Star Wars: Life Day Treasury - Holiday Stories From a Galaxy Far, Far Away by George Mann & Cavan Scott

George Mann and Cavan Scott present Star Wars stories set during the Wookiee holiday known as Life Day. Other than Boba Fett, Life Day has become the most enduring contribution to the Star Wars universe to come from the infamous 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special. This treasury of tales show how different cultures and solar systems celebrate Life Day in regards to the winter solstice. As each populated planet has their winter solstice begin at different times, potentially you could celebrate the holidays every day. Coruscant, Tattioone, Alderaan, even the forest moon of Endor celebrate the beginning of winter and the New hope of warm, fertile days ahead.

I like that this book is set during different periods of time. The story on Coruscant occurs during the days of the Old Republic. My favorite story, 'The Song of Winter's Heart' takes place during the early days of the rebellion, showing how a pair of best friends can grow apart on different sides of the political spectrum, with one becoming a storm trooper and the other a rebel, and yet, the shared cultural heritage of the holidays can make even the worst of enemies brothers once more.

I also like that a majority of these stories star established characters. While my favorite tale had all-new characters, whom I hope to one day encounter again, other stories feature some of the most beloved characters across all 3 trilogies. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Wicket and the rest of his tribe are amongst those who appear. You won't get Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker or Princess Leia. But as you could probably guess, Chewbacca and his family, including son Lumpy, star in the Life Day story set on Kashyyyk that closes out this collection. Yup! Han Solo is there too!

Some characters from before Episode I, who have been established in the pages of either Dark Horse or Marvel comics publications appear here too. One such character is Jedi Knight Stellan Gios, who appears on the cover. I only know that Stellan is an established character thanks to a Google search. I'm wondering if he was meant to be based on actor David Tennant. Because that's who he looks like in profile in the beautifully painted cover image by Grant Griffin. All of the artist's paintings were fantastic and added greatly to the intended theme of each story which range from humorous and heartfelt to suspenseful and scary. 

I wouldn't mind a second volume of Life Day stories. Maybe we could see what Life Day festivities are like on Cloud City or when observed by the Hutts. But I would also like to see some sequels. I really would like to know what happened to the opposing main characters of my favorite tale. Did both survive? Did they reconcile? I really want to know more about their story. If that's not reason to believe that is a great read, I don't know what is! And there are several characters, who are not Han or Chewie, in this book that I wanted to know more about.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars 

Bill & Teds Excellent Holiday Adventure #1

Bill and Ted reunite with old friends So-Crates, Billy the Kid and the rest of the time displaced crew from the first movie. 

A renegade from the future seeks to rewrite history. Not happy with the age of peace and prosperity ushered in by the music of Bill and Ted, this villain goes back in time and prevents Beethoven from creating his opus: Ode to Joy. Just as Bill and Ted are about to play the classical tune as the closer to a Christmas Eve concert that is key to the boys becoming founders of the golden age of humanity, the song is wiped from history and Bill and Ted are booed off stage. 

When the boys learn that their friends are being eliminated from the history books, it becomes a literal race against time to put the timeline back in place. Expect paradoxes, rewritten historical events and slapstick as 2 sets of time travelers play chess with important historical figures. It's enough to make time close in on itself!

In the backup tale, take a look at Little Bill and Little Ted. Not yet teenagers, the boys are at the mall hoping to buy their best buds the perfect Christmas present. But in order to do that, they need money. Taking a page out of the works of O. Henry, Bill and Ted unknowingly sell off their prized possessions for cash. Add a few bullies and some Christmas magic in the form of a mysterious dude with a ponytail and this will become a Christmas to remember. 

Both stories were great. Though I think I liked The Gift of the Magi tribute best as that is one of my favorite Christmas stories and tropes. Both stories captured the spirit of Bill and Ted perfectly. Writer John Barber bends time so perfectly that you'd think Doc Brown would have needed his trusty chalkboard to keep everything straight.

As for the artwork. I again liked that of the backup feature better. Juan Samu must have had some childhood photos of Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves on hand because this is how I expect Bill and Ted to look when they were in middle school. Butch Mapa did a great job in the first story. But Samu went above and beyond in the amazing childlike likenesses of the heroes.

A really enjoyable read from 2022. But did we ever get whatever at the end of the book is promised to come in 2023? It just says 'Next Year' with an image of Rufus and the Princesses on it. From what I can tell, this holiday special is currently the last time the dudes appear in comics. It appears that publisher Opus went belly up the following year. But really, no one else has picked up this franchise since then? Surely, the comic adventures of Bill and Ted aren't history. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

DC's I Saw Ma Hunkel Kissing Santa Claus #1

I Saw Ma Hunkel Kissing Santa Claus. Great pun title. Adorable cover. As for the overall book itself, it had highs and lows. This 2025 holiday special has got some of my all-time favorite characters. It's got some obscure ones, that are fan favs. And it's got at least one character that I didn't know who in the heck they were.

Supergirl stars in my favorite story. She's spending Christmas in Smallville this year and Clark set her up on a blind date. I'm still not as much of a fan when she's all sad and depressed. I prefer my Maid of Might all bright and chipper. But the ending just melted my heart. It was perfect!

