#Los Angeles Christmas Tree Delivery

[mrgreentrees]

Mr. Greentrees

Our discerning Beverly Hills and Los Angeles clientele—families, designers, decorators and florists—have been coming to Mr. Greentrees for more than thirty years because they know they will find trees, wreaths and garlands unrivaled in quality and beauty.

Address: 8950 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069, USA Phone: 310-276–9827 Website: https://mrgreentrees.com

[troubatrain]

together by this christmas tree - p.l. dubois

a/n: happy december, so because The Maine’s Ho Ho Hopefully is a god tier Christmas song and I forgot how to write anything else heres like 5 words of just fluff. big shoutout to @prettyboybarzal​ for letting me just dump this fic on her for a few days so i could fuck around with the plot you are a queen!!

Pierre was in Los Angeles.

At any other time, he’d be pretty happy. The long West Coast road trip was one of Pierre’s favorites, he got to spend some time with his teammate’s, enjoy the warm weather, and play a few games that would hopefully end in a win. This time, however, he was sulking in his hotel room because he wished he was in Columbus. It was the first day of December, and Pierre knew that meant one thing - You were undoubtedly getting ready for the holiday season in whatever ways you knew how.

You stumbled into Pierre’s life by accident - literally. When Phillip was just a puppy, Pierre had taken him on a run. The French Bulldog pulled him with all his strength, causing you, who’d been looking at your phone to trip right over his leash. You assured Pierre it was fine, but while you were explaining to him that you had dogs growing up and sometimes shit happens your elbow had been bleeding before you could finish your sentence. Pierre offered to help you out, given his own apartment was barely a block away, and you’d been friends ever since. Friends. Just friends.

“Just tell her,” Tex says from the bed next to him, his road roommate having enough of watching Pierre sulk around their hotel room, “I’m tired of this.”

“Tired of what?” Pierre asks, his eyebrows raising. 

“This, the thinking about Y/N all the time,” Tex exasperates dramatically, he sighs, putting on his best impersonation of his teammate, “Y/N’s watching the dogs while I’m away. Y/N and I are trying that new French restaurant downtown. Y/N’s favorite holiday is Christmas and I’m not decorating with her. Dude, you’re in love with her, just tell her. I’m sure she feels the same way.”

“What if she doesn’t?” Pierre asks, finally admitting the real reason he’s yet to say anything. Pierre had been rejected a few times in his life, but he never let it get to him. That was because those people didn’t matter the way you did. You knew everything about him. You knew the way he took his coffee and the way he hated being woken up. You knew Pierre better than you knew yourself, and losing that was the first thing that’s ever really scared him.

“Well you won’t know if you don’t do something about it,” Tex sighs, frustrated with his two friends, “Or you’ve got to let her go.”

Tex walked out of their hotel room after he spoke, undoubtedly to get away from Pierre’s energy that was clouding the room. Pierre sighs, rolling over to the otherside of his bed and pulling up your contact. He did the math internally in his head for a moment, trying to figure out if you’d be asleep or not - smiling to himself when he realized you were probably still up. 

“Shouldn’t you be at some fancy LA restaurant?” You chirp, smiling on the other side of the phone when you pick up the Facetime call.  You were home, but Pierre could see two familiar figures snuggled together on her couch. You had become Pierre’s accidental dog sitter at the beginning of the season. He put finding one on the backburner, and when it came close to the start of the season, he was coming up empty. You offered three different times before Pierre finally came to his senses and said yes, not because he didn’t trust you, it was because if he had to watch his dogs love you as much as he does - he was never going to recover.

“Shouldn’t you be decorating for Christmas?” Pierre smirks, knowing exactly what the first day of December meant to his friend.

You loved Christmas, like in the type of way that made Pierre envious that anyone could be that happy from a holiday, and the first day of December was the day you went all out. A tree got put up in your apartment, a fake one because hauling a real one up to her place seemed like it would be too much, decorated elaborately in gold and white. You’d get dressed up in a set of Christmas pajamas, one’s that Pierre would scrunch his nose at but he secretly adored, and when he’d make fun of you for it - you’d just pout and call him a grinch.

“I thought I’d wait for you this year,” You mumble, hoping the lighting in your living room would hide the blush on your cheeks, “Speaking of Christmas…”

“I told you three times I don’t want anything,” Pierre reminds you, the argument sprung up twice a year, on Pierre’s birthday and the second the holiday season started. Pierre really had all he could want, his family and his friends were healthy, the team was doing well, and he could buy any material thing he wanted. His answer wasn’t a total lie, because he couldn’t think of anything he wanted besides you.

“You’re the worst,” You whine, throwing yourself back on the couch dramatically, Pierre watched Georgia spring up from next to you, the puppy dropping sloppy kisses all over your face. He thought about what Tex had rambled on about just before he called, that he had to just tell you, but you deserved it to be perfect. So he made a decision, he would tell you by Christmas and he’d spend every moment before that proving to you that he could be the man you deserved.

***

Pierre sighed, stepping back and looking at all of the pine needles that were scattered through his freshly washed BMW. He was going to have to get it cleaned, but the smile on your face would be worth it once he lugged that tree through your apartment building. It was part of his plan, one Tex had called stupid just three hours prior, but Pierre knew it wasn’t. You loved Christmas, and as much as you tried to never show it, you did always get a little bummed out that the tree in your apartment wasn’t real - something that not even the prettiest decorations could fix. So, Pierre decided he was going to fix it, and he was going to give you the best holiday you could ask for.

Pierre buzzed up to your apartment, the tree in his hands while he made his way up to your floor, holding up on his end of the promise he made to stop being a Grinch and help you decorate, “Special delivery.”

The snowman mug, undoubtedly filled with coffee and a tiny bit of sugar because that’s how you always drank it, slipping right out of your hands and onto the floor. The handle snapped off, but that seemed to take second place to the scene in front of you, “Is that-”

“A real tree? Uh yeah,” Pierre nods slowly, trying to not let the grin growing on his face show, “I know you say it’s not a big deal for your tree to be fake but-”

In all of the time you’d known Pierre, you were always his softer side. To the rest of the world, you almost seemed too sweet for the tattooed hockey player who wasn’t afraid to back down from a fight, but it wasn’t entirely true. Pierre had a softer side, one you’d seen shine through when he saw his mom or when a kid could stop him for an autograph, but they were never just random acts of kindness. You wrap your arms around his waist, taking a big sniff of the fresh pine scent that was sweeping through your apartment, “This might be the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”

“This is the nicest thing I’ve ever done for someone,” Pierre jokes, pressing a kiss to the side of your head, “Where are we putting this thing?”

Once you had the tree in the stand, it was time to get to work. The real reason you waited for Pierre wasn’t because his lack of holiday cheer was a crime, even though it was, it was because then you could hang up decorations using a ladder. Pierre was keeping the smile on his face, not because he was happy that he had a Santa hat hanging from his head or that he was untangling string lights for you while he wrapped them around the tree, but because you would show him every ornament you had with some sort of story as to why you bought it.

“Do you have a favorite ornament?” You ask, snapping a picture of Pierre’s confused face while he untangled the lights. He looked silly, the hat that you placed on his head was hanging off, his tongue poking out the side of his mouth while he tried to untangle the lights. He looked up at you, and you could see him thinking for a moment before he answered you.

“I do actually, I had this little Canadians skate that I used to steal off the tree to play with as a kid,” Pierre finally settled on, smiling to himself when he could practically see himself at seven trying to steal that ornament off the tree. His mother would scold him, and tell him there’s a million other things to play with but it just wasn’t that stupid plastic skate, “My mom used to get so mad at me for taking it but, I loved it.”

“So you didn’t always hate Christmas?” You tease, a giggle escaping through your lips.

“I don’t hate Christmas, I’m just not obsessed with it,” Pierre defends, “But maybe I liked it more when I was a kid.”

“Well be more like seven year old Luc, and get decorating,” You joke, tossing an ornament at him.

Three hours and two broken decorations later, the tree was propped up in the corner of your living room. It looked perfect, because there was nothing that could stop you from decorating that tree flawlessly, but Pierre was sincerely proud of himself for how much he’d actually helped. You were happy, standing in front of it with the gold star that went on top in your hand, “Well put it on.”

“Shouldn’t you do that?” Pierre asks before you shake your head no and try to hand him the topper. Pierre stays planted in his spot, knowing if he looked at you for just another minute you’d explain yourself.

“I’m too short to get up there and I don’t feel like getting out a ladder-” Pierre scoffed before you could finish your sentence, ducking down and hooking your legs over his shoulders without a second thought. You squeal, latching your hands on any part of him you could to stop yourself from losing your balance, “You could’ve just done it.”

“Hang up the star before I drop you,” Pierre teases, loosening his grip on your thighs like he was going to let you fall. Your laugh filled your apartment, and Pierre knew that had to be his favorite sound in the world. You place the star on top of the tree, Pierre stepping back so you could admire your work.

“Perfect?” You ask, your eyes scanning over the twinkling lights that seemed to just hang from the tree flawlessly. Pierre didn’t look at the tree before he answered, his eyes still trained on you.

“Yeah it’s perfect.”

***

The first snow in Columbus could not have come at a better time. Pierre had an afternoon game, and by the time he’d been out of the arena on his way back to his place, the snow was starting to just cover the ground. You had been at his place all afternoon, baking away pieces for a gingerbread house because you told Pierre buying one was unacceptable. You practically destroyed his kitchen, the counters covered in flour and pieces of gingerbread dough. You had Christmas music blasting over the speaker, lost in your own little world until you heard the door open.

“What happened in here?” Pierre asks, his suit jacket slipping off of his shoulders while he took in the sight in front of him. His kitchen was a mess, the dishes piled high in the sink while the entire place was flooded with the smell of gingerbread, “Did you rob a bakery?”

Pierre picked up the candy that was neatly placed in different cups on the counter. He looked at you with an amused smile on his face, “I didn’t come here to fuck around, and neither did you.”

With your words came a bright green apron for Pierre, he unrolled the fabric taking a deep breath and reminding himself that if he wanted you to know he cared about you, he was going to have to suck it up and build the damn house.

As it turns out, building the damn house was harder than Pierre thought. The cookie kept crumbling, the house kept sliding apart and Pierre couldn’t construct a roof to save his life. You, on the other hand, were working tireless at the most well constructed gingerbread house he’d ever seen. You were lost in your own little world, mouthing along to the Christmas music playing in the background. It would have been cute, and at any other time Pierre probably thought you were downright adorable, but not while another cookie broke in his hands.

“I can’t do this anymore,” Pierre growls, a pout on his face while he swiped the cookie crumbs from his hands.

You laugh at his disgruntled state, his back was hunched and his face was red. It was what he looked like after a bad game, except your friend who prided himself on acting like a tough guy was absolutely defeated by a simple gingerbread house. You drop the pastry bag that was in your hands, “You need to relax.”

“I am relaxed!” Pierre yells, stepping back in frustration, “It’s the house it won’t-”

“Luc, listen to yourself for a minute, it’s not the house’s fault,” You explain gently, you walk behind him and place both of your hands on each of his arms, “Try again and calm down.”

Pierre didn’t want to finish the house, but if your hands were on him he wasn’t going to tell you to take them off anytime soon. Your hands were wrapped around his arms lightly, your chin resting on his back while you peeked around his arm.  He grabbed the bag and you rolled your eyes at how tense he was, “Do you hold hockey sticks that tightly, jeez.”

Pierre turns around, giving you a glare and raising his eyebrows. You stifle a laugh, trying your best to keep it together despite how hilarious you found his mood to be, “Quit making fun of me and help me.”

“Okay, okay,” You nod, running your arm along Pierre’s arm while you watched him try and squeeze the frosting out of the bag, “Slower Luc.”

Don’t get a boner. Don’t get a boner. Don’t get a boner.

Pierre’s mind was racing, trying to drive his focus in the direction of the house, and not the fact that you were standing behind him. The air in the kitchen was thick, the same weird sexual tension that seemed to creep up when the two of you were alone for too long was back and stronger than ever. Your fingers ran along Pierre’s tattoos absentmindedly while you whispered simple directions that were turning Pierre’s brain to mush. He couldn’t think of anything else beside the fact that all he wanted was turn around and press his lips to yours, but he couldn’t just do that.

Your heart was beating out of your chest, while your logical side told you that you were simply telling Pierre how to build the silly little house and this shouldn’t feel so sexual - but it did. Pierre touched you all the time, a hand on your back while you guys were out, a kiss on the forehead whenever he hugged you and you never thought anything of it until you realized he didn’t do that with everyone. So you panicked, ignoring the little voice in the back of your head that reminded you that you wanted him, and pretending like it never happened. That wasn’t easy, and every minute you spent with Pierre you could feel yourself falling into him like it was the easiest thing in the world. 

The moment was ruined by the sound of a cookie sheet hitting the floor, and the sound of a scared puppy’s feet running away in fear. You both jumped, your hands flying off of Pierre when the realization that you were doing it again washed over you. You were letting yourself pretend like this could lead somewhere and that one day Pierre would choose you and it would all work itself out. Except that was just hope and hope wasn’t going to stop your heart from getting broken.

“You should shower, I’ll start cleaning,” You offer, moving around the kitchen to clean so you could hide the blush on your cheeks.

And a cold shower was probably what Pierre needed.

***

This wasn’t part of my Christmas activities.

You were whining while Pierre drove down to the arena, the Blue Jackets family skate was that afternoon and he insisted you went. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to go, but you couldn’t  stop yourself from reading into things. He’d never brought you to the skate before, so why now?

“Isn’t this on that silly list of Christmas activities?” Pierre reminds you, tapping your leg lightly with his free hand, “Or do you just not know how to skate or something?”

“Well…” You start, Pierre’s eyebrows raising while he focused on the road ahead of you, “I don’t-”

“You eat Christmas cheer for the entire month of December but you don’t know how to ice skate? When were you going to tell me?” Pierre teases, chuckling while he shook his head at you.

“It never came up!” You defend, crossing your arms at him for teasing you, “And I didn’t tell you for this exact reason.”

