#A Very Dolly Christmas Countdown

[alittlebitbethany]

Hi everybody Yesterday I returned from a fantastic and very christmassy trip to Brugge with my family We had a fantastic time and I’m very grateful for the opportunity. My Mum took this photo of my Elphaba doll and me at the Wicked Christmas tree at St Pancreas International. It’s brilliant and I heartily recommend visiting it if you love Wicked . This is my photo for Day 6 of A Very Dolly Christmas Countdown 2024 . Image Description: a picture of a blonde woman wearing an orange puffer jacket holding a Elphaba doll standing next to a mechanical head of Jeff Goldblum.

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

New to Hallmark Movies Now - November

November 

Redemption in Cherry Springs (2021)  Starring Rochelle Aytes, Keith D. Robinson, and Frankie Faison.  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries 

Murder, She Baked: A Deadly Recipe (2016)   Starring Alison Sweeney, Cameron Mathison, Barbara Niven, Lisa Durupt, Gabriel Hogan, Juliana Wimbles, Toby Levins, Kristen Robek, and Viv Leacock.  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries / Movie 4 of 5 

Garage Sale Mysteries: Murder in D Minor (2018)  Starring Lori Loughlin, Sarah Strane, Steve Bacio, Eva Bourne, Connor Stanhope, Kevin O’Grady, and Matthew Harrison.  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries / movie 15 of 16 

Garage Sale Mysteries: Search & Seized (2019)  Starring Lori Loughlin, Sarah Strane, Steve Bacio, Eva Bourne, Connor Stanhope, Kevin O’Grady, Matthew Harrison, Johannah Newmarch, and April Telek.  Movie 16 of 16 

Baby, It’s Cold Outside (2021)  Starring Jocelyn Hudon and Steve Lund.  Hallmark Channel 

Mystery 101: An Education in Murder (2020)  Starring Jill Wagner, Kristoffer Polaha, Robin Thomas, Preston Vanderslice, Caitlin Stryker, David Jame Lewis, and Steve Bacic.  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries / Movie 5 of 7 

Just in Time for Christmas (2015)  Starring Eloise Mumford, Michael Stahl-David, Christopher Llyod, and William Shatner.  Hallmark Channel / Hallmark Hall of Fame / Countdown to Christmas 

The Christmas Secret (2014)  Starring Bethany Joy Lenz, John Reardon, and Susan Hogan.  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries / The Most Wonderful Movies of Christmas 

Paper Angels (2014)  Starring Josie Gresiuk and Matthew Settle.  UPtv 

A Holiday in Harlem (2021)  Starring Olivia Washington, Tina Lifford, and Will Adams.  Hallmark Channel / Countdown to Christmas 

November 2 

Roux the Day: A Gourmet Detective Mystery (2020)  Starring Dylan Neal, Brooke V+Burns, Matthew Kevin Anderson, and Bruce Boxleitner.  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries / Movie 5 of 5 

Our Christmas Love Song (2019)  Starring Alicia Witt and Brendan Hines.  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries / Miracles of Christmas 

The Perfect Catch (2017)  Starring Nikki DeLoach and Andrew Walker.  Hallmark Channel / Spring Fling 

Christmas Encore (2017)  Starring Maggie Lawson and Brennan Elliott.  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries / The Most Wonderful Movies of Christmas 

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Presents: the Ghosts of Christmas Eve The Best of Two and More 

A Cookie Cutter Christmas (2014)  Starring Erin Krakow, Miranda Frigon, David Haydn-Jones, Jill Morrison, and Lara Soltis.  Hallmark Channel / Countdown to Christmas 

November 3 

Sister Swap: A Hometown Holiday (2021)  Starring Kimberly Williams-Paisly, Ashley Williams, Mark Deklin, Keith D. Robinson, and Kevin Nealon.  Hallmark Channel / Countdown to Christmas / Movie 1 of 2 

Christmas in Dollywood (2019)  Starring Danica McKellar, Niall Matter, Krystal Lowe, and Dolly Parton.  Hallmark Channel / Countdown to Christmas 

Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: A Very Foul Play (2019)  Starring Candace Cameron Bure, Niall Matter, Lexa Doig, Marilu Henner, Peter Benson, Miranda Frigon, Dylan Sloane, Ellie Harvie, Catherine Lough Haggquist, Kristen Robek, and Matthew James Dowden.  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries / Movie 12 of 18 

Once Upon a Christmas Miracle (2018)  Starring Aimee Teegarden, Brett Dalton, Lolita Davidovich, and Steve Basic.  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries / Miracles of Christmas 

A Gingerbread Romance (2018)  Starring Tia Mowry-Housley-Hardrict, Duane Henry, and Giles Panton.  Hallmark Channel / Countdown to Christmas 