Harley Quinn has a Christmas getaway with Poison Ivy. I don't mind this relationship. It was strongly hinted upon in Batman: The Animated Series- by Paul Dini, who created her. So if he says she's bisexual, then Harley Quinn is bisexual. What I don't like is DC currently claiming that they're presenting the definitive story of how these two become a couple because Paul Dini already did that in 1993's 'Harley and Ivy'!

The parody of It's a Wonderful Life starring Animal Man and the Phantom Stranger was hilarious! 

The JSA story that does indeed star Ma Hunkel, the original Red Tornado was festive fun and very nostalgic. But where was Scribbly? He needed to at least have a cameo in this flashback story!

I liked the twist on the trope where a guy finds himself with 2 dates at the same time. Here we find Billy Batson and Captain Marvel at a high school Christmas dance dating Billy's dream girl... and her mom! Well, the Captain is dating the mom. Now that I think about it, this was a subplot of Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, while both Clark and Superman attended the same dinner date with 2 different women. Okay. So its not an original twist...

The Doctor Light story was good as well. It features the Kimiyo Hoshi Doctor Light, Ray Palmer and a holiday prank played on blowhard Guy Gardner.

The Martian Manhunter story was fair. I loved that it involves Krampus. But too much of the story took place inside of J'onn J'onnz' consciousness and was a bit too metaphysical for my tastes.

And then we've got the Hanukkah story, which is sadly the worst story. It stays the gender fluid character known as Galaxy. This character apparently debuted in a young adult graphic novel that I have no memory of ever seeing any sort of advertising for. I don't even recall seeing the so-called origin story being listed in Previews nor the coming attractions section of Midtown Comics. Galaxy has been putting their girlfriend on the back burner during the first 7 nights of Hanukkah. With one evening to go, Galaxy is determined to to spend it with true love. Unfortunately, a figure from Galaxy's past, has other ideas.

DC has the right to fill their holiday specials with whatever they like. Galaxy would not have been a character that I would have selected. But there are readers out there who would say the same about selecting Animal Man or Ma Hunkel. I just find it surprising that Batman, the Flash or Wonder Woman don't even appear anywhere here. They're some of the company's most lucrative properties and yet they are nowhere to be found. 

This wasn't the worst DC holiday special. There really was more good than bad. I just could've done without the Galaxy story. The artwork was not good. What is wrong with Galaxy's ears? Is the character wearing headphones? The plot was good. The dialogue was not. Is this is how DC thinks teens and young adults talk? Being a high school teacher, I am aware of much of the slang and vernacular of this current generation. But they don't communicate this obnoxiously, I think. Like the annoying song that you can't get out of your head, the Galaxy story, especially the way everyone talks, marred my overall enjoyment of this special.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars. 

Christmas Fun Facts! From Advent to Xmas, Interesting Trivia and Amazing Fun Facts About Festive Holiday Traditions From Around the World by Marianne Jennings

 Another holiday tradition that I maintain for just myself is to read a holiday 'fact book'. This started when I was very young when my mom would buy me these really cool books that explains Christmas traditions around the world. There would be recipes and activities and games. But above all, there would be knowledge.

I've read several over the years. A couple of years ago, it was a magazine devoted entirely to the life and times of Santa Claus. Before that, I read a holiday Uncle John's Bathroom Reader and countless others. Realizing that I was without such a work this year, I immediately went to Amazon and found this book. 

By Marianne Jennings, it was a good read in which I did learn more about many festive subjects that I knew about before while still managing to discover some new aspects about one of my favorite holidays! New information came to me about holiday foods from other countries. I got a more clear understanding of Solstice and some other pagan customs that became canonized. I never even thought to wonder how the International Space Station celebrates the holidays in orbit! The author's look at Christmas in Australia, where it's hot and sunny, was fascinating. She covers so much about the land down under, that instead of peppering this book with Aussie Christmas customs, she could have made an entire chapter. 

Amazon lists this 2023 book as being 212 pages long. However, it's actually about a dozen or so pages shorter than that. That's because there are some pages that are left half blank. I come from the school of writing and design that empty space is wasted space. I understand that all that blank space is a formatting issue, because you only seem to have these issues right before encountering a photo on the next page. But couldn't Jennings either make the pictures smaller or still figure out a way to add more material to those empty parts?

The author likes to include 'fun facts'. Surely, she had some more factoids somewhere in that Santa's sack of information of her's! Jennings writes in the back that she hopes to make a second volume and I would like that very much. She requests readers to include traditions from her readings and I've got quite a few not covered in this edition. I bet there's one New Year's tradition that my grandmama perfected that Jennings had never even heard of!

I just hope that if a second volume is forthcoming that the writing is a bit more polished. I noticed that the first third of the book had every other paragraph ending with an exclamation point. Just about every tip about staying Earth friendly during the holidays in the sustainability chapter felt repetitive and I get it. I find myself using similar phrases and Ideals as I write nearly 365 reviews, mostly about comics and graphic novels a year. It is one reason why I will drop a mystery writer in a heartbeat if they basically follow the same manuscript with only the murderer and their weapon being the only thing different during each book.

