Wednesday, December 24, 2025

K.A.C. 2025 - T - 01 Days ... [2021]

 

2021 - "Pssst! Hey, kid! Yeah, YOU, you in the middle! Didn't you read our article yesterday? You're supposed to be MASKED like these people, you dolt!"

     While Mr. Clueless steps away for a minute to go and get PROPERLY attired, we welcome you to our final entry of the year. We've covered a lot of ground and ALMOST got completely caught up, time-wise. We'll pick up where we left off next year on December 1st, 2026, with a look back at the years 2022 and beyond, to the present date. But for now, let's see what upending our very last stocking shows us.

     2021 had no one particular strange Christmas story to mention. Most people were still reeling from a year's worth of pandemic living and all the adjustments that came with it. So instead we'll use this time to fill in the gaps with the last flotsam and jetsam stories that didn't fit in elsewhere this year.

     - Item: Where The Real Rudolph Lives (with 800 of his besties): 

     https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2025/dec/06/reindeer-herding-holiday-sami-people-west-sweden 

     - Item: A rare look at one of the earliest known letters written to Santa from 1883 showcasing a sweet note from a little girl more concerned that her little brother has a good Christmas:

     https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/dec/02/six-year-old-girl-letter-to-santa-1883-christmas  

     - Item: 'Lofty the Snowman' - A Colossal 62 foot behemoth built in Northeast China for the season, complete with time-lapse photography of its construction: 

     https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/37687896/giant-snowman-built-11-days-cute-grin/  

     

     - Item: Take a look at Heather Cox Richardson's post today all about the history of NORAD's Santa Claus tracker. Worth reading for the closing quote alone: "For one night a year, the hard-edged world of international alliances, intelligence, radar, satellites, and fighter jets turns into a night for adults to create a magical world for children."

https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson 

 

  

     

     We end this year as we do each year by following the British tradition of the Christmas Ghost Story. Our tale is one we've been trying to add for YEARS and now it FINALLY gets to shine. This is your humble curator's (and his son's) favorite ghost story. Don't expect the dilapidated mansion or creaky stairs - you're heading to much darker waters via Algernon Blackwood's 1907 novella The Willows. A masterpiece of slow, creeping dread with extremely different ghosts. Presented in two links for your reading pleas ... ummm ...

     https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Willows_(Blackwood)/I 

     https://www.thisisdarkness.com/2018/11/18/algernon-blackwood-the-willows-1907-full-novella-text/
 

     And with that, we close the curtain and roll up the carpet of the K.A.C. for another year. Time for your Curator to wrap his scarf up a little tighter to stop the draft, make a cup of tea, get settled in on the couch and be dazzled by the lights of the Christmas tree, thinking rather wistfully of the ever weirder stories - the ones that got away. Blessed Yule, Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year to you all!

      

      

      

Tuesday, December 23, 2025

K.A.C. 2025 - T - 02 Days ... [2020]

 

     2020 - This year will not soon be forgotten, as it asked a remarkable question: how does one celebrate Christmas during a worldwide pandemic?

     The COVID-19 pandemic officially stretched from March of 2020 to May of 2023. To really get the feel of the times as they happened, feel free to go back to our K.A.C 2020 articles (links at right) to see how the challenge was met. Among the stories we covered that year were:

     - The Christmas Star. In a remarkably timely stellar coincidence, just when people needed it most, Jupiter and Saturn passed in a very close conjunction right before the Winter Solstice, forming a 'Christmas Star' in the sky. Our original report PLUS a 2025 update appear below:

     http://www.conjurecinema.com/2020/12/kac-2020-t-18.html  

     https://www.astronomy.com/science/the-star-of-bethlehem-can-science-explain-what-it-was/  

     

     - The 'Plexi Santa' - what with masks being mandatory and 6 feet between people at all times also being enforced, the notion of ANYONE sitting on Santa's lap during the pandemic was right out. We covered some interesting workarounds (including MUSHROOMS) for the overworked elf AND showed what happened to SC when proper protocols were NOT observed:

     http://www.conjurecinema.com/2020/12/kac-2020-t-12.html 

     
 

     - The Spanish Flu - over the course of the 2020 articles, we researched the FIRST pandemic to hit these shores - as we wrote at the time: "With COVID still rampant around the world, it got me wondering what Christmas was like when the world went through this before, so I started researching the 1918 Spanish Flu. According to the National Archives: "The influenza epidemic that swept the world in 1918 killed an estimated 50 million people. One fifth of the world's population was attacked by this deadly virus. Within months, it had killed more people than any other illness in recorded history." What was remarkable about this poster and the warnings that came with it were the wording and article warnings could be lifted wholesale without changing a word during the Covid-19 pandemic with only one difference: in 1918 and beyond, the public religiously observed and followed the precautions and warnings, while during Covid, after a very short while, people started bucking the system, figuring out ways to get around the cautions (and causing a LOT of needless infections). 

