Christmas trees under $100 | Roundup of best Target, Kmart
Kmart mum makes space saving Christmas tree for tiny
Christmas Trees | Buy Pre-lit & White Christmas - Kmart
Mum's Kmart Christmas tree hack saving toddler parents on
Christmas Ornaments | Tree Ornaments - Kmart
This mum’s Christmas Kmart hack is next level | Better
Invisible Christmas tree: Kmart mums lose their minds over
$12 Kmart Christmas tree hack | Better Homes and Gardens
Christmas Trees | Artificial Christmas Trees - Kmart
kmart christmas tree small
kmart christmas tree small - win
X-MAS '88
I was nine. It was Christmas eve, 1988 and my family's Christmas eve party was winding down. My grandma was digging through the remnants of boxes, bows and wrapping papers from our family's white elephant gift exchange to see what she could salvage for next year and my Mother and Aunt were laughing and trading stories of holidays past. My two older half-sisters, Sherry and Penny, who were adults at the time, being eighteen and twenty years older than me, were picking over the leftovers on the dining room table. I was sitting near the back of Christmas tree where three gifts with my name on them remained. These were from my mom and grandma and as it was tradition that I could open only one gift before bedtime on Christmas eve, the rest I had to wait and open with my "Santa gifts" on Christmas morning. I assessed the three packages for some time before making my selection. It was nearing midnight, I had to be in bed soon so decided to just pick the biggest because it had weight and didn't sound like clothes when I shook it. When my mom said it was time, I eagerly unwrapped the gift. At my Grandma's unspoken request, I was careful not to rip the paper or mess up the bow, and set them aside as my gift was revealed. It was a telescope. It wasn't a high quality "count the rings of Saturn" type though, it was small, mostly made of plastic and still had the $14.99 price sticker on the box. I was gracious though I was not impressed, though not because of the quality, I didn't know the difference between a nice telescope and a cheap toy one because I simply had no interest in its function and even if I was interested in what it did, the simple assembly required to make it work exceeded the grasp of my exceptionally short attention span. Now, my sister Sherry is the oldest, and to me back then, she was like a bossy hall monitor. She had no real authority but that didn't stop her from trying to run everything. I'm forty-one now and she is sixty-one and seriously, not much has changed in that aspect. My other sister Penny is just two years younger than Sherry, so she would have been twenty-nine at the time. She was different. A combination of unattended schizophrenia and drug abuse made her the wild card, meaning you never knew what you were going to get with her. On this night she had managed to maintain a level of normalcy, and a jovial mood, though under any circumstance at that time and regardless of her behavior, her personality seemed more comparable to mine rather than to any of the adults in the room. Penny took an enthusiastic interest in my new gift and asked if we could go out back and test it out. I agreed knowing that my compliance would afford me a bit more time before I had to go to bed and being a child on the night before Christmas, I was naturally restless. Penny and I ascended onto the back porch and in no time at all, my sister had the telescope assembled and in position for celestial exploration. It took her a bit longer to find a point of focus and adjust all the little knobs for optimal viewing so while she was occupied with that, my attention was drawn to the icicles that had formed on the awning, and the dogs water bowl that had turned to solid ice. Being a Texan, this isn't generally common, even for December. Though it isn't generally uncommon. Our winters are short, and much like my eccentric sister, you never know what you're going to get when it arrives. I feel the need to preface this next part of the story with two very important points. First, I need to say that my memory of this incident, however perplexing is as clear and as vivid to me now as the very night it occurred so this is a true and accurate account. Secondly, this entire event lasted no more than a minute and while I must describe these events in succession, many of them occurred all at once. I had just taken off my mittens so I could utilize the full function of my hands and fingers for grasping when I heard Penny exclaim in amusement, "Whoa, Cool!". Still having no interest at all in star gazing and far more focused on trying to retrieve the perfect icicle from the awning using a garden hoe, I didn't even look up from what I was doing, figuring she had managed to find something bright to look at and that just meant I had a bit more time to spend on trying to dislodge the big beautiful icicle before it melted. Then, it occurred to me that the icicle was definitely melting and quite rapidly, when just moments before it was still in the process of forming. Now its dripping like a leaky faucet and what was even stranger, was that all this water was dripping around me yet it made no sound. In fact, nothing made a sound; not the water or the wind or the highway in the distance, not even my sister tinkering with that telescope. Then the dripping slowed, and I don't mean that in the sense that there was more time between each drop, but rather the droplets were taking longer to fall to the ground. Confused, I immediately looked over at my sister and found her standing upright, not bent over, peering into the telescope, but staring out into the yard. I turned to match her gaze, and what I saw completely eluded the grasp of my nine-year-old comprehension. Hovering a mere four feet above my backyard fence was an almond shaped capsule about the size of a pontoon boat. It was a metallic color like chrome with no discernable crevasses, no windows, no doors. It was completely flush and even though it had no fixtures for light to shine from, the area around it was completely illuminated as light reflected off of millions of water droplets now suspended in midair. I was struck with fear and confusion as I broke my gaze just long enough to look over at my sister, searching for some sort of sign as to what this thing was, and if we were in any danger. Penny looked over at me, grinning from ear to ear, "Cindy Boo, it's a UFO!" I didn't hear her say it, and her lips didn't move, but that's what she said. We both looked back at the object and it tilted slightly downward. At this angle it appeared to be spinning as a flash of iridescent lights made one complete rotation around its exterior then in a split second it shot straight up and disappeared into the night sky. Darkness resumed along with all the sounds of the night and the crisp chill of the air. I stood dumbfounded, amazed, and terrified by what I’d just experienced, while at the same time, I felt relief that it was over and excited. I didn’t know whether to run away or cry or laugh. I looked over at my sister, wanting to run to her but still frozen to the place I stood, as if all of my cognitive resources were occupied, trying to process everything and I was momentarily unable to communicate movement to my legs. Penny was clearly not frightened by what we had just witnessed, she seemed just as blissful as I’d ever seen her and while at times, I found that refreshing, in this instance, it confused me. I needed to observe a "regular" adult response. Reclaiming the use of my legs, I ran towards the door, saying "Let’s go tell Mom!" "Yeah!" Penny agreed and followed me through the back door. I was glad she was there and had my back. I knew there was no way my mom would believe just me about a spaceship if it had been only me, running in with my Kmart telescope. We entered the dining room where Mom stood laughing as my Grandma sang the phrase "We won’t go until we get some..." I exclaimed "Mom! Me and Penny just saw a..." I briefly forgot what my sister had called it but she chimed in to assist. "a UFO!" Penny injected. "You did? With your new telescope? "Mom inquired. "No, it was in the back yard by my fort, right above the fence, and..." I wanted to tell her everything all at once but I just wasn’t fast or articulate enough to express what all had transpired and my Mom was a regular adult who saw me as an imaginative child and my sister as, well, as a somewhat mild version of the crazy person she expected to show by the end of the night. "Maybe it was Santa! I hope he doesn’t pass you up because you're not in bed!" I didn’t believe in Santa Clause, I never did. I just pretended for as long as I could for the extra presents. I did understand the situation I was in though. I knew Mom was done for the night and wanted me to go to bed so she could set up the Santa gifts and finally get some rest herself. Not to mention, she was usually well within the bounds of good insight by steering away from conversations featuring supernatural events with my sister. It just so happened that on this occasion, it was all true, and I understood that she would never know that. Shortly after that a Movie came out called "Fire in the Sky" starring D.B. Sweeny, a based on true events film about a small-town man who was allegedly abducted by aliens, experimented on and returned several days later. The movie, coupled with my memory of that event terrified me beyond expression, causing me to have night terrors throughout my childhood about the visitors returning to claim me and I’m certain it initiated my life long battle with sleep paralysis dreams. I was so terrified, I wouldn’t watch or read anything that had to do with extra-terrestrials and I wouldn’t speak of it again for nearly 30 years. Somewhere in that span of time, I convinced myself that the entire event had been a terrible nightmare that I happened to just remember ever single detail of, down to the mittens I was wearing, where they landed on the ground when I took them off and the rush of heat I felt, hot on my cheeks from the fireplace when I ran back into the house that night. My sister was estranged for many years throughout my childhood, as her condition got much worse before it began to get better. She finally got clean and got on the right meds and a few years ago, she came to live with us. The first week she was here, we spent a lot of time talking about different things that had happened over the years, things she’d said and done. I discovered that she had barely any recollection of a great deal of it, claiming "that must have been the other me." I guess I got caught up in the spirit of sharing or I got brave or something but I decided to ask her about that night during one of our talks. "Do you remember that one Christmas eve..." is all I got out of my mouth before she responded with, "You mean the night we saw that UFO in the backyard? That’s a memory that stuck. I remember it as clear as yesterday." She then proceeded to describe the experience from her perspective with very little variation from my own experience. So, there it is. It was not a dream. It was not my nine-year-old imagination. All those little details that made no sense, the ones I used to tell myself if didn’t happen are the same details that later on, affirmed the reality of it. I saw a UFO in my back yard on Christmas Eve, 1988. I was nine years old.