I don't think that will be a problem if Marianne Jennings does in fact publish a companion. There are a ton of holiday movies that weren't even hinted at! Songs too! What about the national gingerbread competition in Asheville, NC? Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Claus? The Macy's Thanksgiving Parade? And what's the deal with egg nog? There's enough out there to do 2 more volumes of Christmas Fun Facts!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Dell Giants #39 'Walt Disney's Merry Christmas'

I found this 1960 Dell Giants over the summer at a used book store. The cover was hanging by a thread and prayer. But otherwise, it was in really good condition. None of the holiday activities were scribbled in and all of the pages were intact. That alone was a Christmas miracle considering how many crafts and games juvenile readers were encouraged to partake in.

This special opens with Donald and his nephews pondering what to get Uncle Scrooge for Christmas. They instead get tricked by their rich relative to board a rocket ship bound for the moon. Only Scrooge forgot to set the ship's coordinates and they wind up stuck on the North Pole!

Then Mickey Mouse plans an ice skating event to raise money for Christmas presents for the local orphanage. The star athlete has refused to go on, leaving Mickey scrambling for a replacement. It comes in the form of Goofy, who turns out to be a real pro; as long as he skates in his sleep. Now too afraid to go back to sleep, Mickey hires a hypnotist to break Goofy's subconscious hang ups.

Brer Rabbit goes around the countryside asking for items to decorate his Christmas tree and winds up becoming an ornament himself in a trap set by Brer Fox. Gyro Gearloose teams with the Three Little Pigs when the Big Bad Wolf creates some gadgets, based on Gyro's blueprints, to kidnap the piggies for a Christmas dinner to remember. Dale becomes a private investigator in hopes of raising money to buy a Christmas present from Chip. He ends up becoming his own client when his deer slayer hat goes missing.

My favorite story was a Disney crossover. True, a couple of the other stories I mentioned had some unlikely pairings that I consider unexpected. But it wasn't as massive as my personal fav. It's got Dumbo and Daisy Duck's nieces helping Gephetto and Pinocchio solve the mystery of the missing dolls. Every time Gephetto completes a toy, it immediately disappears. With time running out before Christmas, the girls become bait to get to the bottom of all this and discovered that the person swiping all the presents is the Witch from Snow White! 4 different franchises all coming together in 1 tale. I loved it!

A couple of the stories in this book could have been set at different times of year. Christmas might have just been added as a place holder for the action. But the final story was absolutely not set anywhere near the holidays. Minnie Mouse and Clarabelle the Cow are reporters for the local paper, sent overseas to cover the birthday party of a princess. Only when the girls get to the palace, they learn that the princess has gone missing! It's a charming mystery. I just don't understand what it's doing inside a Disney Christmas special.

Lots of fun. Festive... mostly. All of the stories were entertaining. But half of them could've been more at place in a winter special which was something Dell did put out from time to time. Very Disney and it's something that I very much welcome into my holiday comics collection.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

ALF #13

I found my first Scrooge of the season. This 1989 issue of ALF has a holiday cover with the furry alien covered in Christmas wrapping and that's just about it for holiday cheer. 

There are 2 stories inside. First, ALF soups up his space ship into a rad race car in order to challenge a drag racer and claim a large cash prize. Then ALF activates his old cleaning droid to repair some of the damage he made in the previous story. Only the robot goes a little crazy and places the entire house into lockdown until it can determine if the Tanner family are a threat to ALF's comfort and safety.

There is a special insert. It's a holiday card from ALF and his human family. This is the only Christmas themed material in the entire book. This also includes ads! I suspect that most copies of this issue is missing that centerpiece as this was a book geared towards children. 

This issue was published right around when Marvel was shuttering their all-ages imprint, Star Comics. Though this issue says Marvel on the top left corner, there are still subscription ads for the few remaining kids books being published by the House of Ideas as Star Comics. There's also a coming attractions page that bears the Star Comics moniker. 

In my opinion, Star Comics was one of Jim Shooter's best ideas. I loved these books and despite being in my very late 40s, I am trying to collect the entire imprint run without having to take on a major loan to do it. I would have been perfectly happy with this book if it had a cover that reflected one of the 2 non-holiday stories contained within. I've read that towards the end of the Star imprint, Marvel was trying to use up all of the artwork that they had paid artists for. That could explain why this issue had a Christmas cover despite not being a Christmas comic. Unfortunately, it got my hopes up for a festive read and for that, I must rate this book accordingly.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Four Gathered on Christmas Eve

Mike Mignola, Eric Powell, Becky Cloonan and James Harren join forces in this Victorian era holiday horror from Dark Horse. 

A quartet of undesirables gather together every Christmas Eve because misery loves company. Over some mince pies and warm wassail, they tell ghost stories while insulting each other. 

Don't expect these spooky tales to take place during the holidays. One story is about a voyage to Mars that you might expect from Jules Verne, if he was a student of Edgar Allan Poe. Another is an epic poem about a rogue and unrequited love. Good stories all around, very much set in the framework of the song lyric: 'there'll be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago.' I just wish that they were all set at Christmas. 

At least the framing story was. This 2022 hardback has a great twist ending that would have made William Gaines jealous.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Spread the Joy: Advent 2025: Day 25

We made it to another Christmas. I'm rather sad to see this one come. It seemed to have happened way too fast this year and I am just not ready to let it go. 