Three Weeks, Three Kids (2011)  Starring Anna Chlumsky and Warren Christie.  Hallmark Channel 

Holiday Engagement (2011)  Starring Bonnie Somerville, Jordan Bridges, Shelley Long, Sam McMurray, and Haylie Duff.  Hallmark Channel / Countdown to Christmas 

Love, Of Course (2018)  Starring Kelly Rutherford and Cameron Mathison.  Hallmark Channel / Fall Harvest 

November 10 

Christmas in Harmony (2021)  Starring Ashleigh Muray, Luke James, and Loretta Devine.  Hallmark Channel / Countdown to Christmas 

November 17 

Under the Autumn Moon (2018)  Starring Lindy B both and We Brown.  Hallmark Channel / Fall Harvest 

A Christmas Melody (2015)  Starring Lacey Chabert, Brennan Elliott, Kathy Najimy, and Mariah Carey.  Hallmark Channel / Countdown to Christmas 

The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls (2021)  Starring Robert Buckley, Ana Ayora, Jonathan Bennett, Brad Harder, Treat Williams, Sharon Lawrence, Michelle Harrison, Matthew James Dowden, and Teryl Rothery.  Hallmark Channel / Countdown to Christmas 

[miss-daisymidrab]

The Final Countdown 2.0

{ More Daisy Headcanons No One Asked For }

5. FIVE HEADCANONS ABOUT DAISY’S CULTURE & ETHNICITY:

1. Daisy’s father is half Egyptian and half Lebanese. His name (Seth) is the anglicized version of Swtkh, the Egyptian god of the desert. Daisy’s father and grandparents moved to the United States from Egypt in the early 1970s after rising tensions from the October War. They eventually settled in Nashville. 

2. It was quite the scandal when Daisy’s mother, a southern baptist, married her father, a Sunni Muslim. It caused a lot of tension with her mother’s side of the family and growing up Daisy didn’t see them much. Her father, never really very religious anyway, agreed to “convert” and Daisy and her brothers were raised in the baptist church, although Daisy does not identify with any religion anymore. 

3. As a child, Daisy was very close with her Tita, her father’s mother, who often made trips from Nashville to visit. She introduced Daisy to Egyptian movie stars from the 1960s and always supported Daisy in her dreams of becoming an actress. She also taught Daisy how to make Egyptian and Arabic foods and sweets: fatteh, shawarma, baklava, kanafeh, fatayer... She may not be the best chef in the world, but Daisy makes damn good Arabic food. When her Tita passed away Daisy was crushed. Daisy was fifteen. 

4. Daisy quickly realized that being half Arabic in the American south was a huge taboo. Not only did Daisy, her brothers, and their father not look like anyone else in their small town, they often received stares and flat out rude comments from strangers. One year in middle school Daisy agreed to participate in Ramadan to please her Tita, but after a few days of not eating lunch at school and getting teased relentlessly by most of her classmates, Daisy gave up fasting and never spoke publically about her ethnicity again. 

5. Daisy still carries a lot of shame about her ethnicity, even though she knows she shouldn’t. She dislikes when people ask her what she ‘is’ or comment on her skin tone/curly hair. She only brings it up to the friends she’s closest to, and only after knowing them for quite some time, as she still holds on to secret fears of being judged. 

4. FOUR HEADCANONS ABOUT DAISY’S BUCKETLIST:

Four things on Daisy’s bucket list include:

1. Meet Dolly Parton. (And try not to cry.)

2. Go to a hockey game at the Belle Center in Montreal. (If possible: go to a hockey game at every single NHL arena.) 

3. Do something stupid and crazy. (Bungee jump, sky dive, cliff dive...) 

4. Completely fill up the bottle cap and cork shadow boxes. (And have fun doing so.)

3. THREE HEADCANONS ABOUT DAISY’S DAILY ROUTINE:

1. Daisy doesn’t usually eat breakfast, but she always starts her day with coffee or tea. She alternates between the two, but if she doesn’t have the caffeine first thing she’ll feel like she’s going crazy all day. 

2. Daisy takes showers at night rather than in the morning. This allows her curly hair to air dry overnight so it’s ready to be styled in the morning. 

3. Daisy is addicted to melatonin. It’s very hard for her to fall asleep without taking entirely too much of it. Every night she takes 15 mg and will continue to take 5 mg more every 30 minutes until she falls asleep. 

2. TWO HEADCANONS ABOUT DAISY’S LOVE OF POP CULTURE:

1. Because she grew up in a small town and wanted nothing more than to get out, Daisy grew up loving reality television and pop culture/celebrity gossip. As a teen, she was always reading gossip magazines or talking about shows like Charm School, Tough Love, The Real World, Big Brother, Jersey Shore, etc. 

2. Nowadays Daisy doesn’t keep up with celebrity gossip like she used to, but there is one reality show she loves: RuPaul’s Drag Race. She adores everything about drag culture and is seriously obsessed with the show. 

