch or #3 with me: stories of redemption make me cry like a baby. Always have, always will.
   
2. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Cheesy and sexist. I don't care.
   
3. It's a Wonderful Life. See #1. One year, I think it was in the public domain somehow, it was on TV somewhere almost 24/7. I think after the 17th viewing I got to the point where I didn't need a whole box of tissues. Of course the following year I was back to square one.
   
4. The Nutcracker (the ballet). Our local ballet company does a very good production, but someday I'd like to see the Boston Ballet do it, just so I can say I did.
   
5. Tree-lighting ceremony: anyone's, anywhere. There's just something about seeing a huge tree light up.
   
6. Thanksgiving Day, Patriots vs. Lions. Heaven knows when the Pats will play on Thanksgiving again. (Last night's game wasn't half bad either, although it hardly lived up to the hype. Then again, it probably couldn't have.)
   
7. Macbeth on Ice, or whatever skating extravaganza is going. We went when Miss B was about five. The crowds were awful, the food and souvenirs to say nothing of the show itself were phenomenally overpriced — in other news, the sun set in the west this afternoon and is expected to rise in the east tomorrow morning — and I loved it. I am a goof.
   
8. A Charlie Brown Christmas.
   
9. First Night in Boston. I haven't been in ages. I probably haven't gotten too old for it.
   
10. Ice storm. We don't always get one during the holiday season, of course, and I wouldn't want the one a couple of years ago that took out everyone's power for a week, but if you want a show you really can't beat nature when it puts its mind to it.