To me, Christmas is about the birth of a child. It's meant to honor the birth of Jesus Christ. Yes, I know that he probably was born during the summer. Yes, I also know that various churches adapted secular holidays and traditions to fit with the narrative of the nativity. But it doesn't stop me from believing. 

For my final charity spotlight, I am going local, and possibly a bit controversial. Pregnancy Support Services (PSS) in the Chapel Hill/Durham area offers free, confidential support including pregnancy testing, limited ultrasounds, and material assistance like baby supplies, alongside parenting education and emotional support for those facing unplanned pregnancies. They provide a safe, judgment-free environment with medical and emotional support, and connect clients with local resources for housing, food, and employment. PSS is a Christian nonprofit that also offers post-abortion care and services for men. 

They do a special fundraiser called a Baby Bottle Blessings. In it, supporters raise money by filling a baby bottle with loose change. My family have supported this cause for many years. Even before I met my wife and this is our 27th Christmas together. 

PSS has been around since 1982. A group of believing doctors and nurses felt that there was a need for an alternative to Planned Parenthood and that no woman should have to face pregnancy alone and without support. I've never felt that they condemn their potential patients. Instead, they offer struggling mothers-to-be and their families hope for bringing in the next generation of children into a fallen world. With Christmas being about the birth of a child, how else best to celebrate this by ending this year's Advent supporting a charity built around the birth of children in a way practiced with care and compassion by that very child who's birth made this holiday at all possible over 2 millennia ago. 

If you have felt led to support PSS, please donate here!

Archie Christmas Spectacular 2025 #1

I've said it once and I will say it again: the Archie Christmas Spectacular is the holiday release I look forward to the most. Maybe it's a longing for nostalgia in my getting older. Maybe it's because I love Archie. Maybe it's because I love Christmas. More than likely it's all 3!

This year's offering features Dan Parent, my pick for the definitive modern era Archie creator. Parent has a love of classic Archie while not being afraid to embrace modern norms. Case in point: the fan favorite Kevin Keller, Riverdale's first gay character. While Dan Parent has been quite progressive, his all-new story features a trio of classic Christmas characters from Archies past.

Christmas fairy Sugarplum insults Jingles the Elf when her first pick for her date to the North Pole Christmas Dance- Archie- is snapped up by Santa's daughter Noelle. In response, Santa's helper promises revenge.Jingles snatches up Veronica and he does it by deception, transforming himself into a hunk. Sugarplum ups the ante by turning herself human and bringing Reggie to the North Pole. Soon, it's a love triangle of Yule tide proportions with Archie and the gang smack dab in the middle!

This special also features 4 additional stories which are supposed to be reprints but were all new to me! Dan Parent pens and pencils 3 of them and they all pay tribute to the publisher's rather large and somewhat forgotten cast of supporting characters.

Betty and Veronica flashback to the Little Archie days thanks to being hypnotized. Foes from Sabrina the Teenage Witch's past threaten to disrupt Riverdale's New Year Eve festivities. The last pair of stories star Jughead's cousin Wilbur Wilkins. Wilbur and Archie both go ice skating only to be outdone by Juggie. Then in a story penned by Tom DeFalco, Wilbur has trouble finding the perfect gift for his secret Santa. Featuring dozens of characters from over 80 years of Archie Comics, it was a real Who's Who and it had a great punchline.

I did find that a couple of the stories were a bit clunky; especially the all-new tale. I just don't think 5 pages is enough for an epic level opener. The Halloween special had this problem too. If the high ups at Archie ever read this review, I hope that they might consider devoting more pages for the all-new feature in the holiday specials. I think 8-10 pages would be acceptable and if the cover price had to go up 50 cents to do it, I would be okay with that.

Massive kudos once more to my favorite LCS. They've been managing to get me the classic variant covers for the holiday specials lately. Once again, I got the cover I wanted. It's an all-time Christmas classic by Dan DeCarlo. I must have been really good this year!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars. 

Spread the Joy: Advent 2025: Day 24

It's Christmas Eve! The most magical night of the entire holiday season. Why? Because it's the night Santa comes to most, but not all, of the children of the world. That being said, it's too late to support the charitable cause that I selected for today. However, after I discuss it, hopefully it will encourage some of you give it some love and attention next year.

Operation Santa is run by the United States Postal Service. For over a century, the USPS has worked with Santa Claus to help the Jolly Old Elf make it a merry Christmas for children in need all over the United States. 

Here's how it works:

• Kids write to Santa Claus with their wishlist.
• Santa posts the letters online where families can select one and help Santa make their wishes come true.
• Once gifts are purchased, wrapped and shipped, a letter goes to the children from Santa thanking them for their letter and answering any questions the child might have for St. Nick.

You can adopt just one child or an entire family. The choice is yours. It's also up to you if you want to buy everything on the child's list or maybe your budget is a little bit tighter and you need to pick in choose. But if you customize, please try to get things that the child might actually enjoy. If they ask for a Batman Batcave playset that costs $100 and all you can afford is $35, don't buy them Avengers toys. At least get them something Batman related. An action figure of the Dark Knight and his main for the Joker can go a long way for a needy child.

The deadline for this year's Operation Santa has passed. Yet it's not too late to plan ahead for next year! Be sure to check it out and bookmark it here. It'll be another holiday season before you know it.

