Christmas 2024 Stuff
I have been writing a blog for the last four year (The Wargame Explorer) and every year I do a "Best Christmas Gifts of the Year" post. But this year the blog is dead (a story you can read about here) and I don't have any wargaming gift ideas to give you.
(You really should have finished your Christmas shopping by now anyway, because it's 4:02pm on December 8th. Get with the program.)
Anyway, I decided that I should do one of these year-end round-up posts that applies not to wargaming but just to my general life. Like, "if you like Robison Wells, then you'll like these Christmas gifts!" I know you're not that boring, but it's good framing for a Sunday post.
2024 Robison Wells Christmas Stuff
#1. The Bells of Dublin, by The Chieftains
This has been my favorite Christmas album since high school. It's Irish folk music, and it's phenomenal. The Chieftains are well=known for being great, and for collaborating with other great people (in this case people like Elvis Costello and Jackson Browne), and it's all come out in this excellent album. My favorite Christmas song of all time comes from this album ("Once in Royal David's City" which is a hymn I've sung in church a million times but never liked like it is on this album.) There's a remarkable folk medley ("The Wren! The Wren!"), and there's a whole lotta remarkable other songs like "The Rebel Jesus", "Don Oíche Úd i mBeithil", and "Past Three O'Clock." It's all great. Listen to it whereever you get your music.
#2. The Feast of St. Francis Xavier
I am not Catholic, but I enjoy the many feast days that are associated with Catholic saints--I think they're a fun way to go through December. My favorite is December 3rd, the Feast of St. Francis Xavier, because a long time ago I found this great recipe for Pollo a la Vasca (Basque Chicken, which I assume relates to St. Francis Xavier.) We actually may this a little differently from the original recipe, as we use chicken cutlets instead of fryers, and we serve it over gnocchi. It's the best.
#3. Stormcast Eternals
Surprise! You get a little bit of wargaming in here even though you weren't asking for it.
I have never played much Age of Sigmar (one of the fantasy variants of Warhammer) but I have liked Skaven--the rat men--since I saw them in a store window thirty years ago, so when the Skaventider boxed set (also known as Age of Sigmar third edition) was released this summer, I was thrilled to get a box of Skaven. What surprised me, though, is how much I actually like the Stormcast Eternals, the poster boys of AOS. I have owned them before and never liked them, but I am going all-in on Stormcast now.
Honestly--and I think this may be pathetic--but I think I like them because they're just so big and my eyes are getting worse with age. They're easier to paint than the Skaven, and I just think they look neat. They've been made fun of since AOS first appeared seven years ago as Sigmarines (the Sigmar equivalent of Space Marines) and, you know, I kinda like that????
#4. Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
Some people argue about whether or not Muppet Christmas Carol is the best Christmas Carol, but what never gets discussed is that Christmas Eve on Sesame Street is the best Muppet Christmas show, period. It goes like this:
Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
Muppet Christmas Carol
Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas
Muppet Family Christmas
John Denver Christmas
(I was also recently reminded that The Christmas Toy exists, but I haven't seen it since I was a kid, so I can't rate it.)
Anyway, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street is Muppets at their finest: 1978 Muppets, so Jim Henson is going strong, and it has both the subversive humor that classic Muppets has, but also the earnestness of Sesame Street at its authentic best. The Kermit interviews with kids, asking them how big fat Santa can get down little chimneys, is amazing. The Gift of the Maji with Bert and Ernie and Mr. Hooper is amazing. The completely earnest "Keep Christmas With You", sung with ASL by Bob and Linda and the kids, is amazing. It's just amazing. Watch it.
#5. This Shortbread Advent Calendar
I like doing things that make Christmas last the whole month, and part of that is advent calendars. I got my wife this Walker's Shortbread Advent Calendar. We like Scotland, and we like shortbread, and when we were in Scotland two years ago I was happy to see that Walker's shortbread, which is available here in the US, is also a big deal there. It's not the BEST shortbread we had in Scotland, but at least it's authentic.
#6. Good Mental Health
Have I mentioned that I have good mental health now? Well, it comes and goes, but right now it's pretty good! (I've written about the improvement here and here.) I cannot properly express how remarkable it is to have good mental health for the first time in three years. (I have had schizophrenia for fourteen years, but this damned depression really hit three years ago, and the solution we found this autumn has been the best solution yet. It's really great.)
Anyway, I encourage you all to have good mental health. (The solution, if you want spoilers, is super boring: the right meds plus therapy.)
#7. Cardigans
I love the winter (and the fall and the spring) because I get to wear sweaters, and every year I buy new sweaters. This year I bought a new cardigan (it's for old people! I'm old!) and I loved it so much that I went back and bought three more of the same cardigan in different colors (because I'm old! I buy my sweaters in bulk!) Anyway, it's nothing special. It's a no-name brand on Amazon. You can find it here and dress like me!
#8. Krista Jensen's books
Look, I'm a bad friend. Krista and I have been buddies for fifteen years and when I got back into writing this year I needed a critique group and didn't have one, and I asked Krista to read it and she did! And she asked me to read her book and I am reading it, but I haven't finished it (hence why I'm a bad friend). Her book is super good, but you can't read it right now because it's not published. But she wrote a whole book about Christmas! Miracle Creek Christmas! I read this one back when we were critiquing several years ago and it's great. Krista is neat. Buy her books.
#9. Massaman Curry
My wife and I love Thai food, and the best Thai in my city is... very small. Good, but small. Consequently they only have three curry options (they really only have two options, because they only make Panang on the weekends). But what they have is very good, and I love it. My favorite Thai curry is green curry, which they don't have, but they do have Massaman, which is excellent. It has really been the once-a-week staple to get us through this fall, and I love it. Curry, in all its forms, is comfort food.
And, that's about all I have for this year. I love Christmas, and I love this Christmas. (Would it be shocking to say that despite all of this we haven't even put up our Christmas decorations this year? We're the worst! Anyway, it's great.)
