This year’s YouTube Christmas sensation comes in the form of a 3-year-old boy.

The video has received over a million hits and has been featured on many news shows including the Today Show.

After the video turned viral people started getting angry. They believed the kid was spoiled, outraged that he was so angry about getting books for Christmas when other children have nothing. His parents insisted, however, that he is not spoiled; he even loves books! He is just a little boy who didn’t think Santa should be putting literature under the tree.

So instead of analyzing this kid’s reaction, let’s all have a chuckle. For crying out loud, he is cute!

I enjoy shopping at thrift stores and consignment shops. The selections are eclectic and I never know what treasure I might find.  However after reading an article at lemondrop.com, I may rethink my thrift store shopping.

It seems that thrift store clothing is riddled with little eight legged mites that like to hibernate in hand –me- down clothing.  It’s sad to think that you could get blisters or begin to itch like crazy from wearing a new find. The thought that the item could be infested with these tiny menaces is too sad to contemplate.

It does help if you are very selective about the thrift shops you chose to shop at. Maybe it’s best to skip the local Salvation Army.  Your local Junior League resale shop might be a better choice, most donations are made by members and clothes are clean.

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The race is on for the title of world’s tallest chocolate Christmas tree.

In 2007 chef Alain Roby put together a 22-foot-tall chocolate Christmas tree that went on display in a Hong Kong shopping center. He never submitted the official paperwork to Guinness for the world record; however there was no doubt the tree was the largest ever created.

Roby is a 54-year-old pastry chef born in France and currently resides in Chicago. He already holds Guinness World Records for other chocolate sculptures he has done.

Enter Patrick Roger, another Parisian pastry chef. His chocolate masterpiece is a 32-foot-tall, 4-ton Christmas tree.

Following Roby’s trend, Roger did not pursue the Guinness record. He instead began auctioning off parts of the tree for charity. Even so, his feat gave him world-wide attention.

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Santa Claus has begun his trek across the globe to visit children, leaving gifts for them. While he makes his way across Earth’s atmosphere, his every move is being monitored by NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) 

Each year NORAD helps the jolly elf to keep him on track and out of danger. Children everywhere with access to the World Wide Web can follow along and note where Santa has stopped. It helps parents too, as they can use it to gage when Santa will stop in their neighborhood, so they can get sleepy children to bed.

The concept of tracking Santa began back in 1955 when Sears ran a print ad that told children they could call and talk to Santa. Little did they know that the misprinted phone number would eventually launch one of the most treasured traditions.

The number printed was the direct line to the Chief Operations Officer of CONAD (Continental Air Defense Command) Colonel Harry Shoup realized the mistake as calls for Santa started coming in. Being a good sport he instructed his staff to pretend to be Santa’s helpers and speak with each of the children.

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Jay Maynard, known as “The Tron Guy”, is somewhat of an icon with the followers of the movie. He embraced his affection for the cult film by documenting the creation of his very own Tron costume. Fans admire Maynard’s dedication to the film and his amazing costume skills.

The costume itself is rather impressive and elaborate. It is a form fitting catsuit made out of a luminescent material that lights up much like the ones the characters wear in the movies.   It’s a credit to his love of the movie as he is not a buff man and the costume does not leave much to the imagination.

Maynard had wanted to wear his catsuit to the theater to watch Tron: Legacy.  Out of respect for the theater he called ahead to ask if they would mind. Well, apparently they did, refusing to let him watch the movie again with it on.   Maynard believes they thought it might be too distracting for other guests.  

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Wine enthusiasts, it’s time to raid the 401k for an experience of a lifetime.  You and 9 of your best friends can split a bottle of 1947 Chateau Latour.

The rare bottle was found at Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa, Florida recently.  It will be added to the wine list this January with a price of $30,000.

“You’re drinking history. You’re drinking something that’s no longer going to be available ever again,” the sommelier, Eric Renaud, told Central Florida News 13. 

The senior sommelier was working in the rare wine room and spotted the bottle high on a shelf lying on its side.  It was in with a collection amassed by the restaurant founder, Bern Laxer. Mr. Laxer started the steakhouse in 1956 and passed away in 2002.

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