Limited Collectors Edition C-43 'Christmas With the Super-Heroes' Facsimile Edition

The fan favorite tabloid treasury returns in this facsimile edition! 5 holiday classics presented in oversized fashion with remastered art and color.

• A pair of Scrooges seek to force Santa to privatize or face a total cease of magical operations. Meanwhile Lois and Clark are leading a toy drive sponsored by the Daily Planet and those two haters of Christmas have decided to put the newspaper out of the toy  business as well. Enter the Man of Steel to save Christmas not just for Metropolis, but all the children of the world!
• On Christmas Eve, Batman gets summoned by the Bat-Signal to sing Christmas carols with Commissioner Gordon and the GCPD.
• Set during World War II, Wonder Woman is assisted by a Douglas Fir of all things, in uncovering a Nazi spy ring near the Canadian border on a snowy Christmas Eve.
• The House of Mystery's Cain spins a tale about a holiday intruder in true DC horror fashion in 'Night Prowler!'.
• Set during his spandex wearing days, the Sandman and his sidekick Sandy stumble across a mob scheme involving a department store Santa.

All 5 stories were reprints. Amazingly enough, I had only previously read the Batman story. Written by Denny O'Neil with art by Neal Adams, I've read this story previously in several retrospectives on the amazing work these two did in the 70s for DC. I've probably also read the House of Mystery story and just don't recall as I have several HOM omnibuses. But as for the other 3 stories, they were brand new to me!

The Superman story is from a comic book titled Superman's Christmas Adventure. It is something that I wasn't aware of until I got this. The story is pretty long which has me wondering if I got all the material from that book or if there's more that I am going to want to add to my ever-growing Christmas comic collection. (Turns out, I don't!)

I'm also wondering about the Wonder Woman story. This month, DC is re-releasing a facsimile edition of a classic 1940s Christmas issue of Sensation Comics. I know that my favorite LCS has a copy on order for me. I'm just wondering if the story from this 1975 reprint is from that issue or not. It doesn't make sense to me that DC would release the same story in the same month in 2 different facsimiles. But if so, unless there is a lot more holiday material in it, I don't want to spend money on the same thing in 2 different formats.

Speaking of money, this recreation saved me some mega bucks. It unfortunately doesn't come with a mid-70s cover price of $1.00. However, $12.99 new was a much better price to pay than asking prices of anywhere between $60 and $100 that I have seen online and in the wild. Besides, this WAS a reprint of Christmas reprints. I didn't have to have the original. I just wanted a copy to call my own. But did somebody trim the cover to this book wrong? The filler material is a good 1/10 of an inch larger than the cover on both the top and the bottom. That doesn't seem up to specs to me...

Featuring Jack Kirby, Joe Simon, Len Wein, William Moulton Marston and many other comic book legends, this brought back so many memories of when my parents would give me with a Christmas themed comic book or two to read on Christmas Eve in anticipation of St. Nick.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Christmas 365 #4

Mikey Way's 2024 holiday satire comes to a close. I wish I could say that I was a big fan of the ending. However, things got a bit too surreal at the end. 

After a war between Peter and his supervisor for the best year-round Christmas pop-up theme park, a Mr. Beast type influencer gets involved and promises to fund a mega-sized theme park for Christmas if the two men will bury the hatchet. The social media star buys up Peter's entire neighborhood and does put on quite the extravaganza. But he pretty much chokes out Peter and his boss from any real say in the project. That might actually be a good thing because to this media guru, it's safety be damned. Especially when he insists on having a real life Yeti at the park: a very ornery gorilla that has been painted white and itching for an escape.

I think I get what Mikey Way is trying to say here. It's easy to try and make a huge display for your community and lose yourself in the details. Plus with how obsessed with clicks and likes, our society will basically do anything for that endorphin rush of digital popularity. Its just once the Christmas Yeti escapes from his cage that things go seriously off the rails. 

Issues 1-3 were entertaining social commentaries on modern Christmas celebration excesses. It ends with a surrealist farce that has holiday magic wrapping everything up like a Frank Capra movie. I just don't think we had to trounce through a Marx Brothers movie to get there. 

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Spread the Joy: Advent 2025: Day 23

The holidays are tough. There's the stress of making it the perfect Christmas, either for yourself or a loved one. Maybe it's the last one you will spend with a loved one. Maybe it's the first one without that special someone. Maybe concerns about your health might mean this is your last Christmas season. Perhaps you lost your job, your passion or a beloved furry member of the family. 

Regardless of what may be keeping this from being a Merry Christmas, it doesn't hurt having someone to talk to. 

I was going to talk about suicide rates and the holidays. But upon doing some research, I discovered that it is actually a myth that suicides rise during the holidays. Apparently, the peak season is Spring! 

But if you are feeling hopeless and believe that death is the best option, regardless of the time of year, it doesn't hurt having someone to talk to. 

That is why for today's featured charitable cause, I have selected 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 

I've never used the service personally. But I had a best friend who I wish had. I miss Todd, a lot.

If you are in need of mental health, support or just a friendly voice of guidance, please call 988. You can also text, chat or if hard of hearing, reach a trained volunteer here.