1. ONE HEADCANON ABOUT DAISY’S MUSIC:

1. Daisy realized she was a pretty good singer when her mother insisted she join the church’s kid’s choir and she was repeatedly chosen for solos. She begged her parents for a guitar for many years and finally got one for Christmas when she was 13. She taught herself how to play and very quickly afterward began writing her own songs. Most of them are about self-love, or girl power, or partying, but there are a few about romance and heartbreak. Mellie is the only person Daisy’s played her original songs for, and even she hasn’t heard the more personal ones. Daisy’s songs are like her journal or diary, and it’s what keeps her sane through everything in life. 

[youbetterworkcovergirl]

2020 Movies

Batman: Under The Red Hood

Pump Up The Volume

A Country Wedding

Cool As Ice

Surprised By Love

Life With Mikey

True Romance

All of My Heart: Inn Love

Absentia

Dream/Killer

Tell Me Who I Am

Sweetheart

Growing the Big One

All Things Valentine

Step Up All In

Love On A Limb

Love Struck Cafe

Drop Zone

Girl on the Third Floor

Hard Rain

Sightseers

Switchback

Mobsters

Campfire Kisses

Hobbs and Shaw

Little Darlings

Streetdance

Malevolence

Good Boys

Midnight Masquerade 

Killer: Malevolence 3

Dinner for Schmucks 

Fractured

Nightmares in Red, White and Blue

Testament

The Unauthorized Beverly Hills 90210 Story

The Killing Secret

Countdown

Joker

I See You

Satisfaction

Grease 2

Terminator: Dark Fate

Ghost

In Fear

Sister Act 2

Grease Live

Gretel and Hansel

I Know My First Name Is Steven

Mother, May I Sleep With Danger

Hostile Advances

Hidden in Silence

Miss Americana

The Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson

Doctor Sleep

Grave Encounters

Hairspray Live

Sister Act

Dad

Mad City

Mortuary 

Mausoleum 

12 Strong

The Barn

Polaroid

Climax

Troop Zero

One Night In October

Top Gun

A Nightmare On Elm Street

Mad City

The Mummy

The Vatican Tapes

Miss Americana

P.S. I Still Love You

Payback

The Ugly

Just Cause

Incident in a Ghostland

Camp Cold Brook

Goodbye World

The Neighbour

Grandview, USA

The Mummy

Assimilate

It Comes At Night

Midway

It’s A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

Hiroshima

Zombieland Double Tap

Mercy Black

The House That Jack Built

21 Bridges

The Crash Reel

Jojo Rabbit

Marauders 

Eden Lake

102 Minutes That Changed America

White Light/Black Rain

After Parkland

The Farewell

Frozen II

The Devil’s Own

Scooby-Doo: Return to Zombie Island

Candyman 2

Candyman 3

Yellowbrickroad

Queen and Slim

Headless Horseman

The First Purge

The Purge

Haunted Honeymoon

Charlie’s Angels

Contagion

Hail, Satan? 

The Purge: Anarchy

The Purge: Election Year

Lisa

The Killing Room

The Hunted

Chain Reaction

Kingsmen: The Secret Service

Body Bags

Rings

Ruin Me

A Quiet Place

Seven In Heaven

World War Z

Outbreak

Lost Girls

Dark Waters

Glass

Black Christmas (2019)

The Incredible Hulk

The Phantom of the Opera

31

The Believers

Sinster

And The Band Played On

The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia 

93 Days

The Last Broadast

The Spy Who Dumped Me

Asylum

Train to Busan

The Grudge

Killer Workout

Good Will Hunting

Murder in New Hampshire

Demolition High 

Legacy of Fear

The Last of the Manson Girls

The Fear Footage

Smoke and Mirrors: The Story of Tom Savini

Humanoids From The Deep

Richard Jewell

Just Mercy

Animal Among Us

Sleepers

Scare Me

The 6th Friend

Opera

5B

We Were Here

The Origin of Aids

Birds of Prey 

Dolittle

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Family Portrait

The Moors Murders

Where is Robert Fisher?