It's that season of long johns, holiday shopping, and everyone searching for bars with fireplaces. It you're one stop shoppe for the NYC holiday low-down. Any generic questions or garbage threads will be deleted and sent to this thread.
Happy December all. This thread is now open to all. We'll be updating it with holiday cheer. Hope everyone has a ok season.
Holidays
Winter Solstice - 12/21
Hanukkah - 12/22 - 12/30
Festivus - 12/23
Christmas - 12/25
Kwanzaa - 12/26 - 1/1/20
New Years Eve - 12/31
New Years Day - 1/1/20
Events
Tree & Menorah Lightings Find your local park here.
The main one - 87th Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting - December 4th
Washington Square Park's Tree Lighting - December 4th
Get drunk at a local bar -- One of my best Christmas eves/days was smoking at my local hookah joint and ignoring my family.
While yes, the city is a bit quieter on Christmas there are hundreds of people that DON'T celebrate Christmas or are working on the day. Go out and find something to do. It's amazing running around NYC during the holidays.
Christmas Tipping 101
It's custom in NYC to tip your super and your doormen. Not a requirement. Keep in mind that doormen and supers are human. They're often working multiple jobs and working late -- so if you're in a fortunate spot, try to extend a thank you. They'll extend the help whenever they can. Regardless of how you feel about tipping. Here's a guideline on how it's done.
Tip your doorman/porter for Christmas and if they go the extra mile for you. If they carry up a large delivery and put it in your apartment for you, or if you have a ton of bags and they load it up on the cart, or if they brave 5° weather to hail you a cab, etc. You don’t need to tip for everyday stuff like them handing you a package unless your MMrs Moneybags. A $5 bill is usually well appreciated. For your handyman/super who fixes something, it’s entirely dependent on whether it was something that needs to be fixed by the building or by you, hence why I ask if your coop or rental. If it’s your responsibility the super will usually give you a price ahead of time, but if they don’t, please understand that it’s USUALLY not out of the kindness of their heart, but rather because they will be expecting you to remember that favor come Christmas time. Christmas you must tip, and how much depends on how much you have, but leave something. Generally speaking, $50 and up is good, below $50 you’ll get the “i can’t today, let’s try for next week instead,” $100+ gets you “I’ll take care of it,” and $200+ gets you “I’ll be right there” and doormen springing to their feet for you. Also,tip everyone for Christmas, but it’s ok to tip those you know bettelike bettebeen around longer more than others. Typically you want to tip your super and handyman the most, followed by those you see the most often (daytime/nighttime doorman, etc.) but if you’ve had a doorman that you’ve known for 10 years and a brand new super or handyman, for example, it’s ok to tip the doorman more. Around the holidays your building will likely distribute a Christmas card from the employees with all their names listed on it. Also, regarding supers - I know we are in charge of the staff but it’s important to remember that we have bosses as well. Sometimes we may do something for you and won’t charge you. What we really appreciate is an email to our property manageboard president saying how great of a job we are doing and how much you appreciate having us around, etc etc. That often goes a much longer way for us than $50 would. Source: used to be doorman, am now a super
-- roosterclan I think this is the best write up as it boils everything down into a neat package. Tip what you can. Gifts and money are always a good combo if you're short on cash. Doormen probably know more about your financial situation than you think More reading located below
Q: I want to see the BALL DROP LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A: If you're going to Times Square. You're gonna have a bad time. We REALLY recommend you don't do it. We did our job and warned you. If you're going to do it. Read these (one | two) before you go.
Casting Number - Letters and numbers used to identify all parts of a Hot Wheels car. The casting is the car itself. Treasure Hunt - Highly Sought after cars with lower production numbers hidden in the yearly releases. Tampos - Graphics that are applied to a car, usually in a silk screen process. Newer processes involve digital printing. Card/Blister - The Packaging the car is sold in/on. Real Riders - Rubber tires found on Supers and Premium line cars. Spectraflame - Mattelic finsh paint used on the original 60s-70s era cars and newer special releases. Redline - Cars manufactured in the frist decade of HW production. They are highly collectible. Blackwall - AKA Basic Wheel. Cars made in the late 70s to 80s have a distinctive black tire. Newer models have a concave version to protect the chrome finish.
Popular questions:
What is a treasure hunt/super treasure hunt? Special cars hidden in the mainline that are highly collectible. Regular hunts are limited production (Mattel does not report actual numbers) and are identified with a flame logo. Super Treasure Hunts are variations of mainline cars with Real Rider Tires (rubber) and Spectraflame paint. They are highly sought after and have a TH logo. More info can be found here: http://www.hwtreasure.com/ I found an old car; what is it worth? Odds are, not much. Most of the more valuable cars are from the original lines (1968-late 70s) that are called Red lines. Many cars made in the 90s to now have nominal value. There are outliers however. Checking your car on ebay Sold listings may give you a good idea of its value. My car says 1988 on the bottom but it seems new. Is it that old? The date on the bottom if the car is the copyright date of the original casting, not necessarily when it was actually made. Should I buy as an investment? Unless you're buying older, already high priced cars, probably not. Again, most cars will stay around the original $1 in value, even on card. What should I collect? Whatever you like! There is no 'wrong' car to buy. Be it Hot Wheels, MatchBox, or any of the other brands its up to you. Sometimes folks start out and buy EVERYTHING. It is a good idea to pick a focus if you're starting out: Muscle cars, Yellow cars, Cars made in Britain, etc... just so you don't get away from yourself! Should I open my cars? It's personal preference. As of the late 2000s Mattel began showing more art on the blister cards so folks liked to display them in package. Others love to open and play with them (they are toys after all!). End of the day, its up to you. Worst case, you can always get two! I just inherited 200+ cars. How can/should I sell them? Older cars (redline era) can generally be sold with ease as they are highly collectible. Larger lots of new cars should probably be sold as a group. While you can list every car you have, it can take time. Shipping is also a concern as you would be spending a lot on postage. Its a time vs. money question: If you have the time smaller groups. Want a cash now? Sell as a lot. eBay is the most popular option for online sales. You can also get a booth at a flea-market or show and sell there. What is Kday? K-Day is a semi-yearly event held at K-Mart stores where collectors can open new Hot Wheel cases and look for cars. More info can be found here.
Where to find cars:
Hot Wheel cars, and other brands, can be found in a variety of places. Popular Big-Box stores are the go-to, but there are many other places, many not listed here, that carry the Blue Brand and others.
WalMart - locate!: Has special sets a few times a year. Very hard to get a Thunt as many are open 24 hours and people pallet raid (open boxes before stock and pull the good stuff).
Target - locate!: Has at least one special line (i.e. Car Culture, Entertainment).
KMart - locate!: Has some excluse colors and has a K-Day (info above). Store locations are closing all the time however.
Fry's Electronics - locate!: Stocks more around holidays. Limited locations around the US.
Meijer - locate!: Very good selection although store may not be in your area (limited to Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Kentucky).
Kroger - locate!: Has some exclusives just to Kroger for Halloween. Also limited locations like Michigan and Texas.
Pep Boys - locate!: Auto parts store, bigger stores carry some auto themed toys and die cast.
AutoZone - locate!: Auto parts store. Generally found by the registers.
Books-A-Million (BAM) - locate!: Book Store chain typically in the eastern US.
HobbyTownUSA - locate!: Hobby store with a large selection of hobby items and some HW. They have a store inventory checker when looking at specific stores. You can check Mattel items here.
Discount Stores: Cars/sets are usually a year or two behind in release as they get over-stock. Most are still sold for $1 but every year Dollar General has a buy-one-get-two-free deal.
Pharmacy/Convience: stores like WalGreens locate! (currently carrying older CC and retro lines as well as new 50th series) CVS, RiteAid, DUANEreade also carry cars. Generally run over $1.50 for mainlines and higher for premium models.
General Grocery stores: Depending when you live your local chain may have them in the toy aisle or in a display somewhere in the store. Be sure to check end caps and near children oriented foods (Cereal aisle for example).
Brickseek stock Checker:
If you're looking to save some time on checking WalMart or Target, I suggest using BrickSeeks inventory checker. You can put in the Target or WalMart ID's and it should return results on inventory. The examples below are for the Car Culture line. UPCs can be found on the back of the blister. SKU and DPCI are generally found on the shelving price information in store and/or online. Walmart SKU: 805984709 Target DPCI: 087-07-5547 UPC: 887961619805 FYIs
WalMarts inventory is sometimes sketchy stock may not be correct.
Targets checker does NOT show individual cars. they could have 20 of one car for all the checker knows.
These checkers do not account for lost or stolen stock. If its stolen they wont know to adjust numbers as the checkers work with the stores internal database.
Popular Hot Wheels Sites:
Lamley Group - Probably the most popular US based site.
Live and Let Diecast - Community similar to here, just all about diecast in blog format.
OrangeTrack Diecast - New site that highlights older models with great write ups and current HW news.
T-Hunted! - Brazilian site (google Trans works well) that has all kinds of breaking HW news and info.