Maintaining such an national service is not cheap. Phone bills, web maintenance, and training of volunteers takes resources. Along with time, patience and compassion, it also takes money. If donating to 988 is an important cause to you, please click here.

Spread the Joy: Advent 2025: Day 22

On today's date in 1808, Beethoven debuts his Fifth Symphony to a crowd of patrons in Vienna. I'm really glad that there was another key date in music history falling on a date in my Advent. I had planned on covering today's important music charity a few days ago, when my students alerted me to a cause that was important to them. Hey, better late than never, right?

The charity I have chosen for today is the Save the Music Foundation. I'm not musically inclined. My artistry is in other things like culinary and crafts. As much as I love music, I just can't make the notes on paper come alive. However, that doesn't mean that I don't see the value in music programs in elementary, middle and high schools.

So why are music programs important? Along with boosting confidence and self expression in children, studies have shown that kids who play an instrument do better in science, math and enhance their cognitive function which in return, helps boost testing scores. With this information, why in the world do state and federal governments want to shut down school music programs???

The Save the Music Foundation was founded in 1997. VH1 executive John Sykes started the charity after he acted as a principal for a day at a public school in Brooklyn. During his tenure, Sykes noticed that the school's music program was in disrepair and in danger of being scuttled. Inspired to save the program, he worked to found VH1's Save the Music. In 2019, the organization rebranded, dropping the sponsorship name in order to become a separate entity. Since its founding, the Foundation has raised over $75 million dollars, purchasing technology, equipment and qualified teachers for almost 2000 schools nationwide and Puerto Rico. The majority of the funds come of grants. Countless millions of children have benefited exponentially thanks to the protection of school music programs.

If helping a child develop social and school skills through a love of melodious sounds is music to your ears, then please donate to the Save the Music Foundation here.

Christmas 365 #3

Peter's slimeball supervisor stole some of his holiday ideas and attempted to make his own year-round Christmas theme park. But he lacks the Christmas spirit and creativity of Peter and his family. The small attendance at the rival Christmas festival really shows that. However, that hasn't stopped Peter from becoming obsessed in creating the greatest Christmas themed pop-up ever. His Halloween themed Christmas is scaring the neighborhood children. He's sent his son out to spy on his rival. And Peter is shutting out his family, especially phone addicted daughter, who was the creative force behind the Rockwell family's success at all this. 

Perhaps the most heartfelt issue of this 4-issue miniseries. I know what it is like to want to create the best, most memorable outdoor holiday display for your wife and her family and get bogged down into competing with the other neighbors. It's a combination sin of coveting and pride that I can get carried away with. Trying for a perfection that will never come is another issue I succumb to. 

I also understand how it is too feel unappreciated at your job. Perhaps you have a rival and they crap all over you and yet if you confront the billy, it's you who gets in trouble. For Peter, crushing his supervisor by putting on a much more popular holiday display is his way at getting back at his boss for all the conniving and taking of credit for his work. Nobody can fire him for waging an off-hours war to top his boss with bigger and better displays. The only problem is that when you let loose of your principles and convictions, you lose yourself in the process.

Plus Peter has unresolved dad issues. Don't we all.

I'm looking forward to the conclusion. But with a cover that shows Peter and his boss being attacked by a ramping gorilla atop a Rockefeller Center sized Christmas tree, I have no idea what Mickey Way has in store! It promises to be wild!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Spread the Joy: Advent 2025: Day 21

It's the Winter solstice! The longest night of the year has had an impact in the cultural formation of countless civilizations as well as their holiday/wintertime traditions. Many of the Native American tribes would use the Winter solstice as a time of reflection, fasting and prayer. They saw this time of year as just a curve for the yearly cycle of the seasons. Things would start to look more prosperous from this moment on!

That is why I have chosen to focus on a cause that needs to become a reversal trend for the indigenous people of North America. For women and children, especially girls, of the Native American tribes, they have become targets for sex trafficking, kidnapping and forced labor. In 2023, 293 indigenous children were reported missing or kidnapped. That number is actually thought to be much higher due to under-reporting because of fear and intimidation. A recent student concluded that roughly 8 in 10 Native American women had been sexually assaulted or raped. This is considered 9 times higher than the national average! Again, it's also believed to be higher due to a lack of reporting from the victims. In Albuquerque, it is believed that 85% of all women murdered in that metropolitan area are Native and indigenous people. That number could be even higher as well.

So why such large numbers and why are so many crimes against indigenous women and children being under reported? Aside from the intimation and fear??

For one thing, the issue of jurisdiction is muddied. Tribes and reservations have separate law enforcement agencies apart from state and federal agencies. There is a lot of confusion. There are some things that the FBI could assist with but law enforcement might not know that they can. Or a victim or their family might go to a local police department and be told that it's out of their jurisdiction. After being turned away too many times, hope is lost and the offense goes unreported. Plus tribal law enforcement is so understaffed, as earnest as they are, there just isn't enough manpower to devote to each crime.

Criminals and predators know that the odds are in their favor in not being caught. They understand all about the boundaries of jurisdiction and the lack of manpower. So they continue to target native and indigenous women and children. That's where today's featured charity comes in...