Pierre made fun of you for the rest of the ride, teasing you that you should skate with his teammate’s kids who were practically toddlers and were probably better than you were. You walked into the arena behind Pierre, immediately smiling at the familiar faces of his teammates and their families. You made your way to his stall, Pierre telling you to sit he could get your skates laced up. You bit your lip, watching his hands work at the laces as delicately as he could. You were sure he was rougher with his own, but Pierre’s touch was always light as a feather with you.

“Too tight?” Pierre asks, breaking out of your trance from his too big veiny hands.

“No it’s fine,” You squeak out, and you could hear Tex snickering to himself next to you.

Pierre wasn’t a bad teacher for someone who almost tossed a gingerbread house across his apartment just a week prior. He was slow, his fingers laced with yours while he pulled you along and tried to help you skate on your own. It was a failure, and you looked like a baby deer trying to walk for the first time, but Pierre refused to believe you couldn’t get better. 

“You guys disgust me,” Tex chirps, hopping onto the bench next to you while you watch Pierre play tag with Savvy’s kids. You raise your eyebrows, waiting for an explanation, “You’re both so disgustingly in love with each other why won’t you just admit it?”

“Because Pierre’s going to find someone else who won’t be me,” You sigh, picking at your nails. You told Tex this once before, when you were wine drunk and sad about the date Pierre was on, “He’s just my friend.”

Tex wanted to scream, lock you both into a room and force you to talk about your feelings. He wasn’t going to do that, because he didn’t want to be the demise of what he thought might actually be something, but god did he want to. You both were frustrating the hell out of him, and if Pierre didn’t nut up soon he was going to take matters into his own hands by New Years.

“You don’t know that, if you told him-” Tex tries his hardest to reason with you, make you see that it’s worth the jump because Pierre was on the other side waiting for you.

“So he can flat out reject me and never speak to me again? Really I’m good,” You huff out, swinging your leg over the boards to get back onto the ice. You were doing okay, until you started to push yourself forward. Two steps later, you were on your way to face plant into the ice until you felt two arms wrap around your waist.

“Easy there,” Pierre laughs, stopping you just before you fell, “You’re not an expert now.”

“You’re such a bully,” You tease, avoiding Tex’s gaze when Pierre intertwined your fingers to pull you across the ice. Tex watched you both, the shared laughs and longing stares were just proof to him that if people did have one person for them, you were it for each other.

Only if you could get it through your heads. 

***

The Savard’s threw a bigger Christmas party than you’d ever seen before in your life. You loved David and his wife, given Pierre introduced you to them as his adoptive parents the first time you ever came over for dinner with him. It was your favorite version of Pierre, the one who let David’s kids paint his nails and color the black and white ink on his arms. You walked up the well decorated driveway, your heels clicking against the pavement while you made your way inside.

“You need to go see your boy in the kitchen,” You hear Seth call over to you, grabbing your attention as soon as you walk into the house. You wave hello first, making your way into the kitchen to see a sight that you were most definitely not expecting.

Pierre was sitting on a candy cane throne, a big Santa hat on his head and equally as red suit to match. He had one of Nick’s kids on his lap, listening to the little boy about the train set he’d been writing to Santa about since Thanksgiving. Your heart grew about four sizes at the sight, you walked over and tapped Pierre on the shoulder, “Can I borrow Santa for a minute?”

“Are you Mrs. Claus?” The question was a simple one, and the two big brown eyes that were looking up at you were the only thing that didn’t stop you from saying yes.

“Mrs. Claus huh?” Pierre teases, pulling you onto his lap while you watched Nick’s son make his way back to his mother.

“I wasn’t about to ruin his Christmas,” You shook your head, running a hand over the white fur on the jacket Pierre was wearing, “How’d you get sucked into this?”

“I was going to say no, but then I knew you’d at least laugh at me,” Pierre admits, a blush creeping up his neck. His hands were wrapped securely around your waist like for a moment he could just pretend like he had you, “Wanna tell the big guy what you want for you Christmas.”

“Hmm, nothing,” You settle on, “And you won’t know until you finally tell me what you want.”

The sound of cheers flooded the kitchen, and when you went to look at what all of the ruckus was about you realized that you were the ruckus. Seth had a shit eating grin on his face while he held the mistletoe above your heads. You knew you were flush, the heat on your cheeks made it clear while Pierre looked like he was a pale as a ghost. He planted a kiss on your cheek, telling Seth to fuck off before you pushed yourself off of him, muttering an excuse about needed to use the bathroom. 

You had your palms against the sink while you tried to catch your own breath. This was the reason you never made a move, because you knew it wouldn’t end in some sort of heartbreak. It was clear Pierre didn’t want to kiss you, and that was enough for you to let him go forever. You wiped the tears that were welling up in your eyes, deciding that when you walked out that door Pierre was your friend and your friend only.

“Where are you going?” Pierre caught your arm when you tried to leave the party, the idea of going home for a good cry was far better than a rowdy holiday party. He looked insane, his eyes wild while he panted to catch his breath after he searched the house in a panic for you.

“Home, I’m just not feeling well-” You come up with an excuse fast, hoping the quicker you spoke the quicker you could get out of there.

“Is this about Seth? I’ll kick the shit out of him,” Pierre promises, latching onto anything that would fix your mood.

Your feelings were something Pierre was an expert at, probably because he never seemed to take his eyes off of you. He knew when you were upset just from your body language alone and you were definitely not happy. Was it from Seth trying to force the idea that you should be together or was it that he didn’t kiss you? It had to be the first, because if it was the latter then Pierre fucked up his entire plan to make you see that he loved you.

“No it’s fine, really I just think I should go,” You were begging Pierre not to fight you on this, so he wasn’t going but he was going to be damned if he let you slip through his fingers.

“Stay, Tex and I were about to sing Christmas karaoke,” Pierre offers, dragging out his words, “I’ll let you pick the song.”

Pierre and Tex ended up serenading you with the worst rendition of All I Want For Christmas Is You you’d ever heard. Their dance moves were a crime, and they were definitely the two most tone deaf people you have ever met, but their heart was in the right place. The mistletoe incident was forgotten for the moment, your attention directed at the silly drinking games you were playing with your friends. You sat on the kitchen counter in the Savard’s home, your head leaning on Pierre’s shoulder after you’d taken your fourth shot in the span of an hour. A hangover was definitely on the horizon, but for the time it wasn’t going to kill your buzz.

“I hate when you do that you know?” You poke Pierre’s side, grabbing his attention from the crowd of people in the kitchen.

“Do what?” Pierre asks, a bold hand landing on your thigh.

“Make everything better somehow, it’s pretty fucking annoying Luc,” You tease, taking a look at his face for a moment. Pierre smiled before he answered you, the kind where his teeth would show and you could see his little vampire teeth you loved so much.

“I’ll always make it better Y/N.”

***

You’re coming over right?

Pierre sighs at your question, your voice flooding the speaker in his car while he drove home from his game. It was December 23rd, and he wanted to sneak in a nap before his middle of the night flight to Montreal to see his parents for Christmas. He’d just finished an afternoon game, one where the team lost and Torts lost his mind on them before he shipped them off to Christmas break tired and angry, but he wasn’t going to miss out on seeing you before Christmas. He made a promise to himself he’d tell, come clean once he felt like you knew he loved you. Maybe you did, and if you didn’t you were in for one hell of a surprise.

Pierre took a quick right in the direction of your place, deciding you couldn’t wait any longer. His brain was switched to autopilot and when he opened your apartment door with the key you gave him forever ago, he realized what this was. You were sitting on the couch, a gift box in your hand that was undoubtedly for him and it hit Pierre like a freight train.

He didn’t get you anything.

Pierre could’ve punched himself, calling out every name in the book because he was an idiot. He spent so much time focusing on spending time with you, and going along with all of your silly little Christmas things that he didn’t even realize he forgot to get you a gift at all. Pierre just knew whatever was in that bag was thoughtful and perfect, and he was walking in empty handed.

“Open it!” You exclaim, your excitement couldn’t be contained. Honestly, you were surprised you made it this far without spilling the beans about the gift. 

You hand Pierre the box, and he opens it slowly, pulling the top of the box off and gasping at what was inside. The skate ornament was the same as the one he mentioned when you were decorating your tree, the blue and red Canadians logo faded a bit, “Is this…?”

“I called your mom and asked her for it,”  You admit sheepishly, a little embarrassed to admit just how often you did talk to Pierre’s parents. He didn’t call often, mostly because he simply would forget, so his mother would start just calling you instead, “I know it’s silly but I thought maybe it’d remind you that the holidays aren’t all bad-”

“I love it, it’s perfect,” Pierre whispers, letting the ornament dangle from his large hand, “I fucked up, I uh, shit, I forgot to get you something.”

You laugh, practically falling to the floor while the giggles take over your body, “Luc, you sucked it up all month for me that’s enough.”

“It’s not, I did all of this so you’d know that I loved you and when I told you it would make sense,” Pierre starts to ramble, pacing around your apartment, “And I couldn’t even be bothered to remember to get you a damn gift.”

“You love me?” You repeat, just to make sure you’d gotten clear what’s been up with him since the start of the month. You felt the shift, the extra acts of kindness that just weren’t normal for him, but you knew if you read into it you might end up disappointed.

“I’m hopelessly in love with you, like one of those romantic Christmas movies you love so much,” Pierre admits, looking at you with the softest eyes you’d ever seen. You stood in front of him, dumbfounded that your best friend just told you he loved you, “Please say something.”

“Do you know what I want for Christmas?” You ask, taking a bold step forward and wrapping your arms around Pierre’s neck, “This year I want you alone.”

Pierre closed the gap between the two of you, and it felt like the entire world had stopped. The bustling city outside didn’t matter, Pierre’s flight in a few hours didn’t matter, and the brutal loss he’d taken hours later was on the backburner. Right now, Pierre’s hands were wrapped around your waist while your lips were pressed against his and he would have rather died than let go of you in that moment.

“So I don’t have to get you a gift right?”

“No you still do, but you can kiss me again first.”

[pucking-insane]

All I Want For Christmas Is You - Alex Turcotte

Player: Alex Turcotte Words: 670 Warnings: Christmas

Thank God it was Friday. You could go home, put on pajamas, and cuddle with your boyfriend all weekend until he had a practice or a game. 

All you had to do was survive the drive home. That was the one thing you hated about living in Los Angeles. The traffic was horrendous. A drive that in other places would take a half an hour could sometimes take you anywhere from an hour to two and a half hours depending on rush hour traffic. 

After literally 5 minutes of driving, you encountered the rush hour traffic. Cars were at a standstill. You checked your phone to see how long Google thought it would take you to get home. 

ETA: 5:47pm

You glanced over at the clock. 4:25 pm. Great. Absolutely wonderful.

You shout a quick text to Alex letting him know when you’d be home.

Y/N Traffic is pretty bad. I’ll be home by 6.

Alex <3 Yikes. I’ll be waiting for you. Delivery pizza sound good for dinner?

Y/N Honestly I could just drink wine and I’d be content But sure order a pizza.

Alex <3 Alright  Lemme know when you’re 20 minutes away

Y/N I love you

Alex <3 Love you too babe

When you finally pulled into the parking garage of your apartment complex, you put the car in park and leaned your head back. Finally.

You took the elevator up to your floor and walked up to your door. You slid the key into the door and unlocked it. 

What you opened the door to find was the strangest sight. The delivery pizza had already arrived, and was sitting on the kitchen counter, unopened. Alex was in the living room, with a Santa hat covering his dark curls, setting up the Christmas tree. That wasn’t unusual. If Alex didn’t have a game, he was normally home before you. However, it was what he was singing that was strange. 

His phone was connected to a bluetooth speaker and Mariah Carey was blasting through it. 

“I won’t make a list and send it To the North Pole for St Nick I won’t even stay awake To hear those magic reindeer click.”

Alex was belting. And I mean BELTING. When he noticed you were watching him once he put the last part of the tree together, he grabbed you by the hands and pulled you into the living room, still singing. He got you to dance with him and even sing a little.

“All the lights are shining So brightly everywhere And the sound of children’s  laughter fills the air

And everyone is singing I hear those sleigh bells ringing Santa won’t you bring me  the one I really need  won’t you please bring my baby to me!”

When you were eating your pizza once you had put on your pajamas (which consisted of a pair of sweats and a Kings sweatshirt that belonged to Alex), you asked him about what you had just witnessed. 

“I put your Christmas playlist on shuffle and it just came up.” Alex explained with a smile. 

“Uh huh.” You said, your mouth full of pizza, legs curled up on the couch.

“I didn’t think you were gonna be home so soon so I just started singing.”

“Right.” You said dragging out the i.

“I’m serious, Y/N.”

“Uh huh.”

“It’s the truth!”

“Whatever.” You sighed. 

“Hey, hey, hey.” Alex pulled you closer to him. “What’s the matter?”

“I just had a rough week at work and now you’re bullying me.”

“I’m bullying you?” He questions, looking down at you. “Says the one who made fun of me for singing Mariah Carey.” He takes your plate from you and sets it on the coffee table. Then, with a devilish smirk, he starts to tickle you.

“But. It. Was. So. Cute. Alex.” You say as he tickles you.

He stops and places a soft kiss on your lips.

“Good. Because I’m pretty cute.”

“I love you, you dork.”

“I love you too, weirdo.”

[paulisded]

The Ledge #456: Lockdown Christmas

Everybody's favorite holiday tradition is back as once again The Ledge annual Christmas show brings you the best rockin' holiday tunes in this supersized show! What's great about this show is that it's not a show relying on tunes from the past. The vast majority of the tracks aired in this episode are brand new releases, including many tracks from Big Stir Record's The Yuletide Wave and Gutter Pop Record's A Gutter Box Christmas Carol. There are also a ton of standalone releases by the likes of Nicole Atkins, Bleached, Nick Piunti & the Complicated Men, Sedan Delivery, and many more.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who listsens to this show week after week. My greatest wish is for all of you to have the greatest holiday season in history, and let's make 2021 the year that causes us to forget about what happened this year.

