I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

Have you looked at a calendar today? There's nothing significant about October 25th, except that I find myself thinking about how Christmas is only two months away. You know when people talk about the metaphorical "happy place"? Mine is Christmas. It's two months until Christmas, and Christmas is already on my mind. Before you start thinking I'm crazy, it's not like Christmas is all I'm thinking about. Every once in a while, my mind just wanders to this place.

I start thinking about how great it would be to throw a small Christmas party for friends and family. Just a small group around a Christmas tree, playing board games, having a great time simply being in each others company. Sometimes I start thinking about my favorite Christmas TV specials and movies. They all represent what I love best about the Christmas season.

When I was a kid I got excited about Christmas because of toys and all of the excitement of the season. Christmas is kind of a playground as a kid. Now I love the season because it represents three of my favorite things: Jesus, family, and giving. Is it strange that at different points in the year I yearn for the lights of a Christmas tree? Probably, but really what I'm yearning for is the time of year when Jesus, family, and giving are actually considered a norm. If you ask me, it's a little strange that those things are not more present throughout the rest of the year.

P.S.
This whole post was written while listening to Vince Guaraldi's instrumental version of O Tannenbaum from the A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack. The jazzy sound of the piano playing that song always catches my ear in the scene where Charlie Brown goes to find a Christmas tree.

The Hook Episode: Psych

Psych was actually on for many seasons before I started watching it. My friend who watches the show asked me if I had any interest in seeing the show, and one Christmas bought me the first few seasons of Psych. Ever since I have been hooked on the show. Aren't generous friends the best?

The episode that I picked as the hook episode for Psych is the 15th episode of the 1st season, "Scary Sherry: Bianca's Toast." That last part of the episode title is a slightly morbid play on words that you will understand when you watch the episode. In this episode Shawn and Gus are tasked with helping Juliet solve the supposed suicide of a young girl on Halloween night, by investigating her sorority sisters who believe they are being haunted by the urban legend "Scary Sherry." In a side story, Lassiter has to work with a rookie detective who turns out to be anything but what he expected. 

There's nothing worse than a Halloween episode of a show that has nothing to do with Halloween. This episode of Psych really commits to the format. The urban legend of Scary Sherry is treated just seriously enough to make it seem spooky, but there's also a very real case for the gang to solve. Kind of like a Scooby Doo episode, but wittier and there aren't any stoned people driving around in a van. The reason I think this is a hook episode is because it is one of the first examples of how committed Psych gets to an out of the box theme. Also, this episode features one of the best scenes of Shawn and Gus freaking out in the entire series. That alone is a sight to see. Watch this episode with your friends this Halloween and get hooked on Psych. 

The Hook Episode: New Girl

Preface: This is the first in a series of posts I will be writing on the topic of what I like to call the "hook episode." The hook episode is the episode of a show that you would recommend to someone if you were trying to get them hooked on the show. For the most part these episodes will be early on in the run of the series, but there will be some exceptions. 

New Girl is one of the most well written sitcoms currently on air. Early on in the first season of the show, a lot of people were critical of whether or not the show would last. There were questions about whether or not Zooey Deschanel would be able to carry the show, and whether or not the characters would have the right chemistry. It did not take long for this show to hook me, however.

The episode of the show that I picked for the hook episode is episode 5 of season 1, "Cece Crashes." In this episode, Cece, Jess' best friend, has to stay in the loft for a few days throwing off the entire dynamic that Jess has formed with her loft-mates. The reason I picked this episode is because it is one of the first episodes that is laugh out loud hilarious, and it sets up many vital character dynamics that are still a main part of the show today. "Cece Crashes" is the first episode to ask if Jess has feelings for Nick. Watching Jess irrationally try to deny her feelings, unbeknownst to Nick, was the first taste of how funny the show could be. This is also the episode that introduces the idea that Schmidt and Cece could possibly have romantic feelings for one another. The end of the episode in which Cece shows openness and compassion toward Schmidt was a first glimpse into the charm and character the show has. After seeing this episode, I remember thinking that this was a show I wanted to stick with.