Valentine Road

West of Salem

Rise of Skywalker

Butterfly Kisses

Savage Streets

Ghostheads

Born Innocent

American Experience: Blackout

Anatomy of a Seduction

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning

Texas Chainsaw 3D

Antrium

A.M.I

Not Since You

The Money Pit

Violation of Trust

Love’s Deadly Triangle

Underwater

Onward

Cruel Doubt

Extraction

Bombshell

Spies in Disguise 

Bad Boys for Life

The Stalker Club

Mississippi Burning

Choose

Little Shop of Horrors

Tourist Trap

Contamination

Street Trash

American Animals

The Warriors

Waco: The Rules of Engagement 

Chain Letter

Return to Horror High

Free Willy

Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead

Rookie of the Year

Where The Boys Are

Little Big League

Cool Runnings

Honey, I Shrunk The Kids

Connie and Carla

A Star is Born

Hangman

Friends with Benefits 

Cam

The Platform

How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days

Brave

VFW

Bushwick

Mission Impossible: Fallout

In The Deep Woods

C.H.U.D

Monday at 11:01 am

13 Eerie

The 13th Man

Square One

Monsters Wanted

The Man In The Red Bandanna 

Hotel Artemis 

Bedeviled

Terror on the 44th Floor

Patriot Games

The Mandela Effect

The Aristocats

Oliver and Company

Goodnight Mommy

The Manson Family Massacre

The Lodge

Savage Weekend

Bloody Murder 2

Seoul Station

Are You Scared 

The Stay Awake

Kemper

Fantasy Island

To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

The Scream Team

Phantom of the Megaplex

Mom’s Got A Date With A Vampire

Panic Button

Madhouse

The Turning

Brahms: The Boy II

The Invisible Man

Scream Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street

The Cover Up

I Am Not Your Negro

The House That Dripped Blood

Inkubus

Trucks

The Way Back

Innocent Blood

The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas

The American Nightmare

Rhinestone

Guyana Tragedy 

Raze

13th

1BR

Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School

Storage 24

Dead Man’s Curve

Sick School

Hair 

Most Valuable Players

The Day the 60s Died

February One 

Freedom Summer

Devil’s Playground

Knowing

Lethal Weapon

I Still Know What You Did Last Summer

The Postcard Killings

A Chorus Line

City of Angels

Brian Banks

The Redwood Massacre

101 Dalmations

Zootopia

Tales From The Crypt: Demon Knight

Murder in the First

Dragnet

Black Rock

Hamilton

We Summon the Darkness

Behind You

Swing Shift

High Spirits

V for Vendetta

The Gallows Act II

Edge of the Axe

The Peanuts Movie

Better Off Single

The Marshes

Dude Bro Party Massacre III

Extracurricular

Grizzly Man

What Keeps You Alive

Body Count

Miss You Already

The House In Between

We Are Your Friends

Witches in the Woods

Scoob!

Exhibit A

American Tragedy

7500 

976-Evil II

Abattoir

Invasion

Descent

Extremity

Scare Package

Some Kind of Hate

Inheritance

Resistance  

The Others

The Furies

Host

In Search of Darkness

Ginger Snaps

Corey Haim Me, Myself and I

Body Cam

Victims

The Forgotten West Memphis Three

Spooky House

The Boyfriend School

The Wretched

Amityville 1992

After Midnight

The Wretched

Halloween With The New Addams Family

Into The Grizzly Maze

Rabid (2019)

