The Weekly Links: Gingerbread Optimus Prime, Christmas in Hollis Superstars, Lavar Burton Reads A Christmas Classic

Merry Christmas to all my fellow 80s retroactivists! The gifts of conversation and interaction with RD80s followers and other 80s bloggers keeps my stocking overflowing throughout the year. Hope everyone got a visit from Santa this morning and will get to enjoy friends and family today (even if you got an unexpected visit from a "Cousin Eddie.")

My Christmas gift came yesterday in the form of a compliment on Twitter. Some of you may know that my first real interest in Twitter sprouted from interaction with original MTV veejay Martha Quinn. You might even remember a couple years ago I sent off some 80s PC games featuring her on the cover to autograph and giveaway. She was gracious enough to do so and I received them on Christmas Eve 2011 with a personalized greeting on the shipping label...

Well, yesterday Martha gave me another present on Christmas eve via this tweet...

Your leg warmers will be overflowing with all this #80s Xmas radness. Amazing how u pulled together @RD80s! http://t.co/yB1UTmIYUr
— Martha Quinn (@MarthaQuinn) December 24, 2013

Wow. Hearing stuff like that (and from the 80s diva herself) makes what I do even more special. Thanks, Martha! And speaking of special, today is Christmas day which also happens to be a Wednesday which means a special Christmas edition of The Weekly Links!

More than 700 pieces of gingerbread transformed into Optimus Prime - io9

 - Talk about some dedication. Yeah I know, it's the stupid Michael Bay Optimus Prime, but props to anyone who makes transforming gingerbread. Wow, and you thought those Lego versions were hard to transform.

Cult Film Club Episode 12: Better Off Dead - Cult Film Club

 - One of my favorite movie review podcasts makes a triumphant return by covering Better Off Dead. What a holiday treat and the best part...listening won't cost you two dollars!

THE '80S CHRISTMAS SPECIALS YOU JUST HAVE TO SHOW YOUR KIDS - Hollywood.Com

 - These should not come as any surprise to anyone. In fact, I might actually lobby against showing the He-man and She-Ra Special to your little tykes. It might be the only one I haven't watched this year...why? Still traumatized by watching last year! I even asked my boys if they wanted to check it out again and they passed.

Adidas and Run-D.M.C. Made a Pair of Christmas in Hollis Sneakers - Gizmodo

 - A match made in Christmas heaven if there ever was one. $140 buys you a little piece of 80s Christmas history. 

7 Current Kids’ Toys That Will Appeal to Your Inner Child of the 80s - UnderScoopFire!

 - Here are some great toys that have the spirit of 80s Christmas past. Actually took Howie's advice and bought some Nano "micro-like" machines to stuff in the boys stockings this year.

Home Alone’ Is ‘Die Hard’ For Kids, As Explained By This Handy Graphic - Uproxx

 - Check out this fun graphic that compares some similarities between Die Hard and Home Alone. A stretch? Maybe, but it was a fun read.

17 Things You Might Not Know About the WPIX ‘Yule Log’ - UnderScoopFire!

 - Yeah, I'm tooting my own horn with this link, but it was so much fun to put together. In the process, we even found out that the WPIX Yule Log is on Twitter and will pretty much follow anyone who appreciates it! If you remember watching it as a kid in the 80s (or even earlier,) I think you'll appreciate this brief history lesson.

How "A Christmas Story" Kept Peter Billingsley Normal - BuzzFeed

 - You would've thought that being "that kid from A Christmas Story" would just about ruin your career, but this in-depth article explains how he grew from it into a filmmaker himself.

Cool & Collected Magazine now available! - Cool and Collected

 - If you missed someone on your Christmas list or would like to treat yourself to make up for something you didn't get, I'd highly recommend the new Cool & Collected magazine. I got in on the Kickstarter project and my copy came two days before Christmas. I realyy enjoyed flipping through it in my easy chair next to the warm glow of the fireplace last night (no joke.) A PDF version is available but the print issue is beautiful to look at and come with some extra goodies (plus a chance to win a 3DJoes poster!) If you are a retro collector of the 80s and beyond, don't miss the premiere issue!

'The Night Before Christmas' Read by LeVar Burton - Reading Rainbow on YouTube

 - I leave you with a fun blast from past (thanks to the website Mental Floss.) All you children of the 80s who remember watching Reading Rainbow will get a kick out of host Lavar Burton reading "The Night Before Christmas."