tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85989918428571820002024-03-13T08:46:10.044-07:00North Pole HighA Rebel Without a ClausCandycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598991842857182000.post-7505721758983965152022-09-26T08:29:00.001-07:002022-09-26T08:35:29.340-07:00I Can't Believe It's Been 10 Years<div class="separator"><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8enBePPrPwGK38JxVade-NUohQIjH6wU4tSxd3vhm0DFwXPOZObBlB9GBqPjTqzmjNKbFKi8Lfif88qOClhSQoeebjxyiepjzMw9M3UE_LfcJvlvbJO2j1BmxfsWtHPP6Y5GfQkZlsQQeRCpIrarX24PPDJ6HVlrW97m5ZKFhjqR3khWNdYn8AX8b/w400-h400/10-anniv-ideas.jpg" /></div></div><p> Ten years ago today my memoir, <b>NORTH POLE HIGH: A REBEL WITHOUT A CLAUS</b> was published. The book tells the TRUE inside story of Santa's 16-year-old daughter (me!). And the most amazing thing is, I'm still sixteen years old!</p><p>Now, before you go assuming that not aging is simply a benefit of being a fictional character like Lisa Simpson, I can assure you, I'm real. I'm as real as my father, who has delivered over a jillion toys all over the world in the ten years since I wrote <i>NORTH POLE HIGH: A Rebel Without a Claus</i>.</p><p>The thing is, as I explained in my book, <i><b>NORTH POLE HIGH: A REBEL WITHOUT A CLAUS</b></i>, which is still available at Popular Prices everywhere, all of us living here in the North Pole ages differently than those of you living outside the Circle. It has something to do with magnets and the rate of rotation of the earth up here at the top of the world and the route we take to school that takes us across the International Date Line every day. Plus most of our food is made with Magic. It's all very complicated and scientific. Einstein explained it all once to Chefy, but he didn't bother to write it down because he has flippers for hands.</p><p>Anyway, thank you to everyone who has read <b>NORTH POLE HIGH: A REBEL WITHOUT A CLAUS</b> over the last ten years. And to those of you who planned to read it one day but haven't gotten around to it yet: It's been <b>TEN YEARS</b>! What are you waiting for? <i>YOU'RE</i> not getting any younger!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-onIsnwInSSmuFlKx4tHyEM_9c5AnXnyBukWyQcrJEwvLy2HcRcOBNo3SlMng7RHH78iHEY7OUT9MoyvtunoTnWC8wXybQB0UNcETykcDfuez1D6_UVunW5VBvUi7rcDQp6KV6zX4zS_AYqdVUK_dLumGGwAMbSSNUIdjmfcnh1eGJU5oK1NakEK/w400-h214/iStock-483476502-1030x552.jpg" /></div>PS: Merry Christmas!<br /><p><br /></p>Candycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598991842857182000.post-17300565324285363862017-12-14T07:00:00.000-08:002017-12-14T07:00:27.683-08:00Book Report: The Catcher in the Rye<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>The Catcher in the Rye</i> by J.D. Salinger is about a boy on the Naughty List who leaves his boarding school a few days before his <span style="color: red;"><b>Christmas</b></span> break is supposed to start, not because he can't wait to see what goodies my dad will leave under his tree -- because, duh, he's on the Naughty List, remember? -- but because he's flunking out, hence his placement on the aforementioned Naughty List.<br />
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Instead of going home, Holden (that's the boy's name) wanders around New York City for a few days, I guess because he's so Naughty and all. And here's what I don't like about the book: It's <span style="color: red;"><b>Christmastime</b></span> in New York, but you'd hardly even know it. I mean, at one point he goes to Central Park to give his sister Phoebe an early <span style="color: red;"><b>Christmas</b></span> present, which was Nice of him and all, but he even says in the narration, "It didn't seem at all like <span style="color: red;"><b>Christmas</b></span> was coming soon."<br />
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And I'm like, duh. You have to tell us about all the beautiful <span style="color: red;"><b>Christmas</b></span> decorations Holden sees all the time and not just a little bit at the end, Mr. Salinger. That's the author, Jerry Salinger. He's dead. Daddy says Mr. Salinger was never on the Naughty List himself, but we still have all his <span style="color: red;"><b>Christmas</b></span> presents here at the North Pole because Daddy could never find out where this guy lived. Anyway, I suppose if the he had allowed Hollywood to make a movie out of his book, we'd see the <span style="color: red;"><b>Christmas</b></span> decorations everywhere and we'd all be calling it a <span style="color: red;"><b>Christmas</b></span> movie like <i>Die Hard</i> or <i>Gremlins</i> or <a href="http://www.northpolehigh.com/2017/12/is-it-christmas-movie-while-yule-were.html"><i>While You Were Sleeping</i></a> and everyone would watch it every year at <span style="color: red;"><b>Christmastime</b></span>. And then Holden would call us all a bunch of phonies, I bet.<br />
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So this Holden character takes this girl Sally Hayes ice skating outside Radio City Music Hall and she invites him to her house to <span style="color: lime;"><b><i>trim her tree</i></b></span> -- I think I know what she really means by that but I'm not allowed to say -- but there's not one mention of the ginormous <span style="color: red;"><b>Christmas</b></span> tree they always have right there where they're skating. And I'm like, hello? This book makes me so mad sometimes!<br />
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<img alt="The actual Rink at Rockefeller Plaza, where Holden Caulfield goes ice skating with Sally Hayes, in 1949, the year Catcher in the Rye takes place. See? There was a giant Christmas tree right there. Salinger didn't reference it once." border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="350" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bwkVDx1jAR4/WZ95z9Zq2zI/AAAAAAAABGk/JogVl6utcvQ8T0T9cldUlshNfwWHpnSaACLcBGAs/s1600/radiocity1949colorized.jpg" title="The actual Rink at Rockefeller Plaza, where Holden Caulfield goes ice skating with Sally Hayes, in 1949, the year Catcher in the Rye takes place. See? There was a giant Christmas tree right there. Salinger didn't reference it once." /></div>
Later the boy goes inside to see the wonderful <span style="color: red;"><b>Christmas</b></span> Spectacular show without Sally, who ditched him, because, Naughty List, right? And he gives the show a worse review than Scrooge would have! I'm starting to understand why my father wanted this book banned from North Pole High.<br />
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I say, if you want to write a book that takes place during <span style="color: red;"><b>the most wonderful time of the year</b></span>, then it should be filled with wonder and magic and <span style="color: lime;"><b>Christmas</b> <b>trees</b></span>. I'm not saying I'm a better writer than this J.D. Salinger guy was or anything, but my book, <i>North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus</i>, has never been accused of holding back on the <span style="color: red;"><b>Christmas joy</b></span>. So if you're looking for a <span style="color: red;"><b>Christmas</b></span> book that isn't afraid to mention <span style="color: red;"><b>Christmas</b></span> (200 times), <span style="color: red;"><b>reindeer</b></span> (26 times), and <span style="color: red;"><b>presents</b></span> (45 times), and is available in both <a href="http://amzn.to/1pwQQEI" target="_blank">print</a> and (unlike <i>The Catcher in the Rye</i>) <a href="http://amzn.to/UJo5fy" target="_blank">Kindle</a> editions, then <a href="http://www.northpolehigh.com/p/shop.html">you know where to look</a>!<br />
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<br />Candycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598991842857182000.post-15501089087240909422017-12-12T08:00:00.000-08:002017-12-12T08:00:17.549-08:00Classic TV Christmas: The Ruggles<i>The following is an essay I wrote for my Christmas History class at North Pole High. My teacher, Mr. Ghost of Christmas Past, gave me a shining star to hang on my Christmas tree for it.</i><br />
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<i>The Ruggles</i> is one of the first television sitcoms in the United States, making their 1949 “Christmas Eve” episode one of the first very special Christmas episodes of a regular TV series.<br />
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<img alt="The Ruggles (1949) - Early U.S. sitcom presents one of the first Christmas episodes of a regular TV series." border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DJPdAnTVH28/WJ_TAMaoxnI/AAAAAAAABD8/OU6-vzt-AKwQm7lg08PL0szRuQtfuZ3PQCLcB/s1600/ruggles01.jpg" title="" /></div>