Max Relod and the Nether Blasters

The Monster Club

Nightmares

Criminal Law

From Beyond

Slaughterhouse Rulez

I Trapped The Devil

Gleaming the Cube

Freaks

The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone

Shadow of Doubt

Perfect Stranger

Howl

Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

That Was Then This Is Now

Incarnate

Twitches

American Fright Fest

Excision

The Gray Man

Beg

Open 24 Hours

Wer

The Scare House

Girl House

Fear

Chernobyl Hour by Hour 

The Babysitter: Killer Queen

The Tingler

Repo Man

The Honor List

Defenseless

Don’t Open Til Christmas

Phantom of the Mall: Eric’s Revenge

10/31

Children of the Corn: The Gathering

Children of the Corn II

Widow’s Point

Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror

Children of the Corn 666: Issac’s Return

Love, Fall and Order

Blair Witch

The Frightening

The Blair Witch Project

Becky

Random Acts of Violence

Spiral 

Scare Me

American Murder

Cannibal Holocaust

Perfect Little Angels

Farm House

The Hole

Gossip

Ghost of Goodnight Lane

The Haunting

Twin Towers

Guerilla The Taking of Patty Hearst

Greystone Park

The Cleansing Hour

Adam Resurrected 

Aiborne

Let’s Scare Julie

September 11

Happy Halloween Scooby-Doo

The Dentist

Tales From the Hood 2

Beneath

All You’ve Got

The Mortuary Collection

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers

Dolly Patron: Here I Am

Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8

The Video Dead

The Lie

Scream: The Inside Story

The Omen Legacy

Still Screaming

Tiny Toons’ Night Ghoulery 

The Last Days

One Day In Semptember

A Stranger Among the Living

Trick

After Midnight

Black X-mas

American Mary

Amusement

Cursed

The Den

The Forsaken

Fright Night

Antebellum

Blood Vessel

Survival of the Film Freaks

Batman

10 Things I Hate About You

I Am Nancy

Never Sleep Again

Mischief Night

Saw II

Bill and Ted Face The Music

Saw III

Saw IV

Christmas Made to Order

Olaf’s Frozen Adventure

Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe

Direct To Video

Saw V

A Very Merry Mix up

Christmas At Pemberley Manor

Sense, Sensible and Snowmen

A Joyous Christmas

Anna

Run

Train to Busan: Pennisula

#Alive

Christmas Camp

Witchboard

Porno

Road to Christmas

Friendsgiving

Zombies

If Anything Happens I Love You

Diana In Her Own Words

Christmas On The Square

Unhinged

Amish Grace

Polytechnique

The Only Way

The Wolf of Snow Hollow

Soul

Freaky

The Rental

Relic

Unlawful Entry

White House Down

The Craft: Legacy

Christmas in Connecticut

Absence of Malice

6 Souls

10.5 Apocalypse

��13 Hours

A Shoe Addict’s Christmas

A Stranger Among Us

9/11 The Day That Changed The World

No Escape

A Country Christmas Story

Dolly Patron’s Christmas Coat of Many Colors: Circle of Love

Smiley Face Killers

Death of Me

Detective Pikachu

One October

The Broken Hearts Gallery

A Cheerful Christmas

Head Count

Hamilton: One Shot To Broadway

Fire in the Sky

Fade to Black

Children of the Corn: Revelation

Children of the Corn: Genesis

Children of the Corn III

Blind Faith

[bitter69uk]

Countdown to Kitschmas ... wishing you a Very Dolly Christmas! (And yes - Time magazine screwed-up royally by making Elon Musk their “Person of the Year 2021″ instead of beloved force-for-good Parton). 

dolly parton, christmas 1987

[broadhurstblog-blog]

Sadness Deficit Disorder (i) by BroadHurst

Am I mentally ill or, simply, just happy to be alive?

It’s complicated.

I think it is only myself and my wife-to-be and our dog who are qualified to answer that question.

You don’t know my mind or heart, doc.  And whatever may happen in the future, I strongly believe that you can never touch my soul, doc!

It is frowned upon by many these days when one declares they are happy, but we are incessantly pressured into expressing our *personal* anxieties and woes etc.

What about all the millions of people suffering in the world?

How dare you rub your happiness in the face of the collective misery that surrounds us!

But I am happy, why should I not express it from the increasingly flat rooftops that surround us all?

I still suffer, I still experience pain, frustrations and misery and I am sure I will express it in words in the not so distant future, but still I proclaim to be happy!

How can I be happy?

I must be crazy!

Are we free to be happy?

What is happiness?

What about Bob?

I was having a tantrum on the Sunday afternoon before Christmas, referred to as ‘Christmas eve-eve’ by some.

I was in the back seat of a car on the way to a Christmas dinner with friends and family of the woman who had lovingly tolerated my often intolerable ways in the last three or four years.

I would have preferred to be at home alone, like when I was a child when I would shyly hide in my bed and study room when cherished grandparents aunties, uncles, cousins or family friends would pay their visits with good cheer. Eventually one of my loved ones would pop upstairs to say hello, which would instantly soothe my reclusive ways and cure my shy excitement.

Back to the car, and I had a few pressing matters on my mind, some ‘negative thoughts’, and I raised my voice high, regurgitated the things that anger me about life, like a singer with a song to sing that must be sung.

It took about five or ten minutes, I got everything off my chest and my wife-to-be, my patron saint of toleration, calmly got out of her car to get a few bit and bobs from the CO-OP.

Just by calmly listening to my loud thoughts, my reclusive nature and my shy excitement were tempered by her love once more, with help from Jack the dog  who was a constant, curled up snugly and lovingly by my side.

We ventured through the wild Stockport traffic, myself in the back with Jack now cradled on my lap, who becomes very nervous when life is lived in a moving motor vehicle.

I was making my final mental preparations, prayed I wouldn’t spoil the evening ahead and that this countdown to Christmas Eve would be Peaceful and Happy for all.

The festive gathering was highly enjoyable, I had one malt whisky too many I think, and my now my thoughts were being expressed slightly over-abundantly.

After a finely cooked Turkey dinner, the next thing I remember was waking up on the sofa not long after midnight.

The rest of the small, but intimate gathering were sitting around the dinner table. The evening was winding down and merging with the early hours.

Everyone was winding down, losing their battle against tiredness, on what had been a most enjoyable evening of games, frivolity, and laughs.

I was sorry to have missed out on this fun, however, several hours earlier the malt whisky went straight to my head and I was a chatterbox who was finding it very difficult to let anyone else get a word in.

I don’t think I made a fool out of myself, in fact, I am sure I did not.

I awoke, and it was after midnight, my Christmas Eve had begun perfectly with a wide-eyed, almost childish enthusiasm.