     

     So, with the lock down in effect, holiday parties were out. Those who could (ourselves included) worked from home and only went out for groceries or other essentials. Still wanting to interact with family and friends during the holidays, online Zoom meetings became the 'go to' means of checking in with each other, oftentimes with embarrassing results for those unfamiliar with how to tell if your camera was still on or not. The safest way to spend the holiday? Iceland had the answer, one they've had for YEARS and one that our family adopted WAY before the pandemic: the Jolabokaflod (see picture at left). You should, too!

     Other variants still pop up and the fear of a newer, deadlier virus still haunts us today. We hope for a safer world, but with this current administration's denials of Covid and downplaying the efficacy and ESSENTIAL need to get vaccinated, this could all go Very Wrong Very Quickly ... and for once, we don't have a witty comeback for that.

 

     With THAT somber coda in your heads, join us tomorrow for our final entry of the year!

      

     
 

      

Monday, December 22, 2025

K.A.C. 2025 - T - 03 Days ... [2019]

 

     2019 - After last year's Poopsie the Slime Surprise Unicorn, we'd figured that was out of our system (literally and figuratively). Well, it WAS, but ... 2019 wasn't done with us on the horrible toy pet front as we were deluged instead with Boppi, the Booty Shakin' Llama! We think the family in the commercial is having Way Too Much Fun (and may have over-medicated), or that my just be us. See what you think below:

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFRZGfMdUdQ  

     If Boppi was too highbrow for you, you could also get the 'Pop Pops Snotz Slime Slammer Hammer' or the 'Cutetitos' (donkeys and other pet animals stuffed in a burrito ... Okayyyyy ....) and more. Take a look and wonder how much different your childhood would have been with THESE under the tree!

     https://nymag.com/strategist/article/top-kids-toys-for-christmas.html  

     

     Meanwhile, not to be outdone in the real world, 'Researchers won an Ig Nobel Prize for their study on how wombats are the only animals known to produce cube-shaped feces.' (Google) You've come too far now - you KNOW you want to see it - click below:

     https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-14/wombat-faeces-cube-shaped-because-of-intestines-scientists-learn/11510952 

     

     And finally, for poop of an aural variety, the UK Guardian asked the IMPORTANT question to Mall Santas - read ‘I can’t hear Mariah Carey for the 1,000th time!’ Professional Santas on their most loved – and hated – Christmas hits' below (take the hat off, Tiddles - YOU don't get to be a Mall Santa. Why? Because you hate ALL the songs and you SCRATCHED the kids last year!):

     https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/dec/02/professional-santa-on-their-most-loved-and-hated-christmas-hits 

     The clock is ticking ... only two more entries to go!

 
 

 

Sunday, December 21, 2025

K.A.C. 2025 - T - 04 Days ... [2018]

 

     2018 - With only four days to go, tensions are starting to flare and the 'must be good 'till Santa comes on Christmas Eve' is starting to chafe certain people like a bear! Take heart: this kind of thing has happened for many years before and will continue to do so many years later. At least YOU'RE still keeping a lid on your feelings ... unlike these two Taco Bell snowmen who decided to throw (icy, inflatable) hands!

     https://www.youtube.com/shorts/vQgSFPe2l0k 

      

      And what was the big kerfuffle about, you ask? We'd rather not say ... but since you insist, they were 'coming to an understanding' over who was going to get the LAST must-have toy of the year: Poopsie the Slime Surprise Unicorn. Believe us, it's worse than it sounds ... and it sounds AWFUL! Unfamiliar with the little lady? Not any more! It's very rare when words fail us here, but the video of Poopsie in action does it!

