exitpursuedbyasloth:

It’s not Christmas until someone’s decorated the Tom Waits.

The Best of Fresh Air 2011: Tom Waits

From 2004, John Waters on “A John Waters Christmas” 

(Source: NPR)

wandamaximoff:

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas- The Carpenters

Tomorrow, we remember songwriter Hugh Martin, who wrote the song Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas for Judy Garland. Martin, who died in March at age 96, is the subject of a new CD of rare and unreleased recordings.

This song has been covered by everyone. What’s your favorite? Mine is Twisted Sister.

Spotted on Digg this morning (and last even semi-Christmas-related post for the year, we promise): City lights in Medellin, Colombia. Stunning gallery here. 

— braiker

Here's Why You Shouldn't Lie To Your Kids About Santa

The Business Insider has a great — provocative, thought-provoking and flame-baity — piece up today about why indoctrinating your kids into this whole Santa myth thing is maybe a bad idea. It’s immoral! Selfish! Pointless!

I for one (not speaking for Fresh Air here, just yours truly) am inclined to agree. 

The argument goes something like this: lying to children is bad.

You would think that this would be uncontroversial, somewhere between “Don’t punch old ladies” and “World peace is a good idea”, but there we are.

I have two kids, ages 2 and 5. I advanced this argument — gingerly — early on, before they were old enough to know any better. I lost decisively and quickly.

Look, I’m no Scrooge. I love the holidays and (almost) all they entail. And. I understand there’s always some jerky kid at the playground, ruining it for everyone by crowing that “Santa isn’t real” to the little believers. That’s no good. But why infuse their heads with these lies in the first place, only to be let down in the long run? I mean, as parents, aren’t we just needlessly messing with them? 

You may now commence to calling me horrible names. 

— braiker

George Conedy :: ‘Nino del Tambor’

A slow, funky, sexy burner of a “Little Drummer Boy” by Hammond organist par excellence George Conedy. And why not? Merry, merry y’all. (via)

— braiker

The British Medical Journal has some fun talking to “the physician of Father Christmas.”