The family-themed show opens with my favorite part: the two youngest children, Donna and Donald, reading their father a letter they’ve written to <i>my</i> father asking for a “real train” for Christmas, and “a couple more boyfriends” for their older sister Sharon. They’ve been good more times than they’ve been bad, they say.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wgOZer4-ylA/WJ_TUWWmXBI/AAAAAAAABEA/ExT8ClhGLdk6oqH18qUYamSnKtwbBY5QACLcB/s1600/ruggles02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Twins Donna and Donald Ruggles read their letter to Santa to their father, Charlie Ruggles, on The Ruggles 1949 Christmas episode" border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wgOZer4-ylA/WJ_TUWWmXBI/AAAAAAAABEA/ExT8ClhGLdk6oqH18qUYamSnKtwbBY5QACLcB/s1600/ruggles02.JPG" title="" /></a></div>
The letter closes with a “P.S.,” which they say stands for “Please, Santa.,” reminding Daddy to give any leftover toys to children who aren’t as lucky as the little Ruggles. (PS: Daddy always makes enough toys for everyone who’s been good.)<br />
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When the mother and older siblings, inspired by the kids’ postscript, decide to give to those less fortunate, the father, who complains every year about having to put up a Christmas tree, scolds them for their unwarranted generosity. Even though he’s the star of the show, he’s what my Christmas Lit teacher would call the "Scrooge" of the story. Every Christmas story has one.<br />
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<img alt="The Ruggles family read their Christmas cards out loud over Christmas breakfast." border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tl2BbWLqn0c/WJ_Tx9FIChI/AAAAAAAABEI/KaL_wIhbT6ogSaRyZ1eaLyNoj8OeTeQ9wCLcB/s1600/ruggles03.jpg" title="" /></div>
After their Christmas-Eve-morning ritual of reading their Christmas cards out loud over breakfast, the family decides to help Elaine, a less fortunate friend of Sharon’s whose father recently died. But when they tell poor Elaine of their plan to help someone less fortunate, she assumes they came to her for suggestions. Her father must have had a swell life insurance policy, because she doesn’t consider herself less fortunate at all.<br />
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<img alt="The Ruggles family sing Christmas carols with their less fortunate friend Sharon." border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--XbMY7zqOdg/WJ_UIKwOSaI/AAAAAAAABEQ/UoB_kxtUAhcOzgvqYiFmaTmsq2AytyFPwCLcB/s1600/ruggles05.jpg" title="" /></div>
Elaine and the Ruggles then share a splendid Yuletide meal and sing Christmas carols together. It turns out Elaine may be even less unfortunate one day. She has a beautiful voice and Mr. Ruggles offers to help her get a record contract. The show ends with Elaine singing “Silent Night.”<br />
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<i>You can find this charming Christmas episode on many Classic Christmas TV compilation DVDs, such as <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00198PJNA/?tag=northpolehigh-20" target="_blank">Holiday TV Classics</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001D263KU/?tag=northpolehigh-20" target="_blank">Rare Christmas TV Classics Volume 1</a>.</i><br />
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#HoHoHo<br />
<br />Candycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598991842857182000.post-36898158650584492712017-12-07T15:00:00.000-08:002017-12-07T15:00:15.928-08:00Is It A Christmas Movie? "While Yule Were Sleeping"<i>The following is an essay I wrote for my Christmas Lit class at North Pole High in the North Pole. My teacher, Mrs. Polar Bear, gave me an A+.</i><br />
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From 1995, <i>While You Were Sleeping</i> stars Sandra Bullock as Lucy, a lonely woman who falls in love with a man in a coma. This charming romantic comedy is set in Chicago, a great place to spend <span style="color: red;"><b>Christmas</b></span> because they have lots of snow and they make their cocoa with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KZ9X2S8/?tag=northpolehigh-20" target="_blank">Frango mints</a>!<br />
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<img alt="Sandra Bullock goes to a lot of trouble to get her Christmas tree into her apartment in WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING (1995)" border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DFjcaK2AOIc/WIJa5G659wI/AAAAAAAABDQ/mZRwWFyNGJw0GUPEmWTkpVNf3uPt8px8QCLcB/s1600/sleeping02.jpg" title="" /></div>
Before Lucy meets Coma Boy, she's struggling to get the <span style="color: lime;"><b>Christmas</b><b> tree</b></span> she just bought into her apartment. It's so big, she has to hoist it up through her window on a rope. But it's so heavy, she drops it and it breaks the window of the apartment below her. Won't Coma Boy be lucky to get a girl who puts that much effort into <span style="color: red;"><b>Christmas!</b></span><br />
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<img alt="Monica Keena, Peter Boyle, Sandra Bullock, Micole Mercurio, and Jack Warden pose for a Christmas photo in WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING (1995)" border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U9VT2Qnp91I/WIJbWhIjFAI/AAAAAAAABDU/A9u36nEMPsEDBM-4bA9XLBmUvWPFxttowCLcB/s1600/sleeping04.jpg" title="" /></div>
Lucy's other problem is that besides her hunk being in a coma, she's never actually met him. But while he's asleep, she does meet his family. And since it's <span style="color: red;"><b>Christmastime</b></span>, she gets to experience the warmth and joy of spending the holidays with a loving family, something she's missed since her parents died.<br />
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<img alt="Sandra Bullock finds happiness from stockings all hung by the chimney with care in WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING (1995)" border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y8uP5Yn4yB8/WIJcY0QDKEI/AAAAAAAABDY/CqQtZ1HTf3kvTmKpi-HHdrYOJouzm5MqACLcB/s1600/sleeping08.jpg" title="" /></div>
So now, instead of just having a crush on a hot dude in a coma, she's in love with the idea of becoming a part of his family. All because of <span style="color: red;"><b>Christmas</b></span>. I don't want to spoil anything for you, but I think the message is that <span style="color: red;"><b>Christmas</b></span> makes everything bright and wonderful. And for that, I hang <span style="color: lime;"><b>five shining stars</b></span> upon <i>While You Were Sleeping</i>!<br />
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<img alt="Sandra Bullock finds a loving home at Christmastime in WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING (1995)" border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Mfpy4PJaQaQ/WIJdH2DpT8I/AAAAAAAABDc/FrUpU7zMhVo7zdM8DIZ2NKizUmGnIgERQCLcB/s1600/sleeping05.jpg" title="" /></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0060CX1TO/?tag=northpolehigh-20" target="_blank">Click here to watch <i>While You Were Sleeping</i> online</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/6304765266/?tag=northpolehigh-20" target="_blank">Click here to buy <i>While You Were Sleeping</i> on DVD</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DQK3H10/?tag=northpolehigh-20" target="_blank">Click here to buy <i>While You Were Sleeping</i> on Blu-ray</a>.<br />
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<img alt="Ho-Ho-Ho! Santa decorates the front porch of the house in WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING (1995)" border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xHtu6QuIyz0/WIJdXh6kOdI/AAAAAAAABDg/E5e3L6kfrUggjK7OamasK-bL49KGG1njQCLcB/s1600/sleeping06.jpg" title="" /></div>
<br />Candycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598991842857182000.post-92121040069553189102017-06-21T00:01:00.000-07:002017-06-21T00:01:02.911-07:00Christmas in July: Battle of the Christmas Musicals<br />
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<a href="http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2964680" target="_blank"><img alt="Christmas in July at the Brookfield Theatre for the Arts in Brookfield, Connecticut, U.S.A." border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cOOPqvJUVnU/WUmVl-nWeBI/AAAAAAAABE8/6W4Alu0ZRPsirN33dyIJ91DY2lM3rBHTgCLcBGAs/s1600/ChristmasInJuly.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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I have some FANTASTIC news: <i>North Pole High: The Musical</i> was selected as a <b>semi-finalist</b> in the <b>Battle of the Christmas Musicals</b> at the Brookfield Theatre for the Arts in Brookfield, Connecticut!<br />
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I am so proud of the writers -- Rafi Nemes, Kristen Rea, and Danny Hercules -- for this early recognition they have received for their work-in-progress musical based on my memoir, <i>North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus</i>. Congratulations! And keep up the great work!<br />
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Now for some more news that's also fantastic, but in a different way:<br />