My liver and kidney function was mildly put to the test slightly again and I happily found pre-recorded songs to play via one of those voice-activated devices. And I danced, laughed and cried with my wife-to-be and maybe others, it is a bit blurred in my mind, but the memories beat strongly in my heart.

Eventually, I was the last person standing and found some room on the comfortable sofa on which my loving tolerator was resting peacefully, and I carefully rested my wet joy-filled eyes , without knowingly causing a disturbance.

The next thing I remember clearly was being in Stockport Town Centre in the early afternoon.

I really do not like a lot of the ugly modern architecture there, but I found myself falling in love with the place.

Architecturally, it is a strange dolly mixture of what England was, of what England is, of what England shouldn’t be, and what England could be, and of what England will never be again.

Stockport tells a unique tale, just like everywhere and everyone else in the world has their own unique tale to tell, as I uniquely discovered on Christmas eve afternoon in 2018…

To be continued in January

[evnoweb]

My Week Ending December 9, 2018

Here’s a summary of some of the things I learned and published this week.

Readings 

(You can follow my daily readings as they happen here.  Here are a selected few from the past week.)

I know that some teacher librarians go to work feeling like there’s a bullseye on their head.  Here are some suggestions for advocacy.

I just hang up on them.  This sounds like too much work although if you have time on your hands, it might be fun.

I love spinach but Popeye had better luck with physical development than I do.  I don’t get the connection to the fast foot restaurant with the the name though.  Maybe the connection just doesn’t exist.

This is an interesting spin on the commonly used logic that we need to get out of our comfort zone to be productive and innovative.

This is a great example of a corporation doing good for education.

I had no idea that Visual Basic was this popular.

I’m old enough to remember when a web browser was used for looking at web pages.  Now, it can even protect you given the current state of human engineering.  We’re all the better for it.

This is a good warning.  For as much as I like technology, there’s always that little voice that’s in my head and it should be in every educator’s head – “Do I believe all this promotional stuff?”  A good teacher and the right software are the best combination.  Software can’t go it alone.

I don’t know how people can lose a $1000 device in their phone.  It’s the first thing I do when I stand up – pat my pocket to make sure it’s still there.  This is an example of a very expensive mistake.

Huawei is big in the news these days for a number of things.  This is a bit of a backgrounder.

Google does have an enthusiastic following in education.  Is it too late for Apple and Microsoft?  Is this the plan?

I get angry when I read stories like this.  I get even angrier when there are denials that all this scientific evidence is fake news.

I can understand that there will be pushback from some web browser developers.  But, Microsoft missed the mark in its current version of Edge so will join the other side.  I think we all know that it’s true; there are some websites that will only work with Google Chrome.

Blog Posts on doug … off the record

Sunday – My Week Ending December 2, 2018

Monday – Countdown to Christmas

Tuesday – Lost in space

Wednesday – Getting the best tool

Thursday – Productivity in email

Friday – This Week in Ontario Edublogs, Number 336

Saturday – Helping newbies

Sunday –  Whatever happened to … the Western RCAC Symposium?

voicEd Radio

My on demand radio page can be found here.  The latest edition features blog posts from:

@TheBeastEDU

@hj_dewaard

@bigideasinedu

@peterskillen

@PCMalteseFalcon

Opening song …

Technology Trouble Shooting 

For the season…

I’ve got the Christmas decorations up, inside and out.  A couple of years ago, we bought one of those coloured laser things.  It’s kind of neat.  There are a lot of them around.

Last year, however, it stopped working.  For some reason, we didn’t get rid of it so I stuck in into the ground this year and, when the timer clicked in, darned if it didn’t work.

And, it worked for about a week.  Then, it stopped again.

I let it go a couple of days although I stopped to switch it on and off to see if that would fix it.  I learned a lot from Windows computers.

But there was no luck.

So, the other day, I decided it had to go.  As I pulled on it to remove it from the ground, it worked again.

At least for a couple of days.  Then it stopped again.

My fix is to try to pull it out again and it starts working.  There must be a loose connection somewhere.  At least, I now know that I can turn it on with a little effort.

It’s also a way to get a good dog picture.

Don’t look into the light, Jaimie.

Video of the Week

For my Wednesday This Week in Ontario Edublogs show, we went with Dolly Parton’s Hard Candy Christmas.  Along the way, I found this wonderful duet of the song from Cyndi Lauper and Alison Krauss.

My Favourite Photo of the Week

My daughter is such a terrific little artist.  This year, she took on our front window.

It’s something that my mother did every year.  I’m delighted that she wants to continue the tradition.