HW Collector News - Useful bits include checklists and lists of past and current releases.
Info on non-HW chase/Thunts M2:EXAMPLE M2 Chases have yellow paint where you would expect to see chrome and/or gold additions/variations. They also make "raw version" which are unpainted. GreenLight:EXAMPLE GreenLights chase cars have Green Tires and rims and are called "green machines" Auto World:EXAMPLES AW's chase cars are called "UltraRed" and have a popping red paint job. Johnny Lighting:EXAMPLE JL has a great write up on thier site:
WHITE LIGHTNING CARS What is a White Lightning car? The White Lightning variation is Johnny Lightning’s chase car, a concept introduced to the die-cast market by Playing Mantis owner Tom Lowe in 1994. Most Johnny Lightning cars will have a version featuring some special traits that distinguish it from the regular release. These cars are randomly packed into the shipping cartons at the factory. Usually the special traits are white and usually the car will have a combination of two. Here’s a list of common White Lightning features: White Body / Pearl White / Body Metallic / Gold Body / White Chassis / White Tires / White Rims / Gold Rims / White Interior / Tinted Glass It’s important to note, however, that some cars only get one distinguishing trait and in the past some have received as many as three.
It's worth noting MatchBox does NOT have Thunt/Chase cars, at least as of now.
Tesco is a British (UK) chain supermarket that operates in Ireland also - so the Irish site is https://www.tesco.ie/ while the UK site is https://www.tesco.com/ Smyths Toys - are an Irish family owned chain of toy stores that also have branches in the UK. There is a single website for the UK and Ireland with currency options for Euros or GBP. Smyths are also going to expand into Germany, Austria and Switzerland by taking over the Toys'r'Us stores in those countries. https://www.smythstoys.com/ Dealz - a UK owned chain that operates as Poundland in the UK, but obviously because we use Eurodollars rather than Brexit beer tokens, the name wouldn't make sense here, so it's called Dealz. A wonderland of random pointless tat, sporadic batches of Hot Wheels/Matchbox and junk food. http://www.dealz.ie/ Marks Models - a small chain of stores (it's a small country), that specializes in all aspects of modelling - kits, trainsets, paint etc. One store in Dublin City, one outside Dublin in Greenogue and one in Cork city. Like I mentioned, they don't regularly stock hot wheels but do get batches of new old stock so sometimes you find great stuff from the 90s to mid 2000s http://www.marksmodels.com/ Toymaster - this one's a strange one, because it's an association of toy stores not a chain. Shops use the same Toymaster branding and combined buying power to compete with chains/supermarkets but each shop is independently owned, so there's no consistency in what each store stocks. Halfords - a UK owned chain of car and bicycle accessory stores that stocks Hot Wheels but only for part of the year, usually singles in Spring/Summer and multipacks in the lead up to Christmas, but even in the spring/summer period, stock varies wildly from a bonanza to zero stock. http://www.halfords.ie/ is the Irish site, while the UK site is http://www.halfords.com/
If there is something of interest you think should be included please let me know!
/r/Hotwheels list of where you can find HotWheels and many other diecast brands (USA/Europe)
I like to post this list from time to time and am always updating it. If you've got new hunting grounds I will add them on! Anyone From Australia, New Zealand, or other countries let us know!
Hot Wheel cars, and other brands, can be found in a variety of places. Popular Big-Box stores are the go-to, but there are many other places, many not listed here, that carry the Blue Brand and others.
WalMart - locate!: Has special sets a few times a year. Very hard to get a Thunt as many are open 24 hours and people pallet raid (open boxes before stock and pull the good stuff).
Target - locate!: Has at least one special line (i.e. Car Culture, Entertainment).
KMart - locate!: Has some excluse colors and has a K-Day (info above). Store locations are closing all the time however.
Fry's Electronics - locate!: Stocks more around holidays. Limited locations around the US.
Meijer - locate!: Very good selection although store may not be in your area (limited to Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Kentucky).
Kroger - locate!: Has some exclusives just to Kroger for Halloween. Also limited locations like Michigan and Texas.
Pep Boys - locate!: Auto parts store, bigger stores carry some auto themed toys and die cast.
AutoZone - locate!: Auto parts store. Generally found by the registers.
Books-A-Million (BAM) - locate!: Book Store chain typically in the eastern US.
HobbyTownUSA - locate!: Hobby store with a large selection of hobby items and some HW. They have a store inventory checker when looking at specific stores. You can check Mattel items here.
Discount Stores: Cars/sets are usually a year or two behind in release as they get over-stock. Most are still sold for $1 but every year Dollar General has a buy-one-get-two-free deal.
Pharmacy/Convience: stores like WalGreens locate! (currently carrying older CC and retro lines as well as new 50th series) CVS, RiteAid, DUANEreade also carry cars. Generally run over $1.50 for mainlines and higher for premium models.
General Grocery stores: Depending when you live your local chain may have them in the toy aisle or in a display somewhere in the store. Be sure to check end caps and near children oriented foods (Cereal aisle for example).
Smyths Toys - are an Irish family owned chain of toy stores that also have branches in the UK. There is a single website for the UK and Ireland with currency options for Euros or GBP. Smyths are also going to expand into Germany, Austria and Switzerland by taking over the Toys'r'Us stores in those countries. https://www.smythstoys.com/
Dealz - a UK owned chain that operates as Poundland in the UK, but obviously because we use Eurodollars rather than Brexit beer tokens, the name wouldn't make sense here, so it's called Dealz. A wonderland of random pointless tat, sporadic batches of Hot Wheels/Matchbox and junk food. http://www.dealz.ie/
Marks Models - a small chain of stores (it's a small country), that specializes in all aspects of modelling - kits, trainsets, paint etc. One store in Dublin City, one outside Dublin in Greenogue and one in Cork city. Like I mentioned, they don't regularly stock hot wheels but do get batches of new old stock so sometimes you find great stuff from the 90s to mid 2000s http://www.marksmodels.com/
Toymaster - this one's a strange one, because it's an association of toy stores not a chain. Shops use the same Toymaster branding and combined buying power to compete with chains/supermarkets but each shop is independently owned, so there's no consistency in what each store stocks.
Halfords - a UK owned chain of car and bicycle accessory stores that stocks Hot Wheels but only for part of the year, usually singles in Spring/Summer and multipacks in the lead up to Christmas, but even in the spring/summer period, stock varies wildly from a bonanza to zero stock. http://www.halfords.ie/ is the Irish site, while the UK site is http://www.halfords.com/
Songs for Christmas EP a day Review/Analysis. *Volume 1 update*
Today is the first of December, meaning the first day of me listening/reviewing/analyzing each Sufjan EP 1 day at a time. I'll be updating this each day as best I can leading up until the 12th, which I see him on. I'll try to provide pictures and information as best I can from the boxset as some of you guys don't have it or don't have Silver and Gold yet. Pictures! Songs for Christmas Front Songs for Christmas Front 2 Songs for Christmas Back Here's an excerpt from Sufjan's bandcamp regarding the boxset: "Forget the 50 States. Christmas is a bigger concept. As some of you may or may not know, for the past few years, as a holiday tradition, Sufjan has embarked on an extraordinary experiment to record an annual Christmas EP. It started in 2001, the year of Epiphanies, and continued onward (skipping only 2004), culminating into an odd and idiosyncratic catalog of music that has only existed in the Asthmatic Kitty archives (and on a number of file sharing sites). The recording process took place every December, for one week, usually at home, provoking collaborations with friends, roommates, and musical peers. Armed with a Reader’s Digest Christmas Songbook (and a mug of hot cider) Sufjan & friends concocted a musical fruit cake year after year, implementing every musical instrument they could find lying around the house: banjo, oboe, Casiotone, wood flute, a buzzy guitar, hand claps, sleigh bells, Hammond organ, and some tree tinsel. Did we mention sleigh bells? It doesn’t take much to capture that Creepy Christmas Feeling, does it? Recorded, mixed and mastered at home, the EPs themselves were often assembled in the kitchen, stapled together, and sent out with stickers and stamps to loved ones across the globe, year after year, with little Christmas cards that read: “Merry Christmas. You are something special. Santa Claus loves you. And so do I.” And then, one day, some of these songs showed up online. Curious little web zines and fan sites posted mp3s. People started asking questions. What is this I hear about Sufjan doing the boogey to the elf dance? Where can I get these Christmas goodies? Well, not wanting to be the Grinch, we decided to deck the halls, if you know what I mean. But let’s back up a bit. Having an inherent aversion to the standard Christmas carol, Sufjan indulged in the project initially as an exercise to make himself “appreciate” Christmas more. It was a tough childhood, but you can’t be a Christmas Curmudgeon forever, can you? What he discovered, for better or for worse, was a fascinating canon of Yuletide hits, some emotionally rewarding, some painfully cliché. Jingle Bells. Silent Night. We Three Kings. The whole nine yards. The musical undertaking led Sufjan (and his coterie of friends) to reckon with a holiday that celebrates, above all things, the spirit of excess--Santa Claus, popcorn balls, mistletoe, and Kmart blue light specials, to name a few. What does it all add up to? A headache, a hangover, and sentimental ruminations of Baby Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and all those animals in the manger. Is there any other holiday that so seamlessly mixes the sacred and the profane? Recording traditional favorites alongside unique originals, Sufjan has, over the course of five years, constructed an odd, impressive, and compelling collection of Christmas hits (and some misses) that will either warm your heart or make you throw up eggnog all over the bath mat (depending on your constitution). Asthmatic Kitty Records is preparing to release ALL of the material (newly mixed and mastered) in one generous box set, due in stores November 21, just in time for the holiday shopping craze." Volume 1: Noel Volume 1 Front Volume 1 Back Volume 1 Disc Volume 1 is the shortest of all the Christmas EP's clocking in at 17:08. 