"Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love!"
~~Hamilton Wright Mabie



Hi,

So guess what I've been doing?  Writing...  And also decking the halls.  So another short one and a pretty lame easter egg stashed somewhere in here.  But that's okay cause we have three Christmasy newsletters this year.  :-)

God bless,
Jenni

Top Ten Signs You've Watched John's Christmas Movies Too Many Times

10.  You've asked for a gift certificate for a past life regression therapist for Christmas.  Ooookay...

9.  You get angry whenever Santa is depicted as having anything other than one nice daughter and one detestable one.

8.  You plan to make your family stay at an abandoned cabin without electricity this Christmas because "the Morgans made it look so nice and fun!"

7.  You call your uncle "Uncle Johnny" even though his name is Steve.

6.  You've ever spent an entire afternoon trying to figure out just how exactly it works that Santa doesn't age yet his daughters obviously do...  And then got totally bummed out realizing this either means that Kristin will stop aging at a point leading to a very interesting Morgan household or else she will age and that's just plain sad from the perspective or Santa and Mrs. Claus.  (Sadly, this is actually me...)

5.  You're
ashamed to admit you actually want some of Kristin's wardrobe...

4.  You live with a paralyzing fear that you might one day be turned into a china doll.

3.  You've decided to be an au pair because apparently it's a swell way to meet highly desirable men.  True, they may have two bratty children but oh well!  If it helped Santa's daughter nab this guy...
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2.  You're so set on watching them along with *every* TBAA Christmas episode that you stayed up super late to fit them in.  The result?  You woke up the next morning utterly confused about how Andrew wound up fathering two children and marrying that woman who had the crush on the nerdy guy from that episode about people working on their bucket lists.  You're pretty sure Tess is gonna be uber-ticked.

1.  You've ever visited Santa at the mall and when he asked what you wanted for Christmas you replied "your son-in-law."

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So as many of you know, I have a tree that I decorate with a mishmash theme of John Dye/ TBAA/ JABB/ PIF.  It's beautiful and I love it.  I incorporated ornaments that remind me of different people I've met because of John and then I also have ornaments that tie into his various projects.  Peace signs for Doc Hock, a pocket watch for Andrew, etc.  As I was putting it up, I got to thinking: what would it look like if I had a tree each for the assorted characters John played?  Well, for one I would have a very crowded room.  :-)  But here's what I think each tree might look like...

Andrew's Tree:

- bright, white lights
- plaid print ribbon wrapped around the tree to commemorate those studly flannel shirt moments
- ornaments shaped like watches, doves, footballs, tools, and all the other symbols we associate with Andrew
- topped with an angel... a male one for a change!

Doc Hock's Tree:
- multi-colored lights cause the 60s sure loved their colors!
- hemp garland or, alternately, love beads strewn through the branches... actually that's probably safer...
- peace sign ornaments along with some music-themed ones
- topped with... a duck head
- plenty of Hendrix playing in the background

Bill Morgan's Tree:
- red and green lights
- lots of Santas... gotta keep the FIL happy!
- an equal amount of Mrs. Clauses... don't wanna upset the MIL!
- topped with a doll bearing an eerie resemblance to his wife...  ::shudders::


Todd Barrett's Tree:
- even brighter, more obnoxious lights than Doc Hock has... because the 80s REALLY loved their colors
- dollar sign shaped ornaments
- festively decorated bulbs featuring cut outs of his models
- some of those shimmering strands of foil we all threw onto our trees in the 80s before discovering they were hazardous
- topped with a bust of President Reagan

Eric Manion's Tree:
- coal, nothing but coal




This newsletter is dedicated to John's festively themed work.  Last year was, admittedly, a little tough for me as I'm sure it was for many of John's fans who have made it a habit to spend hours watching TBAA and his Christmas films around the holidays.  I cried through most of the TBAA Christmas episodes... and not just the ones I always cry over (I'm looking at you the always moving "The Violin Lesson").  And I couldn't bear to watch Twice Upon a Christmas.  But this year I'm really looking forward to all of the above.  At Christmastime we celebrate the birth of a baby and the death of, well, death.  I'm sure there will still be tears but I'll also smile as Andrew leads Tony Home and Bill romances Kristin because where John is now that's all there is: Home and love.

JABB TOC

JABB 371

(Photo Credits: The photographs used on this page are from "Twice Upon a Christmas" owned by Viacom Productions Inc. and "Touched by an Angel" owned by CBS Productions, Caroline Productions, and Moon Water Productions. They are not being used to seek profit.)