Thanks for reading.

dp

My Week Ending December 9, 2018 published first on https://medium.com/@DigitalDLCourse

[tyleroakley-obsessed]

Kick off this year’s holidays with a full schedule of Memphis holiday shows, performances, and concerts. Here are 30 ideas to start off the Memphis Christmas season with fun and good cheer.  Got a show or performance to add? Submit it here. Nut Remix. Photo provided by New Ballet Ensemble. New Ballet Ensemble’s Nut Remix at the Cannon Center November 15 – 17 $20 – $45 Reimagined version of the Nutcracker with ballet, hip hop, flamenco, and African dance, accompanied by the MSO. Peter Pan at Playhouse on the Square November 15 – December 29 $27 (discounts for military, seniors, kids) Beloved children’s story comes alive as a musical in this annual Playhouse holiday tradition. Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker at the Cannon Center November 18 $23 – $69 Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker performed by the Moscow Ballet. Urban Nativity at Hattiloo Theatre November 22 – December 15 $35 ($30 students, seniors, military) The story of the nativity retold in a modern, urban setting. 12 Dates of Christmas at Circuit Playhouse November 29 – December 22 $27 (discounts for students, military, kids) Comical one-woman show in the Circuit Playhouse’s cocktail lounge, The Memphian Room. A Season of Song at Holiday Wonders at the Garden November 29 $18.25 – $23.25 Explore the Botanic Gardens’ Holiday Wonders, then enjoy a family concert from The Paiges with special guest from The Voice, Reagan Strange. Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets In Concert at The Orpheum November 30 $39.50 – $77.50 Live score from the second kid-wizard movie, performed by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra while the film plays in HD. Dinner On Stage at The Orpheum December 3 $75 Have dinner on the big stage in a winter-wonderland theme and get inside info on the history of the Orpheum from CEO Brett Batterson. Includes a three-course meal with wine, a tour, and presentation. A Visible Christmas at the Halloran Centre December 3 Free Family-friendly Christmas showcase featuring Visible Music College students, faculty, and alumni. Christmas show at Lafayette’s. Photo by Logan Young Handel’s Messiah at Lindenwood Christian Church and Maples Memorial Methodist December 5-7 $35 Three performances of George Handel’s Christmas masterpiece, featuring Memphis Symphony Orchestra and vocalists. Thursday and Friday shows at Lindenwood; Saturday show at Maples Memorial Methodist Church in Olive Branch. FM100 Deck The Hall Ball With Rob Thomas at the Orpheum December 6 $42.50+ Yes, that Rob Thomas. For one night only! Will he play Christmas music? I guess we’ll see. Cazateatro Presents Tia Pancho, A Christmas Story at Evergreen Theatre December 6 – 14 $TBA Cazateatro performs a bilingual adaptation of A Christmas Carol with a Latinx twist. A Christmas Carol at Theatre Memphis December 6-23 $35 adults, $15 students, $30 military and seniors As they say, it’s a “Memphis family holiday tradition for 42 years”. See Scrooge on the Lohrey Stage at Theatre Memphis. Drew and Ellie Holcomb’s Neighborly Christmas December 7 $35 – 475 Nashville-based Americana duo do Christmas. At time of publication, the show is almost sold out. A Cup of Tea at Christmas at the Halloran Centre December 7-8 $15 – $25 A family-friendly theatrical play in four acts. Iris Orchestra & Zukerman Trio at GPAC December 7 $45 – $70 Renowned violinist Pinchas Zukerman brings the Zukerman Trio to perform with the Iris Orchestra in celebration of Beethoven’s 250th birthday. Iris at the Brooks feat. Zukerman Trio at the Brooks Museum December 8 $60 Intimate version of the above show, accompanied by a Q&A and art exhibition. Open to Iris Orchestra subscribers only. Photo provided by Ballet Memphis Ballet Memphis’ Nutcracker at The Orpheum December 12- 15 $10 – $78+ The classic holiday ballet, with hundreds of dancers, elaborate costumes, and beloved music. Lucero Family Christmas December 13 $21 – $23 A midtown Memphis holiday tradition: it’s time for the annual Lucero Family Christmas. Holiday Concert Weekend at Graceland December 13 – 14 $85+ A holiday weekend at Elvis’ home with special tours, Home for the Holidays with Elvis concert, Jingle Bell Brunch, and Elvis’ Christmas Peace concert.  Christmas with CoroRio at the Cannon Center December 14 $10 – $25 Local chorus’ annual winter concert, featuring CK Dance Theatre and the Hernando High Symphonic Winds. Angelina Ballerina’s A Very Merry Holiday Musical at Bartlett Performing Arts Center December 14 $10 kids/$15 adults A family fun holiday musical about a mouse and her friends. Germantown Symphony Orchestra Holiday Concert at GPAC December 14 $20 New and traditional holiday music from GSO, local choral groups, and an audience sing-along. A Germantown tradition that usually sells out in advance. Hello, Dolly! at The Orpheum December 17-22 $21 – $96+ It’s not a holiday Broadway show per se, but this classic musical is fun and festive and happening right before Christmas. Madonna Learning Center’s A Christmas Gift: The Journey at GPAC December 17-18 $10 Madonna Learning Center students and adults perform a holiday show in honor of the Center’s 50th anniversary. Trans-Siberian Orchestra at FedExForum December 19 $36 – $76 Get hyped, holiday-style with the big sounds of the TSO. Southern Soul Christmas Ball at Club Paradise December 21 $40 – $55 Inaugural live music celebration featuring numerous soul musicians and groups. Children’s Ballet Theater Nutcracker at GPAC December 21 – 22 $33 Young dancers from the Children’s Ballet Theater and Tennessee Ballet Theater perform the Nutcracker. Magic of Memphis Holiday Spectacular at the Cannon Center December 21 – 22 $17 – $100 A Mid-South holiday tradition, with the Memphis Symphony, MSO Chorus, and Hattiloo Theatre. Robert Earl Keen Countdown to Christmas at GPAC December 28 Fun comedy/variety/musical Christmas show with a space theme. Got something to add? Submit it here or leave a link in the comments. Are you a home owner in Memphis, with a broken garage door? Call ASAP garage door today at 901-461-0385 or checkout https://ift.tt/1B5z3Pc

