27: Let's Make This a Merrier Edition...
Or something along those lines!
Surprised to see the next edition so soon?
So am I!
I took a walk around the neighbourhood after writing the previous edition of this newsletter, and thought that maybe - just maybe - it was a little downbeat for this time of year. There are definitely a lot of doomy feelings, many of them justified out there.
But sometimes, as Louisa keeps reminding me, you need to step back. Take time to recharge and reflect. Temporarily push aside the murk so that you can better deal with it when you’re in a stronger frame of mind to do so.
So here are some things that are making me merry right now…
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Christmas tree as you approach the southern entrance to the Toronto Hilton.
Toronto is lovely to wander around at this time of year. The city is full of colourful decorations, even more so this year than in recent ones. Maybe people are finding their joy again, or trying to display some light amidst the gloom. My usual habit is to walk downtown at least once a week to take in the lights and trees, especially in the Financial District, where every tower feels festive.
I’m getting back into my habit of chronicling my strolls online, now via BlueSky instead of Twitter. Here’s the most recent one, split into two threads (one and two).
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You’ll also find on BlueSky Shawn Micallef’s annual thread of local hard-workin’ Christmas trees, which occasionally provides some pointed commentary.
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Ah, old horror comics. Yes, they were often extremely cheesy and extremely formulaic to the point you knew where the story was headed in panel 1. But when they’re fun, they’re fun, especially when DC’s line was firing on all cylinders at the dawn of the 1970s.
This is one of my favourite seasonal tales from that line. Written by Len Wein and drawn by Berni Wrightson, it originally appeared in House of Mystery #191 (cover dated March-April 1971, which placed it on newstands over the 1970 holiday season—comics were dated 3-4 months ahead of publication). Change a few words and the first page is still relevant this year.
Ah, American gun culture. Especially the last panel.
I wonder what words or physical gestures Santa might have shared with our fearful, gun-toting homeowner. It is a sweet ending.
A couple of months later, in House of Mystery’s sister title House of Secrets, Wein and Wrightson went on create an enduring comic book character: Swamp Thing.
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Kingston Daily Standard, December 20, 1924.
Researching stories via old newspapers still brings my joy - for some pieces, the digging through online archives is way more fun that writing the actual article. My main source these days is Newspapers.com, whose ever-expanding collection adds more resources to my arsenal. A lot of Ontario and Toronto-centric papers have been added over the past year, but I also love exploring other cities across North America and the UK.
A sample page you can try at home, from my first Christmas on the planet. I confess Who? is the only movie I wasn’t familiar with from these listings. Toronto Star, December 19, 1975.
The site is also the source of a nightly game Louisa and I play as she winds down for the day. After picking a random year, I’ll pick a random city and head to the Friday entertainment section. She tries to guess what movies were playing at that time as I provide clues, information, or, if I haven’t an idea what the film is, plots. Sometimes I’ll turn on the sarcasm if it’s a movie that was re-released several times that I know she hates (i.e. Doctor Zhivago or Gone With the Wind). It’s interesting to see where some of her stronger timeperiods are - for example, she has an easier time guessing films from the mid-to-late 1950s than the early 1970s. Sometimes we’ll drift into adjacent concert, television, and theatre listings. We tried this game out on friends recently and they appeared to enjoy it.
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Most of all, there’s my partner-in-crime, Louisa. This year marked a decade since our first date. This picture was taken two months after we first met, and we haven’t looked back. We are the rock of each other’s existence, which has been important as we’ve navigated the past few hectic years. We’re always there for each other, boosting one when the other is in the dumps. Without her, I probably wouldn’t have the bravery to do half the things I do, or the security of knowing somebody who is always in my corner (and vice versa). Thank you for everything, and here’s to the next 10 years and beyond!
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I hope this may help you reflect on good, fun, and silly things going on now that may help you with any of the rougher stuff. Take care of each other, and see you next time.