For others, it might be Thanksgiving parades or musak at the mall, but for me the first sign of the impending holidays comes when I watch (or more accurately, my insistence leads Jenny to let me watch) Miracle on 34th Street for the first time. Here are a few things I noticed this time around:

• Last year I remarked that it was lame that Cleo had to work on Thanksgiving. Jenny reminded me that Doris had to work too. Good point. I countered by noticing that Cleo is the only black person in the film.
• When Fred, the nice single man across the hall asks to have Susan come to his house, the housekeeper explains to Doris that "He's so very fond of Susan, when he asked I thought you wouldn't mind." Today that would verge on child endangerment.
• Alfred is the most accepting person ever. He accepts that Kris knows his name instantly. Then takes it without blinking when Kris says "Why do you like impersonating me?"
• "What if he's only a little crazy, like painters or composers or some of those men in Washington?"
• When Fred's getting ready for bed, he brushes his teeth and then finishes his cigarette.
• Santa Claus is an evolutionist: "You're the greatest lawyer since Darrow."