20 Facts You May or May Not Know About How The Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)

This original animated cartoon, based on the popular holiday book of the same name by Dr. Seuss, is a popular tradition to watch every year around the holidays. There are some things that people may or may not know about it. According to Chris Morgan, a writer for the MSN.com page Yardbarker, here are 20 things you may or may not know about How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)

1. It's based on a book of the same name

-Written by famous children's author Dr.Seuss, his books might seem strange and always rhyme, but they were whimsical books for people of all ages. This character first appeared in a poem in the magazine Redbook called The Hoobub and The Grinch in 1955. In 1957, he decided to make The Grinch front and center in his own book, about how he hates Christmas so much he decides to try and steal it

2. The director of it is legendary for animation

-Chuck Jones co-produced and co-directed this cartoon. He is famous for his animation style. His best known work is with the animated Looney Tunes cartoons, which gave us iconic characters, such as Wile E. Coyote, The Roadrunner, Speedy Gonzales, Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd and more. If you're familiar with the Looney Tunes and the animation style, and you watch the 1966 cartoon How The Grinch Stole Christmas, you'll recognize Jones' handiwork

Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny of Looney Tunes

3. Chuck Jones and Dr. Seuss have worked together previously

-Chuck Jones and Ted Geisel (Dr. Seuss) have worked together on other projects. They both worked together during WWII, creating the "Project Snafu" series of cartoons. These cartoons were designed as training modules. They were lighthearted and funny ways of training new soldiers

4. Dr. Seuss was unsure at first

-He wasn't sure about turning How the Grinch Stole Christmas in to a television special. He had a bad experience with The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. He swore never to write another film. He decided to take a chance and was signed on to work as a producer on this one and it paid off

5. A composer was brought in

-Dr. Seuss wrote all of the lyrics to the songs in the musical version of the book. But he was unable to create the music, nor was Chuck Jones. A composer was brought in to combine Dr. Seuss' lyrics with music. Albert Hague was the man for the job. He has a unique background. He was a German immigrant who had fled Nazi Germany as a child. Growing up, he worked on Broadway and even had a small acting career. He had a small part in the kids movie Space Jam as the psychiatrist

6. A legendary person provided narration and the voice of the Grinch

-Boris Karloff is a legendary name. He was best known for playing the Frankenstein Monster in addition to The Mummy. The narrator and the voice of the Grinch belong to this legend of the silver screen

7. It was not just Boris Karloff who lent his voice as well

-The person who voiced Cindy Lou Who was none other than June Foray. She is an actress best known for voicing Rocky the Flying Squirrel. She was said to be the female version of Mel Blanc, a male voiceover actor who provided many Looney Tunes cartoons with their voices

8. Boris Karloff was the only one credited for his work

-June Foray, Dal McKennon (Max the Dog) and Thurl Ravenscroft (singer of the song "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch) all went uncredited for this film

9. CBS was riding a wave of success

-At the time, CBS was airing another animated special, A Charlie Brown Christmas. With the success of the Peanuts gang celebrating the holidays, they had no issue bankrolling this Dr. Seuss classic. Chuck Jones and Ted Geisel (Dr. Seuss) received $315,000 to make the cartoon, more than what Bill Melendez received to make A Charlie Brown Christmas

10. To keep things unique, people got creative

-Chuck Jones wanted to step away from all the usual Christmas-y stuff. He took a lot of inspiration from the book. The director relied on what was called "Seussian Latin", a made-up language in the story. He suspected that real Latin was indecipherable to many people as their fictional language

11. The original sponsor of the cartoon was lost to time

-Back then, advertisements were the only way to get products and services into the consciousness of viewers. Today, we see less and less ads with people streaming television. Back in the past, TV shows were sponsored by a single advertisement. When How the Grinch Stole Christmas first aired on television on December 18, 1966, its sponsor was the Foundation for Full-Service Banks

12. This annual holiday special did do something special about The Grinch

-In the original book, the Grinch was white. But in the 1960s, with the introduction of color TV, everything was new, sparkly and innovative. When the cartoon aired on TV, he was made green, to take advantage of the new color TV option

13. The original story would have been only about 25 minutes

-There were action scenes added to pad out the story and make it run a little longer. Such as the sled chase scene from Mt. Crumpit down to Whoville

14. It was a staple of CBS for years

-For years, you could guarantee that CBS was going to air How the Grinch Stole Christmas around the holidays. People counted on it as part of their holiday traditions and celebrations. It ran on CBS until 1987 and after that, other channels, such as TNT, TBS, The WB, ABC started picking up this much loved animated special and airing it. Now NBC owns the rights on airing it

15. It's a much loved holiday classic and the numbers reflect that

-On Rotten Tomatoes, a site where movies, television and more are rated good, fair or bad, they give this holiday special a 100% perfect rating. Not only that, but TV Guide ranks it as the best holiday special of all time

16. It won a Grammy

-At the 1968 Grammy Awards, How the Grinch Stole Christmas took home the Grammy for "Best Children's Album." The award was given to Boris Karloff

17. There were a few follow ups

-1977 seen The Grinch switching it up from Christmas to Halloween. In the ABC special, Halloween is Grinch Night, it was a prequel about the Whos celebrating the spooky day of Halloween. It won an Emmy. Another follow up to win an Emmy was the 1982 cartoon The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat

18. Two movies have been made

-The year 2000 seen legendary director Ron Howard making his live action film How the Grinch Stole Christmas starring Jim Carrey as the iconic green recluse. This is often the most popular choice of film to watch around the holidays. 2018 seen another animated version of the classic come out. This time, British actor Benedict Cumberbatch voiced the iconic green Christmas hater, the Grinch

2000 adaptation with Jim Carrey

2018 adaptation with Benedict Cumberbatch

19. The 2018 film did pretty well

-Even though it only has a 59% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it did pretty well at the box office. It made $511.8 million worldwide

20. The song is still popular

-In 2020, "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" popped up on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, taking the spot of number 32. This is good to know that, after all these years, this song is still popular and very much a part of the Christmas holidays

Home Alone (1990)

For most people, watching this 1990 classic is a holiday tradition

Summary

-A young boy, left home by mistake by his family, who were en route to Paris for the holidays, defends his home against two bumbling burglars during Christmas Eve

Cast

-Macaulay Culkin: Kevin

-John Heard: Peter

-Catherine O'Hara: Kate

-Joe Pesci: Harry

-Daniel Stern: Marv

-Roberts Blossom: Old Man Marley

-Angela Goethals: Linnie

-Devin Ratray: Buzz

-Hillary Wolf: Megan

-Gerry Banman: Uncle Frank

-John Candy: Gus Polinski

-Kristen Minter: Heather

-Kieran Culkin: Fuller

-Terrie Snell: Aunt Leslie

Did You Know?

