Mele Kalikimaka ia Oe

That’s Hawaiian for “Merry Christmas to You” – so thank you for visiting Capsun’s Corner on this special holiday.  And, if you’re a Christmas Baby, like my cousin in North Carolina or my friend in Kona, Happy Birthday to you.  Or as I told my cousin, Merry Christmas Birthday!

TRAVELLING ON CHRISTMAS DAY

Many people travel to be with family and friends today.  But don’t worry, it can actually be a great day to travel.  First, it is not as busy to fly on the actual holiday as most people like to fly on the eves to actually be at their destination on the day.  Second, airline staff that work on the holiday usually receive holiday pay, so they are a bit friendlier.  And finally, most travellers are on their way home, and nothing can stop them from being in a good mood.  Basically, everyone’s happy!  Of course, your mileage may vary.

GIFTING AND REGIFTING

Since it’s Christmas, here’s a dilemma you might have:  What is your stance on regifting? Me, I believe regifting – giving away a gift you don’t want, need, or use to someone else as a gift for them – is perfectly allowable, if done correctly.  First of all, make sure it’s not going to be a gift that the recipient will immediately want to regift.  I’ve actually had great experiences with regifted gifts, having taken a gift that I didn’t like and giving them to close family members who really enjoyed them and made much better use out of them than I would have.

Or even better, you could just take the advice of my fellow blogger Leo Babauta and give one of The Six Greatest Gifts You Can Give Your Loved Ones – and best of all, they don’t have to cost much (if any) money.

CHRISTMAS MOVIES

And now, with gifts out of the way, we need to get on to the movies to watch for Christmas.  If you’re like my enlightened friend, Quilly, who foregoes gifts in recognition of the over-commercialization of Christmas, you can skip straight to this step and bypass the gifts sections entirely.

Here are some of my favorite movies to watch with family and friends on Christmas:

• Scrooged (1988) with Bill Murray.  It’s the modern-day retelling of A Christmas Carol.  And did I say Bill Murray was in it?
• Love Actually (2003).  I know it’s a chick-flick, but I’ve loved it since the first time I saw it.  It’s got Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, and Emma Thompson, so you know it must be good.
• Home Alone (1990).  It’s a classic, but probably moreso because I was a youngster when it came out and have fond memories of it.  You know you want to see the scene when Macauly Culkin slaps his cheeks with aftershave and screams.
• The Polar Express (2004).  What would a family holiday be without an animated choice?  Directed by Robert Zemeckis and with the voice of Tom Hanks, it will be a new classic for today’s children.

OK, that’s enough, time to go eat some of Tutu’s food and watch these movies.  Have a happy and safe holiday celebration.

Mahalo!

Tagged as: christmas, movies, regifting, scrooged