2 original Sufan Songs on here (We're Going to the Country & It's Christmas! Let's Be Glad!). The overall tone of the EP is fairly laid back, very acceptable music to listen to the family(except maybe It's Christmas! Let's Be Glad!, it's a tad bit too hectic for some) or have in the background while getting in the holiday spirit. As you can see on the back of the EP sleeve it states "All songs recorded at home in Brooklyn, NY, December 2001, by Santa Sufjan, and Matt Morgan. Matt Morgan adds vocals on 6 of the tracks and is the only other collaborator with Sufjan. Listening to the album it felt a bit empty, but I just realized there isn't any horns in the songs and only a little bit of drums. But Sufjan can make a great song with only a banjo or guitar and his voice. The songs are really all enjoyable, no songs i want to skip over and it keeps it on the shorter side which is nice. None of the tracks particularly stand out, but they're all pretty good which could be a large part of the reason. If you enjoy his cd's Seven Swans or Michigan this is a great EP for Christmas. An interesting notes: O Come, O Come Emmanuel has 3 versions being on Volumes 1,3, and 5 with volume 1 being the only full version of it. Grade: 6.5/10 Around Family/Friends: 9/10 I included the 2nd rating to give a score as to how accessible I think it is for listening around family and friends. I don't think a lot would necessarily enjoy his work along the lines of Age of Adz or All delighted people while I think a lot would enjoy Illinoise. Standout Songs: O Come, O Come Emmanuel, We're Going to the Country, Amazing Grace Volume 2: Hark! Volume 2 Front Volume 2 Back Volume 2 Disc Volume 2 Starts off with the most played Christmas song he has, Angels We Have Heard on High (4 Times if you include both Volume 8 Versions). Sufjan has the help of a couple friends throughout this EP, those being Vito Aiuto, Monique Aiuto, James McAlister (He's toured with Sufjan extensively and is on the current tour playing drums), and Marla Hansen. The back states: "All songs recorded at home in Brooklyn, New York, November 2002, by Santa Sufjan, with Vito & Monique Aiuto. Drums on "Put the Lights on the Tree," recorded at The Buddy Project, 2006. Other overdubs for this song were recorded in June 2006". 2 Original Sufjan songs as well which are "Put The Lights On The Tree" and "Only at Christmas Time". Put the Lights on the Tree has really become a staple of the tour it looks like and is one of the best original Sufjan songs as well in my opinion. look The album has a bit of a different style than the first, with more acoustic guitars and banjo with lots of backing vocals as well. Vito Aiuto adds really nice lead vocals to "Once in Royal David's City" and "Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella" which at first I thought were Sufjan's still because of the similarities. I'd even go as far as saying this EP is even more Christmas-y than the first and there are plenty of sleigh bells across the songs. "What Child Is This Anyway?" drags on a bit and has some harsh/dissonant tones and qualities and just feels a bit out of place on the bunch. I guess the EP could do without it and it'd still be longer than the first, but the more Christmas songs the better. This EP is a bit more inconsistent than the first, but has some better moments. Drags on a bit at times and isn't quite as accessible to others I would say, but otherwise another really good CD to play around the holidays. Grade: 8.5/10 Around Family/Friends: 8.5/10 Standout Songs: Put the Lights on the Tree, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Once in a David's Royal City Volume 3: Ding! Dong! Volume 3 Front Volume 3 Back Volume 3 Disc Volume 3 starts off with the familiar O Come, O Come Emmanuel with just a piano and a single chorus. A nice simple beautiful start. 4 Sufjan Originals on the EP; those being "Come On! Let's Boogey to the Elf Dance!", "That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!", "Ding! Dong!", and "All the King's Horns". Denison Witmer, Laura Myers, Colin Stevens (Who I presume is his brother or cousin), Sharen Worden, Vito Aiuto, and Monique Aiuto all join him on the EP throughout. The first original, "Come On! Let's Boogey to the Elf Dance!", is a really upbeat semi haptic about Santa claus coming. I really liked it after not hearing it for a while, it does a nice job of capturing that special exciting Christmas feeling I get each year. Denison Witmer adds vocals on 4 of the songs and pretty much takes the lead on them as well with Sufjan. This EP stretches to be more grandiose and really works well doing that. Sufjan really juggles between quiet and small, and large and grandiose perfectly. In "O Holy Night" he's got what seems a 10 piece band with background singers and then quickly changes to "That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!" with ease. "That Was the Worst Christmas Ever" would work extremely well on Michigan, very reminiscent of it's style and recorded the same year in 2003. The back states: "Recorded at home in Brooklyn, New York, and in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, December 2003, by Santa Sufjan with Denison Witmer, Shara Worden, Laura Myers, Colin Stevens, and Vito & Monique Aiuto". The EP ends with a really interesting song in "The Friendly Beasts". It features alternating lead vocals from a couple people. It seems like as each EP progresses Sufjan is improving in songwriting. But this just doesn't capture the Christmas spirit as well and I find myself liking it a bit less than 2, but more than 1. Grade: 7.5/10 Around Family/Friends: 7/10 Standout Songs: Come On! Let's Boogey to the Elf Dance!, That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!, The Friendly Beasts Volume 4: Joy Volume 4 Front Volume 4 Back Volume 4 Disc Volume 4! After taking 2004 off for recording Illinoise, presumably, he was back at it again in 2005. The back states: "All songs recorded at home in Brooklyn, New York and at the Buddy Project in Astoria, Queens, December 2005, by Santa Sufjan, with Bridgit DeCook." Listening to these EP's has been nice, by the way. The first song is a calm version of "The Little Drummer Boy". 3 originals this time, those being "Hey Guys! It's Christmas Time!", "Did I Make You Cry on Christmas? (Well, You Deserved It!)", and "The Incarnation". Very Illinoise sounding as it's his natural progression. Though he wiki seems off on the timing of the recording of Illinoise it looks like this was probably recorded around the same time as The Avalanch outtakes. Bridgit DeCook adds vocals on all but 2 of the songs singing alongside Sufjan. First 3 songs are nice and calm, acceptable for around family bar the bridge on "Hey Guys! It's Christmas Time!" (It'll be enough to have a Christmas Grinch say to turn it down). The bridge reminds me almost of 90's esque light grunge with Sufjan over it. Really cool sonic tone to it. The mood is brought down a bit on "Did I Make You Cry on Christmas? (Well, You Deserved It!)" and "The Incarnation" for those of you that enjoy his more somber songs. I don't mind them, but I enjoy my songs cheery and my hot chocolate hot around Christmas time. "Joy to the World" brings it all back and is a nice sweet song with some layered guitars. It's a great version of the song as well, great way to end the EP. Grade: 8.5/10 Around Family/Friends: 8/10 Standout Songs: Hey Guys! It's Christmas Time!, Did I Make You Cry on Christmas? (Well, You Deserved It!), Joy to the World Volume 5: Peace Volume 5 Front Volume 5 Back Volume 5 Disc This is the first of 2 volumes being reviewed tonight. This was actually recorded in June of 2006. The back states, "All songs recorded at home in Brooklyn, New York, and at Atlantic Sound Studios in DUMBO, and at the Buddy Project in Astoria, Queens, June 2006 except auxiliary drums and percussion on track 7". With him he had James McAlister, Marla Hansen, CJ Camerieri, Ben Lanz and a String Quartet. On 6 of the songs he had Marla Hansen also singing vocals with him. There are 6 Sufjan originals, those being "Get Behind Me, Santa!", "Christmas in July", "Jupiter Winter", "Sister Winter", "Star of Wonder", and "The Winter Solstice". This EP sounds really interesting in the boxset, maybe because it was recorded during the Summer, and he had more originals on it compared to others and was longer. I really do like this EP a lot because this is the time when I thought he was at his writing prime (from 2004-2006 when he had recorded all of Illinoise, The Avalanche and Songs for Christmas Volumes 4,5, and 6). This is the 3rd time he had "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" in the boxset. A couple of the better songs include "Get Behind Me, Santa!", "Christmas in July", "Sister Winter", "Star of Wonder", and "Holy, Holy, Holy" (4/5 of those being originals) . This EP is longer than the Volume compared to the mid 20's to 35 minutes this time around. He does a nice job on this EP alternating between Original Songs and Traditional Songs, and the Traditional Songs add a nice touch between them. I think this is one of if not the best EP so far, but it's a bit hectic to listen for too much around family and friends. Grade: 9/10 Around Family/Friends: 6.5/10 Standout Songs: Get Behind Me, Santa!, Sister Winter, Star of Wonder, Holy, Holy, Holy I'll add some more pictures from the inside tomorrow
Jack sat at his computer desk, clicking away at the virtual blocks that inhabited the world in Minecraft. The hum of the computer was the only thing that Jack could hear, he didn’t like listening to the in game sounds. Blink! A Skype message appeared on the little icon at the bottom right corner of his monitor’s screen. It was a message from his friend Kaylee, Jack paused the game and opened up Skype. Kaylee’s Skype name was BloggerCat234, Jack always wondered why she made that her screen name on Skype. BloggerCat234: Hey! Jack stared at the message for a few moments and pondered if he should reply. He wasn’t the type to reply as he didn’t like talking in conversations, virtual or in person. Jack looked over his screen name: JackyBoy. He remembered when he made that name, it was his thirteenth birthday and he's got a laptop from his parents. JackyBoy: Hey, what’s up? BloggerCat234: Nothing much :P Just doing homework and listening to music. JackyBoy: Fun Jack switched windows and unpaused the game, he knew what was going to happen. Kaylee would look at his message and not reply, he went through this process several times before and he had grown accustomed to it. BloggerCat234: What are you up to Jack? This was a first, Jack was surprised that she had responded. Again he pondered if he should reply, the voice in his head told him to take a leap and try and enjoy this opportunity. Quickly Jack typed away. JackyBoy: The usual, playing Minecraft. BloggerCat234: Is that all you do on the weekends? The words that were on the screen made Jack wonder if she was playing a joke on him. There was no rhyme or reason as to why he thought this, it just made him wonder more and more about this conversation. JackyBoy: Yeah, I don’t have anything better to do. The rain outside tapped on the window that was high above on the wall behind Jack. He stared at Skype for a few minutes and concluded that she wasn’t going to reply. “I’m not surprised” he said under his breath.
