Quirky Customs: Unraveling 5 Traditions from Around the Globe

Every corner of the world harbors unique traditions that reflect its history, culture, and evolution. Dive into five such distinctive customs that, while they may seem unconventional to some, offer a glimpse into the rich tapestry of global practices and beliefs. 1. The Scottish Culinary Delight: The tradition of frying chicken in fat is deeply … Continue reading Quirky Customs: Unraveling 5 Traditions from Around the Globe

People Share The Best Non-Christmas Movies To Watch At Christmas

Well, here we are again.

It’s the Christmas season!

And you know what that means—tons of Christmas movies on television and a slew of other Christmas content.

A lot of these films have become accepted as part of our holiday traditions.

The TBS 24-hour marathon of A Christmas Story is a staple for many families out there—though I’m pretty tired of that movie myself if I’m being completely honest.

You’ve probably watched Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York many, many times by now.

How many versions of A Christmas Carol have you seen? And by that, I mean, other than Scrooged?

The Santa Clause and its sequels are a bit old-hat by now, right?

And as much as you might love It’s a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street, you’re probably wanting something new.

There’s bound to be more out there, right?

Of course there is! Even better, there’s nothing that says you need to watch the typical holiday fare this time of year anyway.

People shared their recommendations with us after Redditor samfringo asked the online community:

“What’s the best movie to watch at Christmas that isn’t a Christmas movie?”

The Shining (1980) and The Thing (1982)

“When my husband and I were newlyweds, we got snowed in together for the first time. We watched The Shining and John Carpenter’s remake of The Thing back to back. Good times.” ~ ColonelSanders_1930

My take:

If you’ve ever wondered what it must be like to be isolated in the middle of nowhere, then you can’t go wrong with either of these.

The Shining is a terrifying tale of how isolation drives a domestic abuser and alcoholic mad while snowbound with his family in a haunted hotel. The snowy environment allows for some stunning and unsettling cinematography.

The Thing, about a research team in Antarctica targeted by a shape-shifting alien, is one of the finest remakes of all time. It’s a thrilling and shocking film with excellent scares and even better practical effects.

Groundhog Day (1993)

Groundhog Day is the perfect middle of January, snowing outside, cold as hell, movie. Especially if I’m laying around all by myself all day doing nothing.” ~ Beeks525

My take:

Groundhog Day remains one of the best films Bill Murray has ever done. Look past the gimmick–which is used to great and hilarious effect–and you’ll see a rather touching film about maturity and personal growth.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

The Nightmare Before Christmas. It’s totally a Halloween movie. Unless you need it to be a Christmas movie, in which case it’s a Christmas movie.” ~ anotherpoweruser

My take:

This reviewer says this assessment is spot on!

Right now is the perfect time of year to watch this movie, which seems only to have grown in popularity the more time passes.

The Nightmare Before Christmas is the movie we deserve, but not always the move we need right now.

Band of Brothers (2001)

“For the past six or seven years, I’ve watched the Band of Brothers miniseries with my dad over the Christmas holidays.” ~ Groundloop

My take:

This one is indeed technically a miniseries, but it’s still a great recommendation.

To this day, it remains one of HBO’s finest works–and that’s saying a lot, especially for a studio that usually knocks it out of the park.

The sixth episode of the series is actually Christmas-related, and follows a medic as he attempts to treat the many men who were wounded during the Battle of the Bulge, in Bastogne. Recommended viewing.

The Sound of Music (1965)

The Sound of Music. I don’t think I’ve watched it outside of Christmastime, but I watch it every year.” ~ shadowley

My take:

Few films are as magical as this one.

The Sound of Music won five Academy Awards, including the coveted Best Picture prize. Featuring stellar performances from an enormous cast that includes Julie Andrews and the late Christopher Plummer, it is bound to bring a smile to your face.

It was so successful, in fact, that it enjoyed an initial four-and-a-half year theatrical release run in the United States.

My Man Godfrey (1936)

“It has nothing to do with Christmas, but I always watch the original My Man Godfrey while I decorate my tree. Hilarious movie! William Powell is at his best!” ~ TheHearseDriver

My take:

If you’re looking for a screwball comedy classic, then this is the one.

Carole Lombard and William Powell are indeed at their best. The film, about a socialite who unknowingly hires a vagrant to be her butler, is delightfully funny.

My Man Godfrey was deemed “culturally significant” by the United States Library of Congress and is preserved in the National Film Registry. A splendid transfer is available from the Criterion Collection.