-On set, Joe Pesci purposely avoided Macaulay Culkin because he wanted Culkin to think he was legitimately mean

-As of 2014, Macaulay Culkin still refers to Catherine O'Hara as "Mom"

-Both Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern felt different about how the movie would turn out. So they both did over the top performances during shooting, not believing the movie would turn out as successfully as it did

-During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Joe Pesci told them "Mac is not like a nine year old. He's an old man already." Everyone else on set was stunned by how professional and mature Macaulay Culkin was

-Despite insisting the lines in the script be delivered as written, John Hughes, the producer, allowed John Candy to improvise his lines

-The stunt double for Macaulay Culkin was a very short 30 year old man

-Roberts Blossom, who played Old Man Marley, considered this to be a high point of his career. People would stop him on the street and ask "Aren't you the guy..."

-When the original music composer stepped out, John Williams stepped in. Despite never meeting director Chris Columbus, Williams saw an early cut of the film and was amazed and happily offered his services

-During takes, Macaulay Culkin would sleep on the ground if he got tired

-As a kid, Chris Columbus feared burglars. As such, it's a part of why he wanted to make a movie involving burglars

-Because of child labor laws, Macaulay Culkin was only allowed to work five hours a day

-In order to get Macaulay Culkin to memorize the lines, Chris Columbus made him a promise to let him play with his Nintendo system and it worked

-The success of this movie and the following sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York provided Chris Columbus the opportunity to move on to other films, including the first two films of the massively successful Harry Potter series and Mrs. Doubtfire

-Originally, the role of mean Uncle Frank was written with actor Kelsey Grammer in mind

-The actor who played Kevin's cousin Fuller is actually Macaulay Culkin's real life brother Kieran Culkin, who made his acting debut in this movie

-The exterior shots of the McCallister house was filmed in front of a house in a suburb on the outskirts of Chicago. The interior shots of the home was built inside an old, abandoned high school

-The police station was actually an office in a high school

-Sandra Macat, who played the Santa's elf Kevin encounters, appeared in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, playing a flight attendant

-Harry Lyme, the character Joe Pesci played, got his name from the Orson Welles movie The Third Man (1949)

-The scene where Marv had the tarantula on his face was done in one take. The spider trainer told Daniel Stern that if he screamed, it would startle the spider and cause it to attack. Daniel Stern had to do the scene and do a silent scream while the scream audio was added in at a later time

-During the scene where Kevin is staging a Christmas party at his home, to fool the burglars into thinking his family is still there, he is wearing an orange speaker-like item around his neck. This is a laugh box, a 1970s-era novelty item that produces the laughter heard in the scene. While difficult to hear over the music, it's heard far better in the scene where the mannequin is spinning on the record player

-The flag on the wall above Kevin's bed is the flag for Chicago, where the movie was filmed. This flag is also featured on the uniforms of the Chicago Police Department

-Alan Rickman was one of the considered actors to play the role of Harry Lyme. He had worked with Bonnie Bedelia, who is Macaulay Culkin's aunt in the 1988 film Die Hard

-While Peter and Kate are trying to get a flight home to Chicago from a French AA ticket agent, an Eastern Air Lines Boeing 727 is seen in the background. Despite being done at Paris Orly Airport, it was actually filmed at a terminal of Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Eastern Air Lines never did any Europe-based flights or other international flights. Trans World Airlines (TWA) and Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) did more international flights in the 1980s

-Despite people thinking that this film seemed realistic in how police would treat a "home alone" situation, writers and producers actually worked with a real Chicago police officer named Jeff Jefferson. He had assisted the writers and producers and wrote the police scenes. Ironically, five years later, Jeff Jefferson himself would be arrested by police for child neglect after it was discovered he left his own children alone for the last six years

-The airport attendant taking the tickets for the McCallister family never asked why there was a person missing from their group. It was because Peter had mistakenly thrown away Kevin's ticket after cleaning up the spilled milk from the previous night. This led to the attendant counting as many people as she'd received tickets for

-The plumbing van Harry and Marv drive says Oh-Kay Plumbing with the slogan "Your flood control experts." It's ironic because they are known as the Wet Bandits, who flood houses with water running from faucets after running them

-The ornaments Marv steps on were made of sugar. He insisted on stepping on them barefoot and the screaming reaction was not real, just acting

-The reason there is a Michael Jordan cardboard cutout featured in this movie is because Michael Jordan is Macaulay Culkin's favorite basketball player

-In addition to home invasion and burglary, Harry Lyme commits another crime-impersonating a police officer

-The Funko POP! company released figures of Kevin McCallister and Harry Lyme

-31 years after this movie was released, on December 23, 2021, Devin Ratray, who played Buzz, was arrested by police after it discovered that he tried to strangle his girlfriend in a hotel room

-Michael Douglas, Kevin Costner, Charles Grodin, Jim Belushi, Christopher Lloyd, Rick Moranis, Alan Thicke, Jeff Daniels, John Ritter, Ed O'Neill, among many others, were considered for the role of Peter McCallister, Kevin's dad

