Ohhhh Moments

If you read yesterday's post, which was the 18th Annual A Diet of Christmas Films, and have regularly followed that particular series - I am sure you're wondering why I hadn't watched A Christmas Story.

I didn't decide to pass on it this year. I watched it yesterday afternoon after lunch.

I simply forgot to mention that I was planning to catch it on Christmas Day, as I had done at the close of at least one other edition over the years.

Here's something I first noticed about the film yesterday. 

Can you believe that, after all these years with A Christmas Story on my festive watchlist, that Christmas Day 2025 was the first time I realised Mrs Parker is played by Melinda Dillion, who also performed as the mother in the Bigfoot and the Hendersons movie (or Harry and the Hendersons for those outside of the UK)?

Funnily enough, I first watched Bigfoot and the Hendersons during a Christmastime. My dad took my sister and I to a showing at the cinema on the day we broke up from school for the festive period of 1987. 

That was the second 'ohhhh' moment of Christmas. When watching one of the closing scenes of The Muppet Christmas Carol, after Michael Caine's Ebeneezer Scrooge had seen the light, I noticed one of the shops was named 'Micklewhite's' - an obvious nod to Caine's real name - Maurice Micklewhite.

A Diet Of Christmas Films XVIII

Your eyes are not deceiving you. This really is the eighteenth annual Diet of Christmas Films. 

That's eighteen Christmases watching as many festive movies or features I can get through and then listing them here for posts that go live on Christmas Morning.

This year is different. Kind of.

It'll be the first Diet of Christmas Films without one of its biggest fans - Vicki - as a reader of these posts. She enjoyed hearing about the movies I would watch for each year's project. 

It should go without saying that today's post is dedicated to Vicki. In fact, every single Diet of Christmas Films from today and beyond will have Vick in my thoughts. 

This year's journey began on November 1st. Here's what I've watched...

Christmas Comes to Pac-Land (1982)

Summary:

After a conflict with the ghosts, causing Santa to spiral out of control and crash his sleigh, Pac-Man along with his family and friends, work together to fix the sleigh and save Christmas

Thoughts:

I used to watch the Pac-Man cartoon during my early childhood. After all, I was an owner of an Atari and loved the game. It was natural for me to segue into watching the animated series.

I have absolutely no idea if I had watched this Christmas special before. If I had, I am sure I would have enjoyed it.

The modern day, some would say - older, version of myself thinks it was.. okay. A typical Christmas cartoon which sees the bad guys (the ghosts!) end up assisting the goodies. Christmas is saved.

I did chuckle that one of the main ways they saved Christmas was to give the reindeers power pellets. That was a nice touch considering those power pellets are important for the Pac Family in their battles with the ghosts.

Christmas Under The Northern Lights (2024)

Summary:

A writer visiting a small town over Christmas is shown the area's vistas and Northern Lights by a handsome local guide

Thoughts:

To be somewhat pedantic, the summary - even though it's correct - doesn't serve the narrative of this movie its justice.

Yes, the tour guide does show the author the Northern Lights. However, their love blossoms from the times he attempts to show her the Lights but is thwarted by the weather. The final scene, after the pair have kissed, is when the Northern Lights appears to them. 

I think the fact I am defending the story is enough evidence to highlight that, yes, I enjoyed this one.

Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

Summary:

Little Billy witnesses his parents getting killed by Santa Claus after being warned by his senile Grandfather that Santa punishes those who are naughty. Now Billy is 18 and out of an orphanage and has become Santa himself

Thoughts:

Amazon Prime recommended Silent Night, Deadly Night to me. I surmise it's because I've watched both Christmas and horror films on the platform. It should go without saying this is - kind of - a mixture.

I had heard of this film before. I had never felt compelled to watch it until this year, however. Well, I can't say I am glad I did. Neither can I say I'm happy I didn't.

It obviously leans more to the horror/slasher aspect of the combined genres. There's a lot of nudity and gore. Plenty of intriguing ways characters meet their demises as well. That should keep the horror fans entertained.

I found myself enjoying the scenes where the main character, before he makes a deep dive into becoming evil. is working at a toy shop. Not because of anything going in in the story. I was paying attention to the scenery. There were a lot of toys from that period that I had. For example, I noticed there were boxes of Jabba the Hutt figures stacked up. However, the ones that stood out the most were Poochie toys (my sister must have had one around the Christmas this film was made. I spoke about that very same line of toys with my cousin on the phone after my aunt died in October) and then there was a Milton Bradley board game of The Smurfs in the background.