After listening, please go purchase those tracks you enjoy! These great artists deserve to be compensated for their hard work, and every purchase surely helps not only pay their bills but fund their next set of wonderful songs. You can find this show at almost any podcast site, including iTunes and Stitcher...orCLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. Sedan Delivery, Lockdown Christmas 2. Mark Lanegan, Burn The Flames 3. Calexico, Christmas All Over Again 4. Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets, Let It Snow 5. Juliana Hatfield, Christmas Cactus (brown mix) 6. Nicole Atkins, Every Single Christmas 7. Nick Frater, Wash Your Hands Of Christmas 8. Kimberley Rew & Lee Cave-Berry, All I Want Is You For Christmas 9. The Bobbleheads, Groovy Time Of Year 10. Anton Barbeau, Xmas Song 11. The Decibels, Angels We Have Heard On High 12. The Stillsouls, Wasting All Her Christmas Time 13. The Brothers Steve, I Love The Christmastime! 14. Alex Lahey, Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight) 15. Bleached, Jingle Bells 16. The Joy Formidable, My Beerdrunk Soul is Sadder than a Hundred Dead Christmas Trees 17. The Dollyrots, Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) 18. Prima Donna, Gimme Christmas 19. Justine's Black Threads, Angels We Have Heard On High 20. Berk/Lehane, An Irishman For Christmas 21. Heatwaves, What Will Santa Bring 22. Heatwaves, Xmas Mom 23. Classic Ruins, Scrooge's Body Shop 24. Stop Calling Me Frank, Some Kind Of Christmas 25. Dave Del Monte & The Cross County Boys, Drag Racing Santa 26. Nick Piunti & The Complicated Men, Christmas Morning 27. The Empty Hearts, Joyful Noise 28. Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts, Merry Xmas Everybody 29. Pavid Vermin, The First Noel 30. Vista Blue, Away in a Manger 31. Follow Ups, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear 32. Ricobells, Hark the Herald Angels Sing 33. Atoms, O Christmas Tree 34. Jagger Holly, Holiday Without You 35. THE BEATOPHONICS A Very Merry Christmas 36. THE CRYSTAL FURS, Drinking Alone on Christmas 37. The Mockers, (There's No War On Christmas) When Christmas Is In Your Heart 38. The Yule Logs, Up All Night 39. The Myrrhderers, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas 40. Lucinda Williams, Run Run Rudolph

[glorious-spoon]

Warm and Bright

For a prompt by @alessandriana, who asked for Agent carter, Jack (/peggy/Daniel), Holidays and h/c. I hope this suits!

Also on AO3: Warm and Bright

*

December in Los Angeles was rather its own thing, Peggy thought as she pulled the afghan more securely around her shoulders. It wasn’t quite the damp chill of England during the winter months, but she’d become accustomed, during the years she’d spent in New York, to a dusting of snow and a crisp bite in the air to herald Christmas.

In Los Angeles, it was pouring. The neighbors’ lawns had gone soggy and brown, the trees drooping sadly as rain pounded them and the pavement, collecting the earth in muddy rivulets that snaked down the slanting street to pool in the gutters beneath. When Jack had driven her home from the doctor’s earlier, they’d plowed through nearly a foot of water in some of the lower dips of the road. It was almost impossible to believe that this was the same sun-scorched landscape that she’d flown into this past summer.

Behind her, the front door creaked open, then shut. The sound of rain on the roof nearly masked Daniel’s footsteps, but she could hear the faint clack of his crutch as it hit the floor. She pulled her feet up under her, making room for him on the porch swing, and curled into the welcome heat of his body when he settled down beside her. After a moment, she coughed, miserably.

“Kinda cold to be hanging around outside, don’t you think?” Daniel said eventually. His voice wasn’t judgmental, but there was a thread of something that might have been amusement, or perhaps worry. Or both.

“Hmph,” Peggy mumbled, but she allowed him to tuck the blanket tighter around her without protest. It wasn’t really that cold, but Daniel was right. She probably should have been in bed. “If I had to spend another moment staring at the same four walls and being fussed over, I was going to throw a vase at Jack’s head, or something equally undignified.”

She could feel Daniel’s smile where his cheek pressed against her forehead. “That would have been entertaining.”

“Very funny.”

“Sorry,” he said. “Hell of a way to spend the holidays.”

“Don’t be. I’ve never—” She broke off coughing again. Daniel didn’t even try to pull away, just rubbed a warm, soothing hand between her shoulders until it subsided. Peggy wiped her streaming eyes and continued hoarsely, “I’ve never been much of a one for making a fuss over Christmas anyway.”

What she didn’t say: her mother spent every Christmas after Michael’s death sobbing over the plum pudding, and after a certain point it was quite a bit less miserable to avoid the whole business. The end result was the same, regardless.

“Company couldn’t be better,” Daniel agreed easily, and didn’t ask. He didn’t need to. They all had their ghosts.

“Does that include Jack?”

Behind them, the door opened again and Jack drawled, “I’m touched, Carter. Here, shove over. I brought you something.”

“If it’s another cup of tea, I really will throw it at your head.”.

“You’re lousy at playing the invalid, you know that?”

“As if you’re one to talk.” Daniel laughed softly above her head as she shifted over to make room for Jack on the swing. “I seem to recall tracking you through 110 degree heat when you had recently suffered a sucking chest wound because you were getting, what was it—stir crazy.”

“I’m being paid back for that now, believe me,” Jack said, settling on the bench beside her. He wasn’t quite close enough to touch, but she could still feel the warmth of his body as he shifted around to hand her a mug. “Here. Peace offering, no tea involved at all, I promise.”

“What is it?” Peggy asked, accepting it. The porcelain was cool to the touch; the contents were creamy and liberally sprinkled with spice.

“Eggnog. Gam-gam’s recipe, heavy on the rum.”

“Should she be drinking that now?” Daniel asked, but Peggy was already tasting it. It was cool and sweet on her tongue, soothing her sore throat. She took another, longer drink, then looked up at Jack. He was watching her with an expression that was clearly trying not to look anxious.

“It’s good,” she said. “Thank you.”

His face softened a little. “Anytime, Peggy.”

From her other side, Daniel said, “I don’t suppose you brought me any, did you?”

“Delivery service for invalids only,” Jack said, and let out a breath of laughter when Peggy elbowed him in the side, none too gently. “The rest of the pitcher is in the kitchen if you want some.”

“Maybe in a little bit.” Daniel looped an arm around her; she could tell without lifting her head, but she thought he might be resting his hand on Jack’s shoulder on her other side, with Peggy snugged comfortably between them. Rain dripped from the eaves as the wet dusk faded away into night, but here on the porch it was cozy and warm.

[trashcanreddiefan]

The 4th Annual Losers’ Club Christmakkah Celebration 2/2

Summary: The Losers gather for their fourth annual Christmakkah celebration, and this time Richie and Eddie get a Christmakkah surprise.

Word Count: 3240-ish for part 2. (LOL each story got progressively longer)

Warnings: Usual Trashmouth swearing.

Author’s Note: Post-Chapter 2. All of the Losers are alive in this fic, including Stan, because canon can suck it. Final part in the series, unless I get some other ideas. Part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, beginning of 4th part here.

CROSS-POSTED AT AO3.

The next three weeks flew by and before Richie knew it, the day before Christmakkah had arrived.

Earlier that day he and Eddie had finished setting up the baby's room, hung the stockings they had monogrammed with each of the Losers & Jr. Losers' names on the fireplace, and pre-made a broccoli-rice casserole and 4 different kinds of pie.

He, Bill, Stan, Patty, Bev, Ben, and Mike were all sitting in the living room, watching Olivia and Burke play with some toy cars when the doorbell rang.

"That must be Bill & Audra," Richie said. "I'll get it."

He walked over to the door and opened it. "Hey guys," he greeted Bill and Audra before scooping Max up in a hug. "Max-a-million, how are you, little dude?" 

Max squished Richie's cheeks together with his tiny hands. "Fishy!"

Richie immediately sucked his cheeks in to make fish faces at Max, who giggled.

"Come on in," Richie said before calling out towards the kitchen, "babe, Bill and Audra are here!"

"Coming!" Eddie replied. "Just gotta get these pies out of the oven!"

"Eds insisted on making the pies himself," Richie explained. "No store-bought pies for him."

"You don't know what kind of artificial crap they put in the fillings," Eddie said with a huff as he joined them in the foyer. "Homemade just tastes better."

"My own little Betty Crocker," Richie joked.

"Unca Ed!" Max screeched happily, reaching his little hands out to Eddie.

"Hey guys," Eddie greeted Bill & Audra before taking Max from Richie. "And hey there, Max! How are you, buddy?"

Richie grinned. It always warmed his heart to see how great Eddie was with kids. He wasn't even jealous that Eddie was Max's favorite uncle -- especially since Richie was Olivia's, much to Stan's consternation.

"Burke and Olivia are here, you want to go play with them?"

"Yeah!" Max clapped his hands.

"Sorry we're late," Audra said. "Max took a longer nap than anticipated today."

"It's fine," Richie replied. "We're all just sitting around and are just gonna order something in for dinner tonight anyway."

"We went ahead and brought the gifts over tonight so we wouldn't have as much to bring tomorrow," Bill said. "Richie, you wanna help me bring them in?"

"Yeah, sure man."

Richie and Bill walked out to Bill's car, each grabbing a box full of gifts and bringing them in.

"Hey, everyone," Bill greeted.

"So, Richie, Eddie was telling us you guys finished the baby's room," Audra said as Richie set his box of gifts down next to the tree.

"Yeah, we finished painting last week and got most of his decorations up, and the furniture was delivered yesterday," Eddie replied. "Which is good, because we wanted to finish the room before the holidays since we're going to be busy until after the new year."

"You guys went with a sea life motif, right?" Patty asked. 

"Yeah, Richie actually found this cute crib set with a bunch of turtles on it, so we centered the theme around that."

"Have you decided on a name?" Bev chimed in. "I want to get something monogrammed for him."

Richie huffed out a laugh as Eddie narrowed his eyes at him. "We're still discussing it."

Eddie scoffed. "Only because someone keeps insisting that we name him Edison!"

"Well excuse me if I want to name my son after the love of my life--"

"OHHHHKAY!" Stan interrupted. "So still working on that, gotcha. Well, now that Bill and Audra are here, how about we order some dinner? It was a long flight and I'm starving."

********************************************************************

After dinner, Richie put on A Muppet Christmas Carol for the kids to watch while the adults sat and talked.

He got up from where he had been snuggled against Eddie. "I'll be right back."

"Okay," Eddie replied.

Richie walked into the kitchen when Eddie's phone, which had been sitting on the counter, suddenly started to ring.

Without even looking at the caller ID Richie answered. "Y'ello?"

"Yes, is this Mr. Edward Kaspbrak-Tozier?" the voice on the other end replied.

"This is his husband, can I help you?"

"Oh yes…" She paused as if checking something. "Richard?"

"Yep, what can I do you for?"

"My name is Monica, I'm from the Los Angeles Center for Women. You're listed as the contacts for a Sarah Peters?" 

"Yeah, she's our surrogate."

"Mr. Kaspbrak-Tozier, I'm calling to inform you that she's been admitted to the hospital in labor--"

"We'll be right there," Richie said then immediately hung up. 

"EDDIE!" he yelled as he ran into the living room. "Sarah's in labor. Hospital. Now. Gotta go." 

Eddie looked up at Richie in surprise then jumped up. "Ok, ok, you get the hospital bag, I'll go start the car."

Richie ran upstairs and grabbed the bag they had packed for the hospital, silently praising his husband's tendency to prepare weeks in advance.

He ran downstairs to find all the Losers gathering Eddie in a hug.  

Ben pulled him into the group embrace. "Go welcome your son, guys."

"Let us know when he arrives, no matter what time it is," Stan added.

"We've got things handled here," chimed in Bev.

Richie sniffled. "Thanks, guys."

He and Eddie made their way to Eddie's Acura RDX. Not only had Richie insisted that they take his vehicle over Richie's Mustang because of course Eddie had bought the SUV with the highest safety rating, but Eddie also had a built-in knack for being able to avoid traffic on the freeway by taking back roads, so it made the most sense for him to drive. 

Plus Richie was too nervous to drive, but he wouldn't admit that. 

He ran a hand through his hair. "Sarah's not due for another two weeks, how the hell can she be in labor now?"

Eddie glanced over at Richie as he pulled out of their neighborhood. "Pregnancy isn't an exact science, Rich. It's all about estimated dates and whatnot."

"Holy shit, holy shit, we're about to have a kid, Eddie." He huffed out a breath. "A living, breathing human that we'll have to take care of and raise."

Eddie reached over and grabbed Richie's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You'll be a great dad, Richie."

They made it to the hospital in record time, Eddie throwing the car into park and grabbing the bag before he and Richie ran into the hospital.

The nurse at the reception desk looked up at them. "Yes, may I help you?"

"Yes, we're here for Sarah Peters, she was admitted a while ago? She's our surrogate," Eddie explained. "We're Edward and Richard Kaspbrak-Tozier."

The nurse typed a few keys on her keyboard. "Ahh, yes, she's in room 226. Go around to this left side and take the elevator to the 2nd floor, you'll find Labor & Delivery. Someone will check you in."

Richie and Eddie made their way to the second floor, getting passes at the Labor & Delivery reception desk.

Eddie gently knocked on the door to Sarah's room, hearing a 'come in' before opening the door. 

Richie followed behind.

Sarah sat in a hospital bed, IV in her arm and heart monitor wrapped around her stomach. She smiled when she saw them. "Hey guys, you made it."

"Hey, Sarah, how are you feeling?" Eddie asked, moving to look at the monitors. "Richie hung up on the nurse before he asked any questions."

Richie listened as Sarah explained what had happened -- she was at her sister's house when her water broke, so her sister had driven her to the hospital and would be with her while she gave birth. "Apparently it's going to be a while, so she went downstairs to get something to eat and will be back in a bit." 

A few minutes into their visit, a nurse came into the room. She stopped when she saw Eddie. "Eddie? Oh my gosh, it's so good to see you! What are you doing here?" she said with surprise and glee.

"This is my baby-- Well, my husband's and my baby," Eddie explained. "Sarah's our surrogate."

He turned to Richie. "Rich, this is Nikki, remember I told you about her? We were in nursing school together."

