In yesterday’s post, I wrote about Mr. B, a widower who generously opens up his home to show movies to small groups of friends in his basement movie theater.  This is the second year in a row that Joe and I and our friends paid a visit to Mr. B and his holiday show.  In the comments of that post, Kathy wondered if Mr. B was really Santa Claus.

I’m not too sure if he’s the actual Santa Claus, but I’m positive he’s one of Santa’s helpers.

Mr. B kept last night’s film choice a surprise.  During the drive to his house, my mind considered which holiday movie we were going to see on his large screen.  White Christmas?  It’s A Wonderful Life? Holiday Inn? Christmas In Connecticut?

No, Mr. B had a different Christmas gift in mind, a film that his audience had never seen — The Lemon Drop Kid.  This comedy not only starred Bob Hope as a good-natured con man, it also introduced “Silver Bells” to the world.

In this clip, Bob Hope and his co-star, Marilyn Maxwell, (with some harmonizing help from William Frawley of “I Love Lucy”) celebrate Christmastime in the city — sprinkling ite with some humor that’s politically incorrect by today’s standards.

Ladies and Gentlemen, “Silver Bells.”

I’m feeling a bit nostalgic tonight.  Joe and I, along with friends Michele and Tim, are going to the movies — sort of.  We’re actually going to Mr. B’s house.

A year ago, Michele and Tim introduced us to Mr. B, a widower who very generously opened up his house to a handful of friends looking for Christmas spirit.  Once inside his small home, he led us into the basement, which he had converted into a movie wonderland: movie posters, autographed photos, memorabilia, and a Hollywood Walk of Fame with the names of his grandchildren.

There was also a door.  Apparently, Mr. B’s basement was larger than his house.  When he opened the door and we walked into the adjoining room, we were like Dorothy stepping from her black and white Kansas home into the colorful and merry old land of Oz.

Mr. B had built his own movie theater in his basement — complete with dimming wall sconces, a curtain that opened to reveal the screen, and vintage seats rescued from a local movie theater.  With popcorn and Christmas cookies and Doris Day and Frank Sinatra, we not only found movie magic, but holiday magic, as well.

I wonder what vintage film Mr. B has chosen for this year’s showing.  I’ll let you know tomorrow.

In the meantime, please enjoy “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” from one of my favorite musicals, Meet Me In St. Louis.  Directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Judy Garland (the two met on the set and later married), the film follows the Smith family and their excitement over the upcoming Louisiana Purchase Exposition World’s Fair.

At this moment in the movie, the Smith family is in a bit of an emotional upheaval after Mr. Smith announced that they would be leaving their home in St. Louis and moving to New York.  On Christmas Eve, Esther Smith, portrayed by  Garland, arrives home and sings this song to comfort Tootie, played by Margaret O’Brien, who is quite worried that Santa will not be able to find them once they move.

If you search YouTube for Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus,” you’ll discover countless versions, from the Mormon Tabernacle choir to smaller church singing groups.  For me, though, nothing moves me more than a flash mob in the food court at the mall.

Although this video has been around for a number of years and although it enjoyed viral status, I find myself searching for this video all year long.  There are so many layers that bring on my emotions: having this amazing sound in something as common as the mall, watching the passion of the performers (who took the time to do this) and the reactions of the shoppers (who paused during the hectic holiday prep time), and wishing that I could be somewhere just as a flash mob begins.

Without any further delay, here is the “Hallelujah Chorus.”  Please, pass the Kleenex.

I’ve always been on the fence when it comes to Michael Buble. Talented?  Yes.  Showman?  Absolutely.  But I often lean more toward Sinatra or Connick.

Until I found this wintery gem.  Mr. Buble’s adorable quotient cannot be ignored.

Tomorrow is the office Christmas party!

Remember to bring your dancing shoes!

In 1872, an American magazine, Scribner’s Monthly, requested a Christmas poem — and Christina Rossetti, a British poet, put ink to paper and wrote “In The Bleak Midwinter.”  Music was added in 1906, and a hymn was born.  That hymn has since become one of the most beautiful, as well as one of my all-time favorite, Christmas carols.  Enjoy.

In honor of tonight’s lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, what better carol than this Nat King Cole classic tribute to winter’s greenery.  After all, this is a gardening blog.