Saturday 9: The Christmas Blues

Saturday 9: The Christmas Blues (1953)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

 

1) In this song, Dean Martin sings that the streets are white with snow. Do you anticipate a White Christmas this year?

A. No. We have about a 10% chance of a white Christmas on any given year. Mostly I hope this year we don't have below zero temperatures and that we do have electricity, after last year's debacle.

2) He tells us he's done plenty of window shopping this season. Do you find you're influenced by a retailer's window dressing and store decor? Are you more motivated by price? Or do you do most of your shopping online, making holiday decorations irrelevant?

A. These days I do most of my shopping online. I miss the days of actual shopping, though. I also miss the Sears and the JC Penny's catalogs. The new way of shopping is as time consuming as flipping through a catalog, but definitely not as fun.

 

3) Dean was born in Steubenville, OH. Though he rarely returned to his hometown, it was in his thoughts during the holidays. Every Christmas he made like Santa and sent toys to hospitalized children in the Steubenville area. Are there toys on your shopping list this year?

A. I bought kids books for the great niece and great nephew. Otherwise, aside from a few monetary donations that hopefully will help a kid or two, no.

4) He had fast hands when it came to cards and before he was famous he worked as a dealer in Atlantic City. When you play cards, what's your favorite game?

A. We play Rummy when we play cards. But we haven't played in a long time. I play a lot of solitaire on the computer, though.

5) Dean Martin was an avid reader . . . of comic books, especially in bed when he was on the road and couldn't sleep. Much as he enjoyed comic books, he was embarrassed by them. What do you do when you can't sleep?

A. I walk around the house a bit and then return to bed. I have a countdown and an imagery method that I learned long ago to help me fall asleep. If that doesn't work, I repeat the process - get up, walk around, go back to bed, and try again, until I fall asleep. 

Now let's have a few holiday-specific questions:

 

6) Every year, the United States Postal Service introduces special holiday stamps. Do you purchase them?

A. I bought the snow globes this year. I think they were the newest ones.

 

7) Do you have a funny/ugly holiday sweater?

A. No.

 

8) Do you wrap your presents or use gift bags?

A. I do both. Some presents call for gift bags, depending on the present (and the person). Gift bags are good for older folks who might have trouble with tape and boxes. They're also good when I'm in a hurry and don't feel like wrapping.

9) We're doing Christmas karaoke! What holiday or winter-themed song will you perform?

A. Winter Wonderland. Sleigh bells ring! Are you listening? In the lane, snow is glistening! A beautiful sight, we're happy tonight, walking in a winter wonderland!

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I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.