The Editors and Writers
1. Fave/least fave Holiday food?
Favorite food is my mother’s homemade lefse (a Norwegian potato flat bread that she makes only during the holidays)
Least favorite food – I am not sure there is such a thing
2. Fave/least fave holiday movie or TV special?
My favorite holiday movie is by far “Love Actually” . . . great story and good ol’ British humor!! Runner up is the old animated Rudolph film with the elf who wants to be a dentist
3. Fave/least fave holiday song?
I LOVE little drummer boy, any version. Actually I love any and all Christmas songs!
4. 3 items from your Christmas wish list
Hmmm . . . am not asking for too much as I got a new TV this year, but I’ll never turn down a gift cert to a video game store or Best Buy
5. Fave/least fave holiday memory?
My favorite holiday memory is from when my brother and I were still very young. Every year before Christmas my mom would do a “holiday picnic” in the living room. She would make homemade chili and cornbread, and we would eat this on a blanket in front of the fireplace.
My least favorite holiday memory happened when my entire family had the flu over Christmas. I remember opening up packages on Christmas eve – we each were on our own/couch chair wrapped in blankets with our own respective puke bucket . . . good times!
6. Santa starts to work with game publishers to get rid of their unsold games.What game would you give someone who had been “naughty” this year?
I would give them Guitar Hero III, and make them play the last boss battle over and over and over again until there fingers bled.
1. Fave/least fave Holiday food?
Well, at the beginning of the holiday season my favourite beverage is eggnog. But after drinking several gallons of eggnog in early December, by the time Christmas rolls around I start to gag at the very thought of eggs that have been nogged.
2. Fave/least fave holiday movie or TV special?
When it comes to holiday movies, I’m pretty traditional with my tastes. Every year a dozen holiday movies are produced, some of them re-makes of, or sequels to, the classics, but I still prefer the originals. Without a doubt, everyone has to admit that one of the most heart-warming and touching holiday movies of all time is Lethal Weapon. Riggs nearly committing suicide, Murtaugh’s family being held hostage, the sexual tension between Riggs and Murtaugh’s daughter, no holiday could be complete without this film. The only other film to come close to displacing it atop my list of holiday favourites is Die Hard. Of course, a double feature nearly guarantees a sublime Christmas season. Yippy-kay-yay!
3. Fave/least fave holiday song?
My favourite songs really depend on my mood, but the top three have to be “Christmas Canon Rock” by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, “What Child is This?” by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Metallica, and “Happy Christmas” by John Lennon. My least favourite songs are any elevator-music versions of otherwise enjoyable Christmas songs that seem to be played on endless loops in every store; why is it necessary to remove anything that’s unique or distinctive from a song before playing it in a store?
4. 3 items from your Christmas wish list?
Fallout 3 – I know I’m a little late to the party, but that’s one of the great things about a dedicated single-player game: it doesn’t matter if everyone else is done because you play with yourself.
Microsoft Points – Fable 2 downloadable content, Portal, A Kingdom for Keflings, Castle Crashers (I know that, again, I’m a little late to the party on this one), plus all the music for Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero: World Tour means that I definitely need some points, particularly because I haven’t bought any points since the Fall deluge of games began.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy – I really enjoyed the films, but I’m not a crazy fan or anything, so I never picked them up when they were first released. Now I can get great versions of all three films together for about $30, and at that price they’re hard to pass up. I mean, dollar for dollar, that’s about the best entertainment value you can buy for the money. $30 for about 900,000 hours of film works out to about $0.000003 per geek-ridden moment.
5. Fave/least fave holiday memory?
All of the holidays since my kids were born are favourites of mine. Seeing the holidays through their eyes brings back memories of when I was a kid, and there’s nothing better than being reminded of the joys of your childhood when you’re so old that you wake to the cold, malevolent breath of the Grim Reaper every morning.
6. Santa starts to work with game publishers to get rid of their unsold games. What game would you give someone who had been “naughty” this year?