Kaylee stared at Skype and looked over Jack’s messages over and over again. Scrolling up and down and trying to piece together why he was just so deadpan about sending messages. Sure her and Jack started talking this year but Jack just seemed reluctant to talk to her. It wasn’t like she liked him, she just wanted a friend that wasn’t going to leave her after a few weeks of talking. The good thing about Jack however was that he did respond to her messages every time she sent one. In reality, she wasn't doing homework or listening to music. She just said that so she had something to talk about.
BloggerCat234: So, are you doing anything tomorrow? :) Kaylee hoped that Jack would say something about hanging out. She had friends that she talked to everyday at school but when she hung out with them, she felt distant. Many called her popular and wanted to talk to her, Jack usually sat alone at lunch and ate by himself. JackyBoy: Nope, just going to play videogames as usual. Kaylee sighed and thought that maybe she should ask if they could hangout. The thought rolled around in her head like a marble on an ever shifting slope. Today was Saturday and it was already three, maybe tomorrow they could hangout. If Kaylee could muster up the courage of asking to hangout.
The morning wind blew outside hard enough to wake Jack up from his sleep. Outside the day was cloudy, Jack liked it when it was cloudy. As he got up he realized that he hadn’t done his english and spanish homework. “Fuck” he said as he stretched. His head was had a slight headache, this happened every morning. Jack swung his legs over to the edge of the bed that faced his computer. “Homework or more computer?” Jack said sleepily, his mind instantly remembered what happened last night on Skype. Kaylee had messaged him and the conversation they had was short and awkward. Even though he didn’t want to admit it. His mind flooded with thoughts of what could have happened, his mind them shifted to stories that he had heard his english teacher talked about in front of the class. His teacher told his class that the usual stories that girls wrote were that a boy and a girl from different social groups liked each other. They would try and be together but their friends denied their relationship and would attempt to break them up. Jack knew of these stories as his he had read some of his sisters old english papers when he helped clean her room out when she had gone to college. He also knew that each story ended with a happy ending. The boy and girl ended up together and their friends got along and blah blah blah. It was all just noise inside his head. Those stories reminded him of his friendship with Kaylee, sure she was cute and funny but he had no feelings that went beyond just friends. Then again, could he call what was between him and Kaylee and friendship? She was usually around a big group of people during lunch while he would sit at a table and eat alone. Jack’s mom and sister always worried about him, he knew they thought he was depressed. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn’t. Sadness did come over Jack, sometimes in huge amounts but it didn’t make him feel suicidal or make him cut himself. The ceiling was awash in a dull grey and it made him sleepy but he knew he had to get up and get on this homework. He liked his room, he spent most of his time everyday when he wasn’t at school. The best part of his room was that he had his own bathroom. Sitting up and stretching some more, he looked out his window that was above his head. He could hear the wind and the tapping of rain. Jack closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of the rain and wind, it was calming and motivated him to go take a shower.
Colin had stayed up all night watching Tv from his crappy television that was from a time before he was born. Sleep was something that came rarely, almost like presents on Christmas. His insomnia was severe and was made more severe since he didn’t take his medication. He sighed, “Another shitty night without sleep” he felt nauseous and wanted to puke. Instead he got up and grabbed the water bottle he had on his nightstand. The cold metal pressed against his lips and he felt the water hit his mouth. He took large gulps and shuttered afterwards. For Colin, life had been hard, his grandparents always on top of him because of his grades and being bullied because of the way he dressed and the way he looked. Everyday he went out, taking long walks with loud blaring music that resonated from his earbuds. He only came home when it started to get dark, he hated the fall and winter seasons. The days were shorter which meant that he had less time to be away from his home. His grandmother pounded on the door and yelled at him “Colin! Wake your skinny as up and get ready for church!” Today was going to be fun indeed. **** Colin hated church, almost as much as he hated school. Every Sunday he had to get up and go to some building that he had no interest whatsoever of going too. Church was made worse since his grandparents scolded him or smacked him when he didn’t pay attention. He also had to wear clothes that made him feel uncomfortable and embarrassed. However today was going to be worse for Colin. The choir sung of god and Jesus and other things he didn’t care about but he had to sing otherwise he would get more punishment. After the singing was over Colin headed to the bathroom when he felt a tight grip on his left arm. “Where do you think your going? his grandmother said through clenched teeth. Colin faked a smile “I’m going to the bathroom grandma” suddenly he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head. She had smacked him. “There are no bathroom breaks in the house of the lord” she sounded angrier than the time Colin had tried to go to a friends house when he was a kid. He clenched his jaw, he was sick of this, sick of all the bullshit he was out through. His grandparents, school, church, everything. Colin had finally snapped. With one hard movement he pulled his arm back and walked away. His grandfather got up and caught up Colin as he brushed past people who were making a way out of the building. Colin was a few feet from the bathroom when he felt an even tighter grip on his arm. “What do you think you’re doing boy?” his grandfather’s thick southern accent made Colins blood boil. As calm as he could, he replied “I’m going to the bathroom grandfather, they have them for a reason” “I don’t give a damn about what you want boy.” Soon after Colin’s short confrontation with his grandfather, he went home and stayed in his room for the rest of the day.
“Don’t you think that equation is wrong?” “No, I’m sure it’s right. Did you double check?” “No.” The twins Thomas and Lucy were concentrated on their math homework that was laid before them. Both the same age and in the same advanced classes at their high school. Since they had the same classes, they would help each other with each others homework. “Aaannnddd done” Thomas said confidently, the homework they had gotten for the weekend was finished. Thomas looked over to his sister, she was staring out the window of their room. They had shared a room ever since they were babies, neither thought it was weird. “Something wrong Loose? loose was the nickname Thomas gave his sister when they were six, it stuck since then. Lucy said nothing and continued to stare out the window, Thomas followed where she was looking. All that was outside the window was the tree that blocked most of the view of the street outside of their house. “Loose?” Thomas began to sound worried, “Thomas, do you ever wonder what’ll happen after high school?”
The chill of the cold October air made Thomas cough, he hated being outside when it was cold. He had his hands in his side pockets of his coat, the warm fabric inside made him want to go home and sleep. He shivered and let out another cough “I wish I was home in my bed sleeping” “So do I Tom, so do I” Lucy replied. The twins were outside waiting for the bus to come, on Saturday evenings, they would go to the library and see if there were any new additions that might peak each others interest. “Hey Loose” Thomas asked, “Yeah Tom?” she stared at the darkening grey sky. “Why did you ask me that question earlier today, the one about what’ll happen after high school?” Lucy stopped for a moment and pondered if she should tell her brother about how she felt. About how she didn’t want to leave high school. About how she hated the fact that it was their senior year and they were going to graduate early. Finally she made her decision. “I was just wondering is all” she tried lying with a fake smile “Loose, I know when you’re lying.” From what Thomas had seen, she hadn’t been looking him in the face the whole time they talked. She was hiding something and he wanted to know. She was looking at him for the first time in a few hours with a smile that was faker than the time their parents told them that Santa was real when they were eleven. Lucy paused for a moment and told Thomas a half truth or maybe it was a half lie? “I’m just worried is all. I’m worried about what I’ll do after high school” what she wanted was something to hold onto for the final year of high school. “Don’t worry about it Loose” Thomas paused as the bus pulled up to the stop “You’ll, we’ll, be fine” his smiled reassured Lucy for just a few moments.