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<a href="http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2964680" target="_blank"><img alt="The Christmas Bride, Christmas Letters, and Come Find Me are finalists in the Battle of the Christmas Musicals at Brookfield Theatre for the Arts." border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="440" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ndnBeXgijjU/WUmaKEhphNI/AAAAAAAABFU/uqzG6IxS4BodGBNroSttRA3DZBSfBK7HgCLcBGAs/s1600/christmasmusicalsfinalists.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
<i>North Pole High</i> didn't advance to the finalist round, but everyone here at the Top of the World is happy anyway because who knew there were so many new Christmas musicals being written? You can never have enough Christmas musicals!<br />
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Congratulations to the writers of <i>The Christmas Bride</i>, <i>Christmas Letters</i>, and <i>Come Find Me</i>.<br />
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I want to urge all my New England fans to head to Brookfield, Connecticut to celebrate <a href="http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2964680" target="_blank">Christmas in July</a>! Yule get to see 45-minute excerpts from each of the three finalists and yule get to meet the writers. AND yule get to vote for your favorite. The winning show will get a full-length staged reading in December.<br />
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<a href="http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2964680" target="_blank">And it's FREE!</a><br />
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But the best reason to attend this event on Saturday, July 1, from 7:00 PM to 10:15 PM is because yule get to celebrate Christmas six months early!!!!!! Because when you think about it, December is just too far away to hold onto your Christmas cheer.<br />
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For tickets, go to <a href="http://brownpapertickets.com/event/2964680" target="_blank">brownpapertickets.com/event/2964680</a><br />
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Good luck to all three finalists, and have a Merry July!Candycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598991842857182000.post-90236352073343100372016-12-15T13:11:00.000-08:002016-12-15T13:13:26.549-08:00No One Beats the Yuletide Pride at North Pole High<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img alt="Front cover of the program for the world premiere staged reading of North Pole High: The Musical" border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ClTJXW_YkCQ/WFH-6OwIIzI/AAAAAAAABCU/VKgvXRPoHIQ3rf-QgIrqoZfb0vSb9C5fACLcB/s1600/Program%2BFront%2B%2528cropped%2529.jpg" title="" /></div>
Swans-a-swimming! The musical based on my memoir had its first staged reading this month! I couldn't be there in person (way too much to do here in the Pole this time of year), but I know the cast was fabulous because, well, I've learned a few things from my dad and let's just say I see them when they're acting, I hear them when they sing.<br />
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<img alt="North Pole High Musical Staged Reading starring (left to right) Andrea Fantauzzi as Vixen, Judy Nazemetz as Mrs. Claus, John Eddings as Santa Claus, James Giusti as Rudy Tutti, Monica Allan as Snowflake, Frankie Rodriguez as Silentnight, Samuel Thacker as Tinsel, and David Buckland as Mr. Polar Bear." border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o8jYmllgzPU/WEZe9uVA7gI/AAAAAAAABB8/q3yI-FRTL_QQhE_aQnpmpGS01PTDlSQLwCLcB/s1600/NPHMStagedReading400.jpg" title="" /></div>
Many thanks to the cast, from left to right:<br />
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<a href="http://andreafantauzzi.com/" target="_blank">Andrea Fantauzzi</a> played my classmate Vixen far more sympathetically than she came off in my book.<br />
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<a href="http://www.judynazemetz.com/" target="_blank">Judy Nazemetz</a> (member of Actors' Equity Association) played my dear mother, Mrs. Claus, so dearly.<br />
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John Eddings embodied the enormous body of my father, Santa Claus, so believable he could probably get away with subbing for my dad at some of the malls this Season. #HoHoHo<br />
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<a href="http://www.laurennicolebyrd.com/" target="_blank">Lauren Byrd</a> really nailed me in the lead role, except that she carols even more beautifully than I do.<br />
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James Giusti found his inner Scrooge to accurately portray Rudy Tutti, the new boy at North Pole High.<br />
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<a href="http://www.monicaallan.com/" target="_blank">Monica Allan</a> was so much fun as my best friend Snowflake it's almost like I have another best friend!<br />
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<a href="http://www.itsfrankie.com/" target="_blank">Frankie Rodriguez</a> was hilarious as my shy classmate Silentnight.<br />
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<a href="http://www.samuelthacker.com/" target="_blank">Samuel Thacker</a> truly rose to the occasion to portray the handsome half-elf Tinsel.<br />
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And last, but not least, David Buckland was so much like my real teacher, Mr. Polar Bear, that parts of the show were eerily like being in class at the real North Pole High.<br />
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<img alt="The cast of North Pole High: The Musical, world premiere staged reading at New Musicals, Inc, December 3, 2016. Clockwise: James Giusti (seated, front) as Rudy Tutti, Judy Nazemetz as Mrs. Claus, John Eddings as Santa Claus, Andrea Fantauzzi as Vixen, Lauren Byrd as Candycane Claus, Samuel Thacker as Tinsel, Frankie Rodriguez as Silentnight, Monica Allan as Snowflake, and David Buckland as Mr. Polar Bear." border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WWb-ITdYAA8/WEZcQhiRtgI/AAAAAAAABCI/pP7oKs75_QkUcBgMHuV5CFPt7URxd96TgCPcB/s1600/NPHMCast300.jpg" title="" /></div>
My thanks also to the writers. Danny couldn't fit everything from my book into his but managed to keep its Christmas Spirit front and center. Kristen and Rafi penned so many wonderful new tunes, from "Yuletide Pride" to "North Pole Prance," that we'll be singing them here at North Pole High for many Christmases to come. Like the song says, I'm on Top of the World!<br />
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<img alt="Inside of program for world premiere staged reading of North Pole High: The Musical at New Musicals Inc, December 3, 2016" border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x7e62kpH7Tk/WFMENQE9XzI/AAAAAAAABCs/t09A3LY6dH0jw1Nt7h_VsALVGL5J3SiwACLcB/s1600/Program%2BInside%2B%2528small%2529.jpg" title="" /></div>
Thanks also to <a href="http://nmi.org/" target="_blank">New Musicals, Inc.</a>, for hosting this world premiere event!Candycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598991842857182000.post-66541221012970678652016-10-12T08:30:00.000-07:002016-10-12T08:30:27.876-07:00Local Authors' Showcase<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Great news! My critically acclaimed memoir, <i>North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus</i>, will be featured <b>THIS SATURDAY, October 15th</b>, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the 2016 <a href="http://burbanklibrary.com/events/local-authors-showcase" target="_blank">Local Authors' Showcase</a> in sunny Burbank, California!<br />
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I know what you're thinking. <i>Local</i> author? When was the last time it snowed in Los Angeles?<br />
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Okay, you caught me. Yes, I was born and have always lived in the most wondrous land imaginable, hidden from view all the way at the northernmost part of the world, where it snows year-round and the sun only comes out for six months at a time. Where candy canes grow on red vines (which is how the licorice brand got its name) and friendly snowmen direct the Snow Pod traffic. Where reindeer fly and Santa Claus leads an army of elves in the creation of millions of toys a year. You get the picture.<br />
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While I did write every word of my manuscript here in my room at 16 Gingerbread Lane in the beautiful Village of the North Pole, I also had my own secret "little helper" down south to translate some of the more arcane Arctic idioms into language more easily digestible below the Circle. This assistant did much of his work at the Buena Vista branch of the Burbank Public Library, the very location where this event is being held.<br />
