Baby “Jesus” Gets to Experience a Modern Christmas

Posted on December 14, 2025 by cdsmiller17

Man vs Baby (2025)

The premise is preposterous, but this Netflix series of 4 episodes is fun. Rowen Atkinson has evolved his Mr. Bean persona into a more mature, thoughtful individual, named Trevor Bingley.

After the chaos of Man vs. Bee, Trevor Bingley has taken a quieter job as a school caretaker. A lucrative Christmas penthouse gig lures him back — and when no one collects the Baby Jesus from the school nativity, Trevor finds himself with an unexpected companion over the holidays.

Wikipedia

The Spirit of Christmas is all over this show. There are ultra-rich penthouse owners, and down-and-outs with a baby squatting in the building’s basement. There are overworked civil servants, and others who are jetting off to foreign climes. Trevor makes the impossibly huge Christmas dinner, and when the penthouse owners don’t show up on Christmas, he invites waifs and strays in to share the bounty.

This final look happens when the penthouse owners arrive after all. You can imagine the rest.

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How to Fake It When You Can’t Make It @ Christmas

Posted on December 13, 2025 by cdsmiller17

Joy to the World (2025)

No, this is not a Hallmark movie. The false front of the perfect Christmas dinner with the perfect family is what this film is lampooning. But it’s not funny. It’s not even perfectly pathetic, because nobody likes a fake and a fraud. It felt uncomfortable for me from beginning to end. I wouldn’t recommend it to you.

This was filmed in and around Toronto. Just sayin’.

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It’s an Indictment of Modern Politics from the Past

Posted on December 13, 2025 by cdsmiller17

I suspect those who practice political spin are beginning to learn this lesson every day of the week.

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Two Robbin’ Hoods in Santa Outfits?

Posted on December 12, 2025 by cdsmiller17

Jingle Bell Heist (2025)

This is a Christmas film with a twist: two individuals join forces to pay back a corrupt store owner.

Don’t expect great acting or a too-clever story line. They get caught but the store owner gets arrested, instead. You’ll have to see it to believe it. Merry Christmas, folks.

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A “Reverse Mrs. Doubtfire”? No, Not Really

Posted on December 11, 2025 by cdsmiller17

My Secret Santa (2025)

A bit of a fluffy snowflake, this one. The suspension of belief helps, but it also interferes with the enjoyment of the two main stars interacting. (And this was filmed in Kamloops, BC, last February.)

To see how Alexandra Breckanridge looks as Santa Claus, check this out:

You’d think that Ryan Eggold’s character would have recognized her eyes. And she even left her unicorn chap stick behind, after their ‘date’ abruptly ended. But even though he picked it up, he didn’t pick up the clue that went with it. (I think the script let the side down, really.) Literally, he fell in love with Santa.

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Can Astrology Explain Why?

Posted on December 10, 2025 by cdsmiller17

The Polar Express (October 13, 2004)

I knew something was up with this film. Taking its premiere date yielded this event chart:

There are two inconjuncts: one linking Venus and Neptune (my love of mystery); the other linking Jupiter and Uranus (my ‘rulers’). In the corner of my mind’s eye, I see Pluto in the Sagittarius 7th House.

When compared with my birth chart, the connections are clear (at least to me). The event Pluto is just over 1° from my Ascendant. The event Mars is about 1° from my Mars/South Node conjunction. The event Neptune is conjunct my natal Jupiter. The event Saturn is opposite my natal Mercury. And, lastly, the event Sun/Moon conjunction is conjunct my natal Neptune. Hmm.

So, that’s why The Polar Express is my favourite Christmas movie. Mystery solved.

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Why, to the North Pole, of course! This is…

Posted on December 10, 2025 by cdsmiller17

The Polar Express (2004)

This film was on the CBC, again, last night. It has become our perennial favourite.

Because it was originally produced as a 3D movie, there are a lot of precipitous rides involved. Even when viewed ordinarily, it makes for an adventure park experience. The unnamed Hero Boy, who started the journey as a doubter, ends up becoming a believer for the rest of his life.

In theatrical terms, that final 5 minutes to midnight lasted nearly the whole film, which demonstrates the timelessness of the storytelling. It also proves it was a vivid dream, one not easily forgotten.

Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.

IMDb

Our Hero needed the meaning of Christmas to work its magic on him.

Santa Claus: This bell is a wonderful symbol of the spirit of Christmas – as am I. Just remember, the true spirit of Christmas lies in your heart.

Ibid

Amen.

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Grasping at Historical Straws?

Posted on December 9, 2025 by cdsmiller17

Moses and Akhenaten

We are at the mercy of historical “experts”. They look for the obvious links between individuals from four thousand years ago. Akhenaten was the pharaoh who changed Egyptian religion from multiple gods to One God. Unfortunately, his life story took place about 100 years after the biblical Exodus. How do we know this? There’s an inscription on a rock that relates those ‘miraculous’ events to 1446 BCE.

Conflation may be the explanation, but so often we hope that some things are true, even when they cannot be, logically. Wishful thinking, yet again. It’s the equivalent of saying that Lincoln and Kennedy are the same person. In reality, these individuals were echoes in time.

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There’s a Lot of Sleight-of-Hand Going On

Posted on December 9, 2025 by cdsmiller17

Trump’s Epstein Deflection

Will it work? Maybe. Turning on defenceless fishing boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean has diverted attention away from the Epstein files. The idea that war crimes are being committed has become the next big thing. That’s Trump’s method of (hopefully) burying yesterday’s news.

:Hmm.

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Let’s Stop for a Moment and Consider the Implications

Posted on December 8, 2025 by cdsmiller17

Ego

We are watching a situation in the United States where one man’s ego is seemingly totally out of control.

If his ego is telling him that everyone is out to get him, then his reaction is to attack first to ward off the attack. He wants to be King in the story of his life; others want him to stop. Which side will win?

Hmm.

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