Jack threw his bag on the floor as he fell into his bed. Monday was hell for him and all he could think about today was being home in his bed. His recollection of the day overwhelmed him to the point where he wished he was asleep. Kaylee talked to him quite a bit today, her group of friends apparently were busy with a school work or some shit like that. Today was just another day for Jack, another day that passed him by, another day that he couldn’t care less about. He remembered one conversation that him and Kaylee had. It was during lunch and he was sitting in the corner and eating alone. Eating alone was usual for Jack. His mind replayed the whole conversation, despite his distaste for the memory.
“Hey” Jack stared at his sandwich, the jelly blended together with the peanut butter making it look like a dark violet and light brown mess. “Jack?” he looked up to see Kaylee staring at him, he face had a look of concern. “Hey” Jack said quietly then took a small bite of his sandwich. Kaylee slid next to him and smiled “So what’s u-” “It’s the same old thing Kaylee” a look of surprise crossed her face as Jack spoke “I’m not trying to be rude and I’m sorry if I’m coming across as being rude but you ask me what’s up everyday.” He couldn’t care less about people asking what he was doing, he disliked talking to people altogether. “Is there something wrong Jack?” Kaylee asked, her voice sounded concerned and worried. There was a long pause and Jack finally spoke “Nothing” his eyes quickly glanced her face. “I’m sorry Kay” he only used her nickname when there was something wrong, it was unusual but it was how Jack was. “You know you can talk to me about anything right?” she sounded sympathetic, even though he didn’t want to talk, he felt like he needed too. He sighed “Kaylee” he turned his head and stared at her “Nothing is wrong, ok.” Jack tried his best to fake a smile.
The quiet whispers of the other people annoyed Kaylee as she read the words in her book. The library was a place that she loved going to on Monday evenings, this was the only place where she could think. Although her train of thought was cut off sometimes when she noticed people whispering to loud for their own good. The rough pages of her book gave her a feeling of comfort, she loved reading. No one knew about her weekly trips to the library, she didn’t want anyone to know. Hell, Jack didn’t even know. She laid back in the chair she was stationed in and laid back and stretched. School today was eventful, eventful in her way. Her friends had been looking for her all throughout lunch, she lied saying she was at the bleachers eating and told them to come over. She stalled it off enough to where she could talk to Jack by herself without the prospect of her friends judging her. Kaylee hated that her friends were so judgmental. Since she hung out with them everyone else thought she was the same way, stuck up and being a snob and judging people for anything they do. Several times she wished she could just drop her group of friends and just talk to Jack and maybe make new friends that would actually act like true friends. Her group of ‘friends’, if you could even call them friends, even judged her. Kaylee knew that she spoke to Jack and they were passive aggressive about it. They gave her shit because Jack didn’t talk to anyone and the fact he sat alone at lunch. They didn’t like him because he was different. She liked him because he was different. Her mind raced back to the first week of school, she saw Jack sitting in the corner of the lunchroom eating alone. He was wearing a black hoodie and baggy jeans. The ‘friends’ she was with had been with her since freshman year. At first she liked them but them as time went on, she noticed that they were rude and mean people. She also realized that she acted like that freshman year, she hated herself for acting like them. Kaylee told herself again and again all throughout the rest of high school that she would never again act like a stuck up snob like her so called friends. People like them didn’t deserve to be called friends in Kaylees mind. Her parents were stuck up just as much as her friends were, they wanted her to do some much shit that she hated. Drama class and school dance, football games and parties. She hated all of it, sometimes she envied Jack for his independence. The way Jack was made Kaylee want to talk to him. The day she went and spoke to Jack for the first time was the day her friends quietly turned on her. Kaylees friends caught her staring at Jack and began to make rude and snobby comments about him. “He’s a loser” “What a fag” “Why is he sitting alone?” “He doesn’t have friends does he!?” she wanted to defend Jack but she didn’t want her friends to make things worse than they were starting to be. When the bell rang for fifth period and her friends began walking to their respective classes, she hurried over to Jack and sprung up a conversation.
It was quick and she made she to tell him that she would talk to him later. After that she spoke to him everyday, despite what her friends said and what they thought.
School was hell but it was way better than his home life. Colin sat at his desk and stared at the clock that was high above in the classroom. The clock read 2:29, one minute and he could go to the place that he went to everyday after school. The library. The library was the only place where he could relax and let him escape the world outside. He was a rebel, an outsider, an outcast, a criminal and he embraced what everyone in school called him. His teachers gave him shit just because he didn’t abide by their rules. One time Colin had come into class late because he was busy behind the school reading. It was his math teacher that called security to check if her had any drugs on him. He knew everyone thought he was a druggy, that he smoked cigarettes and weed and did other drugs. Colin could care less about what everyone else thought of him, all he wanted was to be alone. He had been sent to detention more times than he could count because of disobeying his teachers. The bell rang and Colin was the first to make it out of class. People passed by and he felt their stares directed on him, burning their silent opinions with their judgemental eyes. “Hey faggot” he knew that voice and kept on walking. “I said hey faggot!” he kept walking, not picking up the pace or slowing down. “You deaf or something dipshit?” “Don’t turn around, whatever you do, Don’t. Turn. Around” Colin said under his breath. Suddenly Colin felt a hard grip on his left shoulder and was pinned up against the lockers. “Did you not hear me dipshit?” Bret was pinning him and had his face aligned with his. Bret was the one person that he despised the most out of anyone else he had ever met. Bret had made his high school life hell, picking on Colin since got into trouble and the fact that no one like him. Colin had a blank expression that caused Bret to yell out more curse words. Bret was trying to get a reaction out of Colin. It wasn’t going to work. Colin wasn’t up to fight him today, in fact, he didn’t like fighting anyone. He just wanted solitude. Bret slammed Colin against the lockers “You listening dipshit?” Colin didn’t answer. More and more Bret got angrier. Within his peripheral vision, Colin could see a teacher watching what was happening. He then saw a few more teachers looking. As much as he wished, no one was going to help him. Not the teachers and certainly not the students that passed by. The teachers were waiting for the right moment when Colin would try and fight back, that way they could put all the blame on him. As much as Bret beat up on him, he never fought back, he didn’t want to dig the never ending hole in school. “You going to fight back or act like a bitch?” Brets breath smelled of weed and alcohol. And people say I’m the black sheep, Colin thought. With one last shove Bret let him go and stormed off. Finally Colin was able to leave. He needed to be at the library, there he would feel like an actually person.
Thomas and Lucy sat on their individual beds, Thomas was reading his book while Lucy stared at the wall thinking to herself. Lucy had her mind flowing through with thoughts of life after high school. In her mind she kept telling herself that it was the second month of her senior year and she shouldn’t be worrying so much about life after high school. She quickly glance at her brother, Thomas always seemed to be level headed all the time. Even as a kid he acted calm and relaxed about every situation. For Lucy however, her mind was like a tornado that was whirling constantly. The sound of Thomas flipping pages reminded her of the leaves that were blowing outside. She wanted to sleep but she wasn’t tired, she was just worried and on the inside she was having a panic attack. “Loose?” Thomas’ voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she replied. “Sorry Tom, I was lost in my thoughts” she gave a quick and fake smile. Thomas eyed her and repeated what he had said before. “I was wondering if we were going to do anything for Halloween since it’s in about a week.” Halloween? It hadn’t crossed her mind the whole month, maybe she should do something rather than stay at home and be alone with her thoughts.
As much as he wanted to deny what he was thinking, he knew something was wrong. Lucy had been acting weird since the first week of school. It was as if she had climbed into a shell and pretended that she wasn’t. Thomas wanted to confront his sister but he had no idea how. It was a stupid situation. Not knowing what to do? When your sister is in a bad spot? He felt guilty because he didn’t know how to approach his situation. He had hoped that it was just a funk she was in but it hadn’t changed since the beginning of the school year. Halloween was coming up and he had an idea of what they would do. Trick or treat then go to the local elementary school park and finally talk about what was going on with his sister was one thing that came up in his mind however.
