Christmas Links #10

How a small theater in Amsterdam became the most influential American comedy factory you’ve never heard of:
"It’s late 1997. Seth Meyers is not yet Seth Meyers, but you can see the outlines of him in the skinny 23-year-old onstage at a scruffy Amsterdam theater. In a white button-down, dress pants, and a dark tie, with his hair pulled back tightly into a small ponytail, he looks a bit like a high-schooler whose parents made him dress up nice for Dad’s company Christmas party. Two-hundred-odd people are clustered at tables, eating, drinking, chatting, and not quite paying attention as Meyers strides to center stage." [Editor's note: Blimey. I saw Boom Chicago at the Edinburgh Festival in 1998 so it's entirely possible that Meyers was part of the group back then.]

Lost Muppet Christmas Carol song rediscovered:
"A lost song cut from the original The Muppet Christmas Carol movie has been found and reinstated, director Brian Henson has revealed."

NPR's A Jazz Piano Christmas 2020:
"This year's edition of A Jazz Piano Christmas almost didn't happen."

Boyfriend’s Crumbling Mess Of A Life Provides Woman With Rich Array Of Christmas Gift Ideas:
"Marveling at the veritable bonanza of choices offered by his current situation, local woman Alessa Harding revealed Wednesday that the crumbling mess of her boyfriend Tom Etheridge’s life provided her with a rich array of Christmas gift ideas."

Why Icelandic Yule Lad Are You?
"Take our quiz and find out which Icelandic Yule Lad matches your personality!"

Scrooge on a Screen Just Can’t Be the Same:
"The joy of “A Christmas Carol” isn’t merely the story; it’s the ritual of communion and reflection with family and fans. This year that’s not possible."

45 Fun and Festive Christmas Starters That Serve 2 People:
"The best part about Christmas dinner is the snacks beforehand, and if that statement is wrong, we don't want to be right."

TV’s gay Christmas movies are as benign, charming and cliche as we always hoped they’d be:
"In olden times, the people behind the so-called gay agenda wanted nothing more than what everyone else already had: marriage, kids, suburban bliss, job security and equal access to all the benignly merry things in life. Some in the LGBTQ sphere fretted that this wish list, once granted, strips away some of the qualities that set us uniquely apart. What happens to the innovation, the rebelliousness, the tawdry fun that can only come from living on society’s fringe? Does getting all the basic things make us too . . . basic?"

Various Cassette Tapes:
"A collection of digitized commercial and amateur mixtapes recorded on cassette format, dating over the last 30 years."

22 Details From Kids Christmas Movies That You Won't Believe You Missed:
"They gave us Easter eggs in Christmas movies."