-Diane Keaton, Holly Hunter, Glenn Close, Linda Hamilton, Helen Hunt, Laura Dern, Anjelica Huston, Annie Potts, Maureen McCormick, Mary Steenburgen, among many others, were considered for the role of Kate McCallister, Kevin's mom

-Joe Pesci is known for heavy profanity in his films. He had to work extra hard to avoid using any profanity in this film, since it was a family Christmas film

-When Kevin looks through Buzz's steamer trunk at the end of his bed, he finds a picture of Buzz's girlfriend. He proceeds to say "Buzz! Your girlfriend. Woof!" The picture is actually of art director Dan Webster's son, who was made up to look like a girl. Chris Columbus thought it would be too cruel to make fun of a girl like that

-The Playboy magazine Kevin finds had pages taped together so Macaulay Culkin wouldn't see any nudity. The issue was from July 1989

-The movie Kevin watches, Angels with Filthy Souls, was not a real movie. It was specially created. It was a play on words of the classic 1938 James Cagney film Angels with Dirty Faces

-While rehearsing the scene where Joe Pesci attempts to bite off Macaulay Culkin's finger, Joe Pesci actually bit Macaulay, leaving a small scar

-For any of the barefoot scenes, Daniel Stern wore rubber feet. Much the same way that Bruce Willis did as John McClane in 1988's Die Hard

-While filming, Macaulay Culkin came down with a cold. He was given time off to recover, except for one part. While attempting to buy a toothbrush, his voice is hoarse, he is pale and his eyes were red and puffy from watering so much

-To strongly promote that this was a Christmas movie, red and green are the prominent colors featured all throughout the movie

-When Kevin talks to "Santa", the car he is getting into was a 1980 Honda Civic hatchback. It did actually stall out as the actor was attempting to drive away

-Despite being a family movie, Daniel Stern accidentally swore. He said the "s" word when getting his boot through the dog door. It can be heard in this scene

-The rundown look for Harry and Marv was based on Fagin, the iconic thief in Charles Dickens' classic story Oliver Twist

-When leaving the house to go to the airport, Uncle Frank complains that the flight to Paris leaves in 45 minutes and that they would never make it. In reality, the journey from the house to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport would take only about 29 minutes. Since this was done before 9/11, security was much more relaxed and only consisted of belt-fed x-ray machines for luggage. Not only that, anyone could go all the way to the departure gates without so much as a boarding pass

-In an interview, when Devin Ratray, who played Buzz, was asked what happened to Buzz later in life, he replied that he probably went to prison. Ironically, Ratray was arrested in 2021 for domestic assault and battery against his then girlfriend and a few years later, a suspected rape

-Old Man Marley is a tribute to Jacob Marley, one of the old business partners of Ebenezer Scrooger in the classic Charles Dickens' story A Christmas Carol

-The inventions Kevin used to fend off the burglars were inspired by Chris Columbus' love of inventions. These types of inventions also appeared in 1984's Gremlins, 1985's The Goonies, 1985's Young Sherlock Holmes, which were produced by Steven Spielberg. Both Spielberg and Columbus are big fans of the James Bond films

-The item Kevin uses to heat up the front doorknob is an electric charcoal tool for barbecue grills

-When Kevin goes after Buzz for eating all of the cheese pizza, milk gets spilled and a plane ticket on the counter gets coated in milk. When Peter is cleaning up, he accidentally throws away a plane ticket, which happened to belong to Kevin. The ticket is seen with Kevin's name on it. The following morning, Kevin is left home alone because his cousin is doing a head count and counts the nosy neighbor kid, thinking it was Kevin

-The July 1989 Playboy issue Kevin finds in Buzz's steamer trunk featured actress Erika Eleniak for Miss July. This same issue was featured in 1992's Under Siege, which also featured Erika Eleniak

-Journalists had asked medical professionals if the Wet Bandits would have survived any of the injuries they sustained. The medical professionals stated these were life threatening injuries and that they would not likely survive the injuries

-When Kevin is banished to the attic, there is a pull out sofa bed. There is no visible insulation in the rafters, which would leave the attic, in Chicago temperatures, sub-zero cold. This would not be an ideal place to sleep

-Prior to eating the macaroni and cheese he prepared, Kevin crosses his chest after praying, suggesting that he and his family are either Catholic or Episcopal

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

It's happened again. Kevin McCallister (Maculay Culkin) has, once again, been left behind by his family. In their haste to make a flight to Florida for the Christmas holidays, Kevin gets his father mixed up with another gentleman who has the same type of coat his father wears, not realizing this other gentleman is bound for New York City, the Big Apple. Kevin quickly finds out he's in the wrong city when looking at the skyline of New York.

Summary

-During a Christmas holiday vacation to Miami, Kevin accidentally boards a plane to New York and encounters the same burglars he met last Christmas. This time, they're planning on robbing a toy store on Christmas Eve

Cast

-Macaulay Culkin: Kevin

-John Heard: Peter

-Catherine O'Hara: Kate

-Joe Pesci: Harry

-Daniel Stern: Marv

-Devin Ratray: Buzz

-Hillary Wolf: Megan

-Maureen Elizabeth Shay: Linnie

-Michael C. Maronna: Jeff

-Gerry Banman: Uncle Frank

-Terrie Snell: Aunt Leslie

-Kieran Culkin: Fuller

-Tim Curry: Concierge

-Dana Ivey: Desk Clerk

-Rob Schneider: Bellboy

-Brenda Fricker: Pigeon Lady

Did You Know?