It’s hard to name any recent or current terrible games that should be inflicted on naughty people, because with the amount of videogame magazines and websites I read, I haven’t bought a terrible game in a very long time. However, since most of the staff here at TBS seems to be of the XX persuasion, I guess I would give the naughty TBS staffers (Ooopy, Cyn, Kiki, Denise, Pinksage, Coral, Zen, Suzi, Tim.) copies of Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2. I have no idea if the game is really horrible or not because I haven’t played it, but it amuses me to think of these ladies playing what has to be one of the most sexist games ever made. Photoshoots and thongs for a laugh! I wonder who would spend the most time playing the game and getting the most achievement points . . .
1. Fave/least fave Holiday food?
My favorite holiday food is Yorkshire pudding; and more specifically, Yorkshire pudding that my mom has made. Yorkshire pudding isn’t really pudding and I have no idea why they call it that. It is bread cooked in a pan, in the oven, and sometimes people put sausages in it and it becomes Toad in the Hole. I am not sure why it is called Toad in the Hole. The ‘hole’ part I get; but not ‘toad’. I mean it isn’t sausage made of toad! But I love sausage, and bacon. So I guess I would have to choose bacon as my favorite holiday food.
2. Fave/least fave holiday movie or TV special?
Fave? Anything with Jenna Jameson. I think she is very representative of the giving spirit that we all appreciate during the holidays. If I made a holiday movie that she starred in I would call it “Jenna Jameson and the Giving tree”. It would involve Jenna, a decorated tree, and probably some elves, and maybe a reindeer or two. I don’t want to spoil it though in case I do make it.
Least Fave? That one that everyone else likes.
3. Fave/least fave holiday song?
Winter Holiday songs should be sung year round and at random times, in a loud voice. They are the most fun when you sing loudly while standing next to/behind/in front of someone, at work, in an elevator, the grocery store, or even the bank. If you don’t know the words, humming loudly and whistling is awesome too!
4. 3 items from your Holiday wish list?
• A pony (STILL waiting)
• An end to world hunger
• World peace
I am just a simple girl, with simple needs, wanting to simply help the world, while riding a pony.
5. Fave/least fave holiday memory?
My least fave memories of the holiday are any when I get a “combined gift”. Being a December baby often means I get one gift that represents my b-day and X-mas. People are too damn mean to put any effort into realizing that I too have feelings and would appreciate being able to open something on X-mas with everyone else and not get the standard “You already got your COMBINED gift”. 
:(
6. Santa starts to work with game publishers to get rid of their unsold games. What game would you give someone who had been “naughty” this year?
I think Avatar the last Airbender would be a great game for everyone! It has hours and hours of fun for all!
1. Fave/least fave Holiday food?
Ooh, this question is easy! My favourite food…um, that is holiday food is Pumpkin Pie! Every year, sometime before the U.S. Thanksgiving, Costco starts selling huge pumpkin pies for only $5.99. With a perfect cinnamon to ginger ratio, Costco’s recipe is one of the best I’ve tasted. Methinks Costco should sell pumpkin pie year-round. (Mulder love pie.)
Do I even have a least favourite food? (Mulder not picky.) Hmm, well, something we don’t see nearly as often nowadays is fruitcake, and though I don’t completely dislike it, I wouldn’t get in line for free samples either.
2. Fave/least fave holiday movie or TV special?
An all-time favourite; worthy of special mention (IMHO), is The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). I still enjoy the animated classics such as Frosty the Snowman (1969) and the Burl Ives narrated Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964), as well as the legendary black and white films It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) and Miracle on 34th Street (1947). More recent favourites of mine are Scrooged (1988) and Elf (2003). As for least favourites, 2004 saw two movies that stank of radiated heifer poopies: Surviving Christmas (Ben Affleck) and Christmas With the Kranks (Tim Allen).
3. Fave/least fave holiday song?
Who can choose just one?? Not I. Let me put it this way…when I hear people complain that all they hear on the radio, or in stores, is holiday music, I think how lucky I am that I LOVE it (LOVE IT, I say!)! So much do I enjoy holiday music that sometimes I actually listen to it out of season—as in, on purpose. Does that make me weird?? Don’t answer that, because it’s time for Carols with Mulder! Everybody sing!!
You know Dasher and Dancer
And Prancer and Vixen,
Comet and Cupid
And Donner and Blitzen.
But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all?
Seriously, some holiday songs always bring goodwill and cheer. Songs like: Band Aid – Do They Know It’s Christmas?, Carry On – All We Need Is Love (Christmas in the Yard), and one of my personal faves, Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You. Let’s not forget the classics like: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas; White Christmas; Santa Baby; Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree (Anyone remember The Partridge Family rendition?), and Happy Xmas (War Is Over), and despite it being played to death, I can’t help but giggle at Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer. Then we have the non-traditional holiday songs: Several from Bob Rivers; The Chanuka Songs by Adam Sandler; Tenacious D/Sum 41 – Things I Want, and the hilarious I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus by Standstill. (Hunt these down if you haven’t heard them for some chuckles.) Being the mush I am, there are several newer songs of holiday sentiment I enjoy as well; my fave being Evergreen Christmas (Song specific to the Pacific Northwest by resident Loni Rose), and other faves are: The Flaming Lips – Change At Christmas (Say It Isn’t So); The Plain White T’s – Season Of A Lifetime; Lenka – All My Bells Are Ringing, and SHeDAISY’s Jingle Bells. For the adult listeners, some songs to put the “X” in X-mas are Lady GaGa – Christmas Tree, and Elliot Yamin – Back Door Santa. There are also some awesome winter (not holiday specific) songs. One I’m rather fond of is Sarah McLachlan’s Song For A Winter’s Night. Another that paints a realistic portrait for far too many of us is Forget December by Something Corporate. Geez, I could go on and on… (Mulder LOVE music.)
In lieu of listing a least fave song; since I don’t know that I have one, I’m going to share a Miscellaneous Ironic Fact About Mulder, or MIFAM (pronounced: mif-əm), with you. I’m Agnostic and extremely shy about singing in front of others (or “performing” in any capacity, really), but holiday music makes me forget myself, and I often catch myself humming and/or singing aloud. Yeah, I know—Christmas Tunes + Carolling Agnostic = WTF?!?
Hey, guess what time it is, kids?? It’s time again for Carols with Mulder!!
Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?
In the lane, snow is glistening
A beautiful sight, we’re happy tonight.
Walking in a winter wonderland…
4. 3 items from your Christmas wish list?
Many people wish for world peace, and while I can appreciate the sentiment of such grand hopes, I believe that global change starts within each of us individually. So what I most hope for this year is to be as gracious, loving and kind as possible, and to appreciate my blessings with awe and wonder. As the late, great, Mahatma Gandhi said, “You must be the change you seek to see in the world.” As for what I hope to find under the tree… *closes eyes, crossing toes and fingers and recites, “I wish I may, I wish I might, I wish upon every star this, and every night that Santa places beneath my tree…Kamikaze Sweets, Fallout 3 with a Player’s Guide (after borrowing CoralToe’s copy, I’m hopelessly addicted), and either a Netbook, or my laptop repaired.” Thing is, I haven’t been all that good this year… *sheepish grin* Heh-heh, whoopsies!
5. Fave/least fave holiday memory?
I had to give this question a LOT of thought, and I almost opted to forgo turning in my answers at all because I agonized over it for so long. You see, I’m a very private person, and I haven’t many happy holiday memories, and fewer yet (that I can recall) from my childhood/adolescence. So how does one answer a question such as this with a history and disposition such as mine? What I can share with relative ease is that my fondest memories are almost always more about with whom I’m with than what I unwrap from under the tree. This is saying a lot as I’ve been blessed to receive some very generous gifts over the years, with the greatest being by far, Love, and running a close second, an awareness of that. The song Nature Boy sums it up quite nicely, “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to Love, and be Loved in return.”
6. Santa starts to work with game publishers to get rid of their unsold games. What game would you give someone who had been “naughty” this year?
It depends on what kind of “naughty” we’re talking about here. Some naughtiness isn’t at all bad, if you know what I mean (*wink-wink*). This year I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the games I’ve played, or at least those that I can recollect, so I’m unsure which game I’d chuck at someone due for some discipline. Frankly, I’d rather open up a can of whoop arse on the developers and publishers who release crappy games in the first place. Who’s with me?!
