#christmas

Nowadays, I still enjoy looking at the old relics of sales past. They are wonderful historical artifacts and they take me right back to when I was a kid. So, I would like to share with you a Toys “R” Us circular from 1984. It was published right after December of that year. Like most of their sales offering during these years, it promised that their “prices will be no higher through Dec. 25th.” So no matter when you shop at the store this month, this is what you would have paid. Let’s jump in and look at some of the highlights on each page.

Ah, the anticipation of Christmas morning. Who could ever forget that frenzied level of excitement we felt as children as we climbed into bed on Christmas Eve, with our palms sweating and our hearts racing. If you grew up celebrating Christmas, it's likely that you've felt this way at least once in your life (maybe you still do). The experience of waking up on Christmas morning and discovering a cache of otherwise unattainable goodies is one that you will never, ever forget. I have to tell you that my heart is pounding right now just writing this.

Here’s the thing: If you’re using the holiday season to go out of your way to be an asshole to someone, believer or non-believer, you’re doing it wrong, and I wish you would stop. That’s not a war, it’s a slap fight and it’s embarrassing. As a non-believer, when someone says “Merry Christmas” to me, I say “Merry Christmas” back, because generally speaking I understand that what “Merry Christmas” means in this context is “I am offering you good will in a way I know how,” and I appreciate that sentiment. Left to my own devices, I use “Happy holidays” because I know a lot of people who aren’t Christians (or at least Christmas-centered) and that seems the best way to express my own good will; the vast majority of people get what I’m doing and appreciate that sentiment too.

Retrozones annual Christmas cartridge has finally hit their shelves and this year, there's also a SNES cart!

"BoingBoing does not condone tree-griefing, or the destruction of other people's holiday property."

Combination race / snowball fight in WoW. Awesomesauce.

"if you want to try it at home (and if you do let me know about it), it's one part eggnog, three parts sake. Drink up!"

"Hilarious video from SNL featuring Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake..."

"Together we should be working toward a point in the not-so-distant future where the words "Santa Claus" or "Kris Kringle" or "Father Christmas" create the same response as fingernails on a chalkboard."

"So, understanding full well that the phrase retains zero religious significance, I unhesitatingly wish everyone a Merry Christmas."

"The holidays are built on tradition, which means it's time for us to gather around the yule log and listen to that insane rendition of O Holy Night."

"Hard Place and Rabiez and Rubiez wish you the merriest of Christmases! And may you enojoy this little miss kitten mitten meat cakes! Rejoice in the Bethlehem Shiner!"

"Four teens stole 27 baby Jesus statues from nativity scenes outside churches and homes and planned to burn them, police said."

"You can check the facts and see who's right, but Rob Boston went after John Gibson and Gary McCaleb of the Alliance Defense Fund, by calling the war on Christmas a lie."

"This has reached its most imposition-of-Sharia-law-like level of intolerance in the campaign to cow stores into saying Christmas."

"Shane MacGowan has written a fair few classics, but none have had more appeal than this bittersweet Christmas song."

'Seriously – are you kidding me with this “There’s a war on Christmas” bullshit?'

"Mind you, there's more to a Canon engineer's life than extracting a grainy likeness of Maureen from Human Resources' posterior from a wrecked, beer-soaked machine."