-Due to the cold temperatures in New York, several cameras literally froze during filming

-Director Chris Columbus stated that the production crew had spent considerable money on fake snow for Central Park. Then, New York had a blizzard with real snow

-The phone number given for the Plaza Hotel in the movie is the hotel's actual phone number

-This was the first film shot at the famous Carnegie Hall in 30 years

-After completing this movie, Chris Columbus wanted to start another film. His wish was granted when he received the script for what would become 1993's Mrs. Doubtfire

-When Harry and Marv are talking at the ice rink, the ice rink is Wollman Rink in Central Park

-The scenes that were supposed to be in Florida were actually shot in California

-At the time, Donald Trump owned the Plaza Hotel and insisted on being given a cameo in exchange for the crew film at the hotel. Director Chris Columbus considered editing out the cameo, but ran it against a test audience, who loved it

-The scene where Marv gets electrocuted with the sink made director Chris Columbus laugh so hard he couldn't yell "Cut!", even after Stern collapsed onto the floor

-The children who appeared in the toy store scene were allowed to take home a favorite toy as part of their pay

-The scene where Kevin goes to the pool was shot at the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago, Illinois because the Plaza Hotel doesn't have a swimming pool

-The bird woman, played by Brenda Fricker, was inspired by the "old bird woman" from 1964's Mary Poppins

-Real medical professionals were asked for their advice on Harry and Marv's injuries. They stated that three to four bricks to the face would cause "at best, brain damage, at worst, death."

-While out sightseeing, Kevin visits the once iconic World Trade Center. When the movie aired after 9/11, his visit to the World Trade Center was removed out of respect for those who perished in the terrorist attack. In 2018, the scene where he visits this building was restored

-Duncan's Toy Chest was loosely based on the flagship store of iconic toy store F.A.O. Schwartz

-The key icons on the uniform for concierge Mr. Hector (Tim Curry) are for the Les Clefs d'Or USA. This organization is for professional hotel concierges and is considered extremely difficult to get membership to. Earning these gold keys is a respected privilege, given only to the true professional, one dedicated to providing the highest level of service to the guests and the hotel in which they are employed. There are other requirements as well, which can be found on their website

-The turtle dove figures were created by artist John Perry, who is known for his sculptures of sea life

-There was a theory going around that Robert De Niro was one of the officers arresting Harry and Marv in Central Park. It's not Robert De Niro. It's an actor named William Dambra who plays the officer who fires a shot to scare the pigeons away and arrest Harry and Marv

-In the scene where Harry and Marv are stealing money from the toy chest, Marv says "Happy Hanukkah" to himself. In real life, Daniel Stern is Jewish

-The gun Harry pulls out at the end is a police issue Colt Police Positive

-When Mr. Hector (Tim Curry) attempts to find Kevin in the hotel room, Kevin uses an inflatable Bozo the Clown to fool the concierge into thinking someone is in the shower. This spooks Mr. Hector into leaving. Ironically, it was Tim Curry who played Pennywise the Clown in the 1990 film adaptation of Stephen King's It

-The song "Cool Jerk" by The Capitols is the only non-Christmas song featured in this movie

-Originally the role of the Pigeon Lady was to go to Estelle Getty. Unfortunately, she couldn't do the role, as it would conflict with her schedule on The Golden Girls, playing Sophia Petrillo

-Near the beginning of the movie, Uncle Frank takes Fuller's cola and tells him the rubber sheets are packed. This indicates that Fuller is still suffering from bedwetting

99 Christmas Songs to Include on Your Playlist

It's that time of year again. The Christmas holidays. Where we gather around friends and family and exchange gifts, good memories, good food and more. To make it even more festive, there is usually a Christmas-related playlist playing somewhere. According to MSN.com writer Martha Sorren, here are 99 songs that you can include in your play list. You don't have to add all of them or any of them; they are simply examples of Christmas-related songs. And there are even covers of these songs by artists you would never expect to hear

I'm adding a few I found on the local library music download site that I like. I'll add them on to the appropriate category. They're not part of the site from the link provided above, but I feel like they would be easily likeable

Christmas classics

-These songs are usually done by classic artists, from the 1940s-1960s. They are the official marker of the Christmas holidays

"The Christmas Song" - Nat King Cole

"It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" - Andy Williams

"Happy Holidays" - Andy Williams

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" - Judy Garland, Meet Me in St. Louis

"I'll Be Home for Christmas" - Bing Crosby

"Sleigh Ride" - The Ronettes

"White Christmas" - Bing Crosby

"A Holly Jolly Christmas" - Burl Ives

Christmas Party

-Your holiday celebrations will have an extra dash of festive with these upbeat Christmas songs

"Feliz Navidad" - Jose Feliciano

"Run Run Rudolph" - Chuck Berry

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee

"Jingle Bell Rock" - Bobby Helms

"Little Saint Nick" - The Beach Boys"

"Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" - Bruce Springsteen

"Christmas All Over Again" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" - U2

"Step Into Christmas" - Elton John

"Wonderful Christmastime" - Paul McCartney

"What Christmas Means to Me" - Stevie Wonder

Caroling

-A tradition for some is go and gather a group of your friends and go door to door, entertaining the locals with beautiful holiday songs being sung

"Silent Night" - The Carpenters

"O Christmas Tree" - Aretha Franklin

"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" - Pentatonix

"Deck the Halls" - Nat King Cole

"Joy to the World" - Whitney Houston

"Hark the Herald Angels Sing" - Amy Grant

"We Wish You a Merry Christmas" - John Denver and The Muppets

"Jingle Bells" - Ella Fitzgerald

"O Holy Night" - Carrie Underwood

Karaoke

-Some people do karaoke at Christmas parties. Here are some of the popular choices to sing

"All I Want for Christmas is You" - Mariah Carey

"Christmas in Hollis" - Run D.M.C.

"The Little Drummer Boy" - Bing Crosby

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" - Frank Sinatra

"Baby, It's Cold Outside" - Marilyn Maxwell and Dean Martin

"Last Christmas" - Wham!