The usual thing that happened at lunch was this: sit down, listen to some stupid drama shit that she didn’t honestly care about, and give input if as to show that she was listening. Another day Kaylee had to sit at the same lunch table with the same group that she hated so much. She thought about what she saw in the hall on Tuesday, Bret the head jock or as Kaylee called him: blockhead. The term wasn’t offensive but it fit perfectly for someone that only got by in school with how they played football. Bret was bullying the kid that always seemed to act out, being tardy or not even showing up to class. The boy Bret up against the lockers was almost bigger than Bret, he could had taken him on and most likely beaten him. For some reason though, the boy didn’t fight back or even say anything. He did have a bad reputation so maybe he just didn’t want to make it worse? She felt sorry for him, she wanted to stand up to Bret and tell him to fuck off but she knew if she did, people would make rumors about her. Kaylee scanned the room until she saw Jack in his usual spot, eating his sandwich and staring off into nothing. She got up and walked towards Jack, out of nowhere Bret was right in front of her. “Hey” he had the look of someone who wanted nothing but sex. Kaylee stared at him and tried to move around. “Hey, I just want to talk” a sly smile appeared across his face, this was another attempt that Bret was doing to try and get in her pants. Out of everyone she knew, Bret was someone she hated. He was someone who she wanted to punch and tell him to fuck off. She tried time and time again that she wasn’t interested but Bret was persistent. “I don’t want to talk to you Bret” Kaylees voice sounded annoyed. “Aw c’mon, give me at least one chance?” now she was really starting to get pissed. “I told you before Bret, I’m not interested” she started to walk around him. Bret grabbed her shoulder tightly and spun her around to face him. “You don’t know what you’re missing. Why not have a taste?” he had a huge smile and leaned in to try and kiss her. Kaylee tried to escape this situation but the more she tried to move, the move Bret moved her closer. He was inches away from. She closed her eyes and tried to put her in front of her face. What happened next seemed to be something that would happen in crappy teen movies.
Jack sat in the chair outside of the principal's office. He sniffed and rubbed more blood from his nose with some more tissues that nurse had given him. His chest felt sore and his arms were tired. The sound of his mom and the principal’s conversation made him think that what he did was wrong. His mother started to raise her voice, she shouted that Jack did the right thing and that what the principal was wrong. Soon afterwards Jack’s mother emerged out of the office and gave the principal a hard glare. “Jack get up, we’re heading home for the day” although what his mother just said was good, he had this feeling that he should stay here and talk to Kaylee.
Colin came into the lunchroom, the cold October air blew in from behind him. Pulling his hood down he noticed a small group of people starting to gather. It was getting bigger with each passing second. Colin’s curiosity was peaked and he decided to see what all the commotion was about. He walked up and shoved his way through and saw what was happening. Bret was fighting someone. People were saying and shouting, cheering Bret on. “Kick his ass Bret!” “He’s a pussy and a loner. He’s a pushover!” “This’ll be easy!” The shouting annoyed Colin but he stayed just to see who was going up against Bret. The other person who was fighting was shorter than Bret by a lot, and was scrawny. He had seen this kid before many times in the hallways and sometimes he would notice him eating alone at lunch. Apart of Colin wanted to jump in and help this kid but his conscious told him otherwise. Bret swung fast but this kid was somehow faster, he dodged every punch Bret was throwing at him. “The fuck is this kid doing?” Colin whispered under his breath. Finally one punch had hit the kid, square in the nose and Colin knew that this fight was over. Bret laugh loudly while the kid staggered back. “You don’t even know her, why the fuck are you defending someone that doesn’t give a fuck about you?” Bret chuckled. He got a steady stance and slowly walked forward. Colin was surprised that he was still up and fighting. “Aw is the baby gonna cry?” Bret mocked. The next thing that happened surprised everyone, even Colin himself. With two swift punches the kid hit Bret straight in the face then right in the chest. Bret fell backwards, he was winded and had his hands up to his face. “Fuck” Bret choked. He fell backwards onto the lunch table and hit it with a loud thump. The kid walked up to Bret and began punching him in the stomach till Bret pleaded for him to stop. He did and took a few steps back. Colin wanted to cheer the kid on for beating up someone that picked on everyone. The next thing that happened shocked everyone. After everyone thought that the fight was over, the kid walked over and grabbed Bret's leg. He held Brets left foot and held it outwards, the kid then raised his right foot and slammed with so much force that he snapped Bret’s leg. The sound of bones snapping made Colin shiver. The mirror in the nurse's office reflected the gray light that shined through the blinds of the windows. Kaylee sat on the cushioned table staring out through the blinds. What had happened still hung in her mind and she was still in shock. Jack had defended her and broke Bret’s leg. Everyone was sympathetic towards Bret and still said shit about Jack. Kaylee however was thankful for what Jack had done to Bret, he deserved it. She wondered why he went to the extreme of breaking bones but then she realised. Jack broke his leg so that he wouldn’t be in school for awhile and he wouldn’t be able to play football. The nurse entered and asked if she was alright, Kaylee nodded her head and was then sent to class. People talked about the incident with Jack and Bret, she only heard snippets of their conversations. The rest of the day seemed to blur altogether till she got home. When she arrived home her parents wanted to talk about what happened at school. She ignored them and walked upstairs to her room
Both Thomas and Lucy heard about what happened in the school cafeteria. They were surprised that a kid that didn’t speak to anyone just got up and defended a girl that was popular amongst her peers. Thomas shuttered at the thought of hearing bones break. His sister still was acting distant, still thinking to herself. The fact that lately Lucy had been distant made Thomas worry as much as his mind would let him. He wondered if the plan he had on Halloween would work. He doubted himself and it made his thoughts scatter like sand falling through his hands. The twins were walking through the aisles of the local Kmart, browsing through the costumes. Lucy had a blank look on her face as she paroused through the many costumes that hung on the racks. Every so often she would catch Thomas’ look of worry out of the corner of her eye. There was nothing wrong......maybe that was a lie, it was a lie. This lie was something that she tried to deny. Lucy tired and tried but there was no escaping the thought. She was worried about life after high school still.
Halloween was approaching and Thomas still didn’t know what to do. He had a plan, he hoped it was a good enough plan. It was this Friday and the school was decorated with corny paper jack-o-lanterns, bats, and skulls. The Halloween school dance was on Friday and Thomas had no interest of going. Dating for him was the last thing on his list, his top priority was his sister. As he walked down the hall he spotted Lucy, leaning against the wall that was beside the water fountain. Her hood was up over her eyes and she held her books and her lone binder against her chest. “Hey loose” Thomas stopped in front of her. Slowly, Lucy put her hood down. Her look surprised Thomas, her blank expression furthered his worrying emotion. “Hey brother, what’s up?” Brother? Lucy had never used that term before, ever in the whole time Thomas and her had been alive she hadn’t called him by the term “brother”. Their conversation wasn’t of much interest as Lucy wasn’t very responsive. Thomas felt like he was talking to an operated voice machine, spitting out short end answers to move on with the conversation and get it over with. The bell rang, “See you later Tom, I’ll talk to you on the bus home.” Thomas watched as his sister slowly walked down the hallway and took a right turn, wondering where she was going as they had math next together.
Colin could smell the stench of cigarette butts as he walked through the 7-11 parking lot. This was a place he frequented whenever he had the money to buy junk food. The spicy chicken wings and Sour Patch Flavor watermelon slurpee was a regular combo he bought. It four thirty after school on the day that Bret got his leg snapped in half by some kid Colin hadn’t ever seen. The sound of the convenience store door jingle sounded throughout the store. Colin had about ten dollars to his name currently and he was planning on spending it on his usual combo of chicken wings and slurpee. “Hey man” Colin hadn’t noticed it yet but Karen was at the counter today. Karen was one person that he considered a friend, even though she was twenty one and he was seventeen. “Hey” Colin responded looking over the slurpee machine. There was an awkward silence until Karen’s voice broke through. “So the usual huh?” She knew him well when it came to what he bought from 7-11. “Yeah” Colin’s voice sounded as if he was bored, really he was just hungry. A few moments went by and he was up on the counter and already Karen had scooped his food and had it ready to go. Colin hadn’t said anything, he was too busy focused on what happened at school today. “Hey dude?” He blinked and looked towards Karen, she was slightly shorter than him. She had dark purple hair, very small black gauges in her ears, and snakebites. Colin thought Karen was very attractive, up from her piercings to her usual black nail polish that she always wore. “Dude?” snapping out of his daze, Colin replied with a quick “Yeah?”
The evening was cold, dark and the wind outside gave her a sense of emptiness. Kaylee had been lying down on her bed since she had gotten home. Not once had she spoke to her parents about what happened and not once did she even say a word out loud. Her mind was flooded and screaming with thousands of thoughts. She wanted to contact Jack and talk to him and ask him why he fought, why he defended her...... Maybe it was because he actually liked her and he just didn’t tell her. That thought was soon extinguished like a small flame. Her thinking that Jack liked her was stupid, dumb.......hopeless. No. No, she wouldn’t treat this situation like some dumbass teen romance movie. Where a boy and a girl that come from different groups fall in love with each other. Jack was a loner and she knew that he thought that she was stuck up. He probably thought that she was using him for some unknown reason. The wind outside blew louder and it made her thoughts overflow like a gushing river. With each passing moment that she thought about her and Jack, she wanted to scream that it wasn’t true. That she didn’t like him and that they were just friends. But deep down, what was true made her thoughts run wild with denying it all. Maybe it was true and it if was, what would happen if she told him? **** School was something he didn’t need to worry about as he wasn’t going, he was suspended. Jack woke up around ten in the morning. The red numbers illuminated the small area around his nightstand and it made Jack squint. The October wind blew outside hard as ever, making him shudder and shiver. Two days ago he had fought someone in defence of his friend Kaylee. He sighed at the thought of the fight, he was still sore and his nose ached just as it did when he left school. Jack closed his eyes and felt himself drifted off to sleep again. A few hours later Jack woke up again. 1:04 P.M was what his alarm clock said. He yawned and shifted in his bed. The ceiling of his room was a darker gray than usual. Maybe it was reflecting how Jack was feeling. No. No that sounded stupid and over dramatic. Then again, he felt that way but he just didn’t admit it. He never admitted something like that. Not since.....Jack sat up and stared at the window above him. The day was cloudy and windy, the usual in October. Jack shifted his legs over the edge of his bed and stretched. No school today equals no work which equals being lazy. “This should be fun” Jack whispered to himself. The first thing he would mark off his imaginary list would be a shower.