Forrest Gump (1994)

“I feel like Forrest Gump is always on around the holidays. It’s a crowd-pleaser. Everyone from my older relatives to my younger ones can enjoy parts of it and everyone has seen it so much it’s easy to just watch a small part and still enjoy it.” ~ ohno807

My take:

Few films have become such a slice of Americana as Forrest Gump and that distinction is undoubtedly aided by Tom Hanks, who anchors it with total aplomb.

Standout performances by Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, and the great Sally Field make Forrest Gump a joyous experience.

The Great Escape (1963)

“Our family always watches The Great Escape. I’ve seen it so many times now but it’s still amazing.” ~ corporal_bodkin

My take:

A thrilling film if there ever was one.

The story of a group of Allied prisoners of war eager to escape a German camp during World War II, the film features a who’s who of Hollywood talent of the day, including Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, and James Coburn.

Believe it or not, The Great Escape received only a single Academy Award nomination after its release–for Best Film Editing–in yet another sign that the Academy doesn’t always get it right.

The Godfather (1972)

The Godfather. Don’t know why but I always watch this movie around Christmas time.” ~ Killamagilla1989

My take:

A bonafide classic.

There was a time when Francis Ford Coppola had Hollywood eating out of the palm of his hand. Between this, the sequel, and The Conversation, he had a hell of a run so early in the game.

Believe it or not, though now highly regarded, Apocalypse Now received mixed reviews during its initial release.

Army of Darkness (1992)

“When I was a lot younger, my family somehow ended up renting Army of Darkness right after it was released. Needless to say, the entire family LOVED it and it has been a Christmas tradition ever since.”

“So, that’s my recommendation. Oh, and shop smart, shop S-Mart.” ~ [deleted]

My take:

Why not watch the entire Evil Dead series while you’re at it?

They’re fantastic and Bruce Campbell–on his third go-around as Ash Williams–carries them with such gusto!

Army of Darkness is indeed a thrill ride. More comedic than its predecessors, it features a standout performance from Embeth Davidtz as a (later) zombified love interest.

Well, there you have it, friends.

Don’t say you don’t have anything to watch for the holidays now.

There’s nothing stopping you from making these part of your holiday traditions. Pop one in, grab some popcorn and have a blast!

Procrastinators Share Their Go-To Last Minute Christmas Gift Ideas

The holiday season can be a hectic time for just about everyone. There’s a lot of pressure to get the right gift for every single one of your loved ones.

Sometimes, we procrastinate our shopping until the 11th hour and we’re stuck with whatever is left on the bare and picked over shelves at the store. Or maybe you wanted to do some online shopping and realized it wasn’t going to be delivered in time.

There’s so much stress around Christmas gifting that one study showed it could even cause a heart attack.

When it comes to procrastinating Christmas gifts, this list might be your saving grace.

We went to AskReddit to see what procrastinators go-to Christmas gifts are so we could take a little stress out of your holiday season.

Redditor johnsanny wanted to know:

“It’s 48 Hours Before Christmas and You Realize You Haven’t Bought Anyone Anything. What is Your Go-To Last Minute Gift?”

With two days left, now’s the time to get yourself in gear.

You’ll just know.

“That’s definitely a ‘go to target and walk around until I see it, and I won’t know it till I see it’ kind of thing.” – Raze321

“That’s how I ended up giving my dad a coffee mug that looks like a toilet.” – SirVelocifaptor

“Yes!! I go into target and let target take a hold of me. It’s really a spiritual experience having target do my Christmas shopping for me.” – rufusmaru

“I don’t wander around Target without a list anymore because when I wait for Target to tell me what I need, my bank account suffers. Do I need new towels? No, but I do now. Maybe my family member will like this gift I found? Oh and this other one too? Might as well get both. RIP budget.” – EponaShadowfax

“As an employee of Target it is deeply enjoyable to notice people ‘see’ the thing.” – predoucheous

Try TJ Maxx too.

“If we’re talking non-money gifts you know what’s a great go to? TJ Maxx. They are just a hodge podge of random stuff and they have bailed me out so much when it comes to gift giving because with all the things they have you are bound to find something for everyone.” – PM_ME_HEALTH_TIPS

“This or their sister stores, Marshalls and HomeGoods, and their slightly lower end competition, Ross and Burlington. Always hard to leave those stores without buying something.” – CumboxMold

“Barnes and Noble has also successfully pivioted to be a store full of junky stuff. Probably the best toy selection now that Toys AR Us screwed the pooch.” – huxrules

The softest blankets around.

