All is quiet. Everything is covered with snow, lights from windows are twinkling in the night, and sleigh bells are ringing in the sky. It's that time of year! But wait...

"Something is wrong - any fool could tell.
If this is Santa, then Santa's not well.
His mean little eyes spin just like tops.
So somebody better quick call the cops!"

Santa's tied up in a cellar at the North Pole, and his evil twin intends to ruin Christmas. Not the usual syrupy story, but it does include two sisters trying to save everyone's holiday spirit. A little fun, a little mischief, and gorgeous illustrations. The rhyming gives it a nice touch, and if you look closely, you can find a snowman lurking on every page.

If you think Gremlins is a Christmas movie, this is for you.

The Finnish publishing house Tammi has published their beloved golden book series since 1952, and this edition collects five of their Disney Christmas stories: Donald Duck and Santa Claus, Mickey Mouse Flies the Christmas Mail, Donald Duck's Christmas Tree, Mickey Mouse Goes Christmas Shopping, and Santa's Toy Shop.

There's very little text because these are for smaller children (3 years and up), but there's plenty for adults to enjoy. The retro 50s illustrations are so cute and atmospheric and perfect for getting you into a Christmas mood. It has that same general feeling as the TV special From All of Us to All of You (1958) that the Nordic countries are obsessed about, and this would be a nice addition to that tradition.

Although the servants and the dog Crab steal the show, Shakespeare's first play is just a shallow romantic comedy about shallow people. I try to judge plays based on whether I'd like to see them on stage, and I'm afraid this doesn't make the cut. It's certainly entertaining in its own way but not as polished as the later works. When you've already had a sundae with extra whipped cream, an oatmeal cookie doesn't taste like much.

"I see a woman may be made a fool,
If she had not a spirit to resist."

There are varying interpretations about the meaning of taming a woman, e.g. with some suggesting Katherina only puts on an act. Although I can kind of understand the reasoning behind those interpretations, the intention isn't immediately clear on paper. It just seems that Shakespeare is trying to show there is a better way to have an obedient wife than straight-up beating her into submission.

Katherina isn't a nice person to begin with due to her anger issues and abusive behavior towards her sister, but when she's tamed, she becomes a Stepford wife: the ideal woman who is ready to comply with her husband's demands and opinions no matter how absurd said opinions are. I think this could end up more palatable with a clever production, particularly in terms of Petruchio actually enjoying a feisty woman and Kate pretending to conform. The Shrew is absolutely better written than The Two Gentlemen of Verona, but it's also yet another comedy that made me wait for the tragedies with bated breath.

It looks like Shakespeare Sundays are a thing now, and we continue with a historical play that is mainly a setup for parts 2 and 3. There's a lot of squabbling and warfare, the foundations for the Wars of the Roses are set, and Joan of Arc makes an appearance with her devils. The awkward jumping around from one thing to the next is saved by Joan (even though she's portrayed through a nasty propaganda lens), the scenes with Talbot and his son, and the glimpses to the personality of Henry VI, but I'm sure The Hollow Crown made the big scenes work even better (I've somehow completely missed the 2016 part of the series).