The National Indigenous Women's Resource Center seeks to advocate and educate about the epidemic of missing, endangered and murdered Native American women and children. They provide resources for families that are in need of help finding missing family members, as well as provide legal assistance. A grassroots advocacy program, the NIWRC is operated by various tribal members. They are a part of the Domestic Violence Resource Network and have successfully lobbied for female tribal members to be covered under extensive domestic violence protection bills passed by the United States Congress in the past few years. A brilliant effort to eliminate those jurisdiction overlaps! Another important effort of the NIWRC is the operation of a safe house for battered indigenous women and their children. 

If supporting the safety and protection of Native women and girls is a cause that speaks to you, I encourage you to donate to the NIWRC here. And if you are a person experiencing any sort of abuse from a partner or spouse, please seek help. 

Resources for the National Sexual Assault Hotline are: 

Phone: 1-800-656-4673

Or you can email or chat through the website RAINN.org.

Spread the Joy: Advent 2025: Day 20

My bride is back again to talk with you about another amazing charity. This one is really personal for both her and myself. Here's Jan to explain the importance of Autism Speaks...

For about 40 years, I have had a passion for learning about and supporting those with autism.  My summer job was a camp counselor with 5-10 year olds with special needs, many of whom had autism.  And my first professional job as a social worker was a residential facility for people with profound disabilities, again many of whom had autism.  Over time, the autism thread wove through other aspects of my life, and today, many of my favorite people are autistic, including my godson and some special friends from church.  So Autism Speaks is a cause near and dear to my heart.

Their mission:

Autism Speaks is dedicated to creating an inclusive world for all individuals with autism throughout their lifespan. We do this through advocacy, services, supports, research and innovation, and advances in care for autistic individuals and their families.

• Ensure access to reliable information and services across the lifespan
• Support research and innovation that drives towards improved quality of life and well-being for individuals with autism throughout their lives
• Leverage our assets through advocacy, partnerships and collaboration to support, extend and convene the work of service providers
• Accelerate delivery of solutions for adult quality of life needs, including transition, employment, housing and health and wellness
• Live and promote principles of diversity, equity, access and inclusion both in and outside of the organization

With an estimated 1 out of 31 children being diagnosed with autism, chances are you know someone who is autistic, someone who loves someone with autism or have autism yourself.  Autistic individuals are just that-individuals, each bringing their own light to the world.  Unfortunately, the world is often not very autism-friendly.  Autism Speaks works every day to change that.  

If you can envision a world where all people with autism can reach their full potential, then please donate to Autism Speaks here.

Zor Saves Christmas #1 (Family Comic Friday)

The holiday sequel to the Ringo Award nominated miniseries. Zor is a magical being made of tears. When someone touched by Zor's magic is in their greatest distress, he comes to life through their falling teardrops to save the day.

In this Christmas one-shot, little Zoe is doing her very best to make it a merry Christmas. It's the first one since her mother died and Zoe and her father are trying to make new traditions together. This year, they're going to visit Santa at the local mall. 

Santa must be in high demand this year. Or he's gotten really strict. He's requiring a ticket to get to sit in his lap and tell him about your wishlist. Unfortunately, Zoe's has lost her ticket and with the mall closing in 30 minutes, she's in danger of missing her meeting with Santa. Crying buckets, Zor is activated by Zoe's tears and he's found the missing ticket. Unfortunately, so has the Mall's resident mouser and Mr. Cat has no intentions of letting it go without a fight. 

The story was charming. Zor is a great character with awesome powers. This truly was a magical tale by Rob Potchak. I just wish that the artwork was consistent.

The humans all look very stiff; almost like they were made by a 1990s Microsoft Paint program. Except for Santa Claus. He's lively, cheerful and almost jumps off the page! Zor exhibits so much fluidity. Fitting since he's made for liquid. And I just loved his nemesis who's only doing what a cat does and isn't inherently evil or anything like that. Interestingly enough, one of the reviews on the back cover likened this story to a Pixar movie. That seems fitting since the humans have always looked off in those films.

So far, it's is one of top 2 holiday comics of the year. Something that the whole family can enjoy. From Keenspot, the publisher who brought you the many comedic adventures of Grubbs, make Zor Saves Christmas a new Christmas tradition with your children!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Spread the Joy: Advent 2025: Day 19

I write my Advent posts several days in advance. Did you really think that I'm up pass midnight waiting until the exact minute of the day to post these with the corresponding date? 

I had a charity in mind for today when I was at work at saw that some of the students at the school I teach at were working to raise money for a cause. Inspired by their enthusiasm, I decided to research the charity. I wasn't previously aware of them, so I wanted to make sure that it was appropriate for my blog. Well, I did and it is.

The charity is called Undue Medical Debt. Now I know that my wife posted earlier in this Advent about a medical related charity. That one covers medicines and is contained to just the patients who call North Carolina home. Undue, as my kids call it, helps anyone who qualifies for assistance throughout the entire United States. 

I don't think anyone can deny that our nation's medical costs are insane. Not just are they expensive, they're MENSA level difficult to understand. I pay a co-pay and a deductible which my insurance does a great job keeping up with. Yet for some reason, probably greed, the hospital and general practitioner offices will try to get me to pay more than those costs my insurance claim that I owe. Thankfully, my wife has a better understanding of this because of her job in medical care, because I sure as heck can't. And honestly, it should be illegal for hospitals to charge you more after your insurance has paid your bill. 