"Oh yeah, I remember you mentioning her. Hi," Richie said.

"Oh my gosh, you must be Eddie's husband! He's told me so much about you. Congratulations!"

"Thanks. We're very excited."

"I bet!"

Richie sort of tuned out while Nikki explained more in detail about Sarah's progression. "Ok, I'll be back in a bit to check on you, ok? Congrats again, Eddie. Richie, nice to finally meet you!"

"You too."

Shortly after Nikki left Sarah's sister, Beth, came back. "Hi, you must be Richie and Eddie. It's so nice to finally meet you two. Sarah's talked about you guys a lot."

"Thanks," Richie replied. "Nice to meet you too."

They stayed with Sarah for a few hours, stepping out of the room around 11 PM when the doctor decided to let Sarah get some rest since she hadn't progressed much.

They walked to the labor & delivery waiting area and found a couple of seats in a quiet corner.

"Um, so I guess we need to actually decide on a name," Richie said once they got settled. "I was looking online this morning and I think I found one we can both agree on."

Richie told Eddie his name choice and nervously chewed his lip while Eddie mulled it over.

Finally, Eddie nodded. "Ok. But I choose his middle name, no arguments."

Richie smiled. "Okay."

*********************************

Shortly after 6 AM, Richie was abruptly shaken awake from a doze. "Whazzat?" he mumbled.

Eddie was kneeling in front of Richie, holding 2 cups of coffee. "Rich, honey, it's time. Sarah's about to start pushing."

Richie sat straight up. "She is?"

Eddie grinned. "Yep." He handed Richie one of the cups. "Here, I went downstairs to the coffee shop."

Richie gratefully took the cup. "Oh, bless you. You're an angel, Eds."

Eddie stood up and took his seat next to Richie, linking the fingers of his free hand with Richie's. "Just think, we'll get to meet our son soon."

Richie beamed at the thought. "Still okay with the name we chose?"

Eddie nodded. "It's perfect."

About 10 minutes later, Nikki came into the waiting room and walked straight towards them. Richie and Eddie both stood when they saw her. "Is he here?" Eddie asked.

Nikki broke into a grin. "Yep, he's here!"

"Can we see him yet? How's Sarah doing?"

"Give it about 20 minutes while we finish cleaning the baby up and getting his vitals, but both he and Sarah are fine."

Eddie nodded. "Okay, just please let us know when we're able to go see him."

"Sure will. Congrats again on your baby boy, guys!"

Once Nikki had left, Eddie pulled their bag out from under his chair. "I'm gonna go clean up a bit and brush my teeth before we go see the baby. I'll be right back."

"Ok," Richie replied. "I'll let everyone know that the baby is here."

With shaking hands, he sent out a text to the Losers group chat. Guys, he's here. Eddie and I have a son!

Stan, who was usually up early even when he wasn't 2 time zones away from his norm, was the first to reply. Congratulations, guys. We'll all swing by once everyone's awake.

Ok, sounds good, Richie replied.

Eddie came back pretty quickly, so Richie grabbed his toothbrush and went to clean up as well. Not long after he came back, Nikki came back into the waiting room. "Ok, Dads, you guys ready?"

Richie grabbed Eddie's hand and gave it a squeeze. They followed Nikki back to the room Sarah and the baby had been moved to, where Sarah was holding a tiny bundle.

Sarah gave them an exhausted, but soft, smile. "Hey guys, come meet your son."

The second Richie laid eyes on him he burst into tears. 

Eddie, whose eyes were also glistening, wrapped an arm around Richie as they peered at their child. 

Sarah held the baby out. "Want to hold him?"

"Rich? You want to hold him first?" Eddie asked.

"No, you go ahead," Richie sniffled. "I'm so shaky right now that I'm afraid I'd drop him."

Eddie gently took the baby, who made a displeased noise at being disturbed.

Richie gave a watery laugh and looked over Eddie's shoulder. "Aww Eds, he's just like you -- small and angry."

Eddie gave him a fond glare as he gently rocked the baby. 

"So did you guys pick a name?" Sarah asked.

Richie and Eddie looked at each other before Eddie smiled and nodded. "Yeah, we did."

Sarah grinned at the name. "Aww, that's perfect."

Eddie turned back to Richie. "Rich? You ready to hold him?"

Richie, who had calmed down somewhat, nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready."

Eddie passed the baby to him. "Here you go, sweetheart."

Richie held back a gasp as the baby's eyes blinked open and he gave a tiny yawn. "Look, he's looking at me! Well hello there," he cooed. "Oh my God, I love you already."

He sat down next to Eddie on the couch. "Here, let me take your picture with him," Beth, who had been sitting in the chair next to Sarah's bed, offered.

Eddie handed her his phone and scooted closer to Richie, wrapping one arm around Richie's shoulder and placing the other on Richie's leg. 

Richie moved his arms so the baby's face would be in the picture and tilted his head next to Eddie's. "Our first family photo," he murmured.

Beth took several pictures -- one of Richie and Eddie looking at the camera, one of them looking at each other over the baby, and another of them both looking at the baby.

She had just handed Eddie his phone back when Richie felt his vibrate in his pocket.

"Everyone's awake," Eddie reported. "Bill wants to know if they can come meet the baby."

Richie chuckled. "Sarah? You up for our crazy family to come by?"

Sarah nodded. "Yeah, actually I'm feeling pretty good right now. I got a good bit of sleep before the baby came."

Richie watched as Eddie texted back an affirmative and the room number.

"Ok, they'll be here in about an hour. Just gotta finish getting the kids dressed and wait for Bill and Audra to pick them up."

"In that case, I'm going to run home for a bit, shower and change," Beth said. "I'll be back."

While they were waiting for the Losers to arrive, the hospital administrator came by to have the necessary paperwork regarding the baby's birth filled out. All of the paperwork regarding the surrogacy and parental rights had already been completed, so Eddie filled out the form for the baby's birth certificate, listing himself and Richie as the baby's parents. "There, now you're officially a Kaspbrak-Tozier, aren't you?" Richie cooed to his son. 

He had just handed the baby back to Eddie when there was a knock on the door.  Mike's head poked in. "Hi, can we come in?"

"Mike, hey, yeah," Eddie replied. "Come on in."

One by one, the Losers and their offspring filed in. 

Olivia ran over to Richie and plopped a small blue giraffe in his lap. "Unca Ichie, we 'bought a 'raffe!" she said.

"You did?" Richie said with faux surprise. "Is that for the baby?"

Olivia nodded.

"Aww well thank you, I'm sure he's going to love it."

"This is Sarah, our surrogate," Eddie gestured toward Sarah with an elbow. "Sarah, this is our rather unconventional family."

"Hi," Sarah said. "It's nice to meet you all."

The Losers all greeted Sarah, inquiring about her well-being before turning their attention to the baby.

"Everyone," Eddie said with a smile, "meet Edwin Richard Kaspbrak-Tozier."

Richie grinned at the collective 'aww' sounds all the adults were making.

"I absolutely love his name, guys," Beverly added then grinned. "Now gimmie my nephew."

Eddie laughed and handed him over, letting Beverly sit.

"Oh my goodness, he's adorable." Beverly looked over at Sarah. "I just want to tell you thank you. You have no idea how much we all appreciate what you've done for Richie and Eddie."

Sarah nodded. "My parents had me via a surrogate, so this is my way of paying it forward."

After everyone had a brief turn to hold Edwin, they gave Richie and Eddie hugs and filed back out silently, careful not to wake Sarah, who had fallen asleep not long before.

"By the way, happy anniversary, you two," Audra whispered as she handed Edwin back to Richie. "Looks like you guys got the ultimate anniversary gift."

She gave Richie and Eddie each a kiss on the cheek, gave Edwin one last touch on his hand, and bade them goodbye before leaving.

Richie adjusted Edwin in order to cradle him in his other arm. "Shit, Eds, in all the excitement about the baby arriving I forgot to tell you you happy anniversary. I was gonna surprise you with breakfast in bed this morning."

Eddie shrugged. "I don't know about you, but to be honest this is way better than anything I had planned in order to celebrate our first anniversary."

Richie couldn't help but smile as he looked down at his and Eddie's child. "Yeah, it really is, isn't it? Audra was right. We really did receive the ultimate anniversary gift today."

Eddie leaned in and gave Richie a sweet kiss. "Happy anniversary, Rich."

"Happy anniversary, Eds."

****************

Richie and Eddie both had cried when they arrived home with Edwin the day after Christmas and saw that everyone's gifts were still under the tree and a freshly-prepared Christmakkah dinner was on the table.

"You guys waited for us?" Eddie sniffled.

"Well, yeah," Ben had replied. "It's not Christmakkah without you guys -- and now Edwin too, of course."

They had eaten, Bill and Mike insisting on taking care of cleanup since the other, 'culinarily capable' adults had taken care of the cooking. "Nope," Bill had said when Eddie protested their refusal for help. "You guys were such a huge help when Audra and I came home from the hospital with Max. The least we can do is repay the favor."

Afterward, when everyone had gathered in the living room to open gifts, Richie had been surprised to see an extra pile of presents next to his and Eddie's.

"You guys all got Edwin something?" he said in awe.

"Of course," Stan had replied as if it were obvious. "Can't let our nephew celebrate his first Christmakkah without gifts."

Now one week later, all the Losers had gone back to their respective lives until the next family gathering in March for Max's birthday.

Richie and Eddie sat quietly on the sofa together, Richie's arm around Eddie's shoulder and Edwin fast asleep in Eddie's arms after his early-evening bottle.

As Eddie snuggled against Richie's side and they both watched Edwin sleep peacefully, Richie reflected on just how complete his life was with his husband and their son. "I love you so much, Eddie," he murmured, turning his head to press a kiss to Eddie's temple. "I'm so lucky that I get to live this life with you."

"I love you too, Richie," Eddie replied. "There's no one else I'd rather spend my life with."

If Richie sent up a prayer of thanks to a magical turtle later that night while his husband and son slumbered near him, well, that would be his secret.

[dougrobyngoold]

A December to Remember - Tucson, AZ

MEDICAL ISSUES

This month started with a bang, we ended up in the ER 3 times with Doug experiencing bouts of atrial fibrillation.  Our first encounter with medical issues since retiring, guess we have to count our blessings for that.  Three hospital trips later and he is now on a couple of medications to keep his heart in rhythm and beating slower, awaiting an ablation on March 3rd.  Hopefully, that procedure will prevent further episodes and eliminate the need for medications.  Keeping our fingers crossed.  Unfortunately, the activity that seemed to trigger the atrial fibrillation episodes was tennis.....so he is playing tennis, but only at 80%.  It is hard for him to hold himself back, so he isn’t playing any matches he is just hitting.  Quite an adjustment, but he is taking it in stride.

LOS ANGELES

On December 6th, I flew out to Los Angeles to hangout with Rachel, Tyler, and Samson.  Rachel’s friends were helping her with wedding dress shopping and she asked if I wanted to join in - it was a lot of fun to meet the women she works with and to see her best friend from Littleton, Katy (she flew in from San Jose for the event).  Rachel picked me up from LAX on Friday evening - what a crazy place!!  The noise level and the police activity that was going on around me while I was waiting for her to pick me up was a little intimidating!!  It is a marvel how people adapt to it and don’t seem to be bothered by it - my head was spinning!  We stopped on the way home and had dinner at a great little vegan restaurant - I am so impressed by how Rachel easily navigates through the busy traffic of LA.

Saturday morning we met for brunch with Tyler and Rachel’s friends who were helping with the dress shopping.  What a great group of women - they were a great support for Rachel (neither of us are into the whole shopping thing).  Tyler left after brunch and the rest of us headed to the bridal shop.  What a fun, but exhausting, couple of hours trying on dresses.  Rachel was a trooper and the gang kept things hopping.  She didn’t pick out a dress, but she got a pretty good idea of what she will be looking for on her next shopping trip.

Bri, Christine, Olivia, Rachel, and Katy at David’s Bridal Shop in Hollywood.

Katy and I took bets with the other girls that Rachel would say NO to the veil - we were right!  It was so awesome to see Katy!

Samson was unimpressed with the whole dress shopping event, he thought his mom should be at home with him!

Saturday night involved a viewing of the movie “Frozen” and a Chipotle delivery for dinner, with the thought that we would go see the sequel on Sunday.  Sunday morning we had a quick visit from Katy and Matt before they headed back to San Jose.

Rachel, Tyler, Katy, Matt, and Samson.

We changed our minds about going to the sequel for Frozen and decided to go over to the Natural Science Museum next to the USC campus.  They had an exhibit about Dogs and a movie showing at the IMAX theater about “Superhero Dogs”.  We had fun checking out the exhibit and cried through the movie - which ended up being about rescue dogs.  Fun way to end my weekend trip to LA.  Rachel and Tyler are the best hosts!!  Can’t wait to see them in a couple of weeks for Christmas in Tucson!

Tyler, me, and Rachel at “dogs!”.

CHRISTMAS IN TUCSON

It seemed like Christmas was upon us quickly this year, barely had time to make my Christmas crackers and get the tree and stockings up before Dan arrived on the 21st.

Christmas crackers - a tradition at our house!

A new tree this year - trailer size.

A round of golf at Rolling Hills with Dan.

The gang - after lunch at Ermano’s on 4th Avenue in downtown Tucson.

We celebrated Christmas on the morning of the 24th, since Dan had to drive back to Denver on Christmas Day (he had to work on the 26th).

Enjoying the Mexican Potluck on Christmas Eve - Dan, Doug, Ingrid, Chris, Tyler, and Rachel.  George, in the background, making another pitcher of Rattlesnake Jackson Margaritas.

Great group for the potluck - thanks to Karen and Laurence for letting us use their carport!

Enjoying a game of Tripoly on the new table.

A little Mario Kart action - basically, Tyler kicks our butts....every now and then Rachel beats him at a race or two.  The rest of us are just trying to finish in the top half!

We enjoyed the rest of our time with Rachel and Tyler - movies, more games, a trip to the Botanical Gardens, and breakfast at Tumerico.  Lots of pictures from our evening at the gardens - it was beautiful!

“Knives Out” - movie day at The Roadhouse.

