I’m nothing if not a connoisseur of American cinema. #ScaiaBlog has covered such hard-hitting issues as why the DeLorean went back to an alternate 1985 but then back to the original 2015. On another topic, I’m sorry to say, instead of coming together to help each other reach the green food, we appear to have gone the opposite direction.

But we’ve also discussed the work of Jackie Gleason and Tom Hanks, and Hanks’ work brings us to this post.

I’m not an old man, but when I lived in Portland, I would often watch reruns of Simon and Simon after work. But one evening before Christmas, The Polar Express came on TV. I was busy making eggnog for when he family came to visit. I now suspect this eggnog was just awful. But you’re never done learning: Now I know the best recipe for eggnog is to buy some at the store and then just pour some brandy in there [Feel free to describe, “eggnog with brandy in it” as “Scaia’s recipe”. Patent pending].

But since I was nogging it up, I wasn’t paying much attention to Polar Express.

The film came on TV the other night, and I feel like there’s a lot we can learn from Tom Hanks in addition to playing Chopsticks when you come across a giant piano.

The film’s skeptical young’n had the sense to get on a train with a mysterious hobo and go to the North Pole. Spoilers: At the end, the boy is the only one in the family who can still hear Santa’s bell.

“One thing about trains,” the conductor explains. “It doesn’t matter where they’re going. What matters is deciding to get on.”

Mass transit systems to the North Pole make a strong point: Maybe we can make a collective New Year’s resolution to stop arguing with each other on Facebook and just enjoy the ride without knowing what’s next. Then we’ll be able to hear the bell again. If we believe.

Or we’ll boo people who say they got vaccinated. Either way.

But it’s not all bad. I also just saw a Nash Bridges movie. Cheech hasn’t given up. He’s still fighting to stop crime while also supporting legalized marijuana. Cheech and Don Johnson got back together for one last big score.

Just an FYI, though: While we’re all hoping we turn the corner from all the COVID and angry politics, a Facebook post I saw reports 2022 is the year when Soylent Green took place. Charlton Heston raised some legitimate concerns about the main ingredient, but we can look on the bright side there, too. Maybe the ascot will make a comeback.