Don't think that I am on the insurances side. It should also be against the law to deny someone coverage because of an unexpected emergency or the patient gets bad advice from the doctor. Last year, I passed out from a stomach virus and had a really fast heartbeat. I was advised to stay overnight and have my heart monitored. Freaking out, my wife and I agreed for the stay, even though I really wanted to go home. Needless to say my insurance is refusing to cover that part of my emergency. And yes, I am fighting it!

Unfortunately, Undue is unable to just erase an individual person's medical debt. Instead, they act like a debt collector in reverse. With funds raised, Undue contacts hospitals and medical care centers who are willing to sell off their debt portfolios. For every $1 the charity raises, they manage to have $100 of a patient's medical debt erased.  

An area DJ was the recipient of this kind of relief. He likened it to winning the lottery as he wasn't expecting it. I consider it a miracle blessing. 

Undue Medical Debt was founded in 2014, under the original moniker RIP Medical Debt. As of September of this year, the charity has reported the elimination of Nearly $23 billion for almost 15 million people. 

Look, you might not have any medical debt. If that's the case, you've been extremely lucky. But it's a very real possibility that something could happen to any of us unexpectedly, at any moment. Before you know it, you may need help with an unnecessary medical bill. Why not pass it forward this holiday season and donate to the cause today? 

Letters From Father Christmas- J.R.R. Tolkien

For over 20 years, J.R.R. Tolkien would bring magic to his children's holidays by sending them letters from Father Christmas; the name children bestow Santa Claus in England. But these just weren't any old letters from St. Nick. These missives were epic adventures filled with interesting characters, weather reports from the North Pole, and battles with goblins who are obsessed with Santa's inventory of toy trains of all things.

The first letter was sent to eldest son John in 1920. According to a recent graphic novel biography I read about the friendship of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, this was a fallow period for the eventual creator of The Lord of the Rings series of books. Experts say that Tolkien expressed frustration at not being able to write a great mythos for the United Kingdom. But I would have to disagree with this assessment. In my opinion, these letters were the author exercising through the creative process to create what would eventually become 1937's The Hobbit, laying the foundations of Middle Earth. 

The maps, the elvish language and the willowy font Tolkien created for his works involving Middle Earth all take shape here. There's even a very large message written in the alphabet of the goblins, along with a cipher. I'm making it one of my holiday goals to decode it. 

So much reads like a Christmas version of The Lord of the Rings. The runes ans carvings of past humans described in those caverns. The underground lairs of the goblins. The different races of elves that help Santa and how to distinguish among them. The battles between Father Christmas and goblins. The weapons. The gigantic horn that you blow to summon defenders of the North Pole from great distances. The only thing missing is one ring to rule them all...

And we've got the war. The Lord of the Rings was a way that Tolkien would process his way through his trauma that he experienced as an officer during the first World War. The last few years of letters reflect those horrible memories returning with Hitler's constant aerial bombardments of the United Kingdom. Father Christmas bemoans the upheaval of families and the difficulty in securing certain gifts for the Tolkien children. In reality it's the voice of an earthly father worried about his sons who have gone to war and not being able to adequately provide for those who still live at home. 

This is a must for any Tolkien fan who not only loves Christmas but wants to witness the formation of Middle Earth. I think you even see some of the Inspiration for The Chronicles of Narnia, because isn't Father Christmas a character in those? Not sure. But I know that talking animals sure play a part in those works and this collection of yule tide correspondence sure has plenty of those.

Collected and published posthumously, this was a brilliant read that fittingly ends; albeit with a very bittersweet goodbye from Father Christmas. So you might shed a tear or two towards the end. But not before being taken to a magical world of myth, merriment and laughs.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Spread the Joy Advent 2025, Day 18

Today's charity is one that I became aware of thanks to my goats. Well, the farm in which my goats are housed actually. It's called Ornaments 4 Orphans. For Christmas, the gift shop at Spring Haven Farm are selling felt ornaments of chickens, pigs, doggies and of course, goats. They are a part of O4O's Nepal collection.

Ornaments 4 Orphans 'collaborate with global artisans to create jobs, fight poverty, strengthen families, empower communities, and ultimately prevent vulnerable children from becoming orphans.'

You can also purchase ornaments made in Uganda, Peru and Kenya. The ornaments reflect the art and culture of the region in which they are made; along with the animals. For example, the Kenya collection contains ornaments depicting elephants whereas the Peru selection contains a llama decoration for your tree. 

Don't need any more ornaments for your tree, O4O also sells hand crafted bookmarks, key chains and nativity scenes that reflect the rich artistry of the country in which they are made. 

As they support fair trade and wages, it's important to note that this is a for-profit organization. However, the profits are used to buy more supplies, educate, train and empower families and to help keep orphaned children in their communities and with extended families. 

And yes, I did post a link to Spring Haven Farm in this post even though they are not a charity. My goats are my babies and I support and volunteer there like a parent might support their human child's PTA. Plus, the farm has taken in injured, abandoned and elderly animals, like everyone's favorite, Annie Donk(ey). So if their supporting a charity, I will support it as well. 

If Ornaments 4 Orphans sounds like the answer to your Christmas shopping list dilemmas, check out their website and store here...