(Note To Self: Yankee Yule ...)

     https://www.today.com/parents/top-10-weird-gifts-christmas-2018-t145464 

     https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HM6JXgOyMgo  

     

     And speaking of Poopsies (this entry has gone COMPLETELY off the rails), an article from AOL (now doesn't THAT make you feel old?) talks about '12 of the most unusual Christmas traditions around the world', including the crapping Cageners. We've covered them before in these pages, so we won't leave you hanging like these poor souls - you can read what the other 11 entries are!

     https://www.aol.com/articles/12-most-unusual-christmas-traditions-143441080.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAM38smv_e1FK4Yd7md3XYKKHplF1ez0Bewxy89CqnPr3ZiHU_95F5s235n7ah5oh_sck7m-qBjMh_mCX97TDVJ8uzVfzwcHuE28FWy9wusxXUQvCzRClbBJFkqnof4iZjXsHXH3tnyVRKYTE2UJrOA2v9LiWiAxv4ReFcAbc52k7 

     Uh, oh - busted! We've just been told by our boss BeeGee to clean up this shi ... end our entry on a more positive note. Let's stay with the traditions angle and try to salvage SOMETHING nice here! 25 of the best to close out the day. 

     https://www.history.com/articles/christmas-traditions-history 

     Our final three entries begin tomrrow! 

Saturday, December 20, 2025

K.A.C. 2025 - T - 05 Days ... [2017]

 

     2017 - Today the K.A.C. celebrates annual Christmas traditions that are repeated every year and passed down from generation to generation. What's that, you say? Like decorating the tree and sending Christmas cards? Nope, never heard of 'em! Time to expand your horizons, lad ... we're talking more along the lines of throwing your Christmas pudding on the ceiling for good luck and Burning the Devil! Hmm, you seem a bit confused. Allow us:

     https://www.cntraveller.in/story/the-most-unique-christmas-traditions-from-around-the-world/ 

     

     This was the year that folks stepped up their makeup game and became Living Ornaments, with such accessories as Christmas Tree Eyebrows for the ladies and Decembeards and Beardaments for the men. Time to bring these old favorites back and be the light of the party (literally!) in your family photos!

     https://www.businessinsider.com/christmas-tree-eyebrows-latest-beauty-trend-instagram-2017-12  

     https://beardaments.com/ 

      

     

     We've featured weird Christmas cards numerous times here at the K.A.C. Recently we came across an excellent short video from the Victoria and Albert Museum that has a great selection of other vintage cards, many of which we were unfamiliar with. Enjoy!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdULP-VYuXk 

     Four to go!

Friday, December 19, 2025

K.A.C. 2025 - T - 06 Days ... [2016]

 

     2016 - The biggest toy of the year was the introduction of Pokemon Go - load it on your phone, go walk around staring at your phone to get the critter ... walk into traffic ... and occasionally find DEAD BODIES! Oh, it happened - not just once or twice, but multiple times! Altas Obscura explained why:

     https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/why-pokemon-go-players-are-going-to-keep-finding-dead-bodies  

      Well, you can't top that, you say? Well maybe WE can't, but they had no problem doing so in Sri Lanka that year, when 'in a world-famous blunder, a Christmas carol service in Sri Lanka accidentally printed the lyrics to Tupac Shakur's "Hail Mary" in its program instead of the traditional prayer.' (Google) See it in all its unintentional glory below:

     https://www.instagram.com/p/DSJCKxAABub/?img_index=2  

     

     Time to play KAC Potpourri Catch Up! As we're running out time, we've still got a lot of items that don't really fit anywhere in our tales, so we're just going to throw them out here and like tinsel of old, see what sticks. 

     First up is this fine piece of animation Justin sent me about Scrooge's three spirits discussing the night, with Christmas Future getting WAY into his role:

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlmWyd_XKqo 

     Next, the Observer (UK) examines the origin of an essential part of holiday parties this time of year, the Christmas Sandwich. Tell you what, go read the article first and come back - we'll wait:     https://observer.co.uk/style/food/article/the-christmas-sandwich-origin-story?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us       


 
      

