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11 Christmas Songs That Never Really Took Off

Though artists from Mariah Carey to Insane Clown Posse release holiday singles, very few of those songs make it to holiday playlists year after year. Here are just a few of the more interesting Christmas songs released by some names you’ll be familiar with. Be sure to let us know if you look forward to one of these songs every year. 1. “Heavy Metal Christmas,” Twisted Sister. Would you believe Twisted Sister didn’t release their first holiday album until 2006? (Yeah, I believed it too.) The... READ ON

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8 Accidental Charitable Donations

You know how you hold on to some stupid kitchen item for like eight years, then decide that you’ve used it once and donate it to Goodwill? Then the next week, you find yourself in critical need of that garlic press for the first time since the Clinton administration? Now imagine that garlic press was worth $13,000. People accidentally give away family heirlooms or other valuables surprisingly often. Here are eight of those stories — some with happy endings, and others where people wish they'd... READ ON

Article

Who You Gonna Call? Butterball.

It’s 8 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day and you just realized you forgot to thaw your turkey. What do you do, punk? What do you do? Don’t panic. You just need to call 1-800-BUTTERBALL. Yes, it’s real, and yes, they really do have poultry experts standing by to help you with your last-minute snafus, flubs and foul-ups. When the hotline first opened up to panicked chefs in the early ‘80s, a mere six “home economists” responded to 11,000 phone calls during November and December. These days, their... READ ON

Article

How Are Balloons Chosen for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade?

So have you guys checked out the list of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons for this year? You’ve probably heard about Tim Burton’s B. Boy – he’s been getting a lot of press (I bet you can pick him out in the poster). The creepy cutie will be joining balloons such as Julius, the Paul Frank Monkey; Snoopy the Flying Ace; Clumsy Smurf; Kung Fu Panda; Kermit the Frog; and… Sonic the Hedgehog?! Most of this airy fleet makes sense. Snoopy is a classic, of course, and the others are all... READ ON

Article

The World’s Longest Christmas Card Exchange

The Purse is infamous in our family. A couple (ahem, maybe a few) decades ago, my grandma bought my mother a handbag. The Purse in question had the appearance of denim but was plastic-y to the touch. It came with a matching wallet. My mom apparently opened the gift and had a pretty good laugh, thinking my grandma had gotten her a hilariously terrible present on purpose. My grandma, meanwhile, was wondering what was so funny about the lovely accessory she had taken great care to select just for my mom. Her... READ ON

Article

The Case of the Missing Gordon from Sesame Street

Whether you’re watching Sesame Street with a toddler now or were a big fan of Big Bird and friends back when you were a little shaver, no doubt you’re familiar with Gordon. In one form or another, Gordon Robinson has been around since the show began in 1969. Back then, he was played by Matt Robinson, who just happened to be Holly Robinson-Peete’s father. She was even on the show once (and had a hard time calling him “Gordon” instead of dad). When Robinson left the show in 1972, another actor... READ ON

Article

Snow White: Not Just a Fairy Tale

Most of us are familiar with the story of Snow White: beautiful princess, jealous witch, hitman, dwarves, poisoned apple, hero prince. A cute little tale that got even cuter once Walt Disney got in hands on it in 1937, right? It may have been more than a tale, and the true tragedies the fairy stories might be rooted in are anything but cute. Two young German ladies have been identified as possible inspirations for the story of Snow White and her jealous stepmother. Margarete von... READ ON

Article

The Field of Dreams and Five Other Movie Pilgrimages You Can Make

Whenever I’m traveling and people find out where I’m from, 90 percent of the time, the reaction is, “Iowa! Have you been to the Field of Dreams?” I’m a little embarrassed to say the answer is no, I've never set foot in Dyersville. But thanks to the purchase that was made earlier this week, I still have a chance to... READ ON

Article

Who is Sadie Hawkins and Why Does She Have Her Own Dance?

Every October, we indulge in a month-long horrorfest at our house. Zombieland was the movie of choice a few nights ago, and the scene came up where Columbus explains how one of his worst moments of 1997 was when his school held a Sadie Hawkins dance. “No one asked you?” “It was girls’ choice,” he says by way of explanation. So who is this Sadie Hawkins and why is she so cruel? Let us go back to a time that was not so politically correct – specifically, 1937. If you’re a comics-reading... READ ON

Article

A Yodel Worth Millions

The name Wylie Gustafson might not ring any bells for you, but trust me, you know him. Back in the mid ‘90s, Gustafson was just your average, everyday yodeler making a living in Los Angeles. He sang with his band, Wylie and the Wild West, and occasionally did some commercials to make a little cash on the side. If you were a frequent television watcher in the early-to-mid ‘90s, you might remember his distinctive voice in ads for Taco Bell, Miller Lite and even Porsche. Then, in 1996, he got a call... READ ON