Best of 2021

• The year started out well with a new president who is thankfully not a monster. All rational humans breathe a sigh of absolute relief.  However it is Bernie Sanders that steals the show at the inauguration and appears on both RJ and Stefanie's IG pages (as well as nearly everyone elses!) as master of the meme.

• Emily wakes up & poses for a snapshot on February 6th after almost two months sedation due to Corona. She finally came home on March 17th, back in hospital for a few days, and then home again for good on the 30th.

• I got my COVID-19 vax!

• The George Floyd verdict.

• Spending the day in Jim Thorpe with Kayla.

• Going to The Colonial with Jax to show him Singin' In The Rain, which he loved!

• Discovered the outstanding documentary Halston (2019). I came to realise that he was not only an artist but a true genius. I really loved that all those interviewed talked about him as a real person, one with flaws, but mostly they spoke of his vision and his loyalty. He could be hot-tempered and sometimes entitled but it was clear from everything that his colleagues and friends said that at the center of his being, Halston was a good man. (The miniseries that came out was just dreadful. McGregor was a terrible choice, in my opinion. He's too short and small - had the producers ever seen a photo of Halston's hands for chrissakes? They were massive! And I felt that McGregor played Halston a bit too campy and the show focused too much on negative aspects of his life and personality.)

• Renee's last note.

• Blobfest 2021

• Ted Lasso night with Xavier.

• Photographing the house on 306 Hollywood and then lucking out and being able to drive 30 minutes further and meet my bestie at the Passaic County Fair and hang out at her booth. We even scored a selfie outside the high-class outhouses.

• Lauryn's wedding!

• Drove to Flemington to purchase a gorgeous vintage typewriter. (Then met up with Amy for lunch in the next town over!)

• Took learning to the next level by signing up for Duolingo Plus. I was smart enough to screen record my favourite ad before I said goodbye to them for good - ad-free is the best way to live life!

• Celebrated what would have been Nana Irma's 100th birthday.

• Spent some more one on one time with Bailey, helping her make a Christmas card for her father.

• Visit with Emily, Ana, and Adam!

• Watched a scary movie every day in October.

• One last tour of Belgrade Street with Mum. (The carpet that has held up since 1980!)

A farewell selfie with Mum in her parents' old bedroom.

• Four years working to learn Spanish with Duolingo. Cuatro años trabajo aprender el Español con Duolingo. (I'm pretty sure that sentence is extremely flawed but it's the closest I can get at the level I'm up to at this time.)

• Drove out to Ohio and was reunited with the Coleman ladies, first with Heather at her home, then I had Maureen over to the house I rented in Chagrin Falls, followed by an afternoon out with my oldest and dearest friend in the world, Autumn. It was a whirlwind trip and I was a moron to not schedule it for longer, but I would go back again in an instant.

• Got to visit the town of Chagrin Falls which was featured in my fave Christmas show, The Gathering. I snapped photos of some of the spots featured in the film, did a bit of shopping, and then went back to the posh rental to watch (and re-watch!) that Ed Asner classic. 

• White Christmas at The Colonial with Amy!

• Books and Cooks Tour with Jax where we got to see the building from The Trouble With Angels! Jackson and I always seem to have the most fun together when we see oddball stuff. He was thoroughly impressed with the "fortress".

• Watched 25 holiday shows for Christmas.

• Read a total of ninety books this year!

• Text from David featuring a New Year's Eve sunset in Positano.

• Finished the year with some black eyed pea soup care of Bishop, which he hand delivered to my place. We were masked up (I don't get my booster shot til next week and we wanted to be extra careful) but still managed a couple bday hugs and selfies to end the year on a high note.

All in all, with it's enormous highs and lows, 2021 was far better than 2020. The year ended with my seeing online that the world lost Betty White. I spent the rest of the night and into the wee hours of the morn watching her as Sue Ann Nivens in Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rose Nylund in The Golden Girls. She was a beam of glowing sunlight on a gloomy universe. She packed a helluva lot in her 99 years. 

(That line from Chuckles Bites the Dust topped every hilarious moment that preceded it!)

Twenty Five Days of Holiday Shows

• The Gathering

• One Special Night

• Holiday Affair - Janet Leigh and Bob Mitchum were a handsome couple and it was nice to see an oldie that's new to me.

(photo kidnapped from aurorasginjoint)

• One December Night - A Hallmark movie with two of my faves - Bruce Campbell and Peter Gallagher!