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I'm going to try my darnedest to make it down there to meet the 50 amazing authors who will be signing their books at the event, if I don't have too much homework and my dad lets me borrow his sleigh. If I don't make it, I've given my assistant power of attorney to sign my books for me in all territories outside the Arctic Circle. Since I'm a minor, I'm technically not allowed to sign my books in your world anyway.<br />
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For more information, hop on over to:<br />
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<a href="http://burbanklibrary.com/events/local-authors-showcase" target="_blank">burbanklibrary.com/events/local-authors-showcase</a>.<br />
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Hope you can make it.Candycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598991842857182000.post-10457519131088331982016-10-07T09:12:00.000-07:002016-12-15T13:13:09.708-08:00North Pole High Talent Search<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.northpolehigh.com/p/auditions.html"><img alt="http://www.northpolehigh.com/p/auditions.html" border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UWNMnTbaoLg/V_GxPaweXKI/AAAAAAAAA_g/pdu5VijhjgsVrtOlH1Ppr_LQDgyUTvM6ACPcB/s1600/nphmauditions.jpg" /></a></div>
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What's new at North Pole High? We're putting on a show!<br />
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My good friends at the Academy for New Musical Theatre in North Hollywood are putting together a staged reading of the first draft of their musical based on <a href="http://amzn.to/1pwQQEI" target="_blank">my critically-acclaimed memoir</a>! I can't wait.<br />
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They're looking for talented singers and actors right now! <a href="http://www.northpolehigh.com/p/auditions.html"><b>Go to the Auditions Page now</b></a> for character breakdowns and other information about how you can be among the first performers in the WORLD to play my friends in this very special edition of <i>North Pole High: The Musical</i>.<br />
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Please spread the word to all your friends in the Los Angeles acting community and let's make this the Best Christmas Musical Ever!<br />
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#HoHoHo<br />
<br />Candycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598991842857182000.post-8526538911483160552016-04-08T00:25:00.000-07:002016-04-08T00:25:02.539-07:00Swans-a-Swimming! It's North Pole High: The Musical!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><br />
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</style> <![endif]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ho, ho, ho! Wanna hear about something almost more exciting than Christmas? The Academy for New Musical Theatre has selected my memoir, <i>North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus</i>, for development as a <b>MUSICAL!</b> A talented team of writers has been hand-picked by me to bring the festive joy to the stage.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Danny Hercules will write the book for the play, with music by Raphael Nemes and lyrics by Kristen Rea. A private reading of the first draft is being planned for November 2016 in Los Angeles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Can't wait that long to hear some fun new Christmas songs? You don't have to. </span><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt;">North Pole High has been invited to preview our opening number,</span> "<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yuletide Pride,"</span><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> at <i>Got Musical 2016</i>, an exciting showcase of songs from a wide range of musical works-in-progress.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt;">This will be the very first public performance of any portion of <i>North Pole High: The Musical</i> ever! So hurry over to <a href="http://nmi.org/got-musical/" target="_blank">New Musicals Inc. to reserve tickets</a> for the <b>April 26</b> <b><i>World Premiere</i></b> in Anaheim, California, or the special <b>May 15</b> Encore Performance in Burbank, California. Tickets for these shows will sell out fast!</span><br />
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MEET THE TEAM<br />
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<img alt="North Pole High composer Raphael Nemes" border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SLFoqbtznS4/VwbUKPUEszI/AAAAAAAAA-k/R9krVGFXJj4Extu5xlMhMh4LbPu37pcZA/s1600/rafi.jpg" title="" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Composer <b>RAPHAEL NEMES</b> plays trumpet and piano and is a Harvard-trained Russian bell ringer. He has previously collaborated with Hercules at ANMT on the fifteen-minute time-travel musical <i>Have a Nice Trip</i>.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.kristenrea.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="North Pole High lyricist Kristen Rea" border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-InLbBhW07u4/VwbTOTKrzaI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/bOaV4xgj228s5wuSvv92gWMBhqR3hY92w/s1600/kristen.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lyricist <b><a href="http://www.kristenrea.com/" target="_blank">KRISTEN REA</a></b> is an accomplished performer specializing in creating productions that bridge live music, theater, and dance. With extensive training on the French horn, she has performed with world-renowned artists such as Grammy winner Gordon Goodwin, Disney Legend Randy Newman, and as a soloist in the Tony-winning production of <i>Blast!</i>, as well as staged productions at the Disneyland Resort and Busch Gardens. An enthusiastic educator, Kristen also serves as a clinician and creative development contributor for Disney Performing Arts, and helped create CITYstage, a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring inner-city youth to realize their full potential through the performing arts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bookwriter <b>DANNY HERCULES</b> is a professional screenwriter and music journalist who made his stage musical writing debut at ANMT with the book for the well-received time-travel comedy <i>Have a Nice Trip</i>, with music by Nemes, his NPH collaborator. Hercules also helps Santa’s little helpers in publishing <i>North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus</i> outside the Arctic Circle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>ANMT</b> is the academic wing of <a href="http://nmi.org/" target="_blank">New Musicals Inc.</a>, and has supported and trained musical theatre writers for four decades, beginning as a sister workshop to the BMI Lehman Engel workshop in New York. <i>North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus</i>, a memoir by Candace Jane Kringle, is available at <a href="http://amzn.to/1o0tF8Y" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Candace_Jane_Kringle_North_Pole_High_A_Rebel_Witho?id=D3rlAwAAQBAJ" target="_blank">Google Play</a>.</span></div>
Candycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598991842857182000.post-28198515603460116702015-12-07T11:03:00.001-08:002015-12-07T11:03:18.155-08:00Jingle Bells: From Medford to Outer SpaceOne of the best-known Christmas songs in the world started out as a Thanksgiving song! Not surprising, since the lyrics to "Jingle Bells" never once reference Christmas, reindeer, or a certain fat, jolly man with a white beard and a red suit.<br />
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In 1832, little <b>Jimmy Pierpont</b> of Medford, Massachusetts, was sent to boarding school in New Hampshire, where he wrote to his mother about riding in a sleigh through the deep December snow. In 1850, when his father asked him to compose a jingle for Thanksgiving (13 years before it would become an official holiday) James recalled what fun he had sledding as a boy and penned what he called "One Horse Open Sleigh." He would officially publish the song in 1857, and again, two years later, re-christened as "Jingle Bells."<br />
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<img alt="Original 1957 sheet music title page for JINGLE BELLS (One Horse Open Sleigh) by James Pierpont" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DI-Onket8P0/VmXVxLMl-EI/AAAAAAAAA9c/PEu3UsUfNy8/s1600/OneHorseOpenSleigh_cropped_250.jpg" title="" /></div>
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The song was not an immediate hit and was considered racy for its time. The little-heard second verse scandalously describes a young man riding his sleigh unchaperoned with Miss Fanny Bright until they get "upsot." The double entendre of their ride being capsized -- presumably because they were drunk -- turned the ditty into a drinking game before it would become the classic Christmas carol we know today.<br />