Oops, we did make a stop at the Arizona Beer House, too!

Rachel and Tyler flew back to LA on the 28th, we spent a couple of days unwinding from the holidays.  We enjoyed a get-together on New Year’s Eve at Don and Carla’s place and then we headed over to the clubhouse to do a little dancing.  We didn’t make it until midnight, but we are ready for 2020!

Happy New Year!

[linkljdf]

Reggie White And Jalen Hurts Philadelp

hia Eagles City Skyline Signatures Shirt

Geography. Pick the local team. If you are in say Miami, congratulations you can be a Dolphins fan and if you want to support teams across several levels, then the Dolphins for the NFL, Miami Hurricane among the power college programs and Florida International Panthers in the so-called Group of 5. If you are in an area not near an NFL team pick a Reggie White And Jalen Hurts Philadelphia Eagles City Skyline Signatures Shirt college and could even find enjoyment following a small regional team that plays in Division II or III or Division I FCS. Aesthetic reasons. You like the dark blue and orange combo of the Denver Broncos then that can be your team (also opens up the Boise State Broncos in college football). I’m a Denver Broncos fan and Kansas City is a Reggie White And Jalen Hurts Philadelphia Eagles City Skyline Signatures Shirt rival but I have to admit I like their home uniform. Like red and black? That gives you the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL, Texas Tech and Arkansas State and Cincinnati just off the top of my head. I don’t like the University of Texas but I happen to think their road uniform is one of the best in college football.

buy it now:Reggie White And Jalen Hurts PhilaCaricature los angeles clippers shirt

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NCAA Rally Colosseum Clemson Tigers Scholarship Fleece Shirt

Homepage: limotees    jeeppremium  telotee

Gearbloom is your one-stop online shop for printed t-shirts, hoodies, phone cases, stickers, posters, mugs, and more…High quality original T-shirts. Digital printing in the USA.

Worldwide shipping. No Minimums. 1000s of Unique Designs. Worldwide shipping. Fast Delivery. 100% Quality Guarantee. to cover all your needs.

By contacting directly with suppliers, we are dedicated to provide you with the latest fashion with fair price.We redefine trends, design excellence and bring exceptional quality to satisfy the needs of every aspiring fashionista.

WHAT IS OUR MISSION?

Gearbloom is established with a clear vision: to provide the very latest products with compelling designs, exceptional value and superb customer service for everyone.

We offer a select choice of millions of Unique Designs for T-shirts, Hoodies, Mugs, Posters and more to cover all your needs.

WHY SHOP WITH US?

Why do customers come to

Well we think there are a few reasons:

BEST PRICING

Fashion field involves the best minds to carefully craft the design. The t-shirt industry is a very competitive field and involves many risks. The cost per t-shirt varies proportionally to the total quantity of t-shirts. We are manufacturing exceptional-quality t-shirts at a very competitive price.

PRINT QUALITY DIFFERENCE

We use only the best DTG printers available to produce the finest-quality images possible that won’t wash out of the shirts.

DELIVERY IS VERY FAST

Estimated shipping times:

United States : 1-5 business days

Canada : 3-7 business days

International : from 1-2 weeks depending on proximity to Detroit, MI.

CUSTOM AND PERSONALIZED ORDERS

Custom orders are always welcome. We can customize all of our designs to your needs! Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

PAYMENT DO WE ACCEPT?

We currently accept the following forms of payment:

Credit Or Debit Cards: We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club, JCB, Union Pay and Apple Pay from customers worldwide.

PayPal: PayPal allows members to have a personal account linked to any bank account or credit card for easy payment at checkout.

[joomma]

Dungeons Dragons Roll Initiative Ugly Sweater

Dungeons Dragons Roll Initiative Ugly Sweater

I do not remember Christmas Day itself that year, but the events around theDungeons Dragons Roll Initiative Ugly Sweater this holiday changed my life forever. I was living in Los Angles at the time and was dirt poor as I was very underemployed. I did not have any ambition, but was content. I had a new girl friend (we had been dating for not yet six weeks). I was too poor to buy a Christmas tree. It had been raining for about a week, and was expected to raining for the next week (for those of you that do not know the weather for Los Angeles, this was highly unusual). Three days before Christmas I was driving around with my girlfriend doing some last minute Christmas shopping, when an announcement came on the radio that they were giving away free Christmas trees at a location about one half mile from where we were. I looked at my girlfriend and she said, “Yes, let’s go get a Christmas tree” A couple left turns later, there we were. There was a truck with two trailers full of Christmas trees trying to give them away. The owner of the property where the truck was park had call the police and wanted them to be charged with trespassing. He had Christmas tree lot down the street and this was killing his business.

buy it now:Dungeons Dragons Roll Initiative Ugly Sweater

Dear Santa Just Bring Horses Funny Gift Ugly Christmas Sweater

Dungeons Dragons Wizard The Master Of Magic Ugly Sweater

Love Rabbit Cute Rabbit Best Gift Ugly Christmas Sweater

Homepage: liRkc Waalwijk Ugly Christmas Sweater

motees    jeeppremium  telotee

You Had Me At Aloha Mermaid And Beautiful Girls For Lovers Aloha Tiki Hawaii Shirt

Gearbloom is your one-stop online shop for printed t-shirts, hoodies, phone cases, stickers, posters, mugs, and more…High quality original T-shirts. Digital printing in the USA.

Worldwide shipping. No Minimums. 1000s of Unique Designs. Worldwide shipping. Fast Delivery. 100% Quality Guarantee. to cover all your needs.

By contacting directly with suppliers, we are dedicated to provide you with the latest fashion with fair price.We redefine trends, design excellence and bring exceptional quality to satisfy the needs of every aspiring fashionista.

WHAT IS OUR MISSION?

Gearbloom is established with a clear vision: to provide the very latest products with compelling designs, exceptional value and superb customer service for everyone.

We offer a select choice of millions of Unique Designs for T-shirts, Hoodies, Mugs, Posters and more to cover all your needs.

WHY SHOP WITH US?

Why do customers come to

Well we think there are a few reasons:

BEST PRICING

Fashion field involves the best minds to carefully craft the design. The t-shirt industry is a very competitive field and involves many risks. The cost per t-shirt varies proportionally to the total quantity of t-shirts. We are manufacturing exceptional-quality t-shirts at a very competitive price.

PRINT QUALITY DIFFERENCE

We use only the best DTG printers available to produce the finest-quality images possible that won’t wash out of the shirts.

DELIVERY IS VERY FAST

Estimated shipping times:

United States : 1-5 business days

Canada : 3-7 business days

International : from 1-2 weeks depending on proximity to Detroit, MI.

CUSTOM AND PERSONALIZED ORDERS

Custom orders are always welcome. We can customize all of our designs to your needs! Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

PAYMENT DO WE ACCEPT?

We currently accept the following forms of payment:

Credit Or Debit Cards: We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club, JCB, Union Pay and Apple Pay from customers worldwide.

PayPal: PayPal allows members to have a personal account linked to any bank account or credit card for easy payment at checkout.

[mrgreentrees]

Mr. Greentrees

Our discerning Beverly Hills and Los Angeles clientele—families, designers, decorators and florists—have been coming to Mr. Greentrees for more than thirty years because they know they will find trees, wreaths and garlands unrivaled in quality and beauty.

Address: 8950 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069, USA Phone: 310-276–9827 Website: https://mrgreentrees.com

[gigslist]

24 Film Jobs and Casting Calls - SF and Worldwide

Paid and unpaid. The unpaid gigs looked interesting.

Casting Two Female Actresses For A Short

Location New York City, New York

Genre Action / Adventure

 Deadline Aug 14, 2021

Casting two female actresses (height 5'2 to 5'8) race is unimportant, age range 18 to 35 to play leading actor's girlfriend.  Script is already written, second half has been shot and edited. This is a pay job. Contact: GiovanniMota@msn.com  Please only serious inquiries.

==================================

Wanted: 2 Female Actors For Lgbtq Short

 Seeking Actor

 Location Los Angeles, California and Hollywood, California

 Status Development

 Type Short film

 Genre Female-driven • Romance

Deadline Oct 23, 2021

 About the job

WANTED: Two female Actors for LGBTQ Short “My Gabrielle.” Where SAMI (25) shy, poet, androgynous, falls in love with GABRIELLE (23) who is tall, thin, mocha skinned African American beauty. Her hair in long ringlets, (or braids) cascades down her back.  Gabrielle is a Las Vegas showgirl and dances in a chorus line. Sami got her MFA in creative writing, is a poet, and drives a motorcycle.

“My Gabrielle” is a 10-page short to be filmed in Hollywood. Two locations. Two actors. Would like to film as soon as possible, but willing to wait to find the perfect actors.

Please email Melissa at: melissa@melissalwhite.com with your resume, headshots, and link to your reel.

============================================

Office Assistant

 Seeking Assistant Production Office Coordinator

 Location Studio City, Los Angeles County, California

 Status Post-production

 Type Episodic

 Genre All genres of TV • Television

 Deadline Jan 29, 2022

 About the job

DigitalFilm Tree, a post and production veteran

facility in Los Angeles, is a leader in cloud based dailies, remote editorial and finishing, VFX, archival services and on site/in house needs. We are an authority in cyber security for media & entertainment with ongoing R&D efforts that have contributed meaningful software applications to our community. As a multi talented collective of thought leaders, DigitalFilm Tree is hoping to add another super hero to our team - the glue of our team, the Office Assistant!

The role of DFT's Office Assistant encompasses a myriad of duties, from keeping phones, deliveries and pick ups covered, to keeping the facility sanitized every hour for the health and safety of our minimal on site staff, while pivoting quickly when one of those staff members has an urgent or client facing need. This role will also directly support and be an extension of our Chief Operations Officer who supports and serves every single department - flexibility, fast on your feet, clear and concise communication are critical to this role. If you love ''The West Wing,'' you're going to love working with our COO. Seriously, don't be shy about sending your long winded essays about the critical role Charlie played in the Bartlet Administration.

Soft Skills we seek:

• Interdisciplinary: meaning we all possess more than one strength across the scope of facility needs (i.e. our CTO is also our Senior Colorist, our Director of Content is also an authority in billing and data security, our Online Editor is also one of our content producers, etc.)

• Clear Communicator: Context is incredibly important to us. Because of the large scope of innovation we put forward, teams could easily lose track of what hand is doing that impacts the other. We prioritize efficiency, but never at the cost of leaving anyone in the dark.

• Endlessly Curious: While we respect the advancement being made outside of DFT, we know we have an incredibly gifted team of people in house who are and have built some of the most progressive M&E platforms in use on cutting edge shows. So we're constantly learning, building, breaking, battle testing and imagining new solutions for our client partners and do our best to remain brand and workflow agnostic.

What we're looking for in this role (in addition to comfort with the above):

Working in a fast-paced and busy facility, the Office Assistant is responsible for managing the heavy rotation of calls, deliveries, upkeep of common areas, ordering lunches, planning office events (on site and remote) to honor staff birthdays, holidays, etc. They also manage supplies for facilities management like kitchen, bathroom and printing needs.

Responsibilities Include:

• Significant project management in keeping track of receipts, office supplies, team preferences, birthdays, in bound deliveries (like media drives and machinery) and ensuring we never run out of supplies for the kitchen, bathroom, printers, and basic office supplies (i.e. pens, paper, post its, etc.)

• Phones - you are both a gate keeper, protecting the time of all those on site, as well as the very first or only touch point someone may have with our company. How you speak to people matters and we need to know we can trust you with our people and how we're being represented to anyone turning to us for support.

• Security Cameras and property awareness falls to the Office Assistant who is one set of eyes on our cameras. You'll alert various team members should their be an issue on property, you'll issue guests security badges (when we actually have guests again), and you'll be mindful of our neighborhood to ensure we're being a good member of our tiny Cahuenga community.

• Learn. Yep, that's a responsibility. We cannot teach ambition. Most folks at DFT have grown immensely from their first day to where they are now, with a large number of our team having been with us for over a decade. The number one responsibility of any DFT'er is to stay curious. Every single job here matters. Every single job here supports someone else on the team. We are interdependent and interdisciplinary.

• Covid Safety Protocols: You temperature check every employee and guest to DFT as well as sanitize surfaces and door handles every hour. You handle and sanitize inbound packages (packages are placed on the floor inside our door by vendors and you use a sanitizing spray gun to disinfect before touching with gloves). You ensure that everyone in office is wearing a mask at all times unless alone behind a closed door (most folks have a door at DFT).

• Billing Support: the Office Assistant provides a necessary hand to our accounting department, by facilitating weekly scanning and filing of financial documents, managing and filing receipts, and copying/scanning any additional financial documentation required.

• Honoring and supporting team members. Their birthdays should matter to you deeply. This is a hard enough time to try and connect, we want to make sure that our people know they're seen, valued and cared for - not everyone loves a big hulabaloo, but everyone does appreciate knowing they matter.

• Coffee. We cannot stress this enough. You're going to need to make a mean cup of coffee. This office is full of admitted coffee snobs with a borderline consumption problem.

• Lunches, Dinners, Catering - you'll be responsible for our twice weekly on site lunches (which may increase to 3x during busier seasons) and dinners for those working late - both lunches and dinners are also often extended to our team working from home, so you'll place orders you never see, but also need to check in with staff after delivery to ensure all went well and they're not left to solve for issues with their meals. Catering and holiday meals are generally organized through a vendor for us to offer as a pick up and re/heat at home (i.e. Thanksgiving were meals from Gelson's catering, Christmas we offered Whole Foods meals and ensure GF, Vegan, Allergies are accounted for with each person). Food is a love language we take seriously.

Experience & Education:

• High end hospitality background preferred.

• Media & Entertainment background a strong plus.

• Billing or accounting strengths are helpful.

• Direct support of a management role - having to anticipate needs - very helpful.

• Project management experience a strong plus.

If the above sounds like you and you're looking to join one of the strongest and most innovative teams in town, we'd love to hear from you!

Compensation: Range and categorization (salary versus hourly) DOE Dog friendly office / Fully or mostly paid

health insurance (depends on your choice of plan) / PTO One Medical service for ongoing Covid tests as well as virtual care and dedicated, on time visits with on site labs / Parking / Twice a week fitness sessions (virtual w/ trainer) / WFH often possible / Lunch provided 2-3x per week.