I had that game one Christmas. I remember being in my next door neighbours' home on Christmas night and she asked me what Father Christmas had delivered. I ran back into my home (our backdoors were not covered by fencing) and brought the board game in for her to see. Of all the presents I must have had, the board game was the one thing I singled out to show her. So, I suppose, seeing this film dragged back a long-forgotten Christmas memory from childhood. 

It's funny it was this kind of movie which did that, isn't it?

After watching Silent Night, Deadly Night, I now find myself facing a question. What ever next? Well, there's only one appropriate way to go....

I have to, right?!

Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 (1987)

Summary:

The now-adult Ricky talks to a psychiatrist about how he became a murderer after his brother - Billy - died. 

Thoughts:

Well, I have a lot to say.

The close of Silent Night, Deadly Night did set up the sequel because Billy was killed right in front of Ricky. Therefore, it seemed like a perfect way to segue into the sequel if they just showed that bit at the start, right?

Well, no. That's now what they did. Instead, we were shown almost forty minutes of footage from the first film as Ricky recounts everything. Also, bear in mind that the first section of the original film has Ricky as a baby so how he manages to know everything from the night of his parents' murders requires ignorance on our part.

It was a waste of time watching this one considering most of it is recapping the first. Or was it a waste of time watching the first film?!

There are FOUR more Silent Night, Deadly Night sequels. I won't attempt any more. Well, not this year, anyway. 

By the way, after watching those two films, I checked out a YouTube video of people playing MB's The Smurf Game. The version on the shelves in the toy shop is not like the one I had as a child even though they must have been around in the same period of time.

With that side note out of the way, let's get this marathon back on track.

Christmas Riches (1926)

Thoughts:

I didn't bother writing a 'summary' for this film because there's quite a lot to cover. This isn't one film as such. It's a medley of Christmas features packed together. All of these films are very dated. The first one is a Hal Roach silent film. That's followed by at least a couple of animated titles from the early 20th Century. Then there's a Little Match Girl cartoon (Google says it's from 1937) followed by The Great Rupert (I skipped through this feature because I watched it for Christmas Day ten years ago). Finally, there was a black-and-white edition of The Little Match Girl. I've tried finding out its year of release but had difficulty doing so. The 1920s to 1930s would be an estimated guess.

This collection was interesting enough to have on this year's menu of festive films. It allowed me to pack a few titles in, but I could see the youngsters of today struggling with it because of how dated some of the films are. Would certainly appeal to those keen on films from the past. Or those with older eyes.

 * * *

It's time for a brief pause for an update.

Those who have followed the blog over the past few weeks should be aware that I had a film on this year's list that I was desperate to find.

Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story was a movie Vicki pointed out to me over the summer. The NFL and Hallmark had worked together in producing the film. I told Vick I would watch if I could find it.

Vicki passed away a few weeks later. I made it a personal goal to keep an eye out for the movie and eventually watch it. I reasoned that, even if I didn't catch it this year, I'd retain the hunt into next year and beyond.

Well - the good news is I found it on TV over here and was able to record it. The following day, when I opened the Virgin Media app on my iPad, I was met with an alert informing me that I had to get a new cable box because the software on the next app update wouldn't be compatible with it.  

An upgraded box meant that everything I had stored on the old one would be lost. 

I obviously don't want to lose this film. Not before I've watched it. So, I'm forced to make a change of plan.

The hope was to watch Holiday Touchdown last. I wanted it to be the main event of this year's Diet of Christmas Films because I felt it would be a perfect tribute to Vick. But, the cable box situation has forced me to put the main event on earlier than - if you pardon the pun - BILLed....

Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story (2025)

Summary:

A Hallmark Christmas romance set in Buffalo, where two neighbouring families - bonded by their love of the Bills - see long-time friends, Morgan Quinn and Gabe DeLuca discover that their connection runs deeper than football tradition and holiday cheer.

Thoughts:

I had a blast watching this. So many Bills staff members, old and new, made cameo appearances. It had a lovely plot and subplot - with twists! - that we've come to expect from Hallmark Movies. 

I cannot express how much Vick would have loved this. She'd watch Hallmark films each night leading into Christmas and tell me about them the following day. This would have been the most perfect film considering it was a Hallmark and Buffalo Bills combo.

Even watching it, I came across little reminders of Vick and the Bills Mafia culture. Chicken wings and blue cheese was one! 

