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When I was growing up Winter holiday decorations and Christmas music weren’t seen or heard until the day after Thanksgiving. Between Halloween and Turkey Day there was a calm before the holiday season that created a feeling of excitement when the first fake snowflake was spotted on the local store window.

These days we can see department store workers putting up their holiday displays the same day they’re moving the Halloween items to Clearance. This makes perfect sense from a marketing perspective but from what I’ve gathered from family and friends it’s a bit annoying to the consumer.

Back in the day before DVD, YouTube, Hulu and Netflix we actually had to wait until the appropriate season to see holiday specials. These specials aren’t so special anymore because we can watch The Grinch at Halloween or The Great Pumpkin on Christmas Day.

The latest pop culture tradition might be holding out to put up the tinsel until after we’ve cleaned off the Thanksgiving table, or waiting until the week before Christmas to watch Rudolph. I’m going to break tradition with my HIH holiday image above because I’m going on a holiday hiatus. I need some time to hibernate offline.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season with or without decorations. It’s a time to get ready for the New Year, to reflect on memories, and spread love in the form of hugs, gifts and even a dollop of Cool Whip.

Happy Holidays!

Click here to learn more about one of my holiday favorites, The Snowman.

For classic Christmas specials on DVD click here.

My grandfather served in World War II and he received a purple heart. My father served in Vietnam and he went on to the National Guard as a First Sergeant of a tank division.

Dad in Vietnam

I grew up listening to stories about my dad’s time in Vietnam. How he couldn’t stand The Beatles because Yellow Submarine  played over the speakers while he was on his way to war and how his life was threatened by another soldier. He’s talked about the weather, the people, and music the soldiers listened to when they had a chance. I’ve seen pictures of him and his platoon goofing around in old photos. But my dad didn’t go off to college or tour Europe after high school. He didn’t have a choice; he was drafted.  He didn’t bring back a scrapbook, or signed photo album. It wasn’t a vacation and it wasn’t just a character building experience. It was the Vietnam War.

When he did come back from Vietnam he wasn’t called a hero or offered the best jobs in town. He had to prove himself. He had to prove his sanity to potential employers. They wanted to know the details. Did the war make him crazy? Had he killed anyone? These were the interview questions he had to answer. The things he probably thought about on his way to and from the meetings, the questions that still might come up every now and then.

When I was little and my mom would tell me to wake dad up for dinner it was a tricky task. He would jump or jolt sometimes ready for a fight when I tried to wake him up if I didn’t do it right. I learned to wake him up slowly, sort of coax him out of sleep in case he was dreaming from some foreign place away from our suburban California apartment. Decades have changed this and he wakes up slow and steady these days but I remember wondering as kid why he was so jumpy just from waking up from a nap. So many veterans that came back from wars, so many that had to answer tough questions, relive moments and carry around unpleasant memories. They were the fortunate ones, they came back.

Here’s a video I found on YouTube the other night.

I am thankful for every veteran but I like to imagine what a wonderful era it will be when we don’t have to fight. I’m not sure what my dad thinks about this song. I might ask him today.

Click here for an Interactive Vietnam Veterans Memorial, leave a tribute, a story or photograph about any of the 58,256 veterans killed or missing in the Vietnam War.

I was lucky enough to get an advanced screening of a documentary called Six Generations airing on KCET November 12^th at 8:30. Ernestine De Soto is the daughter of the last speaker of the Chumash language. The film, Six Generations, tells the story of her ancestors going back to six generations of Chumash woman. The Chumash Native Americans lived on the California coast from Malibu, CA north to San Luis Obispo, CA. By hearing the story of the woman in her family going back to first contact with the Spanish we get a glimpse into what life was like for the Chumash woman and we also find out more about California’s history.

Ernestine De Soto’s narration is intertwined with notes of anthropologist John Peabody Harrington, Santa Barbara Mission records, and the research of Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History anthropologist John Johnson PhD. Performance, photos, old drawings, interviews and scenes from Santa Cruz Island standing in for prehistoric California bring us through 200 years of family stories. 

The historical and human insight that comes from storytelling makes this film a must see. Listening to Ernestine voice her ancestors’ stories helped me appreciate the past in a personal way. 

Tune in to see Six Generations airing on KCET November 12^th at 8:30.

Sesame Street premiered on November 10th, 1969

So I wasn’t going to post about this today because I’ve already posted more than a few times about the beloved street called Sesame. Jim Henson and his team of creative people have given us so much over four decades I just had to put together a quick post. One thing I’ve loved about Sesame Street is the fun edutainment clips that are usually animated in some way that teach us something. A number, a letter, a virtue, a feeling.

Take a stroll down Sesame Street with these 5 favorite clips:

Now don’t forget… a loaf of bread, a container of milk and a stick of butter.

Don’t hate her because she’s beautiful. She’s a Martian Beauty:

Roller Disco in Central Park:

They need to add a 0 on to this 4! Get FUNky!

V is for Vaccuum! Please don’t remind me:

Listen up Mad Max fans and anyone who loves creative fun!

A friend of mine, Scarlett Harlott, is hosting a 3-day camping/ RV event in the beautiful Southern California Mojave Desert. Scarlett isn’t your ordinary kind of woman and this event isn’t either! The Road Warrior Weekend is an extraordinary 3 day experience bringing the Mad Max movies to life via creativity and costumes.

“Kind of like a post-apocalyptic Burning Man… without the hippies!”

November 20-22, 2009

The Road Warrior Weekend!

Kick Ass video by Dave Stabley “Ravage”

Vernon G. Wells “Wez” from “Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior”, “Commando” and “Weird Science” will be at the event autographing, taking photos and answering your questions!

Virginia Hey “Warrior Woman” from “Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior” & “Farscape” will also be at the event autographing, taking photos and answering your questions!

Five of the top Southern California DJ’s will be at this event including DJ Wolfie. Fire dancers and many other performing groups will be there for entertainment.

For more information visit http://www.myspace.com/roadwarriorevent