Contact Us: dftjobs@digitalfilmtree.com

Please attach your resume and tell us a bit about yourself in the email. It would help us to know:

1) What is the most effective way you've found to show people you care and are genuinely interested in supporting their goals?

2) Are you comfortable working on site, regularly sanitizing surfaces, providing your Covid vaccination card and taking Covid tests?

3) What is one movie you think best represents what it means to be a great team player and/or assistant?

======================================

Actor

 Seeking Actor

 Location San Antonio, Texas

 Status Production

 Type Episodic

 Genre Comedy

 Deadline Aug 6, 2021

 About the job

Casting call. Unpaid but will get IMDB credit. Looking for a real-life acting couple to play these parts below.

Filming in San Antonio, TX but you can be located in any city as filming will be done remotely.

Mr. Campbell-30s to 40s. Socially awkward. He is trying to be more confident in the bedroom with his wife but he’s a little frightened by her.

Mrs. Campbell-30s to 40s. Bubbly and very outgoing. Loves her husband but annoyed he doesn’t want to indulge in her solicitous bedroom antics.

Email your headshot, reel and resume to lynette@chevalnoirfilms.com and kitina@chevalnoirfilms.com

===========================================

Videographer

 Seeking Videographer

 Location Montréal, Canada

 Status Production

 Type Internet project

 Genre Documentary / Docuseries

 Deadline Sep 7, 2021

 About the job

Looking for a videographer with equipment for a web docuseries. The details are:

Estimated shooting days: 5.

Estimated schedule: September 3rd to September 7th.

Location: Montréal, Canada

Task: Filming and derush of minor corrections of files if necessary.

Includes: Rental, installation, and handling of equipment.

Please send portfolio and cv at dickinson.seb@gmail.com

==========================================

Crew Up And Create A New Entertainment Source

 Seeking Crew, Actor, Editor and Director of Marketing & Distribution

 Location Washington, D. C., Los Angeles, California, San Francisco, California and New York City, New York

 Status Development

 Type Internet project

 Genre News

 Deadline Jan 28, 2022

 About the job

Hey Everyone, 

I am looking to build an Entertainment News source with a hungry team that wants to create something that would be also theirs. I am looking for Anchors, writers, editors, and more to help create this vision. With 20 years of working with networks, I have access to footage, interviews, and behind-the-scenes content that will make our channel unique and stand out. I would love to set up a small crew for a meeting and talk about what we can build together. 

This position isn't paid but all would have equal rights to the project and as the project grows and creates monetization, we'd all share equally. 

I am doing this because I love storytelling and would like to have a channel that would focus more on the art and not on the "Jen and Ben are back together!" moments. 

I've done a soft launch test on Facebook: https://fb.watch/715u4FsSDu/

========================================

Vfx-Artists For Star Wars Fan Film In Denmark

 Seeking Compositor, Concept Artist, Storyboard Artist and Visual Effects Artist

 Location Copenhagen, Denmark

 Status Post-production

 Type Pilot

 Genre Action / Adventure • Drama • Fantasy • Sci-Fi • Indie • Independent

Deadline Sep 8, 2021

 About the job

SHROUDED DESTINY: A STAR WARS LONG TALE - FAN PRODUCTION IS LOOKING FOR VFX-ARTISTS, CONCEPT ARTISTS AND MORE! (PRO BONO):

What is this?

"Shrouded Destiny: A Star Wars Long Tale" is the world's biggest independent fan film made in Denmark!

With more than 350 volunteers having lent their talents to the making of this 70 minutes pilot episode, this is an unsolicited pitch to Lucasfilm and Disney in the effort to get a meeting with the topfolks at Lucasfilm to meet myself and the producers to create an entirely original story in the Star Wars Universe!

Starring actors like International Emmy-Award winner, Lars Mikkelsen (House of Cards, Sherlock Holmes, Ride Upon The Storm); stunt performer Laûren Okadigbo (Justice Leauge, Wonder Woman, Krypton, Ready Player One); Magnus Bruun (The Last Kingdom, Assassin's Creed: Valhalla) and others, the fan film is a "pilot" aimed at showing the visual style and storyline in a small part of the planned 8-season storyline that takes place in the years 550-510 BBY. Imagine the scale of Game of Thrones; the meticulousness of The Wire, and the dysfunctional family relations of Breaking Bad spiced with the violence of The Raid, and you have an idea of what this film is all about. 

What do you need?

We've finished filming and are currently looking to recruit people in two areas: Immediate post production and creating illustrations for a Virtual Production Pitch Presentation. 

The post work includes things like: 

Keying

Matchmoving / camera tracking

Houdini DOPs

All-round compositors

If you have skills in these departments, why not send our VFX-supervisor, Peter Rongsted, an e-mail at pr@divopost.dk with an application?

We really want to engage people who are ambitious about their lives and their careers and are willing to set the time matching said ambitions to come work with us. This is a stepping stone for so many of us on this production and we're eager to make it a stepping stone for as many people as possible! Like every single soul working on this production, it is an unpaid assignment.

If you don't fit into the post-production categories we're looking for right now, send an email anyway. We're sure we'll be able to find something for you anyway.

For the Virtual Production Pitch, we're looking to emulate the style of "Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj", where illustrations of characters and environments are playing in the back, as we present the story of the film. 

It's an insanely ambitious endeavor and we hope that you as an illustrator, concept artist or Storyboard Artist can see the logic of being attached to a project, where the end goal is to have your work seen by the biggest folks in the film industry.

If you feel like this could be something down your alley, send an email to: mail@shahbaz.dk and we'll continue the conversation there. :-)

What do I get out of this?

Since a paycheck currently isn't in play, this project has to make sense to you on a different scale. 

We want to put this film out this year (Covid has already post-poned it more than a year) and this will offer you credits on a film that will most likely be viewed by millions of people via YouTube, since we're not selling this film, but merely working on a very over-zealous proof of concept. 

So you're in that point of your career, where you have the talent and time, but don't have the jobs right now and are looking to add things to your portfolio and you're not afraid to put forth ideas that you believe will strengthen the final product. 

Whatever time you have to offer, we'll gladly take, whether it's a few hours a day, a week or full-time commitment, we appreciate you. :-) 

You might just also be a really huge Star Wars fan and are ambitious of one day working for Disney or Lucasfilm and want to be able to get an in somehow. This project might be it, if you're not in the near vicinity of getting hired by a company working for them. :-)

=========================================

Actors, Sound

 Seeking Actor, Boom Operator and Makeup Artist

 Location Anchorage, Alaska

 Status Pre-production

 Type Episodic

 Genre Horror

 Deadline Jan 19, 2022

 About the job

Hi, this is strictly for fun. Just throwing this out there to see if anyone's interested with date TBA. We've just finished a fun, short horror film that we're proud of & would like to shoot a web series from it. We've already got quite a few eps written. Think Supernatural meets Stranger Things. *Actors need comic timing. This is not a paid job, but food will be provided. You must be in the  area, have training at least. We prefer experienced actors. We have an experienced crew & equipment. The set will be 100% safe. Please tell anyone you think might be interested! Thanks.

Contact me at: newsongmedia2@gmail.com - Kym

=====================================

Screenwriter Looking For Fellow Screenwriter

 Seeking Screenwriter

 Location Chicago, Illinois, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, Wheaton, Illinois and Downers Grove, Illinois

 Status

 Genre Thriller / Suspense / Mystery

 Deadline Jan 23, 2022

 About the job

Screenwriter available with whom I can collaboratewith Seeking to team up with someone to come up with new ideas, Putting strong hook in five pages.of the script looking for a fresh perspective for my ideas

50/50 split. writing new Movie Script. I have allots of new ideas for that.

If interested you can massage me here or Email me screenwriter892v3@yahoo.com or any other location you are at.

======================================

Texas Snowstorm Victims

 Seeking Actor and Crew

 Location San Antonio, Texas, Austin, Texas, Dallas, Texas and Houston, Texas

 Status Pre-production

 Type Documentary

 Genre Historical / Biopic / True-stories

 Deadline Sep 1, 2021

 About the job

Looking for REAL PEOPLE who were impacted by the Texas Snowstorm 2021 for documentary to be shot in early September. 

AND CREW.

Message pkfilmsent@gmail.com

=====================================

Writer For Science Fiction Tv Show For Stream

 Seeking Screenwriter

 Location Brooklyn, New York

 Status Development

 Type Television

 Genre Drama • Sci-Fi • Television

Deadline Aug 15, 2021

 About the job

New York Production Company is seeking an experienced TELEVISION writer that writes Dramatic Science Fiction and who can think outside of the box. . This is NOT A REMOTE JOB. We are located in Brooklyn, NY and you will be required to report to location for the writer's room/ work each day.  For this job, there is no zoom interview and it is not a zoom job, you would have to come in person for the interview.  On-site Hours: Monday-Friday, 11am-7pm This project lasts for 1 month. Compensation: $660 per week We cannot stress enough that this is NOT a remote job. We need someone as soon as possible, ready to work, with open availability. If you have any doubts, please do not apply. Qualifications: - Must have at least 5-6 years experience writing drama and SciFi - Must have at least 5 years of experience writing for SERIES! as member of the writing team, you will be working to complete the entire first season of a SciFi television show for online streaming.  This means you MUST: -Be able to write, organize, and intertwine multiple plot lines and character arcs in a way that is real, appealing, and that does not create plot holes. -Be fantastic at scene creation. -Be meticulous with taking notes. We depend on our writers to accurately follow and update series bibles. Whatever is verbally created in writer's room meetings MUST make it onto paper! -Be punctual! Arrive on time for work each day and meet all deadlines. -Be creative, openminded, and a team player. -All writing, but especially something as fantastical as science fiction, works best when the writer is able to open their mind to all possibilities. - You must be ego-free, and be able to throw an idea out completely in order to facilitate a better one. Please submit Cover Letter, Resume, Samples of your EPISODIC work to wholepicassistant@gmail.com

=================================================

Screenwriter

 Seeking Screenwriter

 Location East Lansing, Michigan

 Status Development

 Type Short film

 Genre All genres, all formats.

 Deadline Sep 17, 2021

 About the job

OVERVIEW: The Department of Theatre is looking for original short film script submissions for consideration of production in May of 2022. This is an annual film production opportunity in collaboration with the students and faculty of the Department of Theatre. If selected, your script will go through the entire production process: Development, Pre-Production, Principle Photography, Post-Production, and Distribution (submitted for film festivals in the professional category.) 

You are expected to be available (either in person or via video conference) for two development meetings in Fall Semester 2021, and one in early Spring Semester 2022. These are primarily for script notes, which are also expected to be addressed. 

Submissions will be accepted now through September 15th, 2021. 

SCRIPT GUIDELINES: Scripts should be between 10 - 20 pages in standard screenplay format.  There must be 7-10 roles in the film (think ensemble pieces). The characters should be aged between 16 - 30 years old.  No driving with dialogue scenes. Some stunts are okay, but should be relatively limited.  Limited special effects requirements. Limited visual effects requirements. No period pieces at this time. Open to a variety of genres or styles as long as it adheres to the guidelines above. 

SELECTION PROCESS: Each script will be read by the Film Initiative Selection Panel. Final notifications will be made by October 15th 2021. 

COMPENSATION: The writer of the selected script will receive a $500 honorarium. 

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: Please complete the Form Submission (https://forms.gle/koH25cp6BkA7...) and attach your screenplay with no identifying information. These are blind submissions, meaning, the pdf of your script should not have your name on the cover sheet or any other part of the document. Make sure your script includes a title page with the title of the film only. Global majority, female, and LGBTQI+ strongly encouraged to apply.

If you have any questions, please email Ryan: welshry2@msu.edu

================= ========================

Voice Over Artists And Actors

 Seeking Voice Artist

 Location Paris, France

 Status Post-production

 Type Feature film

 Genre Drama • Female-driven • Horror

 Deadline Sep 1, 2021

 About the job

Hello everyone,

I'm looking for V.O artists, actors or anyone willing to help me out on my first feature "CONFINED" (you can check out the movie on my page for more infos), entirely funded with personal funds. 

- I have 9 positions to fill (male or female) for American-English V.O: Journalist 1 (3 Lines) / Journalist 2 (3 Lines) / Journalist 3 (5 Lines) / Paranoid Dude (4 Lines) / US Official (4 Lines) / Journalist 4 (6 Lines) / Journalist 5 (5 Lines) / Evangelist ( 6 Lines) / Journalist 6 (4 Lines)

- I have 2 positions to fill (male or female) for Asian (can be any Asian language) V.O: Journalist 1 (2 Lines) / Asian Official (1 Line).

If you're interested by the roles, please contact me on here or at louis.tete@nyfa.edu

Thanks so much in advance for your help.

Louis.   

========================

Development And/Or Creative Executives - Pane

 Seeking Director of Marketing & Distribution

 Location Miami, Florida

 Status Development

 Genre All genres, all formats.

 Deadline Aug 30, 2021

 About the job

FILMSTOCK EVENTS "where talent meets opportunity"

 FILMSTOCK is the first of it's kind as the only industry expo offering in person meetings with agents, casting directors, film distributors, show runners and vendors and other industry professionals. Our date for the first annual FILMSTOCK is set for November 13th 2021 right in the middle of the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF). 

Our vision is not a Sundance or a Tribecca Film Festival but a Business Industry Expo which I know is the first of it's kind. I am not talking about a networking event where everyone there is simply talking nonsense claiming to be in the business.

I am talking about professional and industry leaders from Photographers, Videographers, Industry Organizations, Graphic Artists, Make-up, Wardrobe, Set Design, Casting Directors, Soundstage Production House owner / operators, Kraft food services, executive transportation services, etc. These individuals / vendors will all be in the main lobby area where they have each purchased a table for the day at a cost of $79. Tables are standard six foot table with access to power, where they will display a banner ad or backdrop. 

