Christmas Pals: Julebokk - the Christmas Goat

So, there's a whole lot of Scandanavian stuff here I don't quite grok.  

There's the Scandanavian habit of, much like Mari Llyd, dressing up and going around to get booze from neighbors (a solid plan!).  And that is referred to as Julebukking.  Neighbors who have not slammed the door in your spooky face now welcome you in for smorgasbord and a cocktail, I'd guess.

How this happens without already being drunk looking at the picture above, I can't say.  

But this may have originally been a tradition where the participants mostly dressed as goats, thus the name.  And how did we get there?

Jule means Yule/ Christmas-time, and Bok means Goat.  

League Weekly Rewind 2025 (December 21, 2025)

Emmylou is worn out by holiday cheer

I'm Out of the Sandal/ Boot

So sometime in mid-October I was put into a surgical boot, even before I'd actually had surgery on my foot.  Well, on the morning of the 19th, I had a round of x-ray's, high-fived with my surgeon, who is a super cool guy, I might add - and was given the all-clear to put on a shoe instead of the boot.

I had my shoe in the car and was delighted to do so.  I can't say how freeing it felt to not hobble around with that clumsy thing on my foot.  I even took Emmylou for a little walk yesterday.  And will now do so every day as I rebuild confidence in the foot and the walks get longer.

Happy Birthday, JimD

Today is the 50th Birthday of JimD.  

We're giving him a special 50th birthday shout out as Jim is the person who harangued me into start blogging back in the early 00's.  

I met Jim in a screenwriting class back at the University of Texas when, before class, he asked what comic book I had out on my desk.  I thought it odd a very straight-laced looking fellow would care, but I did not know how high Jim's freak flag truly flew.  We talked comics, sci-fi, etc...  

Anyway, Jim's understated sense of humor won me over immediately, and we pal'd around til we graduated and he went to Baylor for law school and I did whatever the hell it is I'm doing.  

These days, he's a successful practicing attorney!  Who sends me piles of post cards - which are now kept in a Krypto popcorn bucket.  

mail bag!

Jim facts:  

• Has seen more bands live than you and all of your friends combined, with a greater variety of genres and styles
• Knows more music than you do - I promise
• Has known RHPT longer than the World Health Organization has deemed safe
• Ran a successful law blog for years
• Genuinely enjoys the work of Ingmar Bergman
• Has sent me multiple separate autographs from separate Lois Lanes (Noel Neill, Margot Kidder, Elizabeth "Bitsie" Tulloch)
• Called me after seeing Batman vs. Superman and relayed the entire movie's plot to me in 10 minutes

What will the next fifty years hold for Jim?  None can say.  I expect it will be mostly practicing law, fighting crime and high kicks.

Here's to Jim, who deserves a damn good birthday.

League Weekly Rewind (Week of December 8th)

A'ja Wilson Gets Her Flowers

A'ja Wilson is Time Magazine's Athlete of the Year:  Time Magazine's article.

She also won AP's Female Athlete of the Year:  AP News article

We at League of Melbotis couldn't be happier.  And based on performance and accumulation of honors, it's hard to argue that she isn't the most accomplished athlete in their sport (across all US Sports) in 2025, while also taking the stage as a face for the WNBA during a crucial and messy period.

Christmas Pals: Mari Lwyd

Ah, Wales.  Beautiful.  Ancient.  Brave.  Steadfast.  Home of a baffling language and a horse-skulled excuse to get drunk.  

Apparently this is not some ancient character - it's just something some drunk Welshmen came up with.  Make a hobby horse out of a skull and go a-wassailing.  Horse skulls are kind of jolly, I suppose, and when you show up at someone's door with it, they kind of have to address you, so you sing and drink.  Not bad.

The Mari Lwyd is a skull affixed to a pole like a hobby horse and then you bedazzle that skull.  One person under a sheet carries it around, and another speaks/ sings for it as a leader.  And then a bunch of other drunks join in, singing in a small crowd around the figure.  You knock on someone's door, and you carol for booze.

No one is quite sure where the tradition started, why, or, indeed, what "Mari Lwyd" refers to - but it might just mean "The Gray Mare".  She ain't what she used to be, indeed.

So, no, don't fear the Mari Lwyd.  It's just here for your booze and snacks. 

Wait... am I Mari Lwyd?

Christmas Show: The E(Xmas)ist

 

Lifelong pal CB Goodman - former film school collaborator and sometime roommate - has gone on to become a director and producer of local plays.  The nice thing is, I don't have to be polite.  I actually like her work when I've been able to catch it.  It is not a new idea that I think CB, indeed, has a terrific sense of comedy, conceptualization and design.  She works with a collaborative called Gracklejack Productions, and they stage shows pretty regularly.

A few months back she informed Jamie and I that she was working on The E(Xmas)ist, which she described as a mash-up of The Exorcist and Krampus, and I said "well, yes".   

We caught the opening night show on Thursday 12/11 at the Crashbox in Austin.  I guess the shows are now all sold out, but you never know.  Tickets may be got here.  

Written by Vince Kelly and directed by CB, it was what she advertised.  Hilarious, great stuff.  It did not hurt that I'd just revisited The Exorcist during October, so it was all very fresh.  True team effort, I wouldn't single anyone out of the cast as they all delivered, and all of them had highlight moments.  

After way too many Hallmark movies and Christmas cheese, it was great to revel in a show that was absolutely as described:  

The ultimate campy Christmas parody, The E(XMAS)IST is everything we ever wanted in a holiday show! It’s got drag, sass, and ridiculous DIY special effects.

Anyway, I can see this becoming a sort of Christmas tradition.  Not that I want to saddle CB with more work, but I'm just saying.  The audience loved it, and I can see other players want to try on some of these parts.

Amazing show.  If you can still get a ticket, Austin, do it.

Enjoy Some Holiday Tunes

I don't know what I was expecting, but I haven't heard much new Christmas music.  But, that doesn't mean I've not heard any.  Also, there were some highlights the past couple years we'd be remiss if we didn't share.

Some Final Girls are here with some Christmas cheer (found via Barbara Crampton's social media)

Kylie Minogue has a whole new Christmas record.  I quite liked the song and video for Office Party

Minogue also has a video coming end of the week for her new song, XMAS, but this live performance is pretty keen.

For the rockingest Christmas music, may I recommend 

Who would we even be if we didn't give Ms. Hannah Waddingham's Apple+ Christmas special a shout-out?

Last Christmas, before anyone knew who she was stateside, Raye performed at the NBC Rockefeller Christmas Tree lighting

In 2023, Cher herself had a new song she performed at the Tree Lighting.