What we wanted for Christmas in 1975

What we wanted for Christmas in 1975.

Although I don't think anyone really wanted Toughskins, that trio of plaids is hilarious.

The craze for ventriloquist dolls seemed to have died out completely. BUT LOOK! Hugo, Man of a Thousand Faces, perhaps the most popular toy in our entire book.

And really, the rest is pure awesome. CB radios! Creepy headphones that look like giant ears! Evel Knievel Stunt Kit! An Easy Bake Oven that is a Pizza Hut Pizza Oven! Guns! Corduroy!

Did you have any of these treasures?

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Christmas food ornaments

Christmas food ornaments!

We have the pickle ornament. I've heard that it's really not a German thing, but Kelly still got a huge kick out of us hiding it on the tree and having her race back into the room and find it.

I kinda love the PB&J ornament though.

Deck the halls already

The best of the worst Christmas decorations.

Three words: Dog poop ornament.

Not-so-merry

Reading about the horrible Christmases in the Gawker contest will make you feel weirdly better about your own. I'm just horrified by some of the parents in these tales.

Santa goes back in time

I love Oddball Comics, and this is a classic. Santa Claus takes some random kids back through time, and they even visit southern slaves and their masters. Really weird.

And I just use marshmallows

Not Martha wins Christmas, with her amazing tiny gingerbread houses that perch on mugs of cocoa. AMAZING!

Cookie mania

My old paper, the Strib, has a cool list of holiday cookie recipes. But I remember trying to make the apricot-chocolate ones in '07 and they were a complete bomb. I'm sure it was me, not the recipe.

Also, not sure why the page is headed "Interactive Recipes." as they are not interacting with me.

Hostess R&D is really reaching

They want you to make Hostess Sno-Balls into Christmas ornaments. No kidding.

Hang a shining alien upon the highest bough

Jezebel has a fun post showing weird Christmas ornaments from the Bronner's catalog. (I've never heard of this catalog, which obviously was my loss.)

Alien heads! Personalized TV remotes! Sushi! Bottles of Scotch! Deck the halls already, damn!

Get dressed, ye merry gentlemen

My MSNBC.com Test Pattern this week is about misheard Christmas lyrics. And there are a LOT more than I thought...

Joy to the world! The Lord has gum!

Mark, the herald angel, sings!

Frosty, the snowman! Was a jolly S.O.B.!

Jeff's nuts roasting on an open fire! (Ow, sorry to any "Jeffs" out there...)

Check the comments on that post if you want a good laugh or ten. Readers really came through with some great ones.

On a related note: I love Defective Yeti's list of Christmas carol errata, especially the last one, because DAMN SNOW.

Heat Miser! Ralphie!

Here's my MSNBC.com Weblog post about TV holiday specials.

How did I get this old and never see Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas? I love Muppets!

Wocka wocka wocka

Who couldn't love this goofy Pac-Man arcade cabinet ornament?

Ch-ch-ch-Christmas!

Matt at X-Entertainment has found a Chia Christmas tree!

It's a symbol of the season AND the fall-back present almost nobody wants to get, all in one!

(If you just must have one, they're sold here. And no, I get no kickback.)

I suppose different people have different desperation/fallback gifts. In school, it was always the book-shaped box of Lifesaver rolls. You got that, boy, you knew the person who drew your name had no creativity, or their mom had no time to shop.

(Although apparently some people loved 'em.)

Ho-ho holiday

The Onion AV Club's 16 Morally Dubious Holiday Entertainments.

Fun idea, but I have to say the lyric they mock, "tonight thank God it's them, instead of you" never bothered me, and instead chilled me.

I always read it for the truly rare thing in contemporary music...stating something it didn't mean and then not explaining it. It seemed like it was putting us up against a secret truth, and it made me uncomfortable, but I appreciated it. And every time I hear it it still give me a combination guilty/appreciate what you have vibe.

The Onion's suggestion: "Tonight, let's pray nobody is starving" -- are they serious? That is very Hallmark card and doesn't make you confront any real feelings at all.

Tis the season for bad Nativity scenes

Tis the season for bad Nativity scenes.

Don't miss the update for 2007. My favorite is the Leprechauns in the Manger, with the comment: "King Herod’s always after me lucky charms!"

Elf yourself

My Christmas Elf Name is Snappy Fluffy Paws.

Fluffy Paws? That sounds more like my Christmas Kitten Name.

Kelly's name is Cheerful Fluffy Paws, so I guess we are definitely related!

Thanks to Molly for the link!

Dewing Christmas

This Mountain Dew Christmas tree goes from amazingly weird and tacky to kind of cool by the final photo.