"Santa Baby" - Eartha Kitt

"I'll Be Home" - Meghan Trainor

"Happy Xmas (War is Over)" - John Lennon

Kid friendly

-There's nothing that warms the heart more or causes more laughs than seeing kids at Christmas. The reactions to seeing their gifts can either warm the heart or cause you to laugh so hard you're crying. Here are some kid-friendly songs that are appropriate for all ages

"Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" - Burl Ives

"Dominick the Donkey (The Italian Christmas Donkey)" - Lou Monte

"Here Comes Santa Claus" - Gene Autry

"The Chipmunk Song" - Alvin & The Chipmunks

"Frosty the Snowman" - Perry Como

"You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" - Thurl Ravenscroft

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" - Ray Conniff

"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" - The Jackson 5

"All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth" - Alvin & The Chipmunks

"I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" - Gayla Peevey

"Silver Bells" - Alvin & The Chipmunks

"Blue Christmas" - Porky Pig (If you're familiar with the Looney Tunes cartoons, and know who Porky Pig is, you'll know he stutters. And listening to him sing the classic "Blue Christmas" is hysterical. What makes it funnier is hearing the people in the background laughing. I'm usually crying from laughing so hard when I listen to it)

Updated Christmas

-The classic songs we know and love have been covered by other artists. Sometimes the covers are better than the original. Sometimes the originals are better than the covers. It's up to you to decide which version you like best. And if your local library has a music download site through them, that's a great way of finding versions of the Christmas songs you love, done by other artists

"Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" - Michael Buble

"We Need a Little Christmas" - Glee Cast

"You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" - Tyler, The Creator

"Mary, Did You Know?" - Pentatonix

"Please Come Home for Christmas" - The Eagles

"O Holy Night" - Josh Groban

"Baby, It's Cold Outside" - Leon Redbone and Zooey Deschanel

"All I Want for Christmas is You" - Dolly Parton

"Happy Xmas (War is Over)" - Miley Cyrus and Mark Ronson

"Grown-Up Christmas List" - Barbara Streisand

"What Christmas Means to Me" - John Legend

"O Holy Night" - Rob Halford

"Mary, Did You Know?" - Lionheart

"Last Christmas" - Glee Cast

"Mele Kalikimaka" - Josh Tatofi (I think this is especially beautiful, given that it's played on an ukelele, a popular instrument in Hawaii and the song is Hawaiian)

"Last Christmas" - Taylor Swift

Christmas Pop

-There are pop songs centered around the holidays. Their light, upbeat mood will have you dancing in no time

"Santa Tell Me" - Ariana Grande

"Mistletoe" - Justin Bieber

"Santa Claus Lane" - Hilary Duff

"Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" - N*Sync

"My Only Wish (This Year)" - Britney Spears

"Christmas Tree Farm" - Taylor Swift

"You Make It Feel Like Christmas" - Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton

"Candy Cane Lane" - Sia

"A Nonsense Christmas" - Sabrina Carpenter

"Underneath the Tree" - Kelly Clarkson

"My Kind of Present" - Meghan Trainor

Instrumental

-Some prefer the classical music touch to the holidays

"Charlie Brown Christmas Album" - Vince Guaraldi Trio (This is also known as the Charlie Brown theme song)

"Christmas Canon" - Trans-Siberian Orchestra

"Somewhere in My Memory" - John Williams, Home Alone soundtrack

"Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker: March" - Berlin Philharmonic and Sir Simon Rattle

"Stille Nacht (Silent Night)" - Manheim Steamroller

"Gumption" - Hans Zimmer, The Holiday soundtrack

"Cry" - Hans Zimmer, The Holiday soundtrack

"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" - Michael Chertock

"Main Title" - John Debney, Elf soundtrack

"Carol of the Bells" - The Tabernacle Choir

"Joy to the World" - Boston Pops Orchestra and John Williams

Winter

-Some people like the winter season because of Christmas and all the decorations for the holidays. Some people don't like winter because it means cold weather, snow, icy roads and so on

"Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" - Dean Martin

"Winter Wonderland" - Bing Crosby

"Let It Go" - Idina Menzel

"White Winter Hymnal" - Fleet Foxes

"Evermore" - Taylor Swift and Bon Iver

"California Dreamin'" - The Mamas and the Papas

"Winter Song" - Sarah Bareilles and Ingrid Masterson

"Winter Song" - The Head and the Heart

"Winter Time" - Steven Miller

New Christmas Songs

-While the classics will never go out of style, there are some that debuted in 2024 that are starting to pick up some followers

"Do They Know It's Christmas?" - Band Aid (40th Anniversary Edition)

"Officially Christmas" - Dan + Shay

"Holiday Road" - Kesha

"You for Christmas" - Kelly Clarkson

"Santa for Someone" - Jennifer Hudson

"Wrap Me Up" - Jimmy Fallon and Meghan Trainor

"Glow" - Little Big Town

"Blue Christmas" - Jeff Goldblum and Veronica Swift

"Maybe This Christmas" - The Philly Specials, Jason Kelce and Stevie Nicks

10 Habits That Stand Out to Americans

When Americans travel to Europe, they will often get their eyes opened to new things. Things they thought only existed back home are considered commonplace in many parts of Europe. According to MSN.com writer Sarah Norman, here are 10 habits that stand out to Americans.

1. Smoking

-Many European countries see a higher smoking rate than the US. Smoking in public places is also more readily accepted than the US

2. Dining etiquette

-There is a particular etiquette when it comes to meals in Europe. Different utensils are used, longer breaks are taken during meals or eating meals at later times are all considered completely normal in many European countries

3. Etiquette on public transportation

-Public transportation is heavily used by many Europeans. There may be different lines, seating and even noise levels on many of the trains or buses

4. Attitudes towards alcohol

-In the US, there is a law stating that alcohol can be consumed in public only at designated places in times, often called Designated Outdoor Refreshment Areas or DORA. Or they can be consumed at music festivals or sporting events. And in some states in the US, it's completely against the law to consume alcohol because of strong religious beliefs. In some European countries, consuming alcohol in public parks is considered completely normal

5. Sensitivity to local cultures

-Many European countries have interesting cultures, traditions and even languages that great emphasis is placed on. Americans notice how strongly aware the locals are of respecting these topics