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A much later, uncredited change to the melody also helped the song gain popularity. Originally, the chorus followed the chord progression of Pachelbel's Canon. That version of the tune eventually found its way into another Christmas song, "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas," by Benjamin Hanby, composer of the better-known "Up on the House Top." Jim Pierpont never made much money off of his most enduring song, but his nephew, banker J.P. Morgan, would become one of the richest men in the world.<br />
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Flash forward to NASA's 1965 <b>Gemini 6</b> mission when astronauts Tom Stafford and Wally Schirra reported an unidentified flying object leaving the North Pole. It being close to Christmas Eve, they quickly realized they had spotted Santa's sleigh from their space ship and proceeded to play "Jingle Bells" on harmonica and sleigh bells, making it not only the most popular Christmas song on Earth, but the first song ever to be performed in, and broadcast live from, outer space!<br />
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<br />Candycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598991842857182000.post-87218569663744425322015-10-25T12:00:00.000-07:002015-10-25T12:00:02.505-07:00Behind the Music: Peace On Earth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Everyone knows <b>Bing Crosby</b> from his biggest hit, "White Christmas," which was released on Christmas Day in 1941, and became the best-selling single in history.<br />
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The crooner went on to star in a movie named after the song in 1954 and became the perennial guest host of <i>The Hollywood Palace</i> Christmas specials throughout the 1960s.<br />
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Bing's final television appearance was on his own 1977 Christmas special, <i>Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas</i>, with special guest star <b>David Bowie</b>. Crosby suggested they sing another 1941 classic Christmas carol, "The Little Drummer Boy." But Bowie liked to march to his own little drummer boy, so he and the show's writers, Alan Kohan, Ian Fraser, and Larry Grossman (<i>Snoopy: The Musical</i>), composed a new counterpoint melody entitled "Peace On Earth."<br />
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And thus a new Christmas standard was born of an old one.<br />
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Peace, out.<br />
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CandycaneCandycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598991842857182000.post-25648741091994729652015-07-24T16:00:00.000-07:002015-07-24T16:00:01.436-07:00Dear Santa, I'm Jewish<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Lords-a-leaping! Exactly five months from tonight, Santa will be on his way to your chimney with LOTS of toys and goodies!<br />
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I just came across this letter to Santa from a nice Jewish boy in the United States who is hoping to get a shout out from His Jolliness this Christmas. Well, <b>Mitchell Glaser</b>, you're in luck. Our work here in the Village of the North Pole is one hundred percent secular and non-denominational. Santa will visit everyone, as long as you've been Nice.<br />
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Unfortunately, it looks like there's one word in your song that's very, very Naughty, and I'm not talking about "<i>treif</i>." So clean up your act, Mitchell. You have five months. <i>Oy vey</i>! #HoHoHo<br />
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<br />Candycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598991842857182000.post-27053600276530211202015-06-25T00:00:00.000-07:002015-06-25T00:00:06.594-07:00Better to GiveLast weekend was the first day of Summer. You call it the longest day of the year, but here in the North Pole, the Sun stays out all day and all night for five months straight! Kinda makes it hard to see all the Christmas lights.<br />
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The Summer Solstice also fell on Father’s Day this year, which is always a troubling time for me. Giftgiving is one of the most important skills you can have in the North Pole. I love Presents class at N.P.H., but our teacher, Mr. Polar Bear, is pretty easy to please, as long as you gift him something that tastes like seal.<br />
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Then Father’s Day rolls around and I realize how high school has once again failed to prepare me for real life. I mean, what do you get the man who’s the best in the world at giving Presents?<br />
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Last year I knitted him a Christmas sweater that said, “World’s Greatest Dad.” Do you know how much yarn it takes to make a sweater for a guy his size? Let’s just say there were a lot of cold Alpacas last fall. And he never wore it once. My dad’s a little set in his ways, fashion-wise. When was the last time you saw him in anything but that red suit of his?<br />
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So I asked Chefy to help me make Daddy a jelly bean souffle, but he still hasn’t forgotten the last time he let me use his kitchen to make spaghetti and I didn’t put the lid on a pot and the bubble gum sauce got all over everything. Then I checked with one of Daddy’s top elves to see what new toys they were cooking up for next Christmas, but Daddy already gets one of everything they create.<br />
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Finally I had Tinsel help me chisel a beautiful Ice Sculpture of Daddy and I merrily wrapped it up and placed it under our Father’s Day tree by the fireplace. Well, you can probably guess what happened when he opened it. First he was drenched by the melted Present, then by my tears. I’d tried so hard to give him something special.<br />
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<a href="http://icevisions.com/holidays.html" target="_blank"><img alt="My ice sculpture of Daddy might have looked something like this one from Ice Visions, before it melted. :(" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y1Am2tDh6V0/VYnl5vkHXhI/AAAAAAAAA7U/totKYuiNc-g/s1600/santaicesculpture.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
But Daddy just smiled and said, “Ho, ho, ho. ’Tis all good, Candycane. I’m much happier giving gifts than receiving them.” Then he proved it by giving <i>me</i> a gift: a great big hug!<br />
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“You’re the best dad in the whole wide world,” I told him. And he said that hearing that was the best Father’s Day present ever. My dad rocks!<br />
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<span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Merry Half-Christmas, everyone!</span></span></span><br />
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<br />Candycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598991842857182000.post-57996761311926184782015-06-01T01:00:00.000-07:002015-06-01T01:00:05.092-07:00Top Ten Reasons We Miss LettermanAt numbers one through ten, the Top Ten things the North Pole misses about the <b>David Letterman</b> show are the annual performances of <a href="http://amzn.to/1LIzHUQ" target="_blank"><i>Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)</i> by <b>Darlene Love</b></a>.<br />
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<img alt="Darlene Love sings "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" with Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra on The Late Show with David Letterman" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KidaP2--blw/VWYDYPgoR0I/AAAAAAAAA6U/gIpU4uR4LfQ/s1600/darlenelove.jpg" title="" /></div>
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The first single and only original song from <a href="http://amzn.to/1Roi9RL" target="_blank">Phil Spector's 1963 Christmas album, <i>A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records</i></a>, initially failed to catch on, having been released on the same day as the <b>John F. Kennedy</b> assassination, kicking off one of the bleakest Christmas seasons in American history.<br />
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<img alt="President and Mrs. Kennedy in front of their Christmas tree in 1963" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9ksJQiVr1ew/VWYDhd9WoZI/AAAAAAAAA6c/NnQSf-GZlVM/s1600/kennedychristmastree_cropped.jpg" title="" /></div>
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Eventually, the song would be recognized as a classic thanks to <b>Paul Shaffer</b> bringing Ms. Love back every year since 1986 to revive the ditty on national television. Ranked the <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/the-greatest-rock-and-roll-christmas-songs-20101216" target="_blank">#1 Greatest Rock and Roll Christmas Song in 2010 by <i>Rolling Stone</i></a>, <i>Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)</i> has been covered by <a href="http://amzn.to/1cjpYIz" target="_blank"><b>U2</b></a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/1HwxZ5P" target="_blank"><b>Mariah Carey</b></a>, and, on the 2013 CMA Country Christmas special, by <b>Lucy Hale</b> from <i>Pretty Little Liars</i>.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jlJpxiDXnnk" width="400"></iframe><br /></div>
