Rock Band Christmas, But Not at My House

The kids are showing off their Rock Band instruments that go with their new Xbox. Thanksfully, Santa knew enough to bring it to their mom’s house, rather than mine.

Extreme Caroling Association

Extreme Caroling Association from RMI Direct Marketing, Inc. on Vimeo.

This video shows what it’s like to work in an office with a competitive caroling team. Great if you’re on the team, but if you’re not…

Holidays at Edge Office

Last night I was at Edge Office, an office furniture store and co-working site, taking some pictures of the lights, decorations, and other things. Here are some more on Flickr.

Web 2.0 Holiday Card

Why bother ordering cards, addressing the envelopes and buying stamps, when you can create a family video and post it on YouTube, like my friend Jon did? All you have to do is email a link to your contacts.

Claus

Palm updates Santa and makes him hip to the sounds of a cover of RUN DMC’s holiday classic. From Ad Age blog, Songs for Soap:

For an integrated campaign for the Palm Centro, Seattle-based agency Creature recruited Rondo Brothers, a Bay-area duo with as many remix credits as they have ad soundtrack credits, who provided a remixed Santa Claus with a suitably remixed soundtrack. Said track, “Claus Anthem,” features rapper Motion Man, who stays pretty close to the original lyrics while ad-libbing some of this own ambient memories into the mix. He doesn’t have the same joie de vivre, but who ever did?

Only US-Made Toys for Jack and Emma

from WRAL (AP):

The wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards said she had a hard time tracking down gifts made in the U.S. after she and her husband promised to avoid putting Chinese-made toys under their Christmas tree this year.

“My kids will not have toys coming from China,” John Edwards said during a Democratic presidential debate Dec. 4.

After making the no-Chinese toys pledge during the debate, the former North Carolina senator told the AP he had to check with home. “Of course, I immediately had to come out and get on the phone with Elizabeth and say, ‘We’re not. I’m right about this, right?’”

The Edwardses decided not to buy Chinese-made toys after millions were recalled this year for containing high levels of lead – a tough task given that roughly 80 percent of U.S. playthings are made in China.

The Edwards campaign said Elizabeth Edwards did find U.S.-made toys but would not get into the specifics as not to spoil anyone’s gifts.

“We were careful to read the labels on everything we picked up, from toys and books to puzzles and dolls,” Mrs. Edwards said in an e-mail response sent to the AP from the campaign.

She said she shopped online (“a blessing for anyone campaigning up until Christmas”) and used toy-rating Web sites as her guide. She bought most of the children’s items at local stores in North Carolina, she said.

“Even at the local toy stores, it was incredibly time-consuming to find anything made in the United States, particularly among the highly advertised toys on so many children’s lists,” she said.

Their younger children, Emma Claire, 9, and Jack, 7, are making presents for family and friends.

Quotable Grace

While watching The Polar Express, Grace uttered, after seeing Santa’s elves for the first time, “I thought they had brown pants.”

Christmas Pageant

Peter the Wiseman and Grace the Shepard

Karaoke Holiday Party

Our office holiday party is traditionally held at a dive bar, and this year was no exception. The main activity is mandatory Karaoke, just like last year. We made some improvements over last year, including circulating a song list before the party and projecting the lyrics on the big screen.

The song selection was all 1970s and I chose “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” by Jim Croce. This was a 45 that I had as a kid. It didn’t mean I knew the words though. I donned a large afro and “channeled Bill Murray” my way through the song. I didn’t quite get boos, but there was a general consensus that I was bad. I never claimed to be able to sing, and at least I made it entertaining.

The winning group performed “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. It was only slightly inspired by Wayne’s World.