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• Last Tango in Halifax Christmas Special

• Christmas on the Vine - A Lifetime flick I watched on Hoopla. It was actually really cute! I only watched it because Meredith Baxter had a small role and she's just spectacular.

• A Castle for Christmas - If it weren't for the shots of the Scottish countryside, Cary Elwes, Brooke Shields, and her wardrobe this Netflix holiday movie would have been forgettable.

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-bonus: Happy Endings “No Ho Ho”

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• Cash On Demand - Technically not a Christmas movie except for the fact that it took place on Christmas Eve-Eve, this Peter Cushing bank theft flick wasn't bad.

• The Happiest Season - I had such high hopes for this Clea DuVall film. The cast was littered with talent and it all fell flat. Plot: a young lesbian couple goes home for the holidays and it turns out that she isn't out to her family and they have to keep their relationship in the closet when they get there. Ugh. I would have preferred a version of a gay rom-com set at Christmas where shame is not a subject matter. Everyone in the family seemed completely fine with their other daughter's interracial relationship, and I don't even recall them drawing any attention to race, but the filmmaker's choice to continue to place a dark aura of shame, fear, and hatred around homosexuality was a huge disappointment. I get that this is someone else's story but it would have been so refreshing for the chaos and uptight family to be crazy but 100% free from caring about their children's gender, sexuality, and choice of partner. 

• A Dennis the Menace Christmas - As someone who loved the John Hughes film I went in to this follow up with low expectations. Oh it was adorable! RJ was fantastic as grumpy old Mr. Wilson and Louise Fletcher as his wife was excellent casting. Oh and George Newbern was Dennis' Dad! The best scene was when RJ said "Oh no...the S word. He said the S word..." I was in stitches.

• Signed, Sealed, Delivered for Christmas

• White Christmas

• Hart to Hart “Tis the Season to Be Murdered” - The Hart's toy company has a mole who is stealing their ideas for toys. The love-birds go undercover to catch the blackguard and live to spend another holiday in wedded bliss.

(photo kidnapped from sparklyprettybriiiight - image c/o jeffco.ca)

• The Spirit of Christmas - Mum recommended this Lifetime movie because she found the lead fella to be quite hunky. It wasn’t bad, but I doubt I’ll ever see it again. 

• Lethal Weapon - Sadly this film wasn't as good as I remembered. Danny Glover was good but Mel Gibson was far too over the top and the daughter was an annoying little weakling. Blah. 

• Christmas at Castle Hart - A cute Lacey Chabert holiday Hallmark film. Not as good as A Christmas Waltz, though. 

• Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas - This is one of three similar titles in the Hallmark catalog and was a decent show. Gal gets hit by a car and wakes up with amnesia and the nurse on duty helps her track down her life. 

• Gremlins - I had only seen this movie once a few years ago and decided it was time to give it another look. It's cute and very 80s and after it was over I re-played it with the cast commentary. 

• It’s a Wonderful Life - Quite possibly the best Christmas film ever made. A top-notch cast beautifully performs every moment. Has me crying my eyeballs out from start to finish. 

• Die Hard

• Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas - A great documentary that tells of all the great Christmas songs that were written by Jewish singers and songwriters. (Did you know that Mel Tormé was Jewish? AND that he was a composer who wrote the music for The Christmas Song?? I didn't.)

• Christmas, Again - This was an independent film about a lonely Christmas tree salesman in New York. (He was handsome as all get out, sort of a mix between Matthias Schoenaerts and Charlie Day - two of my favourite faces.)

• Ted Lasso “Carol of the Bells” - Season two of Lasso started out strong but went quickly downhill after this episode. My fave part was Higgins' family hosting all the fellas who weren't able to go home for Christmas. 

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• A Christmas Carol

• Ziggy's Gift

Fall 2021 Donations

Omaze 

Enter to win a DeLorean DMC-12

YOU WILL:

• Own one of the most iconic cars ever made, an original DeLorean DMC-12 restored by DeLorean Motor Company in 2021

• Celebrate the 40th anniversary of this cultural icon by driving off with one of your own

• Support the Petersen Museum’s education programs and automotive preservation work

Great Scott! You just scored a DeLorean. Restored by the DeLorean Motor Company in 2021 to their "Live the Dream... Again" spec, this ‘80s icon is still as eye-catching as it was when it first debuted 40 years ago. Open the gullwing doors, get behind the wheel and feel transported back in time in this nostalgic stainless steel sensation. Taxes and shipping included for US winners.

