Caroline Kennedy is nearing the end of her tenure as US Ambassador to Japan; and she's definitely embracing the stranger side of governmental affairs over there...
Christmas time is a happy time, but it's also very stressful. Sometimes an argument breaks out amid the relentless holiday cheer. That's when you pull out your phone and stare intently at these comics to avoid all holiday family conflict.
Via Vox
One part "White Christmas," two parts “Baby Please Come Home.”
What is it that makes Christmas music so Christmassy? Is it the chestnuts? The nutmeg? The cinnamon? Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
According to this new video from Vox, it’s a special chord found in some Christmas song classics that give it that special yuletide feel.
In this video, Vox talks to Adam Ragusea from Mercer University, who explains the influences of Mariah Carey’s hit and breaks the songs down note by note. When played together, Carey’s song sounds an awful lot like Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” and the Phil Spector-penned “Baby Please Come Home.” But there’s one chord in particular that makes them brings them all together. In music terms, it’s going from a “tonic chord” to a “diminished chord.” But all you need to do is hear how similar these things seem to get the gist.
Check out the video above, and enjoy the songs below. See if you can hear what makes them so Christmassy.
We've got a full spectrum of lights on display here. Some of these Christmas decorations are genius and some...could be better. Whether your style is smart, lazy or spectacular, there's something festive for everyone to love in this list.
Via truTV
The War on Christmas has been going since the beginning of Christmas, apparently.
Adam might have ruined the history behind It’s a Wonderful Life, but today today he’s going for the yuletide jugular.
In this clip from “Adam Ruins Christmas,” Adam Conover takes audiences on an animated journey back to ancient solstice festivals to mark the end of Harvests. These parties were filled with cool things like cross dressing and fire — not tinsel, Aunt Mary-Anne. They were also the original Christmas celebrations, before a certain someone crashed the party.
Eventually, Adam tells that when Christians took over, they gradually introduced Jesus into these celebrations as a compromise. Citizens of newfound Christian municpalities could continue their celebrations if they included Jesus, so December 25 became Jesus' birthday party.
These kids know exactly what they want for Christmas and they aren't afraid to ask for it. Some of them have a long list, others are just very specific. These letters will remind you to be a little more imaginative when you ask for presents this year.