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Have a happy Wall of Sound!Candycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598991842857182000.post-61878216299159633202015-01-25T10:30:00.000-08:002015-04-06T23:19:13.425-07:00Yes, Virginia, Santa's Coming Back This Year<b>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</b><br />
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Santa's annual Christmas deliveries have become an eagerly anticipated annual tradition around the world. But one little girl is worried that Santa won't come back this year due to a mishap during his visit last year.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Ryqzck2f184" width="400"></iframe></div>
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When reached for comment at his home in the North Pole, <b>Santa Claus</b> said, "Ho, ho, ho. Of course I'm coming back this year!" A spokeself for Santa's Workshop announced earlier today that Santa has once again selected <b>December 25th</b>, exactly 11 months from today, as the date of his next visit. Experts recommend staying on Santa's Nice List until then, as Mr. Claus is expected to load lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh.<br />
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<i>William Hardy and Billy Moore wrote </i>Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney<i> in 1950. The song was originally recorded by jazz great Ella Fitzgerald. You can <a href="http://amzn.to/15HWdyW" target="_blank">download her version for just 69 cents at Amazon</a>.</i><br />
<br />Candycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598991842857182000.post-51833281009308583972015-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:002015-01-20T06:00:08.928-08:00Penguin Awareness DayJanuary 20th is <b>Penguin Awareness Day</b>!<br />
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Many astute readers of my book, <a href="http://amzn.to/1pwQQEI" target="_blank"><i>North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus</i></a>, have asked me how is is that my family has a penguin for a chef.<br />
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As everybody knows, penguins are found in Antarctica, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Peru, the Falkland Islands, and the Galapagos Islands -- NOT in the North Pole.<br />
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Well, it's a short story. Literally. Shortly after my book came out, I released a collection of short stories by some of my closest friends. Chefy's story of how he came to live in the North Pole is one of those. Here's a taste:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>The First Welcoming Feast</b> (Excerpt)</div>
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by Chefy</div>
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<i>An oral history of Chefy, as told to Candycane Claus.</i><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EZyShR7fdew/VL4BDZN0uaI/AAAAAAAAA5w/x1b89QZcYxg/s1600/penguin01bg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Chefy, the Claus family's penguin chef, from North Pole High. Penguin Awareness Day." border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EZyShR7fdew/VL4BDZN0uaI/AAAAAAAAA5w/x1b89QZcYxg/s1600/penguin01bg.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
My story? Why, thank you for asking. I am beyond flattered. Nobody here ever wishes to be regaled by my glorious tales from the south lands, much less comes straight out and requests to hear one.<br />
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Let me see. Where to begin? I was hatched by my father many, many years ago on the South Shetland Islands, where I developed an interest in cooking at an early age. I simply could not stomach my parents’ food preparation methods. You see, first they’d eat my meal themselves—to ensure it was not poisonous, they’d say—then regurgitate the already digested food into my beak. Now I ask you, is that any way for a young chick to enjoy the sumptuous taste of a fine kettle of fish?<br />
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Are you getting all of this? Please do let me know if I am going too fast.<br />
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Anyway, by the time my adult feathers came in, I had already invented a number of signature dishes out of little more than snow, ice, rocks, calling bird feathers, and magic algae from the floor of the sea. One day I waddled up to my parents and said, “Excuse me, please, but I have decided to be a chef.”<br />
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My older brother fell in the snow and rolled about, laughing.<br />
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“And just whom, pray tell, do you plan to chef for?” my mother nay-said, slurping a mollusk off her webbed foot. “Not everyone in the South Pole is a fussy eater like you. Most of us are fine with our food the way it comes.”<br />
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“If our baby wishes to spend his life wearing that funny hat and an apron,” my father began, in his grandest attempt to sound supportive, “what harm could it do?”<br />
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To show my commitment to my new occupation, I decided to change my name. “From now on, I want you all to call me <i>Chefy</i>.”<br />
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To my delightful surprise, they agreed to comply with this instruction, though that may have been more because my given penguin name, Ejarkthamaptonaraaliey Yennnnisferiptidognoman, was so difficult to pronounce. The ‘g’ is silent.<br />
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“And to answer your question, mother, it is my dream to one day cook an immense feast for His Honor, Mr. Claus.”<br />
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* * * * *</div>
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I guess it's not that short a story. If you want to learn the true story behind the South Pole Flying Seal Think Tank and the subsequent North and South Polar Trade Agreement and how it all led to my father discovering Chefy and bringing his talents to the North Pole, then celebrate Penguin Awareness Day with <i>North Pole High: Beginnings</i>, available at <a href="http://amzn.to/1pD2Bts" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940149056415" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a>, and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Candace_Jane_Kringle_North_Pole_High_Beginnings?id=gE7SAwAAQBAJ" target="_blank">Google Play</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/1pD2Bts" target="_blank"><img alt="North Pole High: Beginnings, a collection of short origin stories compiled and edited by Candace Jane Kringle, author of North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hmITJGzmmX8/UnRBR71qkeI/AAAAAAAAAa4/P20f6offkg0/s1600/nphbeginningscover300.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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<br />Candycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598991842857182000.post-68793381534561480512014-12-26T00:00:00.000-08:002014-12-26T00:00:03.422-08:00Christmastime is past...<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Christmastime is past.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Santa had a blast.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Girls and boys all got new toys.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Now sleep is here at last.</i></span></div>
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<img alt="Santa crashes after a long night of delivering toys." border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ul8iOvJDeno/VJovpZye5cI/AAAAAAAAA5g/8XHTvMUJyZc/s1600/sleepingsanta.jpg" title="" /></div>
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<br />Candycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598991842857182000.post-77809123259104823382014-12-24T12:25:00.000-08:002014-12-24T12:25:00.044-08:00Hang a Shining Star<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img alt="North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nYQ6gTgevYg/UrSQUnGXj1I/AAAAAAAAAmA/oxhTa-D869c/s1600/treenphbg400.jpg" title="" /></div>
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You can hang on shining star on Christmas for this year, because it's ON! Santa has left the Circle.<br />
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While watching the elves load up the sleigh, I noticed that a lot of you asked my dad to bring you my <a href="http://www.northpolehigh.com/p/press.html">critically acclaimed book</a>, <i>North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus</i>. I thank you for that, and I am super flattered.<br />