“Word on the street is that you might have something I want” her breath smelt of clovers and ash. If that makes sense. Colin stared at Karen as she talked on and on about shit he couldn’t care less about. Her voice droned on and on till finally he asked “And what is it you do want?” She looked stunned for a moment but then said “Weed, I heard you have weed.” For a moment Colin wanted to lie and say he did infact have the green leaf. Then again, saying that would lead up to him looking like a complete dipshit because he would dig himself a complete and utter hole.”The fuck did you hear that shit?” Colin asked jokingly. “Our boy Charlie told me” Karen said with an innocent smile “Charlie is a dipshit. You and me both know that” Colin scoffed. They both laughed for a moment until someone walked into the store. It was some passerby that would go undetected and unnoticed by both Karen and Colin.
The smell of the small store made her stomach sick. Lucy only came to 7-11 for the doughnuts and sometimes the strawberry milk they had. She glanced at the two people over by the counter. Some woman that looked like she had daddy issues and a random guy that had a black hoodie on. They annoyed her, they were laughing and that annoyed Lucy. The smell of the store made her even more annoyed. She was biased towards people that looked and/or dressed that way. Hoodies and gauges, black makeup and shaved heads. It was all just a dumbass pit for people to fall into so they can gain attention from other people so that said people can give pity. She was bias and she disliked it. Lucy grabbed a few doughnuts and walked over and grabbed a bottle of strawberry milk. At the counter both people were laughing. Now she wanted to punch something. “Excuse me” Lucy said in a calm but stern tone. “Sorry” the boy said. She laid her food and drink on the counter and pulled out a ten from her pocket. The woman at the counter smiled as she scanned the milk and charged the doughnuts. A few moments later Lucy got her change and walked out of the 7-11. “I really don’t like people who look like that.”
A few hours went by without her paying attention. She stared at her surroundings, the branches of the tree outside her window, her school books neatly stacked on her desk, her backpack in the corner of her room. Everything. Kaylee’s mind wandered and sifted through different scenarios about her and Jack. With every thought came the same words, “It’s stupid” she would tell herself. She didn’t want to admit what was actually going on. It sounded like a stupid teen movie. Over and over her mind thought and her and Jack. Her focus snapped when she heard the Skype sound.
JackyBoy: Hey. One simple message. One simple message that caused her thinking to go into overdrive. “Calm down, it’s just a message.” BloggerCat234: Hey! Are you ok!? JackyBoy: Yeah I’m fine. Nose really hurts though. An overwhelming sense of worry washed over Kaylee. She denied it just like everything else that she had been thinking about over the past few hours. BloggerCat234: I’m glad you’re ok :) I.. She stopped for a moment and wondered if she should say that she was worried about Jack. She deleted the I and just sent the first part that she wrote. JackyBoy: Yeah :) Hey, Kaylee do you think we could talk?
Shivering and written with anxiety, Jack stared at his computer monitor. His bedroom lights were off and he was wrapped up in a blanket. His heart was pounding and he didn’t know why. For once in his life, Jack was nervous. He hated being nervous.
Colin sat staring at his small TV, the show that was on was something that he didn’t care about. To him, it was all just noise. Noise that he kept on because he couldn’t sleep. He glanced down at his watch and it read 4:07 A.M. “Shit” Colin muttered under his breath. It was Halloween but he would have to get ready for school in two hours. His mind spun for a bit and he felt a wave of nausea. Was he sleepy or sick? He couldn’t tell. For a moment he felt weightless. The next thing he knew he heard his grandfather yelling at him that he was late for school. Colin blinked slowly and sat up. He fell asleep for once out of exhaustion.
Halloween. Today Thomas would talk with his sister and try and see what was actually wrong. It was halfway through sixth period when Thomas thought about what would happen later tonight. He was determined to help his sister, she need his support. Quickly Thomas wrote down on his school work and then he sat back. A few moments later the bell rang. Thomas shot up and swiftly walked out of class. He wanted school to be over. He wanted Halloween night to come. Author speaking here, if people like this on here then I will update. If not then I'll keep writing independently. Anyone who is willing to tell me their thoughts is welcome to talk.
The pared-back Scandi-style stacking box tree is only $12 at Kmart – and Australian mums can’t get enough of it. The Facebook group Kmart Décor Ideas and Hacks has been inundated by members uploading their own customized versions of the tree. 1984 Rauch Christmas Tree Ornaments packaged for Kmart- 24 Ornaments - Size Small OneLifeVintage. 5 out of 5 stars (41) $ 18.00. Favorite Add to Vintage Mini Miniature Feather Tree Box of 12 Glass Christmas Tree Ornaments Vintage Kmart BLINKIEWELLSVINTAGE. 5 out of 5 stars (913) $ 9.99. Favorite Add to Czechoslovakia Lot of 5 The white Kmart Christmas Tree is sure to be a standout with whatever decorations you use, and at $39 for a 182cm tree it won't break the bank. Big W has options for those seeking something a little bit different, from the 150cm Light Up Glitter Twig Tree for $40, to the Pop Up Christmas Tree covered in baubles for $35. Christmas ornaments allow you to create the perfect ambiance for the holidays. Decorating the tree is a family tradition enjoyed by kids and adults alike. Check out a wide array of beautiful glass ornaments to enhance your setup. Tree ornaments are a great way to dress up your tree, in addition to sparkly tinsel and fairy lights. Kmart mum makes space saving Christmas tree for tiny apartment | Daily Mail Online. An Australian mum who couldn't spare the space for a traditional Christmas tree in her small apartment has Explore our range of Christmas Trees, from Kingston Pine to Blue Spruce we'll have a Christmas Tree perfect for you and your family. Decorate your home with beautiful Christmas trees from Kmart. The holidays are just around the corner and very soon you’ll be shopping for gifts and selecting the perfect Christmas tree. Come Christmas morning, everyone gathers around the tree to open their presents from Santa and make memories to last a lifetime. Kmart mum shares her invisible Christmas tree hack which go viral on Facebook. Source: Facebook. Kmart mums go mad for invisible Christmas tree. With more than 800 reactions and 80 comments on the post – the Kmart fans were completely blown away by the clever tree hack. “OMG great idea!! This is our first year having pets so I wasn't sure Mum's genius Kmart tree hack will save your Christmas. The perfect storm for smashed glass baubles and cuts and tears is the Christmas tree - as anyone responsible for small children or animals knows - with the low-hanging bauble a perfect target for a curious crawler. Sydney mum used Christmas decorations from Kmart to transform her kitchen into a winter wonderland. Everyone is losing it over this $12 Kmart Christmas tree Everyone What started as a small collection of miniature Christmas trees has grown to an extensive pair of villages. It’s so big,
CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS SHATTERPROOF 72 COUNT ON AMAZON https://amzn.to/2NadoBN Complete entire Walmart Christmas 2018 section including Christmas trees and Chri... kmart australia shop with me for xmas decorations hi everyone today im sharing a kmart australia shop with me tour for christmas decorations i hope you enjoy... CHRISTMAS DIY DECOR KMART HACK Christmas Tree Tablescape In todays video I show you how you can create a beautiful looking tablescape out of 2 cheap KMART $5 Christmas Trees. Most products used ... A live Christmas tree burn conducted by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) shows just how quickly a dried out Christmas tree fire burns, with... Help support the Salvation Army and give to the Kmart wishing tree this Christmas by donating something as small as a $2 Doll or as amazing as a new wardrobe for families, kids and adults in needs ... this is a reupload, or rather, a recreation of the video by drop7, which was taken down due to copyright issues. my apologies for the stationary snow in the ... I demonstrate woodturning small Christmas trees suitable for Christmas tree ornaments or simply as table decorations. This is a fast, fun and easy wood lathe... If you don't have a pre-lit artificial tree or you have a fresh one, putting on the lights can be a bit of an ordeal with you ending up with a rat's nest of ... 3 EASY Christmas Room Decor DIY's 2nd Day of Christmas! DIY Christmas Trees for Small Spaces - Duration: 8:53. The Kinwoven Home - Live Your Style Recommended for you 8:53 Here are instructions on how to put up your pre-lit Christmas Tree, courtesy of http://www.christmascentral.com Artificial Christmas Trees are a great way to...