     Looks and sounds delicious, right? Now let us tell you the story about our humble Curator's holiday sandwiches. Every year when he was young, one night during the holidays he was sent to a friend's place to stay overnight as his Mom had a party at her place. Let's say Mom's ideas of decorating on a budget were Out There - between the bizarre decor she would put up to DYEING her Teacup Toy Poodles BLUE for the season (pictures forthcoming as soon as we can find them) to the pièce de ré·sis·tance, the infamous egg salad sandwiches (as seen to your left). Again, think limited budget back in the 1960s. We're sure Good Housekeeping or Ladies Home Journal or some such magazine put a festive bee in her bonnet about 'how to entertain' and mentioned THESE Atrocious Appetizers, consisting of two loaves of bread, a mountain of Egg Salad and two LARGE bottles of food coloring. One loaf was dyed red, the other green (the CHRISTMAS colors, don'cha know), then slathered up with Egg Salad and left out for guests ... said guests who are crammed into a one-bedroom Boston apartment, drinking, smoking and sweating - heat cranked up until someone opens a window, wafting the scent of Egg Salad that's now been out awhile throughout, as ONLY THE BRAVE or polite take one and gamely wash it down, STAINING their faces and teeth into a GHOULISH mixture of blood red, gangrene green and noxious yellow ... and God help you if you got this on your best holiday clothing - just put it out of your misery, sir or madam, 'cause you're never getting that stain out!

     Any hope of hooking up with somebody at this Carnival of Souls reunion trainwreck, which has now spun COMPLETELY off the rails has been dashed as the participants are now having URGENT summons from their bowels to hit the bathroom STAT ... again, in a ONE BEDROOM, ONE BATHROOM Boston apartment. Hasty 'look at the time' excuses were made, the race for the door (and the bushes outside) was on and another 'much-talked-about' party was in the books!

     The worst part and why we bring this up? Someone's Mom didn't believe in wasting food and SAVED it for their latchkey son to eat through the New Year while she was at work! The son, being no fool, fed them to his Evil Blue Poodle Nemesis who, if we can be crude for a moment (hey, we're among friends after all and if you've come THIS far with the K.A.C., well, really, you only have yourselves to blame!), when taken on Walkies later, produced the most AMAZING TECHNICOLOR POOP that was the the TALK of the neighborhood! Your Curator, being a Boston lad, lived on Fluffernutters the whole time, until it was time to go back to military school - Win-Win! 

     And that's what we did for fun. Speaking of fun, come back tomorrow as we begin our final 5 day countdown. Where's that bottle of Fluff?

Thursday, December 18, 2025

K.A.C. 2025 - T - 07 Days ... [2015]

 

     2015 - We're one week away from Christmas proper, which means we take a moment to welcome back our Fabulous Flying Threesome Hardrock, Coco and Joe - Santa's little helpers bringing toys and ear worms to latch into your brains. If you're new here, get caught up to date below, then hit play and succumb - we have!

     "On December 18, 1956, WGN-TV's "Garfield Goose and Friends" introduced Chicago area children to Santa Claus' three favorite elves, Hardrock, Coco and Joe. At two-feet-high, Hardrock drove Santa's sleigh while Coco navigated and Joe tagged along for fun. To create the animated short or "song cartoonette", Hill & Range Songs hired Centaur Productions. The company was established in the early 1950s by Wah Ming Chang, a sculptor in Walt Disney's Effects and Model Department who created the model of Pinocchio; and George Pal, a producer and Academy Award nominee. The shorts were produced in black-and-white using stop-motion animation, a cinematic process that brings figures or puppets to life by minutely reposing and photographing them frame-by-frame, resulting as fluid movement on screen." (Chicago's Museum of Broadcast Communications)

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDM6Bbt9WDY 

     We can't have the boys stop by without also showcasing their pretty winter sprite friend Suzy Snowflake (from the same company) - for when you need something ELSE to hum along to over and over and ... The Museum had this to say about her: "On December 28, 1953, Chicago area kids were introduced to the whimsical story of Suzy Snowflake "tap, tap, tappin'" on every windowpane, seen on "Garfield Goose and Friends" then on WBBM-TV. Like "Hardrock, Coco and Joe", Suzy too was brought to life by the stop-motion animators of Centaur Productions. Norma Zimmer was Suzy's voice and the song was sung by The Norman Luboff Choir, a premier studio group who recorded with well-known artists, such as Frank Sinatra and Harry Belafonte." Here she comes now, a tap,tap, tappin' on the windowpane of your computer! 