6. Tipping

-This is a somewhat hot button issue in many countries. Not all countries practice tipping for good service. Americans are often the only ones who tip, to show gratitude for good service. Many businesses across Europe have different standards when it comes to tipping

7. Language use

-While many Europeans do speak English fluently, there will be times when Americans may encounter a person whose primary language is not English. In smaller towns and rural areas, proficiency in that language is preferred

8. Shopping habits

-In the US, it's common to hit up the local grocery store or supermarket to get everything you need. In many countries in Europe, the common thing to do is hit up the local market, specialty shop or bakery to get what you need

9. Fashion

-This is one thing that definitely stands out. Many European countries have different fashion styles. Fashion is often prioritized in many European countries

10. Observance of cultural events

-Many European countries observe cultural events that relate to events in history, etc. There are different holidays celebrated in Europe and it's often fascinating to see how the locals celebrate

Kings Island A Ride Through Time by Evan Ponstingle

This is a book about the local theme park, Kings Island. It's about 45 minutes from my house (I live in the Cincinnati, Ohio suburb of Delhi Township) and one of the biggest theme parks in the area of Mason, Ohio. It was originally in the smaller area of Kings Mills, Ohio, but was annexed to Mason, Ohio. It's a constantly evolving beast, no pun intended for the resident roller coaster, The Beast. This is a popular destination for residents of the Tri-State area of Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana. Even out of state residents rent cars to come here. It's an interesting read for anyone interested in local history like this.

-This book talks about the history of the local theme park, Kings Island. It starts out talking mainly about another theme park located in the city of Cincinnati, called Coney Island. This particular park was more along the lines of a kiddie park because it had a big pool and low thrill rides. Rides that could be rode by both adults and kids. In fact, the most aggressive ride that Coney had to offer at one point was the Shooting Star or the Python, steel coasters that didn't have loops, just big hills and bunny hills (small, short hills for those who may not know).

Delirium in Adventure Zone next to Banshee. Most would say that engineers cranked up the G-force on this, making it harder, faster and more aggressive. WARNING: You will get severely dizzy on this ride. I rode this the first time I went to Kings Island and I had to close my eyes otherwise I was going to be sick all over someone

The retro pickup truck-looking cars of Mystic Timbers in Rivertown

Zephyr in the Coney Mall / Midway. This is one of my favorites because it's old school. Those white timbers you see in the background? That's part of the Twin Racers

-A lot of the rides were relocated from here to a large, empty plot of land being planned, in development, for a large park off of Interstate 71. The developers for the park noticed that Coney Island was off of Interstate 75, but Interstate 71 had nothing. They decided to build a new theme park and relocate these rides there. Of course, building a theme park costs money and developers asked local Taft Broadcasting for funding. The company gladly did when they heard the pitch for a new theme park. Once construction began, everything started moving in the positive. Once the park was built, the areas planned out, it needed a name. A contest was held to decide the name and a local thirteen year old named Rebecca Richards chose the name Kings Island as a combination of "Kings" from the area the park was located in, Kings Mills and "Island" from Coney Island.

WindSeeker. It's beautiful during the day. It's magical at night, especially clear nights. You can see everything, at least everything that's lit up. You can see the lights on the signs before the drops on The Beast, which is right next door. And on clear days, you can see for miles. Don't do what I did: take your phone on with you unless you have a death grip on it. This ride goes up pretty high, at least 300 feet. Otherwise that phone is smashed. I took my phone on it during Halloween Haunt and I took some amazing photos. I had the best view of Cincinnati's skyline all lit up

Celebrating 50 years of spills and thrills. Because it opened in the 1970s, in the Fest Haus, there was a 70s-themed show that would play periodically

The hanging, suspended cars for Banshee. Definitely my #1 favorite ride here. Designers engineered it that way to make it a fan favorite. Ridership is extremely high on this one because it's smooth, no bumps and the right amount of speed and thrill

-As time went on, things came and went, things changed. Initially, there was an animal safari park, but the cost of caring for the animals became too high and they animals were shipped to places where people could properly care for them. It was then decided that this park would just be, exclusively, a theme park. The layout was set in a four leaf clover design, each "leaf" being a different theme area with rides and attractions to that theme. Over time, the themes have changed, the rides come and gone. Currently, the theme areas are Rivertown (modeled after the early days of Cincinnati being a literal river town as it straddles the Ohio River. The buildings are all of that single sided clapboard shingling common to buildings during the days of river boats), Adventure Zone (originally known as Adventure Village where all of the heart-racing rides are), Planet Snoopy (originally known as Nick Central because Viacom, who owns the children's channel Nickelodeon, had rides modeled after their cartoons) and Area 72 (named after the year the park opened, 1972 and made to look like a super, top secret government facility).

A banner announcing the opening

Diamondback. This is my #2 favorite ride. I was nervous the first time I rode it, but after that first hill, it just got better. I always say it's that first hill that gets you every time.

The Eiffel Tower during WinterFest, a beautiful Christmas-themed event that didn't happen for several years because of low attendance. It was brought back to much fanfare and is the second most popular event at the park behind Halloween Haunt

Halloween Haunt. This is what would happen if a heavy metal fan and a horror movie fan put their minds together and also worked in a theme park. Heavy metal is playing loudly throughout the park. Rides are open, but the wait lines are long, usually 1-2 hours. But, the park closes at midnight. You can usually tell when the employees are preparing for closing when you see them roping off the entrances to the rides

-At one time, Paramount owned the park and had movie-themed rides throughout the park. The Drop Tower, as its's known by now, was originally The Drop Zone, after the Wesley Snipes film. This ride has you sitting in a row of seats, you're taken up in to the air and dropped suddenly. Another ride is The Italian Job, named after the movie of the same name. The cars you sit in are modeled after Mini Coopers since that film popularized the small British-made car. This is a stunt track-type coaster that shoots you off at 55 mph in four seconds. There's also Face/Off, a coaster that allows you to face the people across the car from you as you do both a forward and backwards lap. Top Gun was a suspended pivot coaster that swiveled to the left or right.