“Those soft-ass blankets you find in any store around Christmas time. And then I buy one more for me. Every goddamn year.” – guardrevenant

“I’m going to be real with you. I bought myself one of those last year. Then my mom and dad commented about how soft they were. Great, I’ll buy them each one too. But then our new kitten at the time wouldn’t stop stealing my blanket to suckle and knead on because I guess he liked how it felt, well alright I’ll buy one for the little dude. Open up the site to find out there’s only 5 blanket patterns, 3 of which I already have now between me and my parents. Alright, well, if I get the cat one that’s 4/5 patterns. The last pattern is cheaper anyway…”

“And that’s how I spent $150 on 5 blankets last Christmas.” – IUsedAFarcaster

“About 4 years ago, my wife ordered something from Nordstrom, and somehow they accidentally delivered an entire box of these super soft throw blankets to us, there was about 40 of them in there, not cheap either, they had a retail price of 60 bucks each.”

“We called them, and they could not find any record of them sending these to us, there was no record of these blankets in their system, so they told us to keep them since they could not process a return. We tried to explain that we never ordered them, they just came to our address. Basically, since it wasn’t in their system that they ever shipped them to us, they wanted nothing to do with them.”

“So now we had a box of 40 of these sweet blankets. We kept about 5 of them for around our house, and now they’ve become the default ‘I don’t know what to get this person’ gift. Everyone we’ve given them to has literally loved them. I think we are now down to about 10 left.” – Redditor

Liquor and Legos.

“Liquor for the grownups, Legos for the kids, Duplos for the little kids.” – jimmyjohnjohnjohn

“Legos for the grownups.” – sonicbillymays

“Or for my family, legos for everyone. Seriously, I’ve bought legos for almost everyone this year.” – icepyrox

Alcohol and poetry.

“Cash, candy, and/or alcohol.”

“I wanted to write everyone at work a personalized haiku, I think I’m going to give them mini-alcohol bottles instead.” – 099uyx

“Haikus are cheaper/ You know all you have to do/ Is write three small lines.” – foxfay

“Would write a haiku/ Oh well, I dont know how to/ Have some alcohol.” – KeepCalmJeepOn

Or really just alcohol.

“I’ve done this. Wrapped an unopened bottle from the bar, stuffed it under the tree.” – sobriety_kinda_sucks

“Wine, liquor, or beer?” – elee0228

“Whatever they prefer. Like my mom would get pink moscato, my dad would get crown xo, and my brother likes to try craft beers from local breweries. That probably makes me sound pretentious, but they are so particular about their alcohol and if I bought them anything else I know it would be regifted or not even used.” – magmurray

Gift cards.

“Here is what I do every year.”

“I go buy gift certificates for my favorite restaurants, and gift cards from Best Buy. I then put them in Christmas cards with no name on them.”

“I keep some in the house and some in my car.”

“If someone gives me a gift, I say “Wait a minute, I have something for you too” and go get the card. I quickly write their name on it and hand it to them.”

“Its worked out perfectly for me for years. I give everyone that gives me something, and if I end up with extra gift certificates or gift cards, I just use them on myself.” – joecooool418

“A stack of Starbucks cards works well also.” – ac7ss

“Amazon, Target and Chick fil A are my stash.” – happygamerwife

“I do this with Lush or Sephora gift sets, because it’s always women who ‘get you a little something’ so I stash one or two I know I’ll like in my closet and then if I don’t give them away I either use them on myself or save them for birthdays.” – jacquelynjoy

Just lie.

“My last minute gift is saying I ordered something online but the shipping was late.” – Someone_browsing_tru

“My ex GF did this, but then she sent me a shipping update and it had the date and time of order on it. Christmas eve, about an hour before I arrived. In her defense, it was a bad-a** gift!” – johnn11238

“Better than when my mom grabs gifts so early in the year she then loses them. ‘I have your gift, its somewhere in the house, but I can’t find it. It’ll turn up eventually.’”

“I found Oblivion Shivering Isles in a closet 3 months after Christmas… Good job mom.” – Rayne37

Plus, you can always blame shipping delays on COVID these days.

What’s in the house?