 SPEEDCASTING -We are the first to offer a face to face live in person slate where Actors pay a fee to do a 10 minute monologue or just who they are to a panel (2 to 4) of Casting Directors and Agents. 3 hours 1pm to 4pm allows us 18 Actors to do their thing in front of the pros to hopefully get picked up. When an Actor registers he / she must upload a media bin, headshots, resume and if they plan on performing a monologue it cannot exceed 5 minutes. 

PITCHFEST - Same as above only now we have independent film makers pitching their project. They have already registered with a Treatment, Teaser, etc and they get 10 minutes to tell their story in hopes that a panel (2 to 4) of Distributors / Investor Producers may just give them a shot. Same time slots of 10 minutes each over 3 hours same = 18 pitches. 

We have broken down the above with a general admission day ticket $25.  All Access VIP ticket for $199 and in between for those interested in only the Pitchfest or Speedcasting a lower priced ticket. Door Prizes / raffle of high end electronics already in house donated from industry related companies such as Lume Cube. 

 NOTE - we are compensating the above professionals each $100.00 for their time on site open to close 12 noon to 4 pm paid at days end and they must be on site before 12 noon call time to set up . 

 Between social media, the coordination and support from FLIFF we expect a few hundred in attendance between 11 am and 4 pm that day.

 Sara Rogers is our CEO and has a huge following in the industry with over 40 years experience. Also included in this email is Rion Heldibridle our CFO and actively involved with Artserve in Sunrise Florida where the event will take place on Saturday November 13, 2021 along with Lou Silver, the COO with over 30 years experience in marketing and promotion and business development.

  Lou Silver, COO (954) 895-5801

Sara Roger, CE0 (786) 247-7761

FILMSTOCK EVENTS 

==================

Help With Writing Script

 Seeking Screenwriter

 Location Mission Viejo, California and Los Angeles, California

 Status Development

 Type Television

 Genre Drama

Deadline Dec 17, 2021

 About the job

I need help writing my script. If you know anyone who can help me out, I’d appreciate it. You can reach me at +13108632713 or ashleyadams531@gmail.com

===================

Cast, Crew and Admin Wanted 

 LocationLos Angeles, California StatusDevelopment TypeFeature film GenreSci-Fi • Action • Romance

The storyline

One day a young man discovered the meaning of Kleroterion, the ancient Greek model of elections of the rulers.  From that point on, he tries to rearm “The Kleroterion” based on an Artificial Intelligence. 

Actors

Development department

Production management department

Craft department

Technical department

Post-production department

Sales and distribution department

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScXOGVN93x60UHa-GSxV1-T58blaHT1QaSA_EApyGLtl_BdjA/viewform

=================

Dop And Editor (Collaboration Only)

 Seeking Director of Photography

 Location Guwāhāti, India

 Status Development

 Type Feature film

 Genre Drama • Female-driven • Independent • Romance

Deadline Aug 31, 2021

 About the job

Hi, I am all set to shoot my second feature film "MINI" by second half this year . Looking for DOP and editor who can come as   collaborators only . I can give rights accordingly . Feel free to write to me at arunjit.borah@gmail.com for more details .

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7961313/

========================

Nonbinary Social Media Take On Romeo & Juliet

 Seeking Screenwriter

 Location Los Gatos, California, New York City, New York and Los Angeles, California

 Status Development

 Type Episodic

 Genre Drama • Romance

Deadline Nov 25, 2021

 About the job

SEARCHING FOR WRITER TO TACKLE NON-TRADITIONAL TAKE ON ROMEO & JULIET

I’m the Director of Content Development for Sideway - an innovative new streaming service that uses the mechanics of social media to tell fictional stories - and we are looking for a writer to develop a new, gender nonconforming version of Romeo and Juliet for our platform. If you have any kind of direct, personal connection to nonconforming gender praxis, or fall anywhere on the LGBTIAQ+ spectrum, this is the gig for you. If you are a straight white guy, probably not.

A little more about the platform itself: Sideway is a mobile-only app that resembles a social media app in how it’s navigated, but populated by fictional characters rather than real people. Each show on Sideway takes place within an entirely simulated social world, complete with video chats, DMs, posts, likes, comments, all of which make up the stories told.

In bringing this new version of Romeo & Juliet to life, we are hoping to retain as much of the original text as possible, while at the same time not being sacred about prudent dramatic changes. That said, the framework of the story - the setting, character relationships, world and texture - are entirely up to you. It needs to be set in the present day, given the nature of the app itself, but all other aspects of the story are open to creative interpretation. 

Please submit resume and a brief pitch to brian@sideway.com. Am happy to discuss the concept, platform, compensation and expectations further, and answer any and all questions.

Happy writing!

==================

Open Theatre Auditions: Ben Hur (Brixham, Dev

 Seeking Actor

 Location Brixham, United Kingdom

 Status Production

 Type Theatre

 Genre Action / Adventure • History • Faith-based / Inspirational • Drama

Deadline Aug 29, 2021

 About the job

OPEN THEATRE AUDITIONS We are casting all roles in a regionally touring, plus globally streamed production of Ben Hur Auditions for all roles on Sunday August 29th 2021, at 1pm onwards at our home rehearsal base of Chestnut Community Centre, 1-3 Poplar Close, Brixham TQ5 0SA (this is as long as Covid restrictons allow. If they do not, we will be conducting alternative auditions online using Zoom) * Actors must be based in/ near Devon, UK. (Rehearsals - as long as Covid allows - are in Brixham, Devon), * All roles open for casting. * Paid profitshare as minimum (funding for higher cast/crew payments actively being sought) plus portfolio material. * Many roles being cast "genderblind". * All ethnicities needed and welcomed. *We do not charge you anything to audition or work with us. Download the full audition information pack from https://www.southdevonplayers.com/auditions.html SYNOPSIS: Based on the famous novel by Lew Wallace, and brought to life by strong, memorable characters, both male and female, Ben Hur is set in the first century AD. Judah Ben Hur, a young nobleman of Jerusalem, a city under the occupation of the Roman Empire, is framed for the attempted murder of the Roman governor, by his erstwhile closest boyhood friend, Massala, now a Roman commander. Sentenced to life as a galley slave; a sentence which usually led to death within months, Judah survives, and after a pirate attack on the Roman navy in the Agean sea, travels to Rome a hero, having saved the life of the Roman commander in his escape. He once more returns to Jerusalem, seeking his mother and sister, who were imprisoned for the same attack, and finds no trace of them. He does however, find Massala, and blinded by rage, challenges Massala at the annual Roman “games”. Massala is killed in the Games, with his dying breath, reveals to Judah that his mother and sister were in fact released and driven from the city as lepers. With all hope, and all lust for revenge, gone, Judah is lost, but fate is not finished with him. He eventually finds his mother and sister, who are miraculously healed by a preacher, who has recently come to the city. A historical action drama set in Biblical times, interwoven with the life and death of Jesus Christ, who appears twice in the drama, this is ultimately a powerful tale of hope and love, set within the dramatic and often brutal times of the Roman Empire. We are a female-led theatre company based in the beautiful fishing port of Brixham, in Southwest England, to create top quality local opportunities for local creatives to create work in theatre, and to bring new productions to audiences across the South of England. Founded in 2005. Creating internationally awardwinning theatre based on historical events (including new writing) and stage adaptations of classical literature. Breaking down barriers to participating in theatre for actors, crew, and audiences alike. We love to hear from new prospective actors, creatives and audiences at any time, regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, or experience. www.southdevonplayers.com www.facebook.com/sdevonplayers www.twitter.com/sdevonplayers email: southdevonplayers@gmail.com

================

Actors: Act From Home - Online Table Reads

 Seeking Actor

 Location Los Angeles, California, New York City, New York, Chicago, Illinois and London, England

 Status Development

 Type Live event

Deadline Sep 12, 2021

 About the job

ONLINE TABLE READS - We pay actors to bring scripts to life! Your voice can help a writer experience their work in a different way. Does the dialogue work? Do the twists and turns actual twist and turn?

Go to https://onlinetableread.com/ to apply for ongoing positions.

=============

Screenwriter Writing Partner

 Seeking Screenwriter

 Location Chicago, Illinois and Wheaton, Illinois

 Status

 Genre Thriller / Suspense / Mystery

Deadline Sep 11, 2021

 About the job

Someone I know seeking Writing Partner is asking to bonce ideas back and fourth. Make script workable putting strong hook in 5 pages. Make script vary intresting.

If intrested send me email screemwriting892v3@yaoo.com ty

==============

Dancer And Performer

 Seeking Dancer

 Location San Francisco, California

 Status Pre-production

 Type Music video

 Genre Music • Musical • Indie • Experimental • Fantasy • Mystery

Deadline Sep 11, 2021

 About the job

Hi everyone,

I am directing and producing a music video for an indie singer and songwriter. I am looking to find female and male dancers (ballet or modern dance).

If you are interested in collaborating, please contact me. 

asadi.designer@gmail.com 

Niloo Asadi

================

Editor For A Short Teaser

 Seeking Editor

 Location Stockholm, Sweden

 Status Pre-production

 Type Promo

 Genre Crime

Deadline Sep 10, 2021

 About the job

Looking for an editor with great skills and has significant experience. 

We will be shooting a promo of 1-2 min length ( Max ) If you have a editing reel please send it. 

Open to worldwide applicants. 

Send to houseofredproductions@gmail.com

===================

Actors

 Seeking Actor

 Location Denver, Colorado

 Status Pre-production

 Type Short film

 Genre Horror

Deadline Oct 31, 2021

 About the job

Dark Park Films Presents: Reign of Vibrant Screams: Tales of Cosmic Horror Director- Gino Alfonso Ginome Films Fresh Cola Four preteen friends go out in search for a new hot soda, called Fresh Cola with some bizarre side effects Short - Unpaid This is for an anthology series that will be released in January filming for 2 days sometime in Nov - (masks will be worn on set when not shooting and six feet apart and temperatures will be taken upon arrival on set) Need - kids ages 12 Mia - Hispanic - 12 Chris - African-American - 12 Jake - Caucasian - 12 (sandy blond hair) Katie (Jake’s sister) 12 (sandy blonde hair) Mom (30’s) of Jake and Katie Dad (30’s) of Jake and Katie Curtis - Store clerk any age adult any ethnicity Please email headshot/resume and if you have a reel - to Ginomefilms@gmail.com

==============

[anisanews]

The Moody History Of An $8.5-Million Montecito Mansion

The Julia Morgan-designed redwood ballroom at 430 Hot Springs Road in Santa Barbara. The grand … [+] Montecito mansion, which dates to the late 1800s, was the family home of the famed Moody Sisters.

Village Properties

This grand mansion built in 1885 has deep roots in Montecito.

For three decades, it was the family home of the famed Moody Sisters, four women who left their mark on Santa Barbara housing by designing and developing what are known as Moody Sisters Cottages. Trailblazers at a time when few women had jobs outside the home, they carved out successful careers in the finance, interior design and architecture industries.

The Moody family bought the estate during the Great Depression.

Village Properties

The family was able to buy the estate during the Great Depression. Their father was a builder and all the girls worked so they had five incomes coming in, says their great-niece Marcia Gamble Hadley, an architectural designer and land planner herself. The sisters’ grandfather and grandmother also lived with them.

Before branching out into home building, the sisters were known locally for their English tearoom and antique store as well as the parties held in the home’s grand ballroom. “The big event,” Hadley says, “was always the Christmas party.”

Descendants of the Moody Sisters say the big event of the year was always the “Christmas party” held … [+] in the home’s Julia Morgan-designed ballroom.

Village Properties

The redwood-planked, 3,000-square-foot ballroom was designed by Julia Morgan, the architect known for Hearst Castle. Musicians played above the room in a band box accessed by a hidden stairway. French doors opened out onto the rose- and wisteria-filled grounds.

Although often called The Big House by family members, the estate gained the name The Peppers for the trees that ringed the then six-acre property.

The ballroom retains its redwood floors and period fireplace.

Village Properties

“I have wonderful memories of getting lost in the gardens,” says Hadley, who spent long summer weeks visiting the family.

Unlike the dozens of fairytale-inspired one- and two-bedroom cottages the sisters created in the 1930s and 1940s, the 10-bedroom dwelling they called home reflected the area’s turn-of-the-last-century fascination with European architecture.

Inside one of the Moody sisters’ cottages in Montecito.

Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

A circular motor court rings a fountain at the front of the house, which is sheltered by a columned portico guarded by lion statues. Originally, Hadley says, wide brick steps led up to a pair of screen doors that entered a porch.

Beyond the foyer are a reception library and a powder room. The light-filled dining room features French doors. Wood or terracotta tile floors, high ceilings and crown moldings continue through most of the 8,189-square-foot house.

French doors take in park-like grounds that surround the now 1.6-acre estate.

Village Properties

In the sisters’ day, the butler’s pantry served as a breakfast room, while a back porch was used for deliveries. A service staircase off the kitchen led to the staff quarters.

Today, wall murals decorate the stair landing and bathroom walls. Among the bedrooms is an 800-square-foot primary suite with a terrace overlooking the grounds. There are a total of nine bathrooms.

The estate has a total of 10 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms. This bathroom with a claw-foot soaking tub … [+] opens to a private patio overlooking the grounds.

Village Properties

Jeff Oien of Village Properties, a Forbes Global Properties partner, is the listing agent for the now 1.6-acre estate. The asking price for 430 Hot Springs Road, Santa Barbara, is $8.5 million.

Mature oaks and trees provide shade for the home’s many outdoor living spaces. In later years, the … [+] property became known as The Peppers for the trees that ring the estate.

Village Properties

The grounds also feature formal gardens ringed with box hedges.

Village Properties

Village Properties is an exclusive member of Forbes Global Properties, a consumer marketplace and membership network of elite brokerages selling the world’s most luxurious homes.

from Anisa News https://ift.tt/3uEt8PF

[ples65]

Rockefeller Christmas Tree

This past holiday season has been one like no other, that is a fact. But is everything really as ugly and dysfunctional as it appears? Not everything.

Chances are the iconic images of the Rockefeller Christmas tree have reached all of our eyes at some point over the years. The annual lighting ceremony has become a Christmas staple in New York going back to 1933, setting the standard for all Christmas trees across the United States if not the world.