https://ilovememphisblog.com/2019/11/30-memphis-shows-to-kick-off-the-holiday-season/

[alittlebitbethany]

Hello everybody for day 12 of A Very Dolly Christmas Countdown 2024 we have a photo of Maryellen aboard the Jolly Roger from when we were Blenheim palace for Neverland at the Palace. Image Description: a screenshot of an American Girl doll wearing a 1950s green and red plaid jacket and matching hat wearing woollen trousers with braces and a pair of yellow wellington boots standing on a ship standing by a crate with rope and a treasure chest in it. There is a seagull on top of the crate.

[alittlebitbethany]

Hello everybody for Day 4 of A Very Dolly Christmas Countdown 2024 we have Emily wearing a gorgeous Christmas dress from Angela Webb spending time with Gonzo and Rizzo. The Muppets Christmas Carol is my favourite Christmas movie so I wanted to pay tribute to it. Image Description: a photo of an American Girl doll wearing a Christmas dress with a snowman pattern on it standing next to a table with a pair of flocked Dickensian the Great Gonzo and Rizzo the rat Funko pops on it. There is a Christmas backdrop.

[alittlebitbethany]

Hi everybody for day 15 of A Very Dolly Christmas Countdown 2024 we have the lovely Elphaba Thropp relaxing in front of the fireplace petting a pink reindeer. After all pink goes good with green. Image Description: a photo of a Wicked Elphaba doll sitting on a sofa in front of a fireplace petting a pink reindeer on her lap.

[alittlebitbethany]

Hello everybody for day 16 of A Very Dolly Christmas Countdown we have the lovely Josefina dressed up for Christmas. Josefina is admiring a lantern with my name on it. I have trouble finding stuff with my name on it so this was a delightful surprise. Josefina’s dress was made by Angela W Doll Clothes. Image Description: a photo of an American Girl doll wearing a brown regency dress with a floral pattern on it, holding a lit golden lantern with an image of Father Christmas on it and the name Bethany. There is a Christmas backdrop.

[alittlebitbethany]

Hello everybody for day 13 of A Very Dolly Christmas Countdown 2024 Kirsten and I would like to wish our friends and followers who celebrate it a happy St Lucia’s Day. Kirsten is dressed in her St Lucia gown but I couldn’t find her wreath so I had to improve. Kirsten is very relieved that she will not have to try and wear my Mum’s Christmas centrepiece! Image Description: a photo of an American Girl doll wearing a white nightgown with a red sash and red hair ribbons. She is standing behind lit Christmas centrepiece decorated with icicles, bauble and pinecones. There is a Christmas backdrop.

[alittlebitbethany]

Hi everybody for day 9 of A Very Dolly Christmas Countdown 2024 we have Matilda my adorable and tiny BJD that I bought from LSJ dolls who is all dressed up for Christmas.Image Description: a photo of a brown haired BJD wearing a white top and a red and green skirt standing next to a lit up Christmas tree .

[alittlebitbethany]

Hi everybody for day 3 of A Very Dolly Christmas Countdown 2024 we have Mimi my #custom Barbie doll enjoying a candy cane cupcake from @orlaithsboutique . Image Description: a photo of a purple and pink haired Barbie wearing a a pink dress with candy canes on it, sitting in a chair holding a chocolate cupcake with a candy cane on it. There is a Christmas backdrop.

[alittlebitbethany]

Hi everybody for day 21 of A Very Dolly Christmas Countdown 2024 I have a photo of my Ballet Wishes Barbie performing as Clara in The Nutcracker. Image Description: a photo of a ballerina Barbie doll wearing a pink blue and purple ballet costume dancing and holding a nutcracker in her arms. The background is icy blue and cloudy.