Paul Simon has been on my mind this holiday season.

Part of it has to do with his "Getting Ready For Christmas Day," an infectious tune he released in the spring of 2011.

The other part of it is because my son Riley gave me a CD copy of Graceland for Christmas. Graceland won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1986, and, of course, I only owned the cassette tape before now.

From 1986 to 2011 is no small span of time in the career of a recording artist. Yet Simon's career is that much more remarkable when you realize that by 1986 he was already considered ... mature. Experienced. Over the hill.

While I like Simon and Garfunkel, I appreciate Simon's solo work even more (and I believe he might want you to think some of the S&G catalog was actually his solo material!).

So I welcome 2012 with five favorite Paul Simon songs:

5. Under African Skies. A beautiful if under-appreciated tune from Graceland. Love the line, "this is the story of when we began to remember . . ."



4. Graceland. The song and the album from which it comes brought Simon's interest in African & South American sounds into the public's mind. Isn't it interesting -- musically, it's all about the world. Lyrically, it's about Elvis Presley and the unique Americana at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.



3. Getting Ready For Christmas Day. Terrific song, even better video.



2. The Obvious Child. The opening percussion sets the stage for the overall genius of the 1990 album, The Rhythm Of The Saints. I'd love to know what he means with the line, "the cross is in the ballpark."



1. Kodachrome. When I was 11, this was my favorite song of all time. I remember driving with my dad from Dallas, TX to Knoxville, TN for a tennis tournament, and hoping all the while that this song would come on the radio in our little Mazda. On occasion, it did. A few months later, my dad suprised me by getting me the record album (called "There Goes Rhymin Simon") with this song on it. I didn't even know he was paying attention ... but sure am glad he was. I still have the LP at home.




Honorable Mention -- "You Can Call Me Al" Two reasons for the honorable mention: 1) On his 1990 tour, he'd finish the song and then say, "let's do that one again." And then he did. 2) The video with Chevy Chase might be the Best. Video. Ever. Enjoy:

Many years ago, as our then-four-year-old daughter Taylor took a readiness test for kindergarten at Charlotte Christian School, the admissions counselor said to us, "she's ready to fly."

And so she is again.

After graduating from college in May and working as a Web Copywriter at Red Ventures here in Charlotte since then, she recently accepted an account coordinator job with a public relations firm in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Why am I giving you this more-than-usual family information?

Because we spent the last two days apartment hunting in the greater Atlanta area. I know now more than I ever expected to know about Dunwoody, Roswell, GA Hwy. 400, and how much it costs to rent a washer and dryer in an apartment complex ($35 a month, in case you're interested).

I also found out that virtually every leasing agent at an apartment complex lives in that same complex and has done so for years. That's what they say.

And I discovered that aparment complexes aren't called complexes anymore. They are communities.

After the two days of hunting, I believe we found a good community in a good community.

So we're set for some more flying to begin.

These five are not exactly "Away In A Manger," but by and large they sure are fun.

1. Paul Simon, Getting Ready For Christmas Day. As I posted back in April, I loved this song from the first time I heard it. Why does a non-observant Jew sample an African-American sermon into a song about the birth of Christ? And why did he release it in the springtime instead of November? I don't have an answer to those; I just know the product of that multi-religious brew is intoxicating.



2. Band Aid, Do They Know It's Christmas? Rock's response to the Ethiopian famine of 1984. Most people find the music rife with cliches, but I never fail to be moved by the refrain's anguished plea: "Feed The World." On a lighter note, love the mullets in the video!



3. Bruce Springsteen, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. I lived in New Jersey from 1980 - 1987, so how could I not get caught up in this particular expression of the Christmas spirit? With Clarence Clemmons' recent death, this one is especially poignant in 2011.



4. John Lennon, Happy Christmas (War Is Over). A haunting glimpse into the melancholy this season often brings.



5. U2, Christmas (Baby Please Come Home). U2's cover of Darlene Love's hit was part of the band's large-scale homage to all things American in the era of "Rattle & Hum."

As I was born in 1961, I'm part of the first legitimate "TV Generation." So what are those shows that shaped my childhood and even today fill me with fondness as I traipse down memory lane?

Here are the Top Five:

1. Leave It To Beaver. Few things make me more nostalgic than hearing the words, "Starring Barbara Billingsley . . . Hugh Beaumont . . . Tony Dow . . . AND JERRY MATHERS AS THE BEAVER." When my own children were much younger, I tried to get them to watch this with me, but the slow pacing and stationary camera angles were too much to overcome. They don't know what they missed . . .



2. Batman. I didn't merely want to watch Batman; I wanted to be Batman. Has there ever been a better opening sequence and theme song?



3. Mutual Of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. As close as we got back in the day to Nat Geo Wild, this was the perfect Sunday night show.



4. Alias Smith & Jones. A TV take-off of Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid. I'm the only person I know who liked this series . . . and I loved it.

4.

5. Gilligan's Island. The longest three hour tour of all time.

I admit it: I like books better than movies.

Not that I don't like movies; just that the movie version of a book is never as rich or as nuanced as what is in print.

Nevertheless, as Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, it's time to look to film. Hollywood releases some of its highest profile pictures at this time of year, and 2011 is no exception.

So what five pictures have brought me the most movie watching enjoyment over the years? Some are light-hearted and irreverent while others are whimsical walks in the park. Here they are:

5. Ghostbusters. If you were in church this past Sunday, you know I had the shirt. It was the summer of 1984 and Julie and I returned from our honeymoon to find a nation transformed by Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Ray Parker, Jr.:



4. School Of Rock. Implausible, impractical, irresponsible ... and irresistible. I smile the whole way through the final two-thirds of this one:



3. A Few Good Men. Tom Cruise transforms from a ne'er do well to a man with a mission and Jack Nicholson gets my favorite movie line of all time. Beware: language in this clip is ... colorful.



2. Sophie's Choice. When I saw this in the theater, the entire audience gasped at the final scene. None of us could even move from our seats as the credits rolled. Meryl Streep is brilliant and the conclusion is transcendant.



1. Field Of Dreams. When I saw this one in the theater, I thought it was a beautiful movie about baseball, corn fields, and personal dreams. Then I twice became a father and so when I rented it and watched it with my kids 20 years later, I learned it was about fathers, sons, and saying what you need to say.