Dead As a Door Nail

"Marley was dead: to begin with.  There is no doubt whatever about that (...) Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail. Mind!  I don't mean to say that I know, of my own knowledge, what there is particularly dead about a door-nail.  I might have been inclined, myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of ironmongery in the trade.  But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the Country's done for.  You will therefore permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a door-nail." ~ Charles Dickens

I have always received a certain humorous pleasure from this beginning passage of A Christmas Carol. The idea of Dickens, sitting down to begin writing a novel (little aware that it would still be a holiday classic some 169 years later), putting pen to paper, and writing 'dead as a door-nail'. He even goes into his own little apology as to the origin of the phrase, making him, to me, a timelessly relatable author. If you derive any joy from wordplay and bizarre, oddly-familiar characters, then read Dickens. Sure, he's wordy, but worth every word. 

Our family goal this month is to do something in the Christmas spirit every day: a movie, a fun activity, a special treat. Today, we picked a movie - the Muppet Christmas Carol. The movie is a classic in and of itself, and a yearly tradition in our house. Actually, the Muppets themselves have always had a sentimental place in our hearts. We grew up watching the movies, and when The Muppet Movie came out last year, we made a rare trip to the theater to see it. *I may or may not have cried when they sang Rainbow Connection at the end...*

A Muppet Christmas Carol is celebrating it's 20th anniversary this year. If you haven't seen it, please do! I promise you will laugh at least once or twice! Not only is it filled with witty dialogue, and the excellent acting persona of Michael Caine, but it also leaves you with a sense of cheerfulness, which is rare for most media you watch these days. 

(copyright, Disney)

One of my favorite quotes:

"Did I tell you that I am the ghost of Christmas present?
          "You did, yes."
"Come in, and know me better, man!"
          "You're a little absentminded, spirit."
"No! I'm a large absentminded spirit!"

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Join me as I will try to post our activities every day. What sort of traditions do you have? Favorites you love doing with your family during the holiday season? Please share in the comments!