This year we’ve seen part or all of 5 versions of ‘A Christmas Carol’. Why? Because 2020. My favorite version is the audiobook read by Sir Patrick Stewart although MK and I both agree the film version he stars in sucks because of the Ghost of Christmas Future. I love the audiobook because the original language is so far and away better than any film version could ever portray. You have a different opinion? Please share it in the comments. Here are the last two paragraphs of the book…

“Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man as the good old City knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough in the good old world. Some people laughed to see the alteration in him; but he let them laugh, and little heeded them, for he was wise enough to know that nothing ever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the outset; and knowing that such as these would be blind anyway, he thought it quite as well that they should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as have the malady in less attractive forms. His own heart laughed, and that was quite enough for him.

He had no further intercourse with Spirits, but lived upon the Total Abstinence Principle ever afterward; and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!”

Dickens, Charles. A Christmas Carol (Christmas Books series Book 1) (p. 72). Atria Books. Kindle Edition.

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I was predisposed to dislike Ted Lasso — I love soccer but I don’t love the premiere league and I’ve never been much of a Jason Sudeikis fan — and yet Ted Lasso is the show I needed to see during the pandemic. Doing a little research, I discovered that Brené Brown is not only a soccer fan, but she also loves Ted Lasso. She breaks it down here with Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt and the resulting interview is amazing and sweet as Brené goes full-metal fangirl. She says…

“As the self-appointed president of the TLFC (Ted Lasso Fan Club), it was a blast to talk to Jason Sudeikis, the co-creator, writer and executive producer who plays Ted Lasso, and Brendan Hunt, the co-creator and writer who plays Coach Beard on the Apple TV+ hit series. The show follows the adventures of a small-time college football coach from Kansas hired to coach a professional soccer team in England, despite having no experience coaching soccer. We talk about the show’s interesting origin story, writers’ room inspirations, and why intention is critical to the creative process. It’s a fun conversation about a show that is unapologetically awkward, brave, and kind: Brené with Jason Sudeikis & Brendan Hunt on Ted Lasso | Brené Brown“

Click the link to listen to the episode…

Bonus!

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