Invertigo, formerly Face/Off when it was still Paramount Kings Island

An old school look at Kings Island back in the 1970s. That ferris wheel-looking ride was called Zodiac. This is a view down the dual tracks of the Twin Racers

The Mini Cooper cars of formerly The Italian Job, but now the Backlot Stunt Coaster

Banshee lit up at night. It's one thing to ride it during the day. But it's completely different at night because you can't see what's coming. This is one of the biggest, fastest coasters in the park. And my #1 favorite. I wasn't even nervous about going on it. I was excited about it. And what's also cool is that at night, the wailing and howling you hear while waiting in line adds a sinister vibe to the ride in addition to the tombstones scattered around, bearing names of rides that have been demolished, such as Son of Beast, Vortex, King Cobra, etc. I laughed so hard the first time I went on it because it was at night and the wailing and howling startled my sister, who wasn't expecting it. I told her it was because the Banshee is also known as the Wailing Woman. A figure who brings imminent death to those who hear her wails

-But when Paramount lost the rights to the park, the rides had to be renamed and repainted. Top Gun was repainted in black and orange and renamed The Bat, after a ride of that same name once operated in the park. The Italian Job was renamed and painted the Backlot Stunt Coaster. Face/Off was repainted in a blue-green color scheme and renamed Invertigo. The Drop Zone was renamed The Drop Tower.

The park's oldest, but yet most iconic ride. It's been there since the mid to late 1970s and is still drawing crowds in the hundreds

The park and Mason-area's first giga coaster. This ride is tall and fast. The story behind it is a secret government facility is testing out a new escape transport to evade the meteor storm threatening humanity. And the riders are the test subjects to test its success at evading the oncoming meteor onslaught

A side view of Mystic Timbers with that large hilly coaster visible nearby being Diamondback

The Monster, now known as Octopus in the Coney Mall / Midway. Visible in the background is the initial hill you climb for Twin Racers

-There was even an onsite water park that went through many names. Originally, it was the WaterWorks. When Paramount owned it, it was heavily Australian-themed to tie in with the wildly successful Crocodile Dundee series. Then it was finally repainted and renamed Soak City. The book even talks about other parks similar to Kings Island under the Cedar Fair chain, which is the company who owns Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Those parks include King's Dominion in Dorney Park, Virginia, Carowinds in the Carolinas, Wonderland in Canada and, of course, Cedar Point in Sandusky.

The first drop on Twin Racers. My #1 favorite wooden coaster

The red and blue cars of Twin Racers. I do apologize for having a lot of photos of the Twin Racers, but Kings Island is proud of this ride being the first ride in the park that was built and they take pride in it still being massively popular after all of these years

The Woodstock Whirlybirds in Planet Snoopy

-There are also facts I didn't know. Such as:

-Kings Island was the first to introduce pizza as a food option. Theme parks up until that point had only offered finger food such as hot dogs, hamburgers and French fries. Kings Island managers wanted to offer additional options for food. With locally-owned pizzeria LaRosa's being still in the process getting started, managers thought it would be good to offer the fare from this local pizzeria and it worked instantly.

-Kings Island's first official coaster built in the park was the Twin Racers, sometimes affectionately referred to as The Racer. Ride designers had been inspired by other parks who had "racing", coasters, roller coasters who raced side by side. Originally, the ride was painted red, white and blue, but a new paint job in the 1990s had the tracks painted white and the cars left red and blue. For a short time, the blue car ran backwards as a gimmick to draw more people into the park. It worked until designers realized roller coasters aren't supposed to run backwards. They reset the chain dog lift that pulls a car uphill back into the correct setting and now the blue and red cars run forward. Of course, this also doesn't stop people from the red and blue cars talking smack about who will get back into the station first. Of course, Kings Island's main "competitor", Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, also has a racing roller coaster very similar to The Twin Racer. They call their racing roller coaster Gemini. A lot of the rides at Cedar Point are incredibly similar to Kings Island

-Their model of the Eiffel Tower, built in 1/3 scale, is nearly as tall as the real one.

-The park is haunted. It's in almost every major book about haunted locations in and around Cincinnati. It was featured in an episode titled "Roller Ghosters" on the TV show Ghost Hunters. The TAPS team picked up the voice of a little girl who was thought to be buried at the cemetery near the front gate to the park. The cemetery is visible no matter which way you go in. Whether it be getting off at Western Row Road, going straight at the traffic light and following the cars, you'll see the cemetery on your right in a nice, shaded wooded glen, or getting off the highway at Mason-Montgomery Rd and turning onto Kings Island Drive and passing the Great Wolf Lodge indoor water park and hotel. It's visible on the right on this way as well.

-And the spirits not picked up by the TAPS team still haunt the park. The spirit of a 17 year old high school graduate named John Hartner haunts the Eiffel Tower. It was Grad Night sometime in the 1970s and his BAC (blood alcohol level) was more than twice the legal limit. He had tried to climb the staircase to the observation deck on the Eiffel Tower. He slipped and fell, getting tangled in the elevator cords. When the elevator operator noticed a "funny jump" with the elevator, training told him to run the elevator up to loosen the slack. This worked and unfortunately, allowed a drunk Hartner to fall to his death. It's believed his spirit is haunting the Eiffel Tower. His death marked the first time a guest was killed. Another unfortunate death involved a woman named Candy. Once again, alcohol was involved. This 32 year old woman and her friends were drinking heavily throughout the day and decided to get on the Flight Commander, a spinning ride in which you buckle yourselves into a sort of hang glider-like car. She was so intoxicated that she slipped out and her leg caught on part of the ride. When it went to do a revolution, she was thrown to the grassy hillside nearby, killing her on impact. Another series of accidents was labelled Black Sunday in the early to mid 1990s. It involved two people being killed and one seriously injured. At the pond in the Oktoberfest part of the park, a fountain without properly insulated wiring and GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter to prevent electrocution) had sprayed. The water was electrified and had electrocuted a security guard and a guest. Both were rushed to nearby Bethesda Hospital, but were pronounced dead on arrival. The other person was rushed to University of Cincinnati Hospital, but had survived. The park was fined $11,300 and ordered to put in ground fault circuit interrupters in all of the fountains throughout the park

