Ninth Day of Christmas

✦ Celebrating the Lighter Side of Life ✦

9 Little Somethings to Remember the Lighter Side

A collection of memories, humor, and gentle reminders to embrace the joy of the season.

1. The Lighter Side — Wit, Whimsy & a Bit of History 🎁
   Memorable Gifts That Delight

   One of my original Day 9 links pointed to The Lighter Side catalog — a delightful collection of humorous, whimsical gifts that existed for one very simple purpose: to make people smile. The Lighter Side was a division of the Johnson Smith Company, one of America's oldest catalog companies, founded in the early 1900s and famously known for offering "Things You Never Knew Existed." Added in 1979, The Lighter Side specialized in lighthearted gifts of merriment, nostalgia, and good humor. Today, the legacy of The Lighter Side and Betty's Attic lives on at Collections, Etc. Explore The Lighter Side & Betty's Attic Collections.

   

   A reminder that we have so much to be thankful for.

   This video is from a non-denominational church in Charlotte, NC, first posted 8 years ago as part of their Gratitude series. It celebrates the spirit of thankfulness and reflection during the holiday season.

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2. A Thoughtful Film Moment 📺
   

   I recently watched Merv, a heartwarming holiday film about a dog experiencing holiday sadness after his family changed. Even animals remind us how deeply the season can touch the heart.

   Available to stream on Amazon Prime Video
   First aired December 10th, 2025 • Prime membership may be required

   • 🎬Genre: Comedy • Romance • Heartwarming
   • ⏲Runtime / Rating: 1h 46m, PG
   • 📝Synopsis: When their beloved dog Merv loses his spark after their split, Anna and Russ are forced into the world's most awkward co-parenting arrangement. Hoping to shake Merv out of his funk, Russ takes him to Florida for a much-needed getaway — only for Anna to show up…
   The love and bond between humans and animals is universal, a source of comfort and joy throughout the year. As we cherish these connections, let's hop across the globe to celebrate a truly Australian Christmas, where kangaroos join the holiday spirit with their own songs and cheer.

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3. Six White Boomers 🎄

   From summer sun to snowy nights, Christmas traditions vary across the world.

   In Australia, Christmas arrives in the middle of a hot summer, and as the narrator cheerfully explains, Santa doesn't rely on reindeer at all. Instead, he's pulled along by kangaroos — the famous Six White Boomers — in a lighthearted celebration that turns the familiar story on its head.

   Over and over again, many entertainers who once brought joy and laughter into our lives later find themselves surrounded by controversy. While reality cannot be ignored, it also reminds us that the meaning we draw from the season does not come from the flaws of individuals, but from the values we choose to carry forward — kindness, generosity, joy, and goodwill.

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4. A Shared Chuckle, Passed Hand to Hand 🗄

   Long before memes, social feeds, and instant sharing, laughter traveled a little more slowly — but perhaps more deliberately.

   Back in the good old days (yes, back when dinosaurs roamed and printers hummed), a single printed chuckle might make its way from desk to desk, folded, refolded, and shared with knowing smiles across an entire floor.

   One of the most memorable pieces to make the rounds each December was a parody letter based on "The Twelve Days of Christmas." What's shared here is a cleaned, family-friendly version — not quite the one that circulated through offices back then.

   The original, uncensored version of this irreverent letter was circulated widely in offices and early email chains and can still be found online here if you dare to read it.

   And the gallery below offers a glimpse into the world as it was when this humor was in its prime. It captures the era in which this type of funny was circulated in offices, a time when paper was queen and the morning newspaper was the heartbeat of the breakroom. Do you remember those days of endless filing, stacks of manila folders, and the hum of that heavy office equipment?

   This is the world in which humor like this traveled — long before screens fit in our pockets.

   Office Life in the 1980s — Context

   

   Typical office in the 1980s

   

   Dot matrix green-lined printer paper on a roll with sprocket holes

   

   Telephone message pad

   

   Typical computer on a person's desk

   

   Office fax machine — the quickest way to transfer documents

   

   Typical phone on the desk before buttons

   

   Paper, paper — everything had to be filed

   

   Typewriters meant always typing fast with both hands

   

   A whole room filled with noisy, flashing mainframe machines doing the computing

   I collected more than a few of those moments. I styled them, printed them, slipped them into a binder that lived on the coffee table, and even shared bound copies with people who didn't yet have access to a computer — because laughter, after all, should never be gated by technology.

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5. Holiday Laughter 🎄 🤣

   Because sometimes joy is the most meaningful tradition of all.

   When the World Wide Web was still young, forwarded emails carried that same generous spirit — people delighted in passing along something funny, just to brighten someone else's day.

   A special shout-out goes to Deb, who reliably filled my inbox with these little gems — including the images you see here. It was the kind of humor that arrived without fanfare, algorithms, or expectations. In fact, these jokes didn't ask for likes — they were easily rewarded with a smile.

   

   Holiday humor often worked because it felt familiar. A shared winter annoyance, a knowing glance, a punchline that didn't need explanation. These were the kinds of jokes that traveled fast — not because they were edgy, but because they were relatable — small reminders that laughter often lives right at the intersection of innocence and experience.

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6. Shared Laughter 🤭 👥
   Moments where laughter spills out into the night — even to the neighbors.

   Humor pokes fun at the ordinary moments we all recognize — neighbors watching neighbors, assumptions made from a distance, conclusions drawn far too quickly — and even reminds us that the most innocent traditions we celebrate can go hilariously wrong if the timing is off.

   Some jokes work best because they are just a tiny dose of the ridiculous. They lean into absurdity, innocence, and that quiet agreement that some things — like the cold of winter — leave us all slightly unhinged. But shared laughter has a way of turning even the cold into something much warmer and more communal.

   

   Shared laughter has always been communal — once it rings out, it rarely stays contained.

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7. The Terminator, Santa & Rudolph 🎅 🦌 💥
   Santa got run over by a reindeer...

   One personal story where I knew I just had to look at the lighter side…

   ❝ Santa got run over by a reindeer,
   Coming home from our house Christmas Eve....
   If you don't believe in reindeers,
   As for me and grandma we agree — My creative interpretation

   My little tale involves grandma, Santa, and cute little Rudolph and his companions. It has been brought to my attention that my recall of sayings and quotes is perhaps not at A level. Well, turns out I'm not great with lyrics either! During a Christmas decorating session, I discovered my version of "Santa Got Run Over by a Reindeer" was slightly off target.

   Apparently, it was poor ol' grandma who was the recipient of the run over as my niece and nephew were quick to point out — and with no small measure of amusement, I might add! I did defend my creative interpretation, insisting that "running down" didn't necessarily prevent grandma from relating the story at all.

   Undeterred, we continued decorating the lawn with lights, singing, and laughing — a bit on the loud side, perhaps. And somewhere in the night, a new version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was adopted:

   ❝ Doo dum dum dum… Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer had a very shiny nose, like Pinocchio. And if you ever saw it, you would even say it glows. Then one foggy Chrismassy night, Santa came to say… "I shall return!" — My nephew's Terminator addition

   Needless to say, the neighbors were treated to — or perhaps aggravated by — peals of laughter. I like to think that my Santa's elves, my dear niece and nephew, and bonny little Cailiegh, stringing up Christmas lights that night, were laughing with me — and not at me.

   The laughter was loud, contagious, and gloriously unforgettable — and as you can see in the funny images below, sometimes you just gotta let go of appearances.

   

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8. Holiday Caroling, Ketcham House-Style 🎶

   Caroling is something my family truly enjoyed. When the children were younger, we would not only sing to neighbors, but hop in the car and drive to friends' homes, often rewarded with hot chocolate. Our holidays were full of laughter, and our house always overflowed with family and friends. As Barbara Streisand sang, "but it's the laughter we will remember whenever we remember the way we were." We also loved singing Bob Rivers' or other twisted versions of Christmas carols — and just rolled with laughter.

   

   If you enjoy irreverent takes on holiday music, Bob Rivers' Twisted Christmas collection is a must-see. His parodies and this playlist are a reminder that the holidays don't always have to be serious — sometimes the best memories come from letting go, laughing, and embracing the lighter side of life.

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9. Chasing the Lights 🌟 🚗

   When the whole neighborhood becomes a wonderland

   Some of our favorite holiday memories weren't planned — they just happened. Pile everyone into the car, turn on the Christmas music, and drive. No destination, no schedule, just the hunt for the brightest, most magical displays in the neighborhood.

   There was always that one house — you know the one — with so many lights it could probably be seen from space. We'd slow down, roll down the windows despite the cold, and just take it all in. The kids would argue about which house was best. Someone would inevitably spot an inflatable Santa that had tipped over. And there was always laughter.

   Christmas lights at The Ketcham House and around the neighborhood 🏠✨

   At The Ketcham House, the holidays were never just about decorations — they were about gathering. Family, friends, neighbors, and even strangers who wandered by to admire the lights. Joy Ashley made sure of that. Her spirit of warmth and welcome turned every Christmas into a community celebration.

   These weren't grand adventures — just simple drives through familiar streets transformed by twinkling lights, and a home that glowed with more than just decorations. Those nights felt like the truest celebration of the season: family together, wonder in the air, and joy that didn't cost a thing except a little gas and a lot of laughter.

   Because sometimes, the best gift is simply being together — chasing lights and making memories. ✨