Maximum Seating: 2

Engine: 2.85-liter V6

Transmission: 5-speed manual 

Drivetrain: RWD

Exterior Color: brushed Stainless Steel

Interior Color: Black

Maximum Horsepower: 130 hp

Maximum Torque: 152 lb-ft

Top Speed: 130 mph

Approximate Retail Value: $75,000 

Cash Alt: $56,250

Special Features: Prepared in 2021 to DeLorean Motor Company's highest level of restoration, the “Live the Dream... Again” spec with iconic gullwing doors, ‘80s rear window louvers and modern Bluetooth stereo

Petersen Automotive Museum explores and presents the history of the automobile and its impact on global life and culture. Your generosity supports The Petersen Workshop, a K–12 educational YouTube series that offers a turnkey solution to integrate the automobile into a STEAM-based curriculum. The series provides interactive content, current research and insights into the history of the automobile to help students better understand the critical role of the car and what lies ahead for transportation. 

Vacation at an Oasis in Joshua Tree 

YOU AND THREE FRIENDS (really it will just be me and Amy!) WILL: 

• Be flown out for a 6-day vacation at Whisper Rock Ranch, a luxe escape right by Joshua Tree National Park 

• Enjoy views from the deck, plus a pool, jacuzzi and grill for evening BBQs

• Score $2,000 to help you explore this incredible desert wonderland

Since 1987, Conservation International has worked to spotlight and secure the critical benefits that nature provides to humanity, helping to protect more than 2.3 million square miles of land and sea across more than 70 countries. Your generosity can help Conservation International use science, policy and partnerships to solve the climate crisis and create a cleaner, healthier planet.

International Campaign to Free Tibet

Right now, you have a chance to make twice the difference for the people of Tibet.

Richard Gere and friends will match your donation to ICT, up to $250,000. And we can’t afford to let a single dollar of this match slip by.

With China’s government blocking access to Tibet, destroying Tibet’s natural environment and clamping down on Tibetans’ religious freedom, we need the support of compassionate ICT members like you.

Your gift will help keep the Flame of Hope alive for the Tibetan people—and have twice the impact.

Inspired by the vision of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the International Campaign for Tibet promotes human rights, democratic freedoms and self-determination for the Tibetan people.

Please join me in the Low Budget Philanthropy movement and help out your community and beyond in the simplest way - donating any amount to whatever charity or organisation that you care about!

The Last Christmas Card

Look what travelled all the way from the Emerald Isle across the Atlantic Ocean and into my hot little hands:

Dreaming of an Escape

Scrolling through my saved Instagram photos, I saw this pic of a lovely cabin, tucked away, surrounded by snowy trees, and it has kicked off another daydream of quiet solitude in a place just like this. 

(photo credit: @lostcoordinate on IG - location: Emerald Lake - Yoho National Park) 

Boxing Day with Bella

Due to Jacob's contracting everyone's least favourite party guest, COVID, we had to put off our meeting up until today. We met in Bryn Mawr, had pizza for dinner then drove around in the hopes that the richy-rich of the Main Line would have some seriously fabulous Christmas lights up. Well, they didn't. Seems like we middle class folks are the ones able to deliver the holiday fun in a big, bright way. Bella and I saw a couple homes that were nice, but all in all, it was the conversation that made our evening together the best. I'm hoping we can do a mini trip in 2022 and really get in some solid one-on-one time. 

BONUS: Bella loved the super cute jammie pants I picked up for her at Old Navy!

A Spinster's Christmas 2021

I went a little overboard this Christmas and I think for next year I'll go with the whole less is more thing. Like last year, this time around I had a few gifts from friends. The Brian Johnson book was from Uncle Alan when Jax and I went to see him for the Books and Cooks tour, the tinsel candle was from Maggie, and the bag tied with the ribbon was from Maureen. I scored lots of wonderful books - mostly all memoirs - and some Kate Gabrielle swag. All in all it was a relaxing day watching movies starring John Mills, Kevin Corcoran, and of course, Hayley Mills! (Swiss Family Robinson, The Trouble with Angels, Pollyanna, and The Parent Trap.)

Fantastic Edie Sedgwick artwork by HipnessAndOutrage!

Honey from Amy and Don's farm!

 

Yummy vegan chocolates from Lauryn - ain't she sweet?!

And a beautiful infinity scarf from Melanie!

Bonus! Photo of Amy's farm, all nice and white Christmas-y.

Super cool video clip courtesy of Michel via Whatsapp: