Elizabeth has Mr. Darcy. Ron has Hermoine. Katniss has both Peeta and Gale. And Rudolph has Clarice (and we're not talking about Jody Foster in Silence of the Lambs either!). Clarice is the fetching doe who doesn’t care that Rudolph’s honker is bright red beacon. She even defies her parents' orders and joins the search party for her crimson-beaked beau. For that, she definitely earns a place on Santa’s Nice List and a spot on our advent calendar.
Category: 2013 Advent Calendar
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Day 15: Virginia
Meet Virginia. A young girl with a question. A question for a newspaper. (Remember newspapers?) Virginia O'Hanlon asked her father if Santa Claus really existed. He famously replied, “if you see it in the [New York] Sun, it's so.” Taking her father at his word, she wrote a letter to the editor of The Sun. And a few days laters, one of the most famous editorials, assuring the young girl that there was a Santa, appeared in the paper. And a Christmas classic was born.
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Day 14: Prancer
Prancer, in our minds, is Santa’s gayest reindeer. He’s there, working the sleigh like a champ, holding his own with all those straight reindeer. That’s just one of the reasons he’s on Santa’s Nice list. In fact, he’s beyond Nice. He’s Fabulous.
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Day 13: Karen
Kate has a special place in her heart for Karen, the heroine of Frosty the Snowman (the classic animated special). Back in the day, Kate was known as Karin and she thought it was pretty awesome to have the hero of a story a) be a girl and b) have the same name (homophonically-speaking). Karen clearly makes the Nice list (she freakin' saved Frosty!) and deserves her own drink. Her classic scene in Frosty where she is shivering on the train is where our inspiration started.
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Day 12: Nutcracker Prince
The premise of The Nutcracker has got to be every child’s fantasy. What kid doesn’t want their favorite toy to come to life? Of course, today it would be Transformers, Barbie and He-Man action figures. Wait, do kids still play with action figures? Does anyone out there know what Transformers are? Hmmm…maybe we’re showing our age. Regardless, the Prince is the last character from The Nutcracker in our calendar.
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Day 11: The Sugar Plum Fairy
Perhaps the most recognized piece of music from the Nutcracker is the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Slow and haunting, the bell-like sound of the piece evokes a lullaby and a sense of just drifting off to sleep.
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Day 10: Clara
First in our advent calendar, we explored some characters who were definitely on Santa’s Naughty list. Next, we had a group of four endearing doofuses (doofusi?) that we dubbed the Loveable Lugs. This next trio of cocktails is based one of the most popular pieces of holiday music and dance, the Nutcracker. In the story, a little girl named Clara is given a nutcracker who eventually comes to life. With her help, he defeats the Mouse King and the pair then whisk away to the Land of Sweets. There they are presented with delicious goodies from around the world as the inhabitants dance for them. Clara falls asleep having been crowned the ruler of the Land of Sweets with her Nutcracker Prince.
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Day 9: The Grinch
You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch…For over 50 years, the story of the Grinch has been a part of Christmas. Jealous of the Whos, the Grinch (with his loyal dog Max in tow) set about stealing their Christmas. But Christmas morning, as the presentless Whos joyfully sing, the Grinch realizes that there is more to Christmas than just presents and his heart famously grows three sizes.
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Day 8: The Randy
One of our newest family Christmas traditions is the viewing of A Christmas Story, a story about nine year old Ralphie and the Christmas he longs for a Red Ryder BB Gun. Like many of us, Ralphie has an annoying younger sibling, Randy. Dressed in a red, overstuffed snowsuit, Randy tags along after his brother in his adventures to and from school. Endearing but seemingly not too bright, Randy is the quintessential kid brother we get annoyed with but ultimately love (ahem says Kate).
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Day 7: The Griswold
National Lampoon’s Vacation movies introduced the world to the Griswolds, a typical American family lead by their bumbling father, Clark. Nearly everyone knows a guy like Clark (if they aren't a Clark themselves). He tries…so hard…to be the best father he can. But whether it's planning a family vacation at an amusement park when the park is closed or putting the downpayment on a pool before getting his Christmas bonus, his best laid plans usually end up backfiring.