“Check the regifting shelf in the linen closet and see if something can be disposed off. Else cash in an envelope.” – Fickle_Holiday

“If you give the world’s most uninteresting gift to someone in an extended family of regifters, could the gift go generations without ever being opened beyond tearing the wrapping paper? The last person in the chain would circle it around the Goodwill drain as a donation 10 years later, still unopened.” – Redditor

“My mom had an experience like this, it went on for about 11 years! Someone at the office bought this “super cute” door Santa, like you would hang on the front door during Christmas time? Ya it was anything but cute… had a body of pine cones and the creepiest Santa head I’ve ever had the displeasure of witnessing. It was dubbed ‘Creepy Santa.’”

“The gifter left the company shortly after, and sure enough he made an appearance the next holiday gift exchange and for every year for the next decade! He made his way back to my house a couple times, and was used as a threat when we misbehaved… ‘Don’t make he hang Creepy Santa on the tree!!’ It was surprisingly effective.”

“It eventually found a forever home in the hands of a new hire who wasn’t around to get the joke, but she loved it so props to her.” – Shiftyy

An experience.

“Buy tickets online for a upcoming play, dinner & show, concert, game, etc. Print out page of ticket confirmation and put it in a nice Christmas card envelope. It’s an awesome gift because people tend to love it more than clothing or other junk you usually give. And if your parents are like mine, they barely take the initiative to go to these type of events themselves or don’t even know about them. Experience>material goods.” – Yoinkie2013

“Risky unless you know what peoples schedules are.” – Ferahgost

“I do it for my parents every year because they are impossible to shop for and never book these things for themselves. Book it 2 months out on a weekend with refund, date change or cancellation guarantees.” – Yoinkie2013

Hopefully, this gave some of you a spark of inspiration in your time of desperation.

There’s still enough time to get those last minute gifts!

But maybe the best gift of all is the time spent together? I guess we’ll just have to find out.

Mall Santas Confess The Creepiest Thing A Child Has Ever Asked For

It’s Christmas and that means time to have a chat with Santa.

Have we been naughty or nice? What is on your list?

My mother used to take me to see mall Santa every year. And every year I’d ask for the common superficial gifts.

I always assumed the rest of my peers were asking for the same things. As I grew older I came to find out that was not the case.

People have been asking these mall Santas for things that could get all of us on a Dateline NBC episode.

It seems some kids think Santa is a hitman. That is a request that can keep you up at night.

Redditor SantasCousin wanted to get into some scandalous Christmas tales from all the mall Santas out there.

So they asked:

“People who have been Santa at the mall, what’s the creepiest thing a kid has asked you for Christmas?”

I have a feeling it won’t just be the children indulging in questionable requests and behavior.

Let’s get to some details.

Can I have the Leftover?

“Had a kid ask ‘Santa, what happens to all the dead kid’s toys?’.”  ~ marxroxx

“I feel like he just sees a business opportunity.”  ~ ReverseTuringTest

Boyfriend Santa Says…

My boyfriend is a Santa for private events, and has been doing it for over 20 years, so he has a BUNCH of stories.” 

“He was doing a private adults-only party, so all of the ladies were being a bit flirty, but nothing crazy. ‘Santa Baby’ started playing and the ladies dragged him onto the dance floor.”

“He shimmies a bit and goes to sit back down when a woman grabs him and starts grinding on him.”

“He tries to get away from her in character (‘What will Mama Claus think?’), but she keeps on grinding and starts to moan.”

“Finally, the hostess notices and gets her away from him, but she kept trying to get to him the rest of the night.”

“The saddest story was definitely when a little kid (4 or 5) crawled into his lap and, with a big, sweet smile, asked Santa.”

“’Can you make my mommy love me?’”

‘My BF has to hug the kid so he wouldn’t see him tearing up and told him that that was a request for a higher power and that he and Mama Claus would pray about it.”

“Kid seemed happy with that response.”  ~ nursejacqueline

Bad Elves

“I wasn’t a mall Santa, but one of the elves who took the pictures.”

“We had two Santas: one was narcoleptic and we had to keep waking him up, and the other would bring his own homemade bags of coal to give to the kids who would cry.”

“And we’d have to try to seize all the bags before he started his shift. That was a fun job.”  ~ craychel

‘get better and not die’

“Not a Santa, but I remember being in hospitals a lot as a kid with serious stomach issues.”

“I remember asking a mall Santa if I could ‘get better and not die’ once when I was about eight or nine years old.”

“When the mall Santa looked at me sadly and said he couldn’t do that, almost in tears, I asked if my old dog that died as a puppy could be brought back as a zombie so ‘we could both be dead together’.”

“‘And if I could come back as a zombie too so I could stay with my parents so they wouldn’t be sad’.”

