For the last few weeks, my Morning Uppers have been noticeably holiday-themed. Now that I make my way home to New York/North Jersey for Christmas Eve (a way bigger deal in our half-Italian family than Christmas Day), however, I thought it would be wise to brush up on the local dialect. Thanks to Jersey Shore, guidos and guidettes have been having a particualrly zeitgeist-y moment recently and, as the above video shows, inflection is everything when dealing with Jersey girls (and guys). Safe travels, everyone! (Needless to say, if you don’t headphones, this video is NSFW – unless you have a really awesome/Jersey boss.)

I think it’s safe to say the Muppets are back. Not that they ever really went anywhere, but they seem to be experiencing an upsurge in pop culture relevance recently. First there was their cover of Bohemian Rhapsody that took the Internet by storm, and now they’ve released this delightful interpretation of a classic Christmas carol, “The Carol of the Bells.” The Muppet Christmas Carol has long been one of my favorite holiday movies, so the blending of these beloved puppets and Christmas is nothing new to me. Up to this point Destiny’s Child’s version of this song had been my favorite, but Beyonce better watch out – Beaker makes for stiff competition.

I know. I know. Senator Diane Savino’s speech on the floor of the New York State Senate in support of NY’s marriage equality bill is week-old news. But we haven’t put the video up yet, and it still makes me really happy. Plus, you never know, there might be some folks out there (like the New Jersey state legislature) who haven’t yet had the pleasure, so… enjoy! :)

Holiday mashups seem to be all the rage this season. First there was Jezebels mixing of Charlie Brown’s Christmas special with the President’s address on Afghanistan that pre-empted it. Now, CBS has gotten in on the game, taking the beloved holiday classic Frosty the Snowman and replacing the dialogue with lines spoken by Barney from How I Met Your Mother to create Frosty the Inappropriate Snowman. It’s Christmas joy for grown-ups! Enjoy!

Last month I purchased Bob Dylan’s 47th album, Christmas in the Heart, for my dad, who starts playing Christmas music in October and loves Dylan, for his birthday. Within hours of my father unwrapping it, however, his co-workers began sending me messages asking what I ws thinking. You see, when I saw Bob live a few years ago I couldn’t actually understand a word he sang, and his raspy voice combined with Christmas songs creates an interesting sound. It’s kind of like your favorite chain-smoking, whiskey-swilling diner waitress crooning at Christmas. Above is the first video off the album, for the song “Must Be Santa,” and the first one Dylan himself has appeared in since 1997. Luckily, the fact that Dylan is donating all of the proceeds to charities fighting hunger makes it easier to swallow. Enjoy!

Outside of Peanuts and cooking shows, Thanksgiving is a holiday that just doesn’t get much in the way of TV specials like Halloween or Christmas. So SNL imagined what Vincent Price, the master of horror, might come up with in terms of a Thanksgiving special. Lucy and Desi, Judy Garland and Albert Hitchcock all makes appearances. It’s a little bizarre, but if you’re family’s Thanksgiving are more Addams Family than Leave it to Beaver, you’ll appreciate it. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Last week, Lady Gaga released her newest music video, “Bad Romance,” which instantly tore through (some) queer social circles, reinvigorating the ardent debates over whether Gaga is worthy of LGBT icon status. Meanwhile, though, it seems some in the geek world are willing to claim her after a little editing… My only complaint is the lack of Sega Genesis goodness in the video footage.

I had never seen When Harry Met Sally before arriving at college. I was made to pay for this sin, however, over and over again as all of the girls on my freshman hall inevitably broke up with their long distance high school boyfriend early on in the first semester. While it was the movie’s romance that helped them through a sad time, it’s interesting to see how easily the movie’s plot could have gone very, very differently.

I don’t know who came up with this list but I’ve had at least 3 of these toys. How many did you have or want?

So as some of you TNG early-adopters know, some of us here have a major hard-on for that once-brilliant televisual masterpiece known as Gossip Girl. Well, even though it’s taken a nasty tumble downhill this season (why do high school soaps insist on making the characters go to college?!), I still for some reason feel the need to keep up with it. Who knows why? Boredom? Habit? Blake Lively’s big fake hypnotic hover-boobs? Who knows? But this week, something so shocking happened, something so horrifically, hilariously bad, that I almost spit my Gatorade clear across the room.