Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the Frosty The Snowman (DVD).
Archive for September, 2007
Frosty the Snowman
Thursday, September 27th, 2007
A gold member of the Christmas classic elite, Frosty The Snowman has entertained several generations of children and adults with its charming holiday magic. Jimmy Durante narrates this 1969 animated creation that features the birth of Frosty, a happy upbeat snowman brought to life by a magical hat. The story is based on the popular Christmas song of the same name, and Durante’s narration and singing brings the animation itself to life. One of the best holiday cartoon specials ever created, Frosty The Snowman will be a part of Christmas celebrations for years to come.
Frosty The Snowman follows the exploits of a group of school children trapped at school on Christmas Eve. Feeling guilty that her students are forced to attend class on Christmas Eve (with snow outside nonetheless), a schoolteacher hires a local magician named Professor Hinkle as entertainment. But Professor Hinkle is anything but a master of his trade. He entertains the kids only by means of their laughter as his ridiculous screw-ups. Frustrated by his failure to perform the famous magic trick of “pulling a rabbit out of a hat,” Hinkle hurls his old top hat out the window. But when the children are dismissed from class, the hat finds its way onto the head of a snowman named Frosty.
A gust of wind blows Professor Hinkle’s discarded hat onto the lifeless snowman’s head, and “presto”! …Frosty the snowman comes to life with a passionate bellow of “Happy Birthday”! Immediately, Professor Hinkle decides that he wants to keep his hat after all (so he can profit from its obvious magic powers), but the kids manage to fight off his advances in order to save Frosty. But Hinkle is the least of Frosty’s worries. The thermometer is on the rise, and the kids conclude that Frosty needs to get to the North Pole or else he’ll melt away. Together, they travel to the local train station to buy Frosty a ticket.
Finding the ticket price too hefty, Frosty and his friend Karen become stowaways on a north-bound train. What they don’t know is that Professor Hinkle is hot on their trail, and he’ll do anything to eliminate Frosty and steal the hat. Will Frosty survive? Only the appearance of another magical Christmas icon can save the day…
A holiday television classic rivaled by none, Frosty the Snowman is brilliant Christmas television programming the entire family can enjoy. Its central theme of life and death are aptly portrayed by a snowman’s good cheer and the love a young girl harbors for him. Frosty’s charisma solidifies this as an enduring TV classic, right up there with all-time greats such as Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964), A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965), and How The Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)…
The Benefits of Christmas Shopping Online
Wednesday, September 26th, 2007
I recently did a radio interview with a station based out of Arkansas and we were discussing the differences between doing your Christmas shopping at the local mall versus shopping online. I made the point that many consumers still like to go the mall to get some of that Holiday vibe and the sense of giving that is such a large part of the Christmas spirit. The DJ that was interviewing me then pointed out that you lose a lot of that warm and fuzzy feeling when you have to fight the crowded parking lot and the rush of finding gifts when you only have a limited amount of time to spend at the mall.
Don’t Fight Those Crowds
In this case, the DJ was a big proponent of online shopping and online coupons, hence this is the reason I was on his show, but he brings up some good points. People are starting to use online shopping as a strong alternative to fighting the crowds at local stores and malls. This is evident by the fact that online shopping in 2006 has really gone through the roof and is up 23% over 2005 numbers as consumers are starting to catch on to the convenience and great deals that can be found online.
Information At Your Fingertips
As I pointed out in the interview, the main benefits of doing your Christmas shopping online are two-fold. First, the amount of information and research at your disposal on the Internet is quite impressive. This includes buying guides, user reviews of products, and price comparisons at different online stores. All of these are not going to be readily available to you when you walk into a brick and mortar store to do some shopping. Secondly, many online retailers offer coupon codes that can get you things like free shipping, or 10%, 15% , or sometimes 20% off your purchase. These coupon codes are typically only for online usage. Free shipping coupons in particular are very popular around the Holidays, as many consumers are afraid to shop online thinking the shipping charges will outweigh any benefits.
Keep Your Sanity
So this Holiday shopping season I would urge you to try shopping online and to keep a running total of the savings you received when using online coupons. For me personally, the time wasted in busy parking lots and long lines in stores also has a value, but it is hard to put a dollar figure on time wasted. Nonetheless, I found the holiday season to be much more enjoyable and peaceful when I avoided busy malls and shopped exclusively online. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Kyle James is the owner of an online coupon Web Site, www.rather-be-shopping.com He lives in northern California with his wife and three children. You may contact him via e-mail at ratherbeshopping@sbcglobal.net
A Modern Christmas Classic
Tuesday, September 25th, 2007
Americans are being inspired to reach out to others in a whole new way by the book Christmas Jars (Shadow Mountain, $7.95, softcover). Bursting on to the national scene in 2005 by selling nearly 90,000 copies in three short months, Christmas Jars unfolds the story of Hope Jensen, a young newspaper reporter who receives a much-needed, but mysteriously delivered Christmas gift-a jar filled with money.
Determined to find her Good Samaritan, Hope begins a search leading her to a family with a closely held Christmas tradition. What she uncovers is a powerful secret that will change her life forever.
Richard Paul Evans, bestselling author of The Christmas Box, declares Christmas Jars as “beautifully written. I believe the Christmas Jars tradition will change lives.”
This tender story of soul-searching and kindness has been compared to “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Readers everywhere are filling their own “Christmas jars” with spare change to give away this holiday season to someone in need.
Discover for yourself the enchanting story in Christmas Jars and perhaps start your own anonymous gift giving.
Christmas Jars is available in bookstores nationwide and on amazon.com. An Inspirational Christmas novella to engage readers’ hearts.