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaUBpsn4QjQ 

     

     Regarding just WHO is pulling Santa's sleigh gets more interesting when you realize TWO of them are Dutch name-changing FRAUDS! Wanna guess which two? Maybe, just MAYBE, is these two perps on the left. Exhibit A: 

    'Santa's original eight reindeer, introduced in the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," are

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen, with Donner and Blitzen originating from Dutch words for "thunder" (Donder) and "lightning" (Blixem), later Anglicized and Germanized. Their names reflect speedy, energetic, or celestial qualities, fitting their role in pulling Santa's sleigh across the night sky. 
The Original Eight Reindeer & Their Meanings:
   
  1. Dasher: Suggests speed and swiftness.
  2. Dancer: Evokes graceful, quick movement.
  3. Prancer: Implies a lively, prancing gait.
  4. Vixen: A feminine name meaning "female fox," suggesting cleverness or spirit.
  5. Comet: A celestial body, linking to speed and starry skies.
  6. Cupid: The Roman god of love, bringing affection.
  7. Donner: From Dutch "Donder" (Thunder), for power and loudness.
  8. Blitzen: From Dutch "Blixem" (Lightning), for speed and brightness, later adapted to German "Blitzen" (Lightning).' (Google)

      Seems too tame a way to end this entry, so let's go to South Africa and have a meet and greet with THEIR way to make kids be good ... no, not Krampus - meet Danny! The truth is a tad less terrifying: 

     'The legend of
Danny, a boy allegedly killed by his grandmother for eating Santa's cookies, is a popular holiday-themed "creepypasta" (internet horror story) that is often incorrectly cited as a traditional South African myth.  

Legend Details
  • The Narrative: Danny was a mischievous child with an insatiable love for sweets. On Christmas Eve, he ate all the cookies intended for Santa Claus. His grandmother, discovering the empty plate, reportedly killed him in a fit of rage on the kitchen floor.
  • The Ghost: Danny is said to rise every Christmas as a vengeful spirit with glowing eyes and hands permanently sticky from the stolen sweets. He allegedly haunts homes where children are greedy or have eaten Santa’s treats prematurely. 
Cultural Origin and Authenticity
While frequently appearing on lists of "weird global traditions," the story has little to no grounding in authentic South African folklore.
  • Internet Myth: The tale lacks historical documentation and is primarily circulated through social media and "spooky trivia" websites.
  • Local Feedback: South Africans themselves frequently report never having heard of the legend until its appearance online.' (Google)   


      More tomorrow!

Wednesday, December 17, 2025

K.A.C. 2025 - T - 08 Days ... [2014]

 

     2014 - This year Russian thistle skeletons (more commonly known as tumbleweeds) and Santa Sheep were highlights of the weird Christmas news. First, from Chandler, Arizona comes 'a unique, large tree constructed from painted, glittered, and lights-wrapped tumbleweeds, standing tall as a festive landmark in downtown Chandler, celebrated with a community lighting ceremony. The tree, built on a chicken wire frame with around 1,000 tumbleweeds embodies the city's desert spirit and is a popular local holiday attraction, with photos from 2014 showing its decorated form. 

Key Details about the 2014 Tumbleweed Tree:
  • Location: Downtown Chandler, Arizona.
  • Construction: A frame (around 35-40 feet tall) filled with approximately 1,000 tumbleweeds.
  • Decoration: Sprayed white, covered in glitter, and adorned with over 1,200 lights, plus a star.
  • Tradition: An annual event dating back to 1957, representing a unique Arizona holiday custom.' (Google) 

          Next we have 'Santa Sheep' in the Chinese malls, as 2015 was an upcoming Year of the Sheep on their calendar. We could do an entire years worth of articles just on how Christmas is celebrated there, but instead lets just give you a recent example from a Christmas market this year - 5 minutes of jaw-dropping, butt-clenching splendor. Is Santa going to set himself or the market on fire? Are those wires sturdy enough? And (at about the halfway mark) did Santa forget his map and have to start all over again? That feeling in your bones is NOT Christmas joy ... it's trepidation watching this and thinking it's not going to end well. Click below, full screen this bad boy and turn up the volume! 
         
         Back tomorrow with more, including our annual visit with Hardrock, Coco and Joe! 
          
     
     

Tuesday, December 16, 2025

K.A.C. 2025 - T - 09 Days ... [2013]

 

     A perusal of 'weird Christmas' for this year talks about the spread of social media (read: EVERYBODY'S phone video of their cat destroying the Christmas tree, etc.), Krampus mania taking off, and European holiday traditions getting worldwide exposure (see: social media above), including ones we've covered before in this blog, such as KFC becoming the 'go to' meal on Christmas in Japan (our first link below) and the Gavle Goat in Sweden (second link). While writing this up, what to our wondering eyes should appear but the festive appearance of yet ANOTHER Yule Goat which we'd never heard of until today - behold the Romanian Capra! The full story of this Glittering Goaty can be found below as well ... HEY! What do Capras eat? CORN! Pffffftttt ... we're runnin' on fumes here, kids. Wait, we said KIDS! OK, we're gonna take a moment and step away from the keyboard while you do some link perusin'.

