In the Holiday Spirit

Once again I am all imbued with the spirit of Christmas. I've seen three Christmas plays and have only one more (A Christmas Carol) to go and I will have done my Christmas duty once again.

The first play was the stage version of It's a Wonderful Life at the Winters Community Theater. I just love this group. They define "community theater" and don't claim to be anything other than community theatre, but they are having such fun and are so earnest about it, you can't help but love them.

Some in this cast were excellent and overall the play was enjoyable. Plus, how can you not love a company that gives you dessert before the play? This time, in keeping with the season, it was pumpkin pie--usually it's cheesecake. All that and champagne too.

The second show was Miracle on 34th Street at the Woodland Opera House. Another enjoyable production, though a show with over 30 scenes, most of which involve changing scenery, does tend to drag just a bit. The Santa hats on the tech crew was a nice touch.

Miracle on 34th Street was always my very favorite Christmas movie. I loved the hope, the magic and the mystery at the end. When little Natalie Woods finds Kris Kringle's cane at the very house she asked Santa for for Christmas, my tears start flowing.

The movie was made in 1947 and has been remade four times, three times as a made for TV movie once as another feature film. There was a Broadway musical and in 2006 someone adapted the movie for the stage. It's obviously a timeless classic and the audience really seemed to love it.

I saw the third show, Every Christmas Story Ever Told at Capital Stage tonight. I think this is the third time I've seen the show and I still love it. It's a three-man play. I'd seen Eric Wheeler and Gary S. Martinez in their roles before, but this time Peter Mohrmann (Capital Stage Artistic Director) joined the cast and added a marvelous element to it.

The three cover, as the title says, every Christmas Story Ever Told, from How the Grince Stole Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, It's a Wonderful life, A Christmas Story. They also manage to get in the history of fruitcake, obscure christmas traditions around the world, and (almost) every Christmas song ever written. The whole thing is great fun.

Pictured is Gary S. Martinez playing Gustav the Green-Nosed Reingoat (renamed for copyright reasons, we are told). I can't seem to write a review of this show without mentioning that Martinez seems to be the heart of the piece. He just has this wonderful, gentle manner about him that touches my heart. I was glad to see he was in it again this year.

Shortly after I returned home, the puppies woke up to eat. I'm also letting them out to wander around the house, which is confusing all the dogs.

I managed to get all three of them onto solid food today.

'm still offering a bottle at the end of the nighttime meal, though, so they will sleep all night. But I have to watch Shiloh. He is entirely too eager to grab puppy paraphernalia and run off with it.

My very best nipple and now it's gone. Damn dog. He also followed one of the puppies to where she was going to relieve herself, while I was bottle feeding another pup, and he ate all the feces before I could get up and clean it up. That's a bit of "modified rapture." Not too keen on Shiloh having poopy breath, but it was nice not to have to clean it up.