-Park managers make sure that every guest feels safe throughout the park. This means adding in first aid stations, private suites for nursing mothers and plenty of food options and bathrooms. They also make sure to consider special diets and foods for those with food-based conditions such as Celiac Disease and any food-based allergies. They also have what they call "sitting walls", which are raised planters with plants and trees providing shade and a place to sit. They also offer sit-down restaurants that offer more than just your average theme park fare. One of the better sit down restaurants is the Miami River Brewhouse in Rivertown. It has a bar and regular, non-theme park food and a sit down environment if you want a change of pace for food. It's also right in the middle between two of the park's more successful rides: White Water Canyon and Mystic Timbers. There are even nationally and internationally-known chain restaurants in the park, like Chick-Fil-A, Skyline, LaRosa's Pizza, Starbucks, Subway, Auntie Ann's, Panda Express and more.

-Both The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family filmed an episode here. The Brady Bunch episode is called "Cincinnati Kids". The Partridge Family episode is titled "I Left My Heart in Cincinnati". David Cassidy from The Partridge Family rode the Twin Racers 12 times in a row while Danny Bondauce outdid him and rode it 22 times in a row

-This park is the reason there are Fun & Safety guides before every ride in every theme park in the world. This park introduced the concept of the Fun & Safety guides before each ride. It came as a result of a gentleman in poor health getting on an early coaster in the park, the Bavarian Beetle. It was a relatively smooth steel coaster relocated from Coney Island, a family-friendly park with a large recirculating pool. This steel coaster was aging and slightly bumpy. This 91 year old, who was already in poor health to begin with, had gone on the Bavarian Beetle and broken his neck. He tried to sue the park, but even his attorney stated he should have known not to get on a ride if he knew his health was bad. But, none the less, the attorney kindly asked park managers and even the attorney for the park to put up signs before each ride stating that if you have conditions that will be aggravated by the ride, please don't get on. It was more to cover the park's bases than anything else. They say it's not trying to ban people from riding; it's mostly if not all for the safety of the rider. Park mangers want to keep people safe. That's why before you ride each ride, there are requirements for height so you can ride safely. There are warnings to those with epilepsy if the ride has flashing strobe lights. There are warnings to little kids scared by loud noises if the ride has loud noises. There are warnings to those with cardiac issues if the ride is fast, warnings to pregnant women not to get on so as to not jostle the baby you're carrying and warnings to those with cervical neck braces to ride because of the bumpiness if there is any.

-Kings Island has a set up similar to Disney Land in Florida only in the sense of having themed areas. The setup of Kings Island and the other sister parks under Cedar Fair have similar setups. They are set up in the shape of a four leaf clover, with each "leaf" being a different themed area and rides, games and shops themed after that area's theme. In Kings Island, some of the themes include:

 -Rivertown, which is modeled after the early days of Cincinnati, which is a literal river town. The single sided clapboard buildings harken back to the days when large river boats would land in Cincinnati to unload cargo and people.

-Adventure Zone, originally named Adventure Village. This is where all of the really fast, heart-pumping rides are. Planet Snoopy, originally Nick Central. When Paramount lost the rights to the park, all of the rides here had to be repainted, redesigned and renamed. Runaway Reptar became The Flying Ace's Aerial Chase and was given an orange and yellow color scheme. The Wild Thornberry's River Adventure became Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown. It was redesigned to look like an old lumber mill and as you get to the top of the flume, you hear buzzing sawblades to simulate going down the chute at a sawmill. The Scooby Doo Ghoster Coaster was demolished and instead in its place was It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. It's a small coaster for little kids, like preschool and kindergarten age kids. 

-Oktoberfest is a small part of the park where a lot of old school rides reminding you of carnivals exist and it's heavily German-themed. The International Street is, no pun intended, world renowned for its authenticity. It has buildings with different flags on it and the main fountain draws your eyes to the Eiffel Tower straight ahead. Some of the flags on International Street include the French flag, where you can get French-inspired food. The Spanish flag where you can get Spanish-inspired goods. The Italian flag where you can get pizza and other Italian food and goods.

-The Coney Mall / Midway is where all of the old school-type rides are in addition to being a heavy games area. Some of the rides here are that of old school carnival type rides. One is called Shake, Rattle & Roll and it's a tilt o whirl type ride. Then there's the Scrambler, which puts two people to each car and swirls them round and round.

-Area 72 is a small part of the park off the Coney Mall / Midway. It's designed to look like a super secret, top secret government facility. The "72" is from the year that Kings Island opened, 1972. This is where the region's first giga coaster, Orion is located, adjacent to the park's own indoor coaster, Flight of Fear. This ride has you locking in tight to your car and shooting you off at 55 mph in semi darkness. It will, quite literally, take your breath away because you don't see it coming. You also get off at a different station than where you got on. A funny side note. When me, my sister, her boyfriend and a friend of his went there for the first time, that was the first ride we went on. I, of course, forgot to put my glasses in our locker (you have to rent a locker for this ride so you don't lose your valuables). So when it came time to board, we seen empty cars coming in and my sister's boyfriend said "Where'd all of the people go?", knowing it would get my sister wondering. I can safely say that I had to hold my glasses the whole time and it quite literally took my breath away. I was shaking so bad when I got off the ride from the adrenaline. It was awesome, but I had to stand for a bit to let my legs adjust from the G-force I was just thrust into. While the story behind Orion is far cooler. You're test subjects in a new escape transport. A meteor storm is coming. You have to get out fast. Orion is your new escape transport and you're the test subjects to make sure it's safe and effective.