 


http://www.conjurecinema.com/2021/12/kac-2021-t-05-days.html  

 http://www.conjurecinema.com/2015/12/kac-2015-t-20.html

https://www.romania-insider.com/winter-holidays-and-christmas-traditions-in-romania-the-bear-dance-the-masked-carolers-and-the-goat 

     Not to be outdone, come Christmas Eve, Sweden's neighbor Norway has an annual tradition of 'hiding the brooms' (maybe from pesky goats?) - why? Read (and see)  below:

     https://niftybuckles.wordpress.com/2022/12/15/norways-hiding-the-brooms-christmas-eve-julaften-tradition/ 

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csmfQhM12V8 

     Eight more to go!

 

 

Monday, December 15, 2025

K.A.C. 2025 - T - 10 Days ... [2012]


 


If any year qualifies as the year of disasters, 2012 is it. You had serious end-of-the-world fears thanks to the Mayan Apocalypse calendar, which actually 'was a modern misinterpretation of the 
Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar, which marked the end of a major cycle (a baktun) on December 21, 2012, not the end of the world. Experts confirmed that for the Maya, time was cyclical, so this date signified a transition to a new era, like turning a calendar page, not a cataclysmic doomsday. Ancient inscriptions mention the date but frame it as a renewal or the return of deities, not destruction.' (Google) Read the truth about the calendar below:

      https://eaglesnestatitlan.com/2025/08/23/2012-mayan-calendar-prophecy/  

And SPEAKING of destruction, this was also the year of the unfortunate debut of 'Monkey Christ', a story that sounds like it was made up, but was 100% true. For a refresher on this'Artistic Apocalype', read below:  

 

     
 
 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/28/how-monkey-christ-brought-new-life-to-a-quiet-spanish-town  

 My favorite part of all this when it went down was that October someone turned the finished piece into their Halloween costume!

   

    Why did our artist do it? Maybe she was hallucinating? We only bring this up because this article popped up as we were looking for something else, demanding to be included! Ok, OK! Sheesh!

      https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a69688538/hallucinating-brain/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us 

     More tomorrow!

  

Sunday, December 14, 2025

K.A.C. 2025 - T - 11 Days ... [2011]

 

     2011 - Not be outdone by 2010's Paul the Psychic Octopus, this year ushered in Tinsel, the Christmas Snake!

     As Google relates: "(A) viral news story from December 2011 involved a North Carolina family in Zebulon who found a corn snake in their Christmas tree, and while the kids thought it was cool, a snake expert safely removed the non-venomous reptile, which was likely looking for food, and released it, with the family naming the creature "Tinsel". 

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMiB_HR52Ts 

     

     A Christmas Snake? What are you, drunk? Nope, but our narrator is, as the proverbial skunk, in this Funny or Die short 'Drunk History: The Night Before Christmas', enacted as its (sorta) read by Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes and Jim Carrey. You'll never hear this holiday classic again without thinking of this 2011 viral video!

 

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBw8Jz7IwUY&list=RDIBw8Jz7IwUY&start_radio=1 

     Not gonna top that, not even gonna try - back tomorrow with more! 

 

     
 

      

Saturday, December 13, 2025

K.A.C. 2025 - T - 12 Days ... [2010]

 

     2010 brought us the debut of the iPad, the signing of the Affordable Care Act and a December Blizzard, but here at the K.A.C. we're grateful that it also brought Paul the Psychic Octopus.

     Why the blank look? Whaddaya mean, you never heard of Paul? Man, don't you keep up with the NEWS? If you HAD heard of him, you could have cleaned up at the betting tables - read on!

     His 'tenta'-lizing tale is a click (or eight) away - see him in action!

     https://www.the-sun.com/sport/11641430/life-death-paul-octopus-conspiracy-theories-world-cup/ 

 

      After the surfeit of food ads from yesterday, we felt it was only fair to bring on dessert, in the form of the UK's most vocal food critic - put your phone on vibrate and clear your schedule if this is your first exposure to Fanny Cradock! Be sure not to miss her Holiday Treat with a Very Special ingredient! The myth, the legend, the amazing truth begins below:

     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Cradock 

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nhs_33zWEoQ  

     https://www.facebook.com/reel/821006867596375 

     A wise man knows when to stop, so see you tomorrow! 

