Rarely have I seen something so effective as summing up Christmas as this Chicago Tribune gallery.
When I opened your post, Frank Mills' Music Box Dancer came on my iPod and something about the photo and the music and the peyote I had earlier that day (or the lack of sleep for the 4 days before) just inspired this wild vision of some madcap Christmas mall chaos scene that was overly nostaglic and could have been cut from the final version of A Christmas Story. In my head it was outrageously funny and now I want to make a nostalgic Christmas movie set in the 50's just so that I can use it. Seriously, this may be my new life goal. How does one get into movie-making and does anyone remember the 50's? The whole movie will build to a moment where Music Box Dancer kicks in and the kids go crazy when some tyke in a green snow suit does just what they are doing in this picture and the chain-reaction of fear, panic, a few trouble-making bullies spurring it on, and a drunken adult Santa Claus in the background who just gives up on life in this very moment as the rugrats squeal and panic around him causes everything to come crashing down in quasi slow motion. God, I wish you people could see inside my head. I'm crying I'm laughing so hard at work. People are seriously coming over to see if I'm OK.