“Looking back, that was really creepy and I think I broke the poor guy’s heart.”  ~ Emmax1997

For the Menu…

“I wasn’t a mall Santa, but I played one of his elves.”

“I think the worst thing a kid ever asked for was some reindeer sausage. He figured Santa could slaughter one of his reindeer for the venison.”  ~ Dubioushonesty

“Ikea in the UK sells, or at least used to sell, reindeer meat its delicious maybe he had some and wanted Santa to bring him more.” ~ homingstar

One Big Kick!

“Not a mall Santa but I was the ‘Best Buy Box’ for a number of Holliday seasons in the early 2000’s.”

“One year we set up a chair where you could take a picture with me. Soon it turned into people just telling me what they wanted for Christmas.”

“Sometimes I’d have a stack of $5 gift cards and I’d give them out randomly.”

“One kid sits down and says he wants to kick me in the crotch.”

“The suit was heavily padded and there was a good 10 inches or so from the bottom of the box to my love spuds.”

“Being 19 and wanting to put on a good show, I said sure.”

“Kid winds up and musters the best kick he had. I played it up even though he actually hit my thigh. I remember everyone thinking it was so funny.”

“I loved the early Holliday seasons working there. Some of my best memories came from those times.”

We had a fantastic management team who were like family.”

“Then it all changed and everything went sour. Such is life, I guess.”  ~ mcfuddlebutt

Security for Santa Please! 

“Former mall Santa, even bought a professional suit because I hated the one they provided. I got a few creepy stories that involves, college students and adults.”

“Kids: A little girl no more than 5 was screaming bloody murder when it was her turn.”

“Kids get scared of Santa, not that uncommon. Her dolled up mom was having none of her child’s tantrum and the Elves were pleading with her to not put the girl on my lap.”

“She did and at her kid instantly stopped screaming.”

“Just had this look of pure hatred at her mom for the remainder of the photo session.”

“I swear, I thought I was on Candid Camera (before YouTube y’all) it looked so acted out.”

“Attempting to talk to the little terror, I asked her what she wanted for Christmas, she looked at me and softly said just above a whisper, ‘for my Mommy to die’.”

“NOPED myself to a break after that one. It was the inside joke for the rest of the mall Santa season, (whispering to each other between kids) ‘I want you to die!!!!’”

“College Students: One rather lonely overweight gal kept getting in line several times a week to get pictures with Santa.”

“I was in college myself back then and I’m pretty sure she was working herself up to asking me out.”

“Extremely shy, awkward and had some hygiene issues.”

“She only paid for one of the photos but the elves remember seeing her throughout the week when I wasn’t on shift.”

“Apparently only got pictures with me.”

“Adults: I was in my 20’s and the perverted things the MILF’s whispered into my ear while sitting on Santa’s Lap were definitely something for the naughty list to be sure.”

“It became so frequent for the younger Santas to get groped, teased, etc…, that the Elves were told to stay close when adults got their pictures taken. Elf security to be sure.”  ~ Draidr

Bad Sister

“Not a Santa but was a kid that asked for my sister’s tears in a bottle.” ~ LMNOPede

“Today her tears, tomorrow her soul muahahahaha.” ~ WreakingHavoc640

Not a fan of babies…

“Not a mall Santa, but my fire department does a Santa visit to all the houses in my town.”

“We have a few guys dress up as Santa and we drive around going house to house in the fire engines.”

“One year when I was Santa we go to a house with a married couple and two kids.”

“The woman is clearly pregnant. The daughter, about 10-12, creeped the hell out of me.”

“I asked her what she wanted for Christmas and she looks at her I assume step mom and says dead pan. ‘I want the baby to die’.” 

“Jesus Christ, kid.” ~ pokemon-gang

A Kid’s POV

“I remember when I was a little kid, my sister asked Santa for a pony.”

“I was next, so I asked for rat poison… for the pony. 10-year-old me was an edgy little as**hole.”  ~ Redpeng11

For a stew or a spell?

“My grandmother was a Mrs. Claus, one year a kid asked for a dead chicken.” ~ memelordsupremelawd

People can be weird—all people, including kids.

And clearly kids are the weirdest.

I couldn’t do this Santa gig.

Or the elves or Mrs. Claus. I’d be turning kids and adults in to the authorities left and right.

I would also certainly have a stun gun on hand.

Geesh… whatever happened to asking for toys? Games? A puppy? Peace on Earth!!

This is more Halloween than Christmas.

Happy Holidays?