Top Ten: Mark’s Favorite Christmas Movies

10. Jingle All The Way (1996)

9. Elf (2003) 

8. Love Actually (2003)

7. Miracle On 34th Street (1947 & 1994)

6. Office Christmas Party (2016)

5. A Christmas Story (1983)

4. White Christmas (1954)

3. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

2. Home Alone (1990)

1. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) 

Our Favorite Things About the Holidays

Celebrating Christmas and the Holidays will be a little different this year, but here are some of our favorite ways to spend time together:

Holiday parties: Parties may need to be on Zoom this year, but they can still be fun! . Play a game, share stories, or arrange a visit from Santa.

Christmas cookies: Bake for your friends and drop them off.

Decorating: Trimming the tree, hanging lights, putting up handmade crafts or touring your neighborhood’s light displays and luminarias are fun ways to celebrate. Make it even more special by sipping hot chocolate or spiced cider.

Presents & stockings: Everybody loves presents! Sometimes it’s even more fun to give presents than to receive them.

Christmas dinner: Different families eat different things on Christmas, but it’s always nice to sit down and enjoy each other’s company.

Caroling: Spread Christmas cheer by singing songs around the fire or visiting your neighbors in a socially distanced way.

What are your favorite ways to celebrate the holidays?

Gift Ideas: Supporting Local Businesses

• Local Arts & Crafts: This year support your local artists and artisans by giving the gift of art. Commission a painting, buy a framed print, gift some handmade jewelry or pottery. There are so many options for buying from local vendors. Outdoor craft fairs like the Artwalk or first Friday events are one way to shop for local arts and crafts, but you can also find plenty of items online. For example, on our very own OT Circus Art Auction on Facebook. 
• Your Neighborhood Shop: Many local businesses are putting their inventory on their websites or their Facebook page, so you can shop from home and pick the items up. Some even have a curbside pick up option. If you can’t find anything online, give the shop a call and see what they can do for you.
• Restaurants: Though indoor dining is currently unavailable and it’s little cold for patio dining, hopefully restaurants will open back up soon. In the meantime, many establishments are providing take out options. Support your local eatery by purchasing a gift card as a present or stocking stuffer!

Top Ten: Mark’s Favorite Rankin/Bass Christmas Specials

10. The Stingiest Man in Town (12/23/78)

9. Jack Frost (12/13/79)

8. Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey (12/3/77)

7. The Little Drummer Boy (12/19/68)

6. The Little Drummer Boy, Book II (12/13/76)

5. The Year Without A Santa Claus (12/10/74)

4. ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas (12/8/74)

3. Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town (12/14/70)

2. Frosty The Snowman (12/7/69) & Frosty’s Winter Wonderland (12/2/76)

1. Rudolf The Red-Nosed Reindeer (12/6/64) & Rudolf’s Shiny New Year (12/10/76)   

The First Coronaversary

December 1st marked the one year anniversary of the corona virus pandemic. It’s only been around for a year, but things look very different. For one thing, everyday life shut down. In the US that happened in March. Some things have opened back up, like outdoor dining, but for the most part it’s still not safe enough to resume normal activities. Keeping a 6 foot distance and wearing a mask is now part of daily living. It has been difficult to see friends and family in person, especially those who are most vulnerable to the virus. Most of us are staying at home as much as possible and only interacting with those closest to us. Many people have lost their jobs and even a loved one. We’re learning to use technology to connect with each other more and more, like on video chat. A lot of schools are currently shut down and many kids are going to school remotely. Plenty of adults are working from home as well. 

December 2020 is now the worst period of the virus, particularly in the United States, but at the same time, the first vaccines are being produced and approved for distribution. We’re starting to look to the future, when most of us will be able to take the vaccine, and not long after that, we can ditch our masks and start seeing each other in person again. Hopefully by the end of the summer we can resume much of our normal day to day lives. Ultimately the pandemic will be a year and a half of our lives that we will never forget. 

Top Ten: Mark’s Favorite Christmas Sitcom Episodes

10. MASH: “Dear Dad” (12/17/72)

9. The Jeffersons: “The Christmas Wedding” (12/22/76)

8. Murphy Brown: “Jingle Hell, Jingle Hell, Jingle All the Way” (12/17/90)

7. Full House: “Our Very First Christmas Show” (12/16/88)

6. Petticoat Junction: “Cannonball Christmas” (12/24/63)

5. Full House: “Arrest Ye Merry Gentlemen” (12/13/94)

4. The Beverly Hillbillies: “Christmas in Hooterville” (12/25/68)

3. Frasier: “Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz” (12/17/98)

2. Roseanne: “December Bride” (12/12/95)

1. MASH: “Death Takes a Holiday” (12/15/80)   

Valerie Spreads the Love

Valerie is a 28 year old woman with cerebral palsy living in a group home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has made a video about her life to share with others. We interviewed her to learn more. First, a little bit about Val: She loves the color blue and horror movies, as well as Tinkerbell and monkeys! She even has the tattoos to prove it. She enjoys painting and acting. Val grew up in foster care and got the idea to make the video in order to reach out to others in the same situation. Her ideal audience would be kids in foster care and people with disabilities. She made the video along with her community support staff, and it took about a year to put together. She’s still adding to it. Since she’s still living her life, she doesn’t think it will ever be completely finished. Her goal with the video is to show kids in foster care that even if you are in a bad situation, you can overcome that situation. Valerie always wanted to be a scientist when she was little, and she still wants to do some scientific research in the future. She would also like to go back to school for special education, but the school is in another town. Right now the pandemic has slowed her plans, especially since she prefers in person classes to online programs. Her biggest issue with the pandemic has been boredom, but she enjoys working on painting with the help of her staff and taking arts classes on Zoom with the OT Circus Arts Connections program.   

Thanksgiving Favorites

Every family seems to have their own twists on the Thanksgiving meal. Some traditional favorites include Turkey, of course, Ham, green bean casserole, dinner rolls, cornbread, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and pecan pie. But most families also have their own special dishes alongside the normal spread. 

Crystal likes to have turkey, dinner rolls, mashed potatoes and gravy, and cranberry sauce, but her family also includes salad and corn, instead of green bean casserole. Candied yams are a favorite, too.

Mark really likes to mix it up and prefers chicken to the traditional turkey. He also likes plain rice and vanilla cake.

Margaret enjoys many of the normal components, but her mother makes a mean spinach and artichoke casserole and her husband prefers chocolate mousse for dessert!

Thanksgiving during the pandemic will be a little different for some people this year, but we can at least still have our favorite foods. 

Top Ten: Mark’s Favorite Rhoda Episodes

10. Joe (9/9/74)

9. Rhoda’s Wedding (10/28/74)

8. With Friends Like These (10/20/75)

7. Friends and Mothers (11/24/75)

6. If You Don’t Tell Her, I Will (12/29/75)

5. The Separation (9/20/76)

4. The Ultimatum (1/30/77)

3. The Return of Ida (10/2/77)

2. Rhoda vs. Ida (10/7/78)

1. The Total Brenda (12/9/78)

Top Ten: Mark’s Favorite Mary Tyler Moore Show Episodes

10. Love is All Around (9/19/70)

9. Feeb (1/8/72)

8. Enter Rhoda’s Parents (10/7/72)

7. Just Around the Corner (10/28/72)

6. Put on a Happy Face (2/24/73)

5. The Lars Affair (9/15/73)

4. Chuckles Bites the Dust (10/25/75)

3. Ted’s Wedding (11/8/75)

2. Mary’s Big Party (3/5/77)

1. The Last Show (3/19/77) 

Advocating for Change

It’s important for members of the DD community to advocate for themselves and their rights, and we’re thinking about this right now, because we just had an election. With a new administration comes opportunities for change, so here are some changes we would like to see.

The pandemic has made clear that more remote services need to be made available, not just in-person services. It’s important for people to stay connected, even if they’re stuck at home. There have been some positive changes, with a larger budget for technology and online programming, but we’d like to see even more.

It would also be great to see more support for independent living, including more job development opportunities and specialized housing for individuals who would like to live on their own. 

Another important issue are long wait times for adaptive equipment and equipment repair. It would also be great if individuals could advocate for changes to their equipment if it’s not working for them. 

Hopefully there will be more dialogue and more paths for change for individuals in the DD community in the near future.

Some of Our Favorite Presidents

Barack Obama (2009-2017)

A senator from Illinois, he was our first African American president. He is known for helping pass the Affordable Healthcare Act, otherwise known as Obamacare. He also has a beautiful singing voice and can kill a fly with a single swat. 

Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)

Also from Illinois, “Honest Abe” was previously a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He was president during the United States Civil War and issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the slaves. He was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in 1865.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933-1945)

Our longest serving president, FDR was elected four times and died in office during his final term. He was president during World War II and was known for suffering from polio and using a wheelchair.

George Washington (1789-1797)

Our very first president, George Washington was a general in the American Revolutionary War. He won two terms and was a very popular president.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1961-1963)

Kennedy was the first Catholic president. He was a senator and U.S. Representative from Massachusetts. He was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963.

Top Ten: Mark’s Favorite West Wing Episodes

10. Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc (9/29/99)

9. 20 Hours in LA (2/23/00)

8. Two Cathedrals (5/16/01)

7. Manchester, Parts 1 & 2 (10/10/01 & 10/17/01)

6. 20 Hours in America, Parts 1 & 2 (9/25/02)

5. Inauguration, Part 1 & Over There (2/5/03 & 2/12/03)

4. Eppur Si Muove (3/3/04)

3. 2162 Votes (4/6/05)

2. Election Day, Parts 1 & 2 (4/2/06 & 4/9/06)

1. Tomorrow (5/14/06)

Celebrating Halloween in a Pandemic

Halloween is going to be a little different this year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate. We just have to get a little creative. Here are some ideas:

An Outdoor Candy Treasure Hunt: Dress up your little ones in a warm costume, hide some candy outside and let the adventure begin!

A Zoom Costume Contest: Just because we’re stuck at home doesn’t mean no one can see your amazing costume. Host a contest on Zoom and send the winner a prize in the mail.

A Halloween Car Parade: Decorate your car with orange and black streamers and some spooky spiderwebs and crank up the Halloween music on your car stereo.

An Online Pumpkin Carving Contest: May the best Pumpkin win! See what scary creations your friends come up with.

A Virtual Haunted House: Have participants each host their own creepy room, and don’t forget to have a family member jump out for extra scares! 

Top Ten: Mark’s Favorite Night Gallery Episodes

10. The Cemetery/Eyes/The Escape Route (11/8/69)

9. They’re Tearing Down Tim Riley’s Bar/The Last Laurel (1/20/71)

8. The Diary/A Matter of Semantics/Big Surprise/Professor Peabody’s Last Lecture (11/10/71)

7. House With Ghost/A Midnight Visit to the Neighborhood Blood Bank/Dr. Stringfellow’s Rejuvenator/Hell’s Bells (11/17/71)

6. Green Fingers/The Funeral/The Tune In Dan’s Cafe (1/5/72)

5. The Waiting Room/Last Rites for a Dead Druid (1/26/72)

4. Deliveries in the Rear/Stop Killing Me/Dead Weight (2/9/72)

3. The Caterpillar/Little Girl Lost (3/1/72)

2. You Can Come Up Now, Mrs. Millikan/Smile, Please (11/12/72)

1. Hatred Unto Death/How to Cure the Common Vampire (5/27/73)

Halloween Favorites

 There are many great things about Halloween, here are some of Crystal’s favorites:

Decorations: Skeletons

Classic Costume: Ghost 

Candy: M&Ms

Movie: Nightmare Before Christmas

Song: Monster Mash

Crystal’s Favorite Halloween Songs

Halloween is coming up! Are you getting in the spooky spirit? Here are some songs to help get you in a scary mood:

The Witch Doctor (1958)

The Monster Mash (1962)

The Purple People Eater (1958)

I Put A Spell On You (1956)

Thriller (1982)

Magic Dance (1986) 

Top Ten: Mark’s Favorite Twilight Zone Episodes

10. Where Is Everybody? (10/2/59)

9. Time Enough At Last (11/20/59)

8. The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street (3/4/60)

7. Eye Of The Beholder (11/11/60)

6. Mr. Dingle The Strong (3/3/61)

5. It’s A Good Life (11/3/61)

4. The Midnight Sun (11/17/61)

3. The Bard (5/23/63)

2. Nightmare At 20,000 Feet (10/11/63)

1. The Bewitchin’ Pool (6/19/64)

Our Favorite Movies

 

Crystal’s Pick: Smallfoot (2018)

Crystal loves this animated film for its adventure and how the characters work together.

Mark’s Pick: I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

Mark likes this movie, because it is scary and suspenseful.

Tanya’s Pick: Titanic (1997)

Tanya loves the relationship between Jack and Rose. 

Margaret’s Pick: The Princess Bride (1987)

 This movie has everything: heroes, giants, villains, miracle men and true love!

Top Ten: Mark’s Favorite Andy Griffith Show Episodes

10. The New Housekeeper (10/3/60)

9. The Pickle Story (12/18/61)

8. The Loaded Goat (1/28/63)

7. Andy Discovers America (3/4/63)

6. The Darlings Are Coming (3/18/63)

5. The Legend of Barney Fife (1/17/66)

4. Barney Comes to Mayberry (1/23/67)

3. Goober’s Contest (4/10/67)

2. Sam for Town Council (3/11/68)

1. Mayberry RFD (4/1/68)