Christmas time is here

Stream of consciousness post in 3...2...1...

• I am a fan of the Christmas season. Especially now that my shopping is more than 75% done!
• I think I'm done buying music games like Rock Band, Guitar Hero, etc. Unless they release Rock Band: Nine Inch Nails or Rock Band: Phish or something like that. Also, no buying any more plastic instruments.
• I beat Super Mario 64 for the first time ever today. I never really liked it when I tried to play it on my N64 - I think I missed the side-scrolling world that I knew and thought the camera/controls were stinky. But I bought it for the Wii Virtual Console over a year ago and I was inspired to give it a try after beating New Super Mario Bros Wii. And you know - it was pretty good. I guess I didn't give it a fair shake back in the day.
• Speaking of New Super Mario Bros Wii, I loved that game. I'd recommend it to any fan of the old-school Mario games or the DS version. Nintendo could pump out a new side-scrolling Mario game every year and I would buy and enjoy every single one. Playing with friends is definitely challenging, though. I've only been brave enough to try two people and that's chaotic enough. Having four people running around, bumping each other off platforms and stealing power-ups...would be hilarious and frustrating in equal measures, I think.
• Next on the gaming agenda: Super Mario Sunshine. Never played that either. Then I'll probably play through Super Mario Galaxy again unless I get something more exciting for Christmas :)
  
• Our house's Christmas lights look fabulous. And by fabulous, I mean slightly over the top (I'm looking at you, red LED sign proclaiming "Merry Christmas" in the window that Matt picked out). LED lights are so freakin' bright! The lights on our tree (real tree, of course) are old-school standard lights, though. So we have a little of both.
• Piper has puked up fake greenery from garlands a LOT. At least it isn't balling up in her intestines.