Friday, December 12, 2025

K.A.C. 2025 - T - 13 Days ... [2009]

 

     Before we forget, we want to remind everyone that this year's Darkest Night Market will be happening in Peabody this Saturday (tomorrow!) from 5-9PM. Link below!

     https://www.facebook.com/events/58-pulaski-st-peabody-ma-01960-1800-united-states/darkest-night-market-witchery-oddities-dark-arte-krampus/1216475770309240/  

 

     2009 was another quiet year, weird-Christmas wise. It was the year of the first Avatar film, the passing of Michael Jackson and the beginning of Barack Obama's presidency ... and on August 26th of 2009, another historical footnote appeared: the beginning of our Conjure Cinema blog, home these many years to the K.A.C., where I wrote: "Cinematic Salutations and Welcome to the long-overdue Conjure Cinema website! I am finally bowing to the wishes of all the CC viewers, past and present alike, who have told me time and again, "You really need to have a blog!" So be it, your wish is my command! In the posts to come, I'll outline the history of how CC came to be, the films we have shown in the past, WHY we showed certain of those titles (as I'm sure many of you head-shakers out there would like to know! :)), the criteria I use to pick each title, and some trivia of interest behind each of our cinematic wonders. You'll also get an advance look at what's coming up in the future, as well as tangents on other films and shorts I've seen that I think you'll find interesting, and whatever else comes to mind in the Random Synapse Department. So thank you for coming, enjoy my site and I look forward to your comments."

     Our very first film reviewed was 1971's Simon, King of the Witches, which can read below:

     http://www.conjurecinema.com/2009/08/how-it-all-began.html 

      The K.A.C. itself had started a year earlier as a contest between my work-study students and me of who could find the worst Christmas LP album cover and expanded from there to oddball holiday stories, etc. One year later, it was folded in to the blog and has now reached global proportions. One of our features every year are the UK food ads from the major retailers, who all vie for bragging rights of the best ad of the year - here are some of the 2025 contenders.

     # 1 - Dawn French returns in her series of Marks & Spencer ads, and you won't see a more scrumptious holiday food spread anywhere - just plan your strategy how to GET to it!

     https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/37196871/marks-spencer-food-christmas-advert-dawn-french/
 

      

# 2 - Not gonna lie, softies that we are here, this is our favorite of the year, with a very sweet Love Actually riff starring Keira Knightly. Well done, Waitrose!

     https://www.thesun.co.uk/money/37285958/keira-knightley-waitrose-xmas-ad-love-actually/ 

 

     # 3 - The John Lewis ad for this year is a total punch to the heart, as they are most years. Rather than say more about it, just go watch it. We'll dedicate this one to our fellow K.A.C. Dickensian contributor Justin von Bosau.

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc5S4IV_NeA
     

       

     Which all leads up to ... this. McDonalds Netherlands decided to double, nay triple down with an AI-generated ad of non-stop Christmas Calamities, with the message being 'when you're life's gone to Absolute S***, come see us!' Want to take a bet how well THAT went? See below:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-YwjXEVGo8  

 

     https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czdgrnvp082o 

     There's only one way to end today's entry. You know what ALL these poor people need? A helping hand! No, wait, let's try that again ... a Helping Hand! Thanks to Debbie for putting this on our radar!

 

 

 

     https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=f0158aba78c19323&sxsrf=AE3TifN9nu4Zhbl6Go3FAsK2BGU4Ihptog:1765555303906&udm=7&fbs=AIIjpHxU7SXXniUZfeShr2fp4giZud1z6kQpMfoEdCJxnpm_3WBcADgXS0kQ7L92bqYkFCG8bHRvu8ol_TdrDmA5KIpYh6-6pKu-y8ykNchxvjRj-H1tb88imXsJlNo48coCCf0o_JVbFa1PaQuGXB6ErZwt0Z7nHE2xN94vkVMlLa3vA6LBpdcdrP0aNFSpa0PxzRZJIUWVTv9iA1h4MORxNmNnX9H6tmvWDNrh-wXRPtJR-B2W2ZM&q=SNL+helping+hand&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj9zuGFtriRAxXlFVkFHQhkLjwQtKgLegQIChAB&biw=2048&bih=1019&dpr=1.25#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:d9b47fc4,vid:8HPm_4_Dtqo,st:0