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<a href="http://www.northpolehigh.com/p/shop.html"><img alt="North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus - a memoir by Candace Jane Kringle (available in paperback and electronic editions from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Google Play)" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4UktpfzVEsw/UEjynz96xJI/AAAAAAAAADY/Gv4Av39ovoo/s1600/nphcover250.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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No matter what Daddy gives you this year, may it bring you <b>happiness</b> and <b>joy</b>. I wish you the merriest of Christmases and the happiest new year ever.<br />
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Remember to be Nice and my dad will bring you more goodies <b>next Christmas!</b><br />
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<i>Can't wait for next Christmas? If you find a device under your tree that lets you read electronic books, or a gift card in your stocking to an <a href="http://www.northpolehigh.com/p/shop.html">online retailer of ebooks</a>, you can visit the North Pole and jingle your bells any time of the year in the virtual pages of </i><a href="http://amzn.to/UJo5fy" target="_blank">North Pole High: A Rebel Without a Claus</a><i>.</i>Candycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598991842857182000.post-26330803425166872322014-12-22T09:00:00.000-08:002014-12-22T09:00:01.520-08:00The Great Scrooge-OffPoor Ebenezer. He's the guy you loved to hate, until he found his Christmas Spirit. So it seems like an oxymoron to be looking for the "best" Scrooge. But that is the question I pose to you now.<br />
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Here are my <b>five favorite Scrooges</b>:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Jim Carrey</b></span><br />
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<img alt="Grinch and Grinchier: Jim Carrey starred as The Grinch in 2000 and as Scrooge in 2009." border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lvOZACtNZC4/VJd-enNA-XI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/LpFV4vDSOHo/s1600/grinchcarreyscrooge.jpg" title="" /></div>
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Okay, this is one actor with some serious Christmas issues. First he played The Grinch in the 2000 live-action version of <i>How The Grinch Stole Christmas</i>. A mere nine years later, the <i>Dumb and Dumber</i> star bah-humbugged his way through Disney's motion-capture-animated version of <i>A Christmas Carol</i>. How many lumps of coal did this guy get from Santa anyway?<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Henry Winkler</b></span><br />
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<img alt="Hey, that's the Fonz, Henry Winkler, as the Scroogey Benedict Slade in AN AMERICAN CHRISTMAS CAROL (1979)." border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Th1qLoRYis0/VJeD50YVaII/AAAAAAAAA4g/kKKc3YkDOtg/s1600/fonziescrooge.jpg" title="" /></div>
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At the height of his Fonziness, Winkler brought Dickens' character stateside, renaming him Benedict Slade, for the 1979 TV movie <i>An American Christmas Carol</i>. More recently, the former Fonz has celebrated the season with appearances in the TV movies <i>Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh</i> on Nickelodeon and <i>The Most Wonderful Time of the Year</i> on Hallmark, both from 2008.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Michael Caine</b></span><br />
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<img alt="Holy Bah-Humbug! Batman's butler Michael Caine stars as Scrooge in 1992's THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL with Kermit the Frog." border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jK5nosXXNXA/VJeR4Jc6_II/AAAAAAAAA5I/eEFSRMt-5Ok/s1600/kermitalfredcainescrooge.jpg" title="" /></div>
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A two-time Academy Award winner and thrice Batman's butler, Sir Michael sang his bah-humbugs to Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and a trio of Muppety ghosts in the 1992 musical comedy <i>The Muppet Christmas Carol</i>. He was still pretty mean.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Scrooge McDuck</b></span><br />
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<img alt="Donald Duck's nephew, Scrooge McDuck, stars as his namesake and idol, Ebenezer Scrooge, in 1983's MICKEY'S CHRISTMAS CAROL" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CP9Dq1HrRGI/VJeOg1WOHmI/AAAAAAAAA48/uaT0S5-nFW4/s1600/scroogemcduck.png" title="" /></div>
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Talk about a method actor! Mr. McDuck modeled his whole life on his Dickensian namesake. The miserly duck first appeared in his nephew's comic book in 1947, eventually headlining his own series, <i>Uncle Scrooge</i>, beginning in 1952. But it wasn't until 1983 that he finally got to portray his "hero," Ebenezer Scrooge, on the big screen in the Oscar-nominated short <i>Mickey's Christmas Carol</i>.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Patrick Stewart</span></b><br />
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<img alt="Professor X (Patrick Stewart) is visited by the Android of Christmas Past in TNT's 1999 adaptation of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Make it so." border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-59uw6tVKl9M/VJeSg2Cx0RI/AAAAAAAAA5Q/vvmCDrGuNz8/s1600/datapicardscrooge.jpg" title="" /></div>
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Shakespearean actor and former Starfleet commander Jean-Luc "Patrick Stewart" Picard took the conn for TNT's 1999 adaptation of <i>A Christmas Carol</i> after creating a one-man stage show based on the novel that he performed on Broadway and in London. As convincing a portrayal as a holodeck simulation.<br />
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So there you have it. The Grinch, the Fonz, Batman's butler, Donald Duck's uncle, and Professor X have all gotten their Scrooge on. Still can't decide which is your favorite? You can <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/northpolehigh-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=12" target="">stream all these Scroogetacular performances (and more) at Amazon.com</a>.<br />
<br />Candycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598991842857182000.post-3471694880749066592014-12-20T10:00:00.000-08:002014-12-20T10:00:02.412-08:00Waiting for the Man with the Bag<b>BREAKING NEWS:</b> Christmas is coming, <i>again</i>.<br />
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I know, I know. You're all waiting for the man with bag. He's coming. I promise. I should know. He's my dad. Like the song says, old Mr. Kringle is soon gonna jingle all your trebles away.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7Z8FGZ4dMFY?rel=0" width="400"></iframe></div>
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This swingin' jingle was first made famous by jazz singer Kay Starr in 1950. More recently, Boston University's student <i>a cappella</i> ensemble, <a href="http://butreblemakers.weebly.com/" target="_blank"><b>The Treblemakers</b></a>, performed their festive rendition as part of BU's Holiday Harmonies series. Enjoy!<br />
<br />Candycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598991842857182000.post-29730315152430145902014-12-19T12:25:00.000-08:002014-12-19T12:25:00.137-08:00North Pole SwapHere's a super fun Christmassy way to while away the hours while waiting for Santa to visit you.<br />
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/north-pole-swap/id932232239?mt=8" target="_blank"><img alt="Property of North Pole High sticker (icon for North Pole Swap game app)" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-orWuztWmkSM/VJSAFa5NloI/AAAAAAAAA34/c0dgc5bZlNc/s1600/npswapicon.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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<b>North Pole Swap</b> is a match-three game for iOS with Christmas trees, candy canes, Santa hats, and even North Pole High stickers!<br />
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/north-pole-swap/id932232239?mt=8" target="_blank"><img alt="iPhone screenshot of North Pole Swap match-three game for iOS, by Weston B. of Weston's Wacky World" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uNiH1buGNNw/VJSAVrNyG-I/AAAAAAAAA4A/6Oxz-5fr42Y/s1600/npswapiphonescreenshot.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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Created by 13-year-old elf-in-training <b>Weston B.</b> of <a href="http://westonswackyworld.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Weston's Wacky World</a>, this cool app is available right now in the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/north-pole-swap/id932232239?mt=8" target="_blank">iTunes app store</a>. Just in time for Christmas! Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!<br />
