DECEMBER 25, 2003
In This Issue: Even a few days late, all good things must come to an end.
DECEMBER 24, 2003
In This Issue: Santa Claus Arrives! Santa Claus Is Here! Playmobil is saved! Viva la Santa!
DECEMBER 23, 2003
In This Issue: Hostess Cakes goes crazy for the holidays, Charlie Brown is next, and the Killer Reindeer arrives!
DECEMBER 22, 2003
In This Issue: "Holiday Rice Krispies," Scooby Doo's Christmas commercial, and it's Pauly Pooch to the rescue!
DECEMBER 21, 2003
In This Issue: "Winter Lucky Charms" cereal, A Very Kodak Christmas, and Mare Winningham breaks character by loving a little sweet teddy bear.
DECEMBER 20, 2003
In This Issue: Santa's Coal, Holiday M&M's and more Christmas candy. Mysterious Boy gets a toy car. CBS has a special presentation. All of this and more. It's almost Christmas.
DECEMBER 19, 2003
In This Issue: A ton of Christmas candy ranging from "Snowflake" Peppermint Patties to Gobstopper "Snowballs," an old K-Mart X-Mas commercial, and Mare Winningham reverts to type.
DECEMBER 18, 2003
In This Issue: Kid Cuisine's Christmas-themed microwave dinners, Mrs. Claus' 976 hotline, and a terrible day for Mista Snowman.
DECEMBER 17, 2003
In This Issue: The infamous Flintstones "Fruity Pebbles" Christmas commercial, Post's brand new "Holiday Fruity Pebbles," and Mark Winningham scores some hockey shit.
DECEMBER 16, 2003
In This Issue: A Hickory Farms spectacular! Check out the terrible beef and cheeses served lukewarm, plus an old commercial where Santa decides on giving out some pretty dubious gifts. Also: Mark Winningham!
DECEMBER 15, 2003
In This Issue: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Christmas Mobile, Suave's "Seasonals" shampoos and conditioners, and Mare's new goal net.
DECEMBER 14, 2003
In This Issue: Grimace and Birdie go Christmas shopping for Ronald McDonald, the Keebler Elves make insane amounts of holiday cookies, and Mista Snowman listens to talk radio.
DECEMBER 13, 2003
In This Issue: Finding joy in the shit you wrap your X-Mas decorations with, a look at a bunch of midget elves that drink 7 UP, and Mysterious Boy gets a thermos full of mysterious liquid.
DECEMBER 12, 2003
In This Issue: The Trix Rabbit battles Santa Claus for a bowl of you-know-what, Nestle's "Wonder Balls" mix Simba and Christmas, and the Playmobil gang gets benched?
DECEMBER 11, 2003
In This Issue: Four different varieties of Christmas "Peeps," Ronald McDonald creates a snowstorm, and Mare tries on a hot pair of skates.
DECEMBER 10, 2003
In This Issue: Oreo Cookies get Christmasized with devilish red filling, an old Oreo commercial starring the real Santa Claus, and the arrival of...The Mysterious Boy.
DECEMBER 9, 2003
In This Issue: "Instant Christmas" Sponge Capsules, Milton Bradley's "Travel Games," and Pauly Pooch joins the citizens of Playmobil.
DECEMBER 8, 2003
In This Issue: Bubble Tape's "Berry Chill" bubble gum, Crayola Crayons in your stocking, and Mista Snowman gets his broom!
DECEMBER 7, 2003
In This Issue: "Fluffy Stuff" Cotton Candy Snowballs, ABC's Saturday morning Christmas spectacular, and Mare Winningham's new neckwarmer.
DECEMBER 6, 2003
In This Issue: "Nerds" candy goes wild for Christmas, Mista Snowman meets MARE WINNINGHAM, and Nestle makes very moist Christmas cookies. Gagglegah.
DECEMBER 5, 2003
In This Issue: The "Santa Mario" Nintendo/Pepsi commercial, "Bellywashers" Christmas beverages, and Mista Snowman's evil crow wins a hot blue sled!
DECEMBER 4, 2003
In This Issue: The Great Ribbon Candy Taste Experiment, Disney and Coca Cola's fabulous music video, and Mista Snowman's winged new pal.
DECEMBER 3, 2003
In This Issue: The "Color-A-Cookie" Kit (with edible markers!), "The Simpsons Christmas Special" commercial, and Mista Snowman's Snowy Fence!
DECEMBER 2, 2003
In This Issue: The 7-UP "Spot" helps out Santa Claus, Pepperidge Farm dyes the Hell out of their "Goldfish" crackers, and Mista Snowman gets a top hat!
DECEMBER 1, 2003
In This Issue: Kraft's "Holiday Mallows," an old Toys 'R' Us commercial featuring a rubber Hulk Hogan, and our first gift from Playmobil: "Mista Snowman!"
Where am I and what does this have to do with Christmas?

It's X-E's Advent Calendar...Year 2! Many of you will remember last year's Advent Calendar. Inspired by the Playmobil toy of the same name, we counted down to Christmas with oodles of plastic holiday toys and tiny Mare Winningham figures. Criminally, I never finished the project. I did finish the Halloween Countdown though, so come on, I've redeemed myself.

This is just our little way of celebrating and anticipating the bestest time of the year. From December 1st tthrough Christmas, a new window will become active on the Almighty Gingerbread House, and along with it, a new update to the Calendar. Click too early and you get nothing.

Well, what are you updating the Advent Calendar with, exactly?

It's threefold baby. Triple terror. Trifecta. Triforce. Tryclyde. Every entry on the Advent Calendar will contain three mini-articles, on widely varying topics. Here's what you'll be seeing each day...


Christmas Commercials of the Past! I've been saving some of these for months, and it's finally time to unleash 'em. Anyone who reads X-E knows that I'm an ad junkie, but when you add Christmas to the mix, it's a whole new beast. Christmas brings out the best and the worst in TV commericials, and we're going to see it all with at least twenty-five holiday commercials of yesteryear. The crop will range from classics everyone fondly remembers to terrible crap that'll have you gunning to knife Santa in the face. On each day until the day, you'll get a new review of one of these ads....with a link to download the vid for yourself!


Christmas CRAP. I had a lot of fun blowing my life savings on all the many Halloween treats that came out this past October, so there was no way I wasn't going to repeat the process for the only holiday I like even better. I've been collecting and hoarding every "holiday edition" piece of junk I could find for over a month now, and I now have two giant boxes full of Christmas candy, strange food and odd novelties that the world must see. If you're the type of person who loves the idea of everything in stores being slapped with red and green cheer, but also the type of person who doesn't want to spend money on it, these articles are for you. You'll see the greatest of the "holiday edition" foods, the wackiest of the "holiday edition" candies -- and at least one sack of novelty "Santa Coal." You'll see it all.


Playmobil's NEW Advent Calendar! Last year's adventy fun from Playmobil was full of strange things in little gift boxes. The gift boxes have returned, but the things inside are even stranger. Each day, we'll open up the corresponding day's box and see what Playmobil has in store for us. What will we find? Only time, prying fingers and camera snappings will tell.

So, three mini-articles. Everyday through the 25th. That's a lot for one measly calendar. Maybe too much? Nah. Enjoy the fun! Feel free to drop me a line!