It's a shame Vick didn't see this. That's the only negative I can add.

Oh. What. Fun. (2025)

Summary:

Claire plans a special Christmas, but is forgotten by her family. When they realise that she's missing, their holiday is at risk until she returns to give them the celebration they deserve

Thoughts: 

First things first, I don't like how that 'Summary' is worded on the IMDB website. That's not entirely how the narrative unfolded. There are many other ways it could have been described. 

This was one of Amazon's offerings of the season and it was brilliantly done. Excellent casting and writing. I let out a few LOLs at certain points. This is one of those Christmas films I'm sure I'll see on the Amazon menu and go 'Ah, I liked that one!' for many years to come. 

The Merry Gentlemen (2024)

Summary:

To save her parents' small-town performing venue, a former big-city dancer decides to stage an all-male Christmas-themed revue.

Thoughts: 

I chose this Netflix movie because I noticed Britt Robertson from The Rookie universe of TV series' was in it. I highly doubt I would have bothered otherwise.

This was okay, I suppose. Even if it felt like I was watching a cross between The Full Monty and a Hallmark Christmas love story.

Tinsel Town (2025)

Summary:

A washed-up Hollywood action hero takes on a role in a small English village's quirky Christmas pantomime, where he finds unexpected inspiration through the show's straight-talking dance instructor.

Thoughts:
Tinsel Town was Sky Cinema's big offering of Christmas 2025. I found it very enjoyable. It had a huge cast of famous faces in it. Kiefer Sutherland played the lead. Other people from the film I knew were Rebel Wilson, Derek Jacobi, Meera Syal, Jason Manford, Danny Dyer and Katherine Ryan. Yes, I tolerated Katherine Ryan and came away stating this film was 'enjoyable'. That, in itself, is a true Christmas miracle.

Hanukkah on the Rocks (2024)

Summary:

A recently unemployed lawyer embarks on a journey to find Hanukkah candles, leading her to a bar where she transforms the holidays spirit, and finds the courage to pursue a new path in life

Thoughts:

I watched Hallmark's Hanukkah on Rye last year, so - when I saw this one on the TV planner - I decided to record it in order to keep up the tradition. 

Even though I preferred the story from the one I watched last year, it feels like I learned a bit more about Hanukkah in Hanukkah on the Rocks. There seemed to be a lot more focus on the tradition of the celebration. Well, that's how I took it anyway.

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

As I've written in previous years, my nephew has watched this film each year since he was an infant, so I joined him once again.

***

It is now late on Christmas Eve as I am setting this post up to go live at midnight.

What an odd mix of films, right? It was an odd lead-in to Christmas, though. 

As I leave this series for another year, I'd like to express how glad I am to have managed to find and, most importantly, watch Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story. 

I could have left it until last after all. The app still hasn't updated, so I'm still able to watch things on my old box (the new one is still to arrive!). I didn't want to risk it, though. I achived what I set out to do. I found the film for my friend. 

Merry Christmas

Adam The Woo

I remember why and how I first came across Adam the Woo and his YouTube videos.

I was watching a James Bond movie, Google tells me it was Never Say Never Again, and one of the scenes had a game of Jai-Alai being played in it.

The sport wasn't new to me, but I did realise something: I had no idea where it came from, whether it's still being played and how popular it is. Or was. Once I had finished with Bond, I headed to the Internet to look into Jai-Alai. 

One of my stops took me to a video of a guy walking around a derelict building which once housed Jai-Alai contests. 

To say I was fascinated would be an understatement. It seemed like the host - Adam the Woo - was walking through a period of time that even time itself had forgotten. The place, despite being run down, still had a lot of items from its past laying around. To hazard a guess, I'd say it was a leftover from a 1980s peak. 

Give or take.

My research into Jai-Ali was paused. I browsed through many more videos from Adam the Woo. He criss-crossed the USA finding many more sites left to wither away in history. It was eye opening.

It wasn't just those things, though. I enjoyed Adam the Woo's visits to conventions. As we're from the same generation, it was clear he and I had similar likes. Especially The Goonies and Back to the Future. It was through the latter, he became friends with Thomas F. Wilson, who portrayed Biff Tannen (and another Tannen character from history) in those series of films.

The last time I watched an Adam the Woo video was a few Sundays ago. He was once again at a convention meeting relics from the 1980s, which was - ironically - a full circle moment considering how I first came across him.

It would be the last video I'd watch of Adam knowing he was with us.