In November of last year images of the 75-foot Norway spruce’s delivery to Rockefeller Center started popping up all over social media with less than stellar reviews. Immediately there were the inevitable comparisons to the Charlie Brown Christmas tree, along with an overall sentiment of the tree representing the general state of dysfunction in 2020.  

But the reality is that the trees immediate appearance wasn’t all that different from most years past. The annual process of cutting, hauling and installing the tree usually leads to a slightly disheveled appearance at first. Nothing truly out of the ordinary, not really a story.  

The tree lighting ceremony went on as scheduled, and was as beautiful as any other year before (except for the lack of public attendance). Yet, the image taken out of context continues the narrative of doom and gloom. Almost as if the nation as a whole is battling a depression that’s feeding off of negative energy. How long will this be the lens in which we view our society?   

January 6th, 2021

There is no way around it, the events that took place at the Capital Building in Washington D.C. on January 6th 2021, were filled with some of the most compelling images of the past couple of months, if not the past several decades. And there is defiantly no shortage of images to pick from that day to explore. I chose the image of a man carrying a Rebel Flag through the Capital Building because it hit me a little differently than it might most of my Southern California class mates.

Being raised in Kentucky I am no stranger to the Rebel Flag. There is an entire clothing line where I grew up marketed to young women called Dixie Girls with the flag prominently displayed. I even have a cousin who named his band Rebel with the Rebel flag as their first album cover. I never thought much of it until I went back to visit after living in Los Angeles for several years.

I started asking questions about what that flag meant to them and why it was important. For the most part I got the same answer; it was about heritage and southern pride not about slavery or racism. It made since to me, I didn’t view my friends and family as racists, so I took their explanation and moved on. I failed to truly consider the trauma that flag represents to so many others, simply dismissing it as a misunderstanding.

I would be willing to bet that the man carrying the flag in the photo does not consider himself a racist, just part of a marginalized southern group, most likely Christian, fighting for its rights. But it doesn’t really matter when it comes to what that image represents to the rest of America/ the world. Their fight against a perceived liberal oppression automatically gets thrown into the category of racist with the use of that flag and understandably so given its associated history.

[englishchinesetranslations]

Jay Foreman, chief executive of the toy company Basic Fun!, said his company had gone from being “panicked” about the future of its business in March and April to suddenly realizing that demand was stronger than ever.“Especially as you got into June, July and August, the spigot got turned on,” he said. “Everybody realized we don’t need less stuff from Asia and China, we need more stuff.” By Ana Swanson

Dec. 14, 2020

阅读简体中文版

閱讀繁體中文版

WASHINGTON — American imports from China are surging as the year draws to a close, fueled by stay-at-home shoppers who are snapping up Chinese-made furniture and appliances, along with Barbie Dream Houses and bicycles for the holidays.

The surge in imports is another byproduct of the coronavirus, with Americans channeling money they might have spent on vacations, movies and restaurant dining to household items like new lighting for home offices, workout equipment for basement gyms, and toys to keep their children entertained.

That has been a boon for China, the world’s largest manufacturer of many of those goods. In November, China reported a record trade surplus of $75.43 billion, propelled by an unexpected 21.1 percent surge in exports compared with the same month last year. Leading the jump were exports to the United States, which climbed 46.1 percent to $51.98 billion, also a record.

That surge has defied the expectations of American politicians of both parties, who earlier this year predicted that the pandemic, which began in China, would be a moment for reducing trade with that country and finally bringing factories back to the United States.

“The global pandemic has proven once and for all that to be a strong nation, America must be a manufacturing nation,” President Trump said in May. “We’re bringing it back.”

But despite Mr. Trump’s restrictions on Chinese goods, including tariffs on more than $360 billion worth of its imports, there is little sign that global supply chains are returning to the United States. Instead, the prolonged effects of the pandemic on the United States appear to have only reinforced China’s manufacturing position.

China employed draconian lockdowns and extensive surveillance to shake off the effects of the pandemic earlier this year, allowing its factories to reopen at a large scale more quickly than businesses in America, where the disease is still running rampant. With many American companies, especially those based on services, crippled by coronavirus, consumers are pumping their money into online shopping for manufactured goods instead.

Mary E. Lovely, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute, said that U.S. imports from the world were on track to be lower this year than in 2019, but that China’s overall share of U.S. imports would likely increase.

“Overall, China’s quick economic recovery and its dominance as a source for products that Americans have turned to during the pandemic have outweighed the dampening effect of Trump’s tariffs,” she said.

Editors’ Picks

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For This Christmas Tree Farmer, It’s ‘the Best Year I’ve Ever Seen’

Consumer demand is so strong that it has overwhelmed the capacity of the cargo industry, leading to a record spike in shipping rates. The surge in shipments is clogging many supply chains, snarling major ports and delaying delivery of holiday gifts by up to several weeks.

At the Port of Los Angeles, the country’s largest processor of container cargo and the gateway for many Chinese goods, shipping containers carrying Chinese imports are stacked like Legos in piles six high. Truckers jam the parking lots, waiting hours to pick up goods, which are then dispatched across the continent.

October was the busiest month in the port’s 114-year history, and traffic has remained high. On Dec. 1, dockworkers were busy unloading 19 vessels, compared with 10 to 12 on a normal day, said Gene Seroka, the port’s executive director. Twelve more ships waited in the harbor, which, on average, had been waiting about 48 hours beyond their scheduled arrival, he said.

“We’re going through a time that truly is unprecedented,” Mr. Seroka said. “You’re trying to stuff 10 pounds of potatoes in a five-pound bag. This ordering and replenishment is bigger than anything we’ve seen, and now it coincides with holidays.”

The pileup started earlier this year, as American retailers and manufacturers began to restock products this summer after brief lockdowns in the spring, and consumer spending began to rebound. While the pandemic has left former employees of restaurants, airlines and theme parks destitute, many members of the country’s vast remote work force have seen their bank accounts grow, and surveys show expectations for consumer spending remain strong.

The initial data snapshot of November trade released earlier this month by China’s General Administration of Customs did not include detailed data by product and country. But trade data for the first 10 months of this year, compiled from United States Customs data by IHS Markit, shows that American imports of consumer electronics from China have been strong, as have imports of masks and other personal protection equipment for the pandemic.

Closed storefronts in Los Angeles. With many American businesses crippled by the coronavirus, consumers are pumping their money into online shopping instead. Credit... Philip Cheung for The New York Times

For the toy industry, it is shaping up to be one of the biggest holiday seasons in years. But Mr. Foreman said his business would be dampened somewhat by the shipping delays. Some of the Tonka Trucks, Lite Brite sets and Care Bears that the company sells are currently stuck on container ships, or in the yard of the Port of Los Angeles.

While Mr. Foreman was confident he could still sell those toys in January, he said missing the Christmas cutoff would be much more problematic for small companies and importers of seasonal products, like wreaths and Christmas lights.

“Everyone has stuff sitting,” he said. “Everything is a week or two behind schedule.”

Arnold Kamler, the chief executive of bicycle-maker Kent International Inc., said he was also experiencing a historic combination of strong demand and shipping delays.

Lockdowns in China earlier this year led to production delays at Kent’s Chinese factories, while American demand for bicycles began to surge, as buyers sought them for entertainment and exercise, as well as an alternative to public transportation.

Pandemic-related demand for bicycles was so strong that some had begun referring to them as “the new toilet paper,” Mr. Kamler said.

“I never had hoped to be compared to toilet paper, but in this case, this was a good thing,” he said.

After maintaining light inventory all year, Mr. Kamler said his company had finally accumulated enough bicycles in its warehouses in California and South Carolina in the past four to six weeks to meet demand. But UPS and FedEx, which deliver the company’s bicycles directly to customers on behalf of Target, Kohl’s, Walmart and other retailers, have drastically cut the number of trucks they can dispatch to the warehouses each week.

“We can’t get trucks to show up,” he said. “It’s crazy to have this demand and not be able to ship it.”

That surge has created an unusual problem for China: finding enough 40-foot steel boxes into which all those goods can fit. China’s exports have been so strong this autumn that far more shipping containers are leaving Chinese ports than are coming back.

American exports to China have also soared this fall, driven by strong purchases of soybeans and other agricultural goods under the U.S.-China trade agreement. But these goods — like the iron ore and coal that China also imports plentifully — travel in bulk freighters, not 40-foot containers. China imports few American manufactured goods that would travel in containers.

Mr. Seroka said exports of containers stocked with American goods were down 14 percent annually so far this year at the L.A. port, creating inefficiencies and logistical issues for railroads, trucking companies and cargo lines.

In the month of October, the port exported more than twice as many empty containers as those filled with American goods, Mr. Seroka said. He blamed the trend on the U.S.-China trade war, which spurred Beijing to impose more tariffs on American products, as well as the strength of the U.S. dollar, which makes American goods more expensive overseas.

For both importers and logistics companies, it remains unclear how U.S. trade policy will shape their business in China in the years to come.

President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. has not committed to lifting any of Mr. Trump’s tariffs, saying he will begin reviewing them once in office. Many of the exemptions that companies received from the tariffs are set to expire on Dec. 31, and the Trump administration has not said whether they would renew them.

Chris Rogers, a global trade and logistics analyst at Panjiva, said that the trade wars and tariffs that the United States placed on China had actually reduced imports of the particular goods that were hit with tariffs — but other products that have not been taxed are booming. He said that companies could still choose to relocate their production out of China, as their businesses emerge from the pandemic.

“The time to muck about with your supply chain is not during the pandemic,” Mr. Rogers said. “A lot of companies have been in cash preservation mode. Moving your supply chain is expensive and takes time. There clearly is an opportunity for companies coming out of the pandemic to say we need to build resilience, move manufacturing closer to consumers.”

Despite the shipping disruptions, some companies that have kept their production in China throughout Mr. Trump’s trade wars are now feeling vindicated.

Mr. Foreman said he considered moving some operations to Vietnam or India, like many toymakers did amid the trade wars last year, but “staying in China ended up to be the best move.”

“China still has the best production supply chain of anybody in the world, and as it turned out, they were able to tackle the pandemic faster and more efficiently than anybody else,” he said. “China certainly has tested the boundaries and proven that they can weather the storm, as great as a storm as we’ve seen in a hundred years.”

Keith Bradsher contributed reporting from Shanghai.

[joomma]

Lord Of The Rings Ugly Christmas Sweater

UX Buil

Lord Of The Rings Ugly Christmas Sweater

I do not remember Christmas Day itself that year, but the events around theLord Of The Rings Ugly Christmas Sweater this holiday changed my life forever. I was living in Los Angles at the time and was dirt poor as I was very underemployed. I did not have any ambition, but was content. I had a new girl friend (we had been dating for not yet six weeks). I was too poor to buy a Christmas tree. It had been raining for about a week, and was expected to raining for the next week (for those of you that do not know the weather for Los Angeles, this was highly unusual). Three days before Christmas I was driving around with my girlfriend doing some last minute Christmas shopping, when an announcement came on the radio that they were giving away free Christmas trees at a location about one half mile from where we were. I looked at my girlfriend and she said, “Yes, let’s go get a Christmas tree” A couple left turns later, there we were. There was a truck with two trailers full of Christmas trees trying to give them away. The owner of the property where the truck was park had call the police and wanted them to be charged with trespassing. He had Christmas tree lot down the street and this was killing his business.

der

UX Builder

Lover Cat All Ovver Print Cat Face Ugly Christmas Sweater

Cow Xmas Cow Loevr Cute Gift Ugly Christmas Sweater

https://gomtees.com/product/deer-merry-huntmas-best-gift-ugly-christmas-sweater/https://elisetee.com/product/nfl-buffalo-bills-grinch-hug-christmas-ugly-sweater/Deer MeNfl Buffalo Bills Grinch Hug Christmas Ugly Sweater

rry Huntmas Best Gif

Tropical Whiskey Sunet For Whiskey Lovers Aloha Hawaii Shirt

t Ugly Christmas Sweater

buy it now:

Homepage: limotees    jeeppremium  telotee

Gearbloom is your one-stop online shop for printed t-shirts, hoodies, phone cases, stickers, posters, mugs, and more…High quality original T-shirts. Digital printing in the USA.

Worldwide shipping. No Minimums. 1000s of Unique Designs. Worldwide shipping. Fast Delivery. 100% Quality Guarantee. to cover all your needs.

By contacting directly with suppliers, we are dedicated to provide you with the latest fashion with fair price.We redefine trends, design excellence and bring exceptional quality to satisfy the needs of every aspiring fashionista.

WHAT IS OUR MISSION?

Gearbloom is established with a clear vision: to provide the very latest products with compelling designs, exceptional value and superb customer service for everyone.

We offer a select choice of millions of Unique Designs for T-shirts, Hoodies, Mugs, Posters and more to cover all your needs.

WHY SHOP WITH US?

Why do customers come to

Well we think there are a few reasons:

BEST PRICING

Fashion field involves the best minds to carefully craft the design. The t-shirt industry is a very competitive field and involves many risks. The cost per t-shirt varies proportionally to the total quantity of t-shirts. We are manufacturing exceptional-quality t-shirts at a very competitive price.

PRINT QUALITY DIFFERENCE

We use only the best DTG printers available to produce the finest-quality images possible that won’t wash out of the shirts.

DELIVERY IS VERY FAST

Estimated shipping times:

United States : 1-5 business days

Canada : 3-7 business days

International : from 1-2 weeks depending on proximity to Detroit, MI.

CUSTOM AND PERSONALIZED ORDERS

Custom orders are always welcome. We can customize all of our designs to your needs! Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

PAYMENT DO WE ACCEPT?

We currently accept the following forms of payment:

Credit Or Debit Cards: We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club, JCB, Union Pay and Apple Pay from customers worldwide.

PayPal: PayPal allows members to have a personal account linked to any bank account or credit card for easy payment at checkout.

[mrgreentrees]

Mr. Greentrees

Our discerning Beverly Hills and Los Angeles clientele—families, designers, decorators and florists—have been coming to Mr. Greentrees for more than thirty years because they know they will find trees, wreaths and garlands unrivaled in quality and beauty.

Address: 8950 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069, USA Phone: 310-276–9827 Website: https://mrgreentrees.com