Everything And Nothing

A Merry Country Christmas Playlist

In the December 2010 edition of Southern Living, Dan Rogers, senior marketing manager for the Grand Ole Opry and a lifelong country music fan, offered some of his favorite country Christmas songs (and the story behind them):

• "Po' Folks Christmas" by Bill Anderson
• "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" by Toby Keith
• "Hard Candy Christmas" by Dolly Parton (one of my faves too!)
• "Born on Christmas Day" by Brad Paisley (Paisley wrote this song at age 12.)
• "All I Want for Christmas is a Real Good Tan" by Kenny Chesney

 What are your country Christmas favorites?

Merry Merry

Photo via Racked

The Macy's holidays windows that we all know and love may have never come to be, except for the fact that R.H. Macy was friends with P.T. Barnum. And Barnum suggested to Macy that he put his mechanical toys in the windows of his store at Christmastime. When the Thanksgiving Day parade began in 1924, Macy's invested even more  in their displays for the parade crowds.

The theme of this year's display - the six windows of Macy's facing Broadway - is the making of Christmas magic. When you visit the Macy's Holiday Windows, make sure you bring your (stamped) letters to Santa to drop in the special Santa Mailbox. Macy's will donate $1 to the Make a Wish Foundation for every letter sent.

A Christmas Story

Made for the holiday tree but could also be a year-round talisman for thinkers, dreamers and key-tappers of the old-school or electronic sort. Handblown and glittered with to-the-letter detail in Poland.

$9

A Surprisingly Specific Holiday Gift Guide

You've perused the many gift guides over and over - and nothing has struck you yet. And you're getting desperate. It seemed like a long time until Christmas and you woke up this morning and realized it was exactly 14 days (or really 7 if you want to be on the safe side and the gift requires shipping).

Not to worry.

The A.V. Club brings you their 3rd annual Suprisingly Specific Holiday Gift Guide.

Ever-Green Wreath

All signs point to a festive holiday season when you decorate with this "ever-green" wreath. Handmade from retired aluminum traffic signs the lightweight wreath mounts securely to the door or wall and is imperious to the elements. Actual appearance will vary slightly, depending on recycled signs available.

$140

A gift for a good cause

The Mississippi Heritage Trust is offering this pewter ornament of the Old State Capitol in Jackson, with proceeds to help support the organization. A brief history of the building is included with the ornament, which comes in a sealed package.

$15

Bad Santa

Radar rounds up this year's dumbest Christmas gifts.

12 Days of Christmas

It's getting more costly to buy true love.

It would cost $78,100 to buy the 364 items mentioned in "The Twelve Days of Christmas," from a single partridge in a pear tree to the 12 drummers drumming, repeatedly on each day as the song suggests, according to the annual PNC Christmas Price Index.

The 3.1% increase from last year is largely due to the significantly higher price of gold and increased compensation for minimum wage workers.

Random Rules for New York City Sidewalk Santas

• No garlic or raw onions. Two words: breath mints!
• Don't climb down, sit on, or lean against your chimney collection box.
• If a child asks, "Are you really Santa Claus?" reply, "I'm Santa's helper. The big guy is at the North Pole getting ready for Christmas."
• Don't accessorize your snow-white Santa beard with crumbly potato chips or sticky candy canes. In the beard department, less is more.
• Do ring your bell rhythmically and say your ho-ho-ho's joyfully. Remember: You are an icon with an image to maintain.

[ via Real Simple magazine, December 2007 ]

The 2007 Guide to 2007 Gift Guides

I love lists. I love Christmas. I love buying gifts. I was the ideal candidate, so here's your 2007 Gift Guide to Gift Guides:

• TreeHugger's Gift Guide (for environmentalists)
• Kotaku's Gift guide of Obscene Nicety and Sublime Naughtyness (for gamers)
• CoolHunting's 2007 Gift Guide (for cool hunters)
• Z Recommends Gift Guide (for kids)
• NotCot's Holiday Gift Guide (for adults who already have too much)
• Gift Guide 2007 (for wrapping the gifts once you've bought them)
• Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide (for gadget freaks)
• ComputerWorld's Holiday Gift Guide (for techies)
• NewNowNext's Gift Guide (for live music lovers)
• NetworkWorld's Cool Yule Tools Guide (for geeks)
• MightyGood's Budget Gift Guide (for the thrifty shopper)
• Blend Television's Gift Guide(for the TV junkie)
• coolmom's Holiday Gift Guide (for the parents)
• Doctors Foster and Smith Gift Guide (for wild bird lovers)
• CIO Gift Guide (for the executive)
• Salon.com's Gift Guide (for the culture junkie)
• GolfForWomen's 2007 Gift Guide (for women golfers)