1. Fave/least fave Holiday food?
My mom’s homemade shortbread rounds. They are a tradition since I was a child.
Least fav? Cranberry sauce for the turkey
2. Fave/least fave holiday movie or TV special?
I love the old movies for Christmas like Bing Crosby’s Holiday Inn. To this day only Bing Crosby’s version of White Christmas do I truly enjoy. I dislike a lot of the new movies as they really don’t seem to have the same meaning, seems more to put a movie out with a star’s name in it because it may do well at the box office over the holiday rush.
3. Fave/least fave holiday song?
Don’t ask me but I love “Winter Wonderland” I think its because when I was younger and played the piano, I would play it over and over until it made both my brothers beg for me to stop (torturing brothers was awesome).
I really can’t name a Christmas song I don’t like off the top of my head, unless its one that I hear over and over. After hearing a song more then 2x in a day it starts to wear on my nerves. There are so many songs out there, they don’t have to play the same 10.
4. 3 items from your Christmas wish list?
a) External Harddrive for my laptop. I saw the one that venus envy got recently and I’m green with envy.
b) Sumo Lounge. I have been admiring these chairs for a while and feel its time I need one.
c) I am blessed that I have a life where, I have a roof over my head, a job and food in my cupboards. I have amazing friends in my life who care about me and are there for me during lifes ups and downs. I love you all and I would wish that everyone was as blessed as me.
5. Fave/least fave holiday memory?
Favorite: Christmas morning when my brothers and I use to get up early and go to each others room to look in our stockings to see what Santa brought. We’d spend about an hour just playing with stuff in our stockings waiting to hear if our parents had woken up. Once our parents were out of bed, we’d have breakfast the whole time anticipating going to the rec room to see the Christmas tree and to see if Santa would come. Part of the yearly ritual was my father going in to turn on the Christmas lights while my two brothers and I would sit patiently on the chair. Mind you my dad would turn on the lights, climb into his lazy boy chair and just admire the tree, knowing that we are anxiously awaiting for the permission to enter the room. Thank goodness for my mother, who would come down behind us and let us in.
Least? The year my brothers decided to stop talking to each other. It changed the dynamics of the family and holidays.
6. Santa starts to work with game publishers to get rid of their unsold games. What game would you give someone who had been “naughty” this year?
Hannah Montana DS
1. Fave/least fave Holiday food?
Favorite: It’s a tie between homemade Sausage cheese balls and pecan tarts (mini pecan pies). Whether it’s was my mom or my grandmother making either of these, both are just amazing. The great years are the years I get both. > Least favorite: Fruit Cake.
2. Fave/least fave holiday movie or TV special?
A Christmas Story. With no cable growing up, it was this or nothing else. I’ve seen it close to 2.3 million times at last count.
3. Fave/least fave holiday song?
Discovered a handful of Reggae Christmas greats a few years ago. Jacob Miller, Bob Marley, Yellowman. Definitely adds another dimension to holiday music.
4. 3 items from your Christmas wish list?
Business Casual attire,
Flip video recorder,
couple of games (NOT Gears 2)
5. Fave/least fave holiday memory?
My memory hovers on two, equally weighted. 1) My brother and I were used to running down the hall to the living room and jumping onto the couch at full speed every Christmas. Then, one year, we got the OK from Mom and Dad to come to the living room and we both took off down the hall. Once we made it to the living room, we had to skid to a stop to avoid slamming into the brand new bikes my parents had gotten us. I always imagine we looked like Scooby Doo and Shaggy trying to run in the opposite direction, feet spinning… 2) The NES. The first gift I ever wanted so bad my stomach hurt for it. Then, when I got it, my parents did the coolest thing and rented a few games for me to play on Christmas day instead of just Duck Hunt and Mario.
6. Santa starts to work with game publishers to get rid of their unsold games.What game would you give someone who had been “naughty” this year?
Jonny Moseley Mad Trix. The worst game I’ve ever played. I thought it was gonna be Tony Hawk on skiis, but it just sucked. Unplayably bad. After 2 minutes I came close to breaking something.