<br />Candycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598991842857182000.post-77577255952056057082014-12-18T13:00:00.001-08:002014-12-18T13:00:28.625-08:00Soon It Will Be Christmas DayLords-a-leaping! We're just one week away from the most wonderful day of the year!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>In the air, there's a feeling of Christmas.</i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Even stoplights blink a bright red and green.</i></span></span></div>
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Those lyrics are from the song "<b>Silver Bells</b>," written for the 1951 film <i>The Lemon Drop Kid</i>.<br />
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<b>Bob Hope</b> must pay his gambling debts to gangsters by Christmas Eve, or else. He tries to raise the money by dressing as a streetcorner Santa collecting "donations," then opens an illegal casino to scam more loot from little old ladies. That may not sound very wholesome, but he manages to stay off Santa's Naughty List by introducing us to this classic song:<br />
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Released during the extended holiday season in March of 1951, the movie co-stars <b>Marilyn Maxwell</b>, who joins Hope in singing about silver bells, Christmas time in the city, and Santa's big scene.<br />
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Yes, Virginia, very soon it will be Christmas Day!Candycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598991842857182000.post-48278814046889901412014-12-10T07:30:00.000-08:002014-12-10T07:30:01.537-08:00Christmas at the White HouseSo, a beautiful Christmas tree arrived at the White House this year promptly on the day after Thanksgiving.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/0-2iaS7O0I8?rel=0" width="400"></iframe></div>
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I hope Bo and Sunny aren't thinking what I think they're thinking.<br />
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A week later, <b>Mrs. Obama</b> welcomed children from Santa's Really Nice List to see the decorations for her "favorite time of year" and have some delicious milk and cookies.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/8t_ogBgrRVM?rel=0" width="400"></iframe></div>
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The following night, the president lit up the beautiful <b>National Christmas Tree</b>, then his wife led a spirited reading of one of the best poems ever written, "A Visit from St. Nicholas," by Clement Clarke Moore.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/nhcrt5QuPic?rel=0" width="400"></iframe></div>
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Does all this national merriment mean the <b>War on Christmas</b> is over? Only Grinchy O'Reilly can say for sure.<br />
Candycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598991842857182000.post-70435396212187486382014-12-07T10:00:00.000-08:002014-12-07T10:00:01.689-08:00Santa Gets Some HelpAmerican talk show host Jimmy Kimmel knows how busy Santa is, so he and his sidekick decided to help out and take care of some of that double-checking Santa always has to do with his Naughty and Nice Lists.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/4JSdsEvQuoM?rel=0" width="400"></iframe></div>
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Santa truly appreciates Jimmy's assistance. This saved him a lot of time.<br />
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And here's a brand new Christmas song that tells the true story of how Santa started the tradition of giving coal to children on the Naughty List and what you can do with the filthy lump if you get one. Jimmy calls "Joel, the Lump of Coal" by <b>The Killers</b> "the greatest holiday song ever recorded by non-chipmunks."<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/3WQl0K_qSsE?rel=0" width="400"></iframe></div>
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I'm lobbying to get this song added to the caroling curriculum at North Pole High.<br />
<br />Candycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8598991842857182000.post-19692886597268916672014-12-05T08:30:00.000-08:002014-12-05T08:30:01.417-08:00Everything's Coming Up Candy CanesWith less than <b>three weeks</b> till the Big Day, things are pretty crazy up here at the North Pole.<br />
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I'm happy to see so many people are picking up my book to read on their Kindles or stuff into someone's stocking. I hope you enjoy it.<br />
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<b>Guest Blog Post</b><br />
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<a href="https://writevault.com/blog/guest-writers-artists/the-importance-of-using-a-professional-editor-when-self-publishing-your-novel/" target="_blank"><img alt="https://writevault.com/blog/guest-writers-artists/the-importance-of-using-a-professional-editor-when-self-publishing-your-novel/" border="0" src="https://writevault.com/images/logo_official_top.png" /></a></div>
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I don't normally write about writing here, but if you're curious about how I approach my authorial craft, you might enjoy a <a href="https://writevault.com/blog/guest-writers-artists/the-importance-of-using-a-professional-editor-when-self-publishing-your-novel/" target="_blank">guest post I contributed to WriteVault.com</a> about my experiences working with a <a href="http://www.maloneeditorial.com/" target="_blank">brilliant editor</a>. Write Vault is a great service for independent writers to protect their intellectual property.<br />
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<b>Merry Thank Yous</b><br />
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I'm sending big candy cane hugs to all the great websites that have recommend my book while it's on sale. If you're always on the lookout for free or bargain-priced ebooks, check out these fantastic sites and subscribe to their free newsletters, then follow them on Twitter and Facebook!<br />
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<a href="http://www.ebooksoda.com/ebook-deals/north-pole-high-a-rebel-without-a-claus-by-candace-jane-kringle" target="_blank"><img alt="eBookSoda - Get daily ebook deals tailored to your taste." border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bM-CLrhV7vs/VIDHety53FI/AAAAAAAAA28/bbVZyeI1TFc/s1600/ebooksoda_animated.gif" title="" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bargainbooksy.com/blog/2014/11/26/young-adult-deals-perfect-for-everyones-tastes" target="_blank"><img alt="Bargain Booksy: Best-Selling Books at Bargain Prices" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uBXUE0thqqE/VIDKAeL8oeI/AAAAAAAAA3I/boJMtQCSQBs/s1600/barbainbooksy.png" title="" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bookgoodieskids.com/gift-guide-north-pole-high-a-rebel-without-a-claus-by-candace-jane-kringle/" target="_blank"><img alt="Book Goodies Kids - Find cool new books for youngsters and teens up to 16." border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MomZfHv9XAc/VIE8-V_hKuI/AAAAAAAAA3k/RKdJPBqSKRA/s1600/goodieskids.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://fkbooksandtips.com/2014/12/02/free-discounted-kindle-book-offers-436/" target="_blank"><img alt="Free & Discounted Kindle Book Offers from Free Kindle Books & Tips" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yp0HCtkH7qE/VIE7wgPzqPI/AAAAAAAAA3Y/jrKdcF8G7oA/s1600/fkb.png" title="" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Weather Report for Denver, Colorado:</b></span><br />
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Looks like it's going to be raining <b>CANDY CANES</b>!</div>
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<a href="http://www.hammondscandies.com/candycanefestival/index_copy.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Hammond's Candies 13th Annual Candy Cane Festival, December 12-13, in Denver, Colorado. Free." border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f_heSMybbMY/VIAGVpIq7ZI/AAAAAAAAA2s/QZv7fuet4Hg/s1600/candycanefestival2014.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
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Hammond's Candies is having a <a href="http://www.hammondscandies.com/candycanefestival/index_copy.html" target="_blank">Candy Cane Festival</a> this December 12th and 13th. Is this in my honor? I'm flattered. Here's a video from last year's super sweet mile-high Christmaspalooza:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/0OWQgAexzUs?rel=0" width="400"></iframe></div>
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Both my dad <i>and</i> my mom made an appearance. How cool is that?Candycane Claushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885561287660382489noreply@blogger.com0