Adam the Woo, real name David Adam Williams, was found dead at his home a couple of days ago. He was only fifty-one.

Two Percent

Well, I watched the Colts and 49ers while having my breakfast this morning.

To be fair, the score of 48-27 to San Francisco looks worse than it actually was. 

I thought Philip Rivers looked brilliant for someone who had been retired for five years and was in his second game back. 

The Colts are in an almighty mess, though. They have a 2% chance of making the playoffs. In the final two games of the season they need the following:

- To beat the Jacksonville Jaguars this week. However, they also need the Chargers to beat the Houston Texans. The Chargers are two-point home favourites for Saturday's game. While I'm at it, I may as well point out the fact that the Jags are favoured by almost a touchdown against Indy, so that's how big their mountain is. 

And that's just for this week's fixtures. Next week, Indianapolis will need:

- To get a win over the Texans to have any chance. 

Yes, a mess.

All Eyes On MNF

All eyes on Jonathan Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts tonight. 

I need the Colts' running back to score at least 9.25 fantasy points during the 49ers' visit to Indianapolis.

As I mentioned the other day, I didn't make the main playoffs in the NFL fantasy league I play in. However, the team is in the consolation playoffs. I figured I may as well try to win that.

The opposition has played everyone and has a total score of  exactly 124 points. Mine has 114.76. Taylor is the only squad member yet to take the field.

I also need Indianapolis to - at best - win against the 49ers or, at worst, not lose by more than five points.

As you can see, Indianapolis +6 is the only remaining pick in the the contest entry I gave my friend to place in a sportsbook contest he plays in.

I haven't had a 5-0 week at all this year. My best has been a trio of 4-1s, so I've came close but not near enough to win the free bets that are dished out to those with perfect weeks.

My overall score, so far in 2025, is 43-33-3, so the extra win is needed to make the win-loss record look slightly better than where it currently stands.

23rd December Update
The Colts lost, so the entry went 4-1 yet again. As for the fantasy points I need - Taylor scored 16.90. That was more than enough. My team closed out the week with 131.66 to my opponent's 124.00.

All The Stars

Earlier today, I finished reading another book and rated it on Good Reads. It's the fifth consecutive title I've given five stars to.

And that's surprising. Am I going soft?!

The run of, to pardon the pun, good reads began with the couple of days I read an omnibus of Roald Dahl's autobiographies. I wrote about catching back up with Boy and Going Solo a few weeks ago, when it was the anniversary of Dahl's passing.

I continued my reacquaintance with Roald Dahl, and his work, by reading The BFG in late-November. That was the first time I had read the story of giants since I was a youngster. I had forgotten so much about it. It sure was a fun reread.

Brian Solomon's incredible biography about one of the most important men in pro wrestling's history was next on my list. 

Irresistible Force: The Life and Times of Gorilla Monsoon was very insightful. As was The Drums by The Smiths' Mike Joyce, whose autobiography covered his rise from music fan to musician. I enjoyed reading about The Smiths from Joyce's point of view. The latter part, when the writer detailed his last meetings and conversations with his bandmate - Andy Rourke - was sad, yet powerful.

Finally - the book I finished this morning was The Last Hart Beating: From the Dungeon to WWE by Nattie Neidhart.

Going in, I expected I'd enjoy reading about the female member of wrestling's Hart Dynasty. I didn't think I would be forced to laugh out loud at any of the bits, but Nattie sure did manage to write about some parts of her career that were surprisingly hysterical.  All the serious parts were also covered in detail. Nattie's book made for a pleasurable read because of the many emotions it generated.

Five straight five star books. Next up is an advance reading copy I've been given by Faber. I'll review it on here, but to give you a little teaser: it's about my favourite video game company.

Anyone who knows me well enough will consider that a spoiler rather than a teaser.

Jawbreaker

I first woke up at exactly 5:09am today. After looking at my watch, it struck me. Not the watch - a thought.

I could see if the Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua are still fighting

So, I turned the TV on.

The first sight I saw was of Joshua knocking out Paul. It wasn't live. They were replaying how the match was won.

Apparently, Joshua broke Jake Paul's jaw. during the fight.

I switched the coverage off, with the plan to head back to sleep. The last images I saw was of Anthony Joshua walking around the arena greeting the patrons. 

It was the first time Joshua had fought on US soil in over six years. His second in total. 

Joshua wasn't off the clock as he met the public. He was doing PR. Preparing for 2026 and what will come with it.