It’s the strangest thing and I’ve never had a proper notion of where it started but Roadhouse always reminds me of Christmas. It’s not even something that can be traced to an exact memory, such as why I associate Mortal Kombat and the second Resident Evil movie with New Years. Perhaps it’s the tacky neon bar lighting. Maybe it comes down to trashy action films being part and parcel of so many family gatherings. Fact remains that when I think of the Double Deuce I get just a tiny bit more jolly. Naturally this association only contributes to the fun of the Patrick Swayze Christmas Barstool. A tradition that has returned once again to brighten our spirits.
For any of you who are stumbling onto one of these posts for the first time I’ll give you a quick background. Inspired by MST3K’s song “Let’s Have a Patrick Swayze Christmas” the barstool is a way of expressing your holiday spirit outside of traditional forms like trees and inflatable snowmen. The rules are not all that dissimilar from Halloween mood tables popularized by Dinosaur Dracula/X-Entertainment. Simply grab a barstool, or any chair that is safe to light up, and decorate to your hearts content. It’s your space to be as wild or reserved as you want.
While I often dream of bigger concepts for each year, one of these days this thing is getting reindeer, I often lack the materials. That was even more the case this year with fewer trips to the store and a dwindling supply of lights. And let’s not forget the addition of young kitties who are just fascinated by lights and tinsel. I did manage one important development this time around, Swayze ornaments.
These ornaments are something I’ve been thinking of for years so it’s nice to finally have them on hand. Thing is they’ll likely need to be remade due to a few errors on our part. The sizing and double-sided printing worked out well but our attempts at laminating didn’t hold so there’s some double-sided tape holding these things together. I think next time I’ll just find some of those photo frame ornaments and match photos up accordingly. Our faulty craftsmanship aside these are still terrific additions. My primary goal was to capture many facets of Swayze. There’s dancing Swayze, Roadhouse Swayze, handsome Swayze, horse Swayze, even militant surfer Swayze. Have I written Swayze enough for ya?
Given the presence of actual Roadhouse material it only felt right to top it all off with whatever booze was handy. At the time this meant an assortment of odd beer and seasonal cider. Gotta make special mention of that Peanut Butter Porter, delicious. If I felt the need I could add one of those giant jugs of Costco Whiskey to equation though I don’t dare risk such precious commodities. What’s the risk you ask? Well I was just about to get to that.
Unlike past iterations this years barstool faces a pair of predators/fanboys. Our older cats were never ones for messing with decorations. They loved sleeping under the Christmas tree but by and large they knew to leave things in place. Our new lads are not only a bit more wild but the youngest has grown quite the fascination with this construct, often using it as his own fortress of solitude. Several minutes of each day are now reserved for repairing the display after he invariably makes sweet love to it. He is beginning to be less destructive towards as he now likes to cozy up and stare at the lights, like he’s receiving messages from his alien overlords. My advice to owners of rambunctious animals is that there’s a value in keeping your barstool simplified.
That’s all I’ve got for tonight. It’s about time to hit up wally world in search of ice cream, lights, and cracklin. While I’m away why don’t you all entertain yourselves by making your own Swayze barstool. It honestly doesn’t take that much work. Some lights, maybe tinsel/garland, and scotch tape to hold things in place. Put one together, set it in front of a window, and watch the confused and judgmental looks from your neighbors.
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