I love Christmas and Almost Everything Associated With It

I love this season. I love the music (even the goofy songs like There’s Something Stuck up in the Chimney); I love movies (even the goofy ones like the Groundhog Day-like Twelve Dates of Christmas on ABC Family), but most of all I love the commercials (even the goofy ones like the crazy Target lady working out for her Christmas shopping) . Among the best are the Hershey’s Kisses in We Wish You a Merry Christmas: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HtSLF4vlrk, or the M&Ms (the relatively new Hungry Eyes is not as good as this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE8CJwXSPRs. Anybody remember the ginbgerbread family Go Phone ads with Steve Buscemi’s voice as the dad? Oh wait, Steve Buscemi’s voice is in every commercial. Or is he just in every movie? I forget. And there is the Mac vs PC animated Christmas ad with John Hodgman (who is a very underrated and funny guy, by the way). And who can forget the Heineken Holiday 5-pack? And I really miss the Norelco “Noelco” ads of my childhood, where Santa uses a Norelco electric razor as a sled. So I love Christmas commercials. But not all of them. Back in 1982, Folgers did a really cute |Christmas ad called Peter, or Peter Comes Home. It is really, really cute. Here is the link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4kNl7cQdcU In 2009, they chose to modernize it and it is just way too creepy for me. Here it is: www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOQk_pWmisA&feature=related Now, I don’t KNOW if this guy’s name is Peter, although Folger’s and their ad people insist it isn’t. And maybe I am the weird one thinking there is more going on here than sibling affection. But check out sister’s hand right before she gets her gift from Peter. And those looks. Quick, get the little kiddies out of the room. Someone has added even more creep factor by editing in two more close-up cuts. At least I HOPE this is not an actual version that ever aired, but rather one that somebody played around with: www.youtube.com/watch?v=khlbF2PTsr4&feature=related And if you don’t think Folger’s and their ad folks didn’t do it on purpose, I have a deal for you on some swamp land in New Jersey. They have edited the ad since it originally aired. They changed an audio track that originally said, “Finally, some real coffee.” Guys, dude is coming back from West Africa, where some of the best coffee in the world is grown, including some that is sourced into Folger’s. So they changed the audio track. But they did not change any of the visuals, the mood or that very creepy hand between the legs. If I go to my car dealer this time of year, I might get a free cup of Folger’s, but frankly, I have never understood the idea of buying a Lexus for someone as a Christmas gift. It seems to me they might want to pick out their own options, color and so on. And how many of us spend $40K on a Christmas gift? Still, they have pushed pretty hard in the Christmas season. This year, folks who give a Lexus also find clever ways to play that annoying theme song (which has gotten nearly as bad as It’s A Small World After All) instead of saying “I bought you a Lexus.”. There’s a music box; a customized version of Guitar Hero (pretty cool, I admit, but not commercially available… I checked) and an elevator that plays the theme Lexus song. Huh? I guess I am just not rich enough to “get it.” I can’t afford a Lexus for my wife (Although I did buy her a Chevy Aveo for our anniversary one year). But a music box that plays the Lexus song. That I can afford. And still have $39,950 left for my divorce attorney. Gotta go. Gayla Peavey’s Greatest Christmas Hit CD is now available packaged with a chocolate hippopotamus and I need to grab a couple before they sell out.