The Thin Man - Not Exactly A Christmas Movie

Every December I post about one Christmas movie that I try to see each year.  Last year it was The Man Who Came To Dinner.  The year before that it was Christmas in Connecticut.

Ok, so The Thin Man is not exactly a Christmas movie, but it does have a funny Christmas morning scene in it. I have been thinking about it ever since I had a conversation with one of my friends (Lori you know what I'm talking about).  I found out she had never seen this movie.  And that is very sad and has to be remedied right away.  And that goes for everybody who hasn't seen it.

This is a comedy-mystery film made in 1934 based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett.  I just love this era in films with it's sophisticated comedies, beautiful black and white photography, and gorgeous costumes.  This film stars Myrna Loy and William Powell as Nick and Nora Charles and Skippy as their dog Asta.  

The book description sums it all up. - Nick and Nora Charles are Hammett's most enchanting creations, a rich, glamorous couple who solve homicides in between wisecracks and martinis.

Nick is a retired detective and his wife Nora comes from a very wealthy family.  The movie starts as the couple has just traveled by train from the West Coast I believe back to New York, where Nick used to work.  His old associates beg him to come back and help out with one more murder case.  The "thin man" is missing and Nick, Nora, and Asta will work together to solve this mystery!

This Christmas morning scene involves a mink coat, a BB gun, a tree decorated with tinsel and balloons, and lots of cocktails!

All photos from thethinman1934.com

Every time I watch this movie it makes me laugh.  Along with the other great comedies of that time like His Girl Friday and It Happened One Night, the dialogue is witty and fast.  Sometimes you have to watch these films a couple of times to catch up with all the mayhem and hear all the jokes.

Amazingly this film was shot in twelve days.  And it was released only four months after The Thin Man book by Dashiell Hammet was released.  It was so popular that five sequels came after it:

After The Thin Man (1936)

Another Thin Man (1939)

Shadow Of The Thin Man (1941)

The Thin Man Goes Home (1945)

Song Of The Thin Man (1947)

So put The Thin Man and the sequels on your Christmas list!

Twas The Night Before Christmas Pajamas

Every year, either I or Santa , make sure there are new "jammies" under the tree for my daughter.  And this year she really needs them.  She's grown out of everything.  The poor thing has been squeezing into pajamas that seemed to fit yesterday, but are suddenly too small.  How did that happen?

Well, there certainly are some fun choices out there with the themes she loves.  Blue cats, teddy bears  and cute R2D2.

I have a hard time getting her to wear slippers, but I thought these Sully and Hello Kitty slippers are so adorable I might be able to convince her to wear them:)

Twas the night before Christmas Pajamas by debralynn5 featuring a food & drink

Visiting The Crown & Crumpet For Tea In San Francisco

A long time ago I discovered a delightful Tea Salon called the Crown & Crumpet while looking at a magazine.  I forgot about it and came across the website by accident one day and posted about it in Time For Tea, back in 2011.  But since it is in San Francisco, I didn't know when or if I would ever get a chance to go there.  Then one day my sister decided to move from Hawaii to San Francisco.  This year she invited my daughter and myself to spend Thanksgiving with her.

So I finally got my chance to go visit the Crown & Crumpet!  Unfortunately I missed their first incarnation at the Ghirardelli Square.  They have relocated to a smaller venue in the New People Building in the Japantown neighborhood of San Francisco.  It may be a mini version of their original Tea Salon, but it is still a spirited, delicious, and sometimes cheeky place, serving the world's most popular drink - second only to water (as the owners Amy and Christopher Dean say).

Sandra and I at The Crown & Crumpet.

My daughter, Sandra, was not the least bit interested in taking photos.  She was seriously focused on her goodies that arrived with her Nursery Tea.  She loved the fact that she got her own little teapot of fruit tea with her own mini-three-tiered stand of treats.  And the tea was pink!

My nephew, Philip, and my sister, Jackie.

We dragged my poor nephew along.  A tea salon is, well.... not his cup of tea.  He was a good sport about it, but he refused to drink tea.  Luckily for him they have more beverage choices.  He decided on a cappucino.

My sister, Jackie and I, ordered the Afternoon Tea.  We chose the Crown & Crumpet Private Blend of tea.  It is described as a full bodied tea with toasty notes from Darjeeling, maltiness from Assam and lively flavor from Ceylon.  Worthy of any Royal table.  I have to agree. And we were so lucky to arrive when the scones were fresh out of the oven.  They were so delicious!  Everything was.

If I get a chance to go again, I think I will try the Marie Antoinette Tea.  

Rumour has it this was Marie Antoinette's favorite.  Let this relaxing blend of bergamot, blue mallow and roses be the perfect tea for eating cake! - Crown & Crumpet