It is from one of my favorite childhood films, Condorman, a fun and crazy movie about a cartoonist who becomes a spy. Michael Crawford (before he was the Phantom of the Opera) is in it.

Today is Chips and Dip Day, so this is the perfect quote to say anytime someone asks you a question. (It means yes.)

A person in your house: Do you want tacos for dinner?

You: I’ll bring the dip, if you bring the Dostoevsky.

See, it totally works.

What are your favorite chips and dips? Potato chips with french onion dip? Tortilla chips and salsa? Fritos and bean dip? Yep, those are my favorites. What are yours? Let me know in the comments or on Facebook.

I don’t know if there is a National Chips Day (it turns out National Potato Chip Day was March 14,) but I don’t eat chips without dip. Perhaps that is why I love that quote so much.

Monster Trucks is a kids movie that came out in 2017. Apparently, nobody saw it in the theater, including me, but I wanted to see it eventually. I finally got my chance and I have to say: the monsters are tooooooo cute!

Seriously, this movie spent money on the CGI and it shows. The monsters make expressions that make you laugh and melt your heart.

The high schoolers are typical, but they quickly become likable because of how they treat the monsters. The bad guys are horrible from the beginning and I cheered when they got their comeuppance.

Monster Trucks has a plot that has been done a million times before, but its charm rests in the fact that the monsters are so cute, and you wish you were riding in the trucks that they control.

The acting is solid, and as I said, the CGI is totally believable. Most important for me, I didn’t bawl at the end of the movie, I just teared up a little.

If you are looking for a fun movie to watch with your kids, or if you just like cute monsters, I recommend Monster Trucks. You can rent it on Amazon, find it on YouTube, or watch it on Sony Crackle for free.  I imagine other channels have it as well. It will grab you just like the monsters grabbed an axle.

Micropachycephalosaurus is the longest dinosaur name. It means “small, thick-headed lizard.” This dinosaur:

• ate plants
• lived during the Upper Cretaceous (70.6-68.5 mya)
• was found in China
• measured about a meter long

It might have the longest name, but to date, it’s the smallest dinosaur found. Cute!

I didn’t see Hobbs and Shaw* in the theater because the timing was wrong and I couldn’t find anyone who wanted to see it with me. I don’t know why. I’d watch any movie with Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson, and Idris Elba sharing the spotlight.

Hobbs and Shaw is a spinoff from the Fast & Furious franchise. I like those movies, but if you haven’t seen them it doesn’t matter.  Hobbs and Shaw is not focused on cars (although there was a gorgeous one), and they did a great job of introducing the main characters again. The only connection I noticed is that this movie was about family and so is the Fast & Furious franchise.

Okay, it’s pretty obvious that I liked this movie. I would have liked it if it was just a good-looking guys bash fest, but it was a lot more. There was a kick-ass woman, a solid plot, funny dialogue, strong chemistry between the characters, twists and turns that were unexpected, a smart kid who didn’t do anything stupid, and a solid ending (with great post-credit scenes.) It’s everything it was advertised to be and more.  Truly, my only complaint was that a few of the cameos were a little long, and that was a minor issue.

If you like solid action movies (think Terminator), I highly recommend Hobbs and Shaw. If all you want to watch is three great-looking guys beating each other up in exotic locales, this is also the movie for you. I hope they do another.

*Amazon affiliate link

Every nativity scene I’ve ever seen has animals in it. This makes sense since it takes place in a stable where the animals live. Plus, there are all those sheep that the shepherds wouldn’t have left behind.

I have two nativities. My smaller one that was a gift from my husband has only seven pieces. They left out the shepherd but included a sheep. That is how important animals are.

If you think about it, Jesus was already born when the shepherds arrived. Therefore, the first ones to see the baby, after Mary and Joseph, would have been the animals that lived in the stable (and probably ate from the manger where Jesus was sleeping) and the donkey that brought them to Bethlehem.

If you like to cry, watch “The Small One,” a Disney featurette about the donkey that carried Mary to Bethlehem. I only saw this movie once and remember bawling uncontrollably, so I’ll skip it, but it’s sweet to watch a familiar story from a different point of view. Remarkably, you can see this on Amazon Prime but not Disney+.

Rather than watching a sob story, you can do something nice for the animals in your life. Buy them a new toy. Give an outdoor cat a warm bed. Buy your fur babies a special treat. Christmastime can be stressful for pets so make sure you take good care of them.

By the way, I never see dogs and cats in nativity scenes, but I assume they were there. Shepherds use herding dogs and cats hunt mice in areas where there is hay, so I think they should be represented too.

I feel I’ve talked about Miracle on 34th Street a lot this season, so I won’t mention it again (but seriously, only watch the original, black and white version.) Instead, I’ll expand this idea. Pick your favorite Christmas movie and have a movie night with the family.

Perhaps you like White Christmas or It’s a Wonderful Life. I know a lot of people who love watching Elf. The movie doesn’t matter. What matters is hanging out with the family. In fact, why only have only one.

Back when I wrote this idea, I suggested popcorn, but enjoy whatever treat your family likes. Perhaps you could try a new recipe, like reindeer snacks. Make it earlier in the day with the kids, and then enjoy it with your movie.

There are dozens of reindeer snack recipes online. I’ve included two here. A savory one from Taste of Home and a sweet one from Dinner at the Zoo. I like my reindeer snacks sweet, and this one looks delicious.

You can also make your own reindeer snack recipe using ingredients that each family member likes. Whatever you choose to eat and watch, snacks and movies are the perfect combination.

If you have a favorite snack recipe, I’d love to try it out. You can also tell me about your favorite Christmas movie. Maybe I haven’t seen it yet.

Yes, Virginia, I do believe in Santa Claus. Quantum physics makes his Christmas Eve trip work. If you want the details, check out this week’s podcast at Big Picture Science (my favorite podcast.)

Santa has a great history. Someday I’m going to write a book about this humble bishop who now hangs out in malls all over America. It’s been an interesting journey.

If you have kids or are a kid at heart, Santa has his own podcast. He encourages children to be kind, not just because they will stay on his good list (which he checks twice) but because it is the right thing to do. He had an episode every day until Christmas.

Tomorrow is Sinterklaas Day in Holland, and I talk about that holiday on the Footle and Grok podcast then. Check it out on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

If you want the ultimate Santa Claus movie (no, it’s not The Santa Clause), watch Miracle on 34th Street. Black and white, original version only, please. No colorization, no remakes. My favorite scene is the end courtroom scene. I don’t want to spoil it, so watch it with a tissue ready.

Last August, I visited Santa at the North Pole. North Pole, Alaska that is. This festive town is outside of Fairbanks, and at the Santa Claus House, you can see Santa, Mrs. Claus, and his reindeer all year long. It was entertaining watching organized families in matching pajamas getting a photo with Santa for their Christmas card so early.

Most of the Santa Claus House is a store with every imaginable Christmas item for sale. While waiting in line to pay for a cute moose ornament, I saw a bright idea. There were letters to Santa that covered every type of child and adult. There were ones for good kids, bad kids, mostly good kids, adults who believe in Santa, adults that don’t believe in Santa, and many more. The packets included a fancy letter and envelope with stickers. All a person had to do was fill in the blanks. I didn’t buy one, but I thought it could be a fun thing to do with a child.

Why not start a new tradition with your family and follow Santa’s trip across the sky with the help of NORAD? On the website or app, you can track Santa on Christmas Eve and play lots of other games throughout the year. It’s fun to watch quantum physics at work.