merry merry.

If you celebrate this holiday religiously or just for warmth and joy of being with your loved ones—Merry Christmas.

Here's a little holiday mix I put together:

1. Winter Wonderland | Phantom Planet - for obvious reasons.

2. Oi To The World | No Doubt - Who doesn't like a punk vs. skins holiday carol? One of the most fun holiday songs, ever.

3. Fairytale Of New York | Pogues & Kristy MacColl - Shane MacGowan, 'nuff said.

4. Somewhere In My Memory | John Williams - Home Alone 2 is one of my favorite Christmas movies (after Santa Claus: The Movie of course) and in a recent discussion about which was better, the first Home Alone or the second... bird lady trumps shovel man.

5. Carol of the Bells | Phantom Planet - Again, obvs.

6. White Wine In The Sun | Tim Minchin - Now one of my all time favorite Christmas songs. So incredibly witty and beautiful and I usually tear up at the end.

7. Sleigh Ride | John Williams with The Boston Pops- Coming from a New Englander family—the Boston Pops have been a staple throughout my childhood memories of Christmas. This was always my favorite song as a kid because they make the whip sound and someone makes a trombone whinny like a horse at the end.

8. Happy Xmas War is Over | Neil Diamond - They didn't have the John Lennon one on grooveshark and the fact that Neil Diamond covered this made me laugh. Oh, Neil.

skip to the end.

After a full day of shopping with Anna and Jess, I came home to chill out and ended up listening to a Kevin Smith Smodcast—SMoviemakers with Edgar Wright.

And now I'm going to end up starting an epic rewatch of Spaced, because it's simply been too long and hearing Edgar talk about the process working up to that... I've got a renewed craving.

I think Matt's still stoked to have been ahead of the curve on that one. I remember when it arrived on the doorstep from amazon.uk for his freshly de-regionalized DVD player our first Christmas. That was my gateway drug into British television.

No looking back, no regrets. Fried gold.

my buddy bernie.

I don't have many living heroes. People who I greatly admire who can still surprise me with their selfless actions. But one of them is Bernie Sanders, who I would get all giddy about when he stopped by on Olbermann or Rachel Maddow. One of two Independents in the Senate, Senator Sanders is a Democratic Socialist—sharing my values about things like single payer healthcare, income equality, accessible and quality education (and I could go on and on). He makes me wish I lived in Vermont.

Today, the honorable Senator Sanders took to the floor of the Senate at 10:25am and eviscerated the proposed tax bill in what ended up being an 8.5 hour filibuster. He pointed out the ridiculous nature of giving tax cuts to the richest of the rich while the middle class in this country gets pushed further and further towards the poverty line. I tuned in on my C-SPAN radio app (YES, I HAVE A CSPAN APP—DEAL WITH IT) at the start and listened all the way through.

All the way through. Sitting at my desk, working and listening. Going home for lunch and listening. Getting home from work and watching on TV. Bernie was supporting me by speaking and I was going to support him by paying attention. Within 30 minutes of being home, I had sent emails to both of my own Senators—because in the end, that is what this about. Participating in your government.

This is where I really wish more people my age were like the young people in the UK. There should be rallies in the streets over this and so many other injustices that get passed because nobody cares, nobody bothers to understand.

Thank goodness for people like Senator Sanders. At 28, I couldn't imagine talking for 8.5 hours and he did so passionately at the age of 69.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/10/bernie-sanders-filibuster_n_795087.html

whose streets? our streets.

It annoys and disappoints me to no end that this kind of protest doesn't happen here. American young adults are brainwashed into thinking the news and politics are boring and would rather watch Dancing With The Stars than stand up for their rights and protest the government cutting their education benefits.

You cannot justify tripling tuition in a country where you still pay an old lady to wear a shiny hat and live in a castle.

i really like christmas. it's sentimental i know, but i just really like it.

Christmas time is here.

Time for nerdy cheer.

Seriously though, I love our geek tree. It's the first time we've had a white pine. I like the long needles, but I wish the branches were stronger. I love that there's more than one Wolverine hidden among the white pine branches and we have classy, blown glass ornaments of Batman, Chewbacca and the Incredible Hulk. If I had to guess, there's probably an even percentage of DC and Marvel adornments, followed by Star Wars, Disney and then random awesomeness.

Like the Simpsons...

And some swanky, martini goodness thanks to Charles.

And a place for Wonder Woman to hang her hat.. er... tiara?

And for those other people out there who don't buy into the mythology, my favorite song of the season. You know, this... and Frosty the Snowman.

sick puppy.

There's nothing sadder than a sick dog. Especially one who gets so congested he snorts and then scares himself into a shaking stupor.

I don't know where he picked it up, but Clark got a cold. While I knew they existed, I never had a dog actually catch a cold before.

Little dogs with short, squat, little faces can have a cold turn into something real nasty, real quick. So after a trip to the vet, he's on antibiotics. He loves being on medicine. To him, he's thrilled to get a piece of cheese twice a day—who cares if it's stuffed with pills?

my brother in law is awesome.

Went and saw Josh's band play at the Bug Jar.

Goons rock.

This is one of my favorite pictures I've